Had this pretty red one for a while, traded it for a guitar amp. Currently still have my 92 fretless foundation (my first bass) just don’t have a picture of it.
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Peavey Foundations - just can't let them go
- Thread starter jpmcbride
- Start date
Had this pretty red one for a while, traded it for a guitar amp. Currently still have my 92 fretless foundation (my first bass) just don’t have a picture of it.
Love em, though I will say that 99% of that love comes from a black and maple 87 that I picked up with OHSC for like $100 on CL about 8 years ago. I stupidly sold it and the odd 90s ones I've had here and there since have never done it for me like that one did.
I'd love to pick up another 80s one but the prices have gone up somewhat, and as much as I love them I know from experience that I can't give the da** things away locally were I to try to move it along later. Seems to be no USA Peavey market in Austin. There's a huge brand bias, which I think has been discussed around here a few times
.
Nevertheless for those in the know, Super Ferrite Foundations are special.
I'd love to pick up another 80s one but the prices have gone up somewhat, and as much as I love them I know from experience that I can't give the da** things away locally were I to try to move it along later. Seems to be no USA Peavey market in Austin. There's a huge brand bias, which I think has been discussed around here a few times
.Nevertheless for those in the know, Super Ferrite Foundations are special.
I owned one back in 2004 and kept it for a couple years. It was a late 80s model (87 or 88 if memory serves) in Olympic White, or the Peavey equivalent, Super Ferrite pickups, a maple board and chrome knobs that I don't think were original. I bought it from Ted Brown Music in Richland WA for a whopping $180 with a hardshell case. The case had seen better days, and admittedly the Foundation had as well. It was an absolute tone monster. I cut two records with it and nailed some of the gnarliest tones I've ever put to tape. It was like a clankier Jazz that was just perfect in a hard rock or metal setting.
I never should have gotten rid of that bass, but ended up trading it here on TB for a 212 cab that I needed more than another bass. Years later I contacted the person I traded it to in an effort to get it back, but he had long since sold it and couldn't remember who it went to. If I ever get a chance to buy it back I absolutely will in a heartbeat.
I never should have gotten rid of that bass, but ended up trading it here on TB for a 212 cab that I needed more than another bass. Years later I contacted the person I traded it to in an effort to get it back, but he had long since sold it and couldn't remember who it went to. If I ever get a chance to buy it back I absolutely will in a heartbeat.
I'm pretty sure I won't be selling mine.... probably end out buying a blue, gold, salmon, and a natural... then just sit back and smile.
My first bass, will never let this thing go
Just out of curiosity, does anyone know if the Foundation was ever made with a wider-than-Jazz width (i.e. 1.65”) neck?
Had a black Foundation a while back and regretted selling it...so would definitely recommend holding on to the basses if you have them. I found a US Peavey Fury for cheap not too long ago, not a Foundation but still a very well made bass and a heck of a player.
No,strictly thin models.
Odd thing is the Dynabass originally came in thick or thin versions,as did the Patriot. Course the options were dropped after a few year. You could hunt down a wider neck Dyna then swap necks,the pockets the same.
Yea, the 80's SF Foundations are beasts! Mine is an 85 black on maple and the funny thing is, rarely do i hear Foundation owners that were Deep Purple fans, because on the 'Perfect Strangers' album and tour (i think the last with the classic line-up) Foundations were used by Roger Glover ( i have a video from that tour) and Ritchie Blackmore is seen in pics playing a Foundation.
SF Foundations can get very 'gnarly' and close to a 'Ric tone' as well...if you have a very clean bass amp, it can get close to a Fender J bass if need be.
I do think of SF Foundations as 'rock basses', though my 90's Foundation 5er has more of a cleaner tone with those 'soap bar/vfl looking pickups'.
This is not my bass, but mine is an identical black Foundation "S" with a black headstock.
I got mine new in 1987 by trading in a red 1984 Foundation with a maple fingerboard. I wish I still had the red one.
I have about a dozen basses, but the '87 Foundation "S" is still my number one. I can play it better than any other bass I own, and it sounds better than any other bass I own. Strangely enough, I can sing better when playing this bass. Not that my voice or range is any better, but when I'm playing this bass, I get the phrasing and timing of words more accurate. I guess it's simply more comfortable for me to play, so less of my processing power is used for playing and more is left use on trying to sing....
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Had this pretty red one for a while, traded it for a guitar amp. Currently still have my 92 fretless foundation (my first bass) just don’t have a picture of it.
Looks just like my '84, except mine had metal knobs. Wish I had it back....
I kinda wish I had that one back, too. It was a much nicer instrument than the 92.
I have an 86 Foundation S that I bought new. I went through every Fender, Ibanez, other brands and other Peaveys in the local shop. This one felt better, played better and sounded better than every other bass there. The Fenders at the time weren't built as well and the Peavey was a couple hundred dollars cheaper! Played a ton of gigs on it back in the day. When I quit it was the only bass I kept.
I have 7 other basses, I love my G&L's, I play in a couple bands and my #1 in 1 of them is my Foundation. Whenever I pick it up it just feels like home. I love that bass and if I could only have one, this would be it.
Side note, I just picked up a Chinese Millennium 5 AC BCP. Got it because I wanted a cheap Fiver for places I didn't want to bring my "nicer" 5 strings. Cost me less than 200.00 in a decent gig bag and is way better than I expected. In fact I'd say it is surprisingly nice. Heck its already been out on a gig with my Foundation and will come with me again this weekend.
I have 7 other basses, I love my G&L's, I play in a couple bands and my #1 in 1 of them is my Foundation. Whenever I pick it up it just feels like home. I love that bass and if I could only have one, this would be it.
Side note, I just picked up a Chinese Millennium 5 AC BCP. Got it because I wanted a cheap Fiver for places I didn't want to bring my "nicer" 5 strings. Cost me less than 200.00 in a decent gig bag and is way better than I expected. In fact I'd say it is surprisingly nice. Heck its already been out on a gig with my Foundation and will come with me again this weekend.
Haha, I've been a Peavey guy since 1982. Nothing but love!
If you want a true Ric killer, add a neck position Super Ferrite and 3 way switch to a Patriot and move the jack to the side. Those pickups are then located in the same spots as a Ric (24th and 36th fret positions) and the Super Ferrite does a pretty darn good Hi-Gain pickup emulation. Had Peavey made this an option (the Patriot Plus?), there would be a lot less talk of the T40 being 'the best Ric sounding, non-Ric.' This bass (I call it RicRiot) nails the Ric tone. Yet another $300 (off brand
) bass that outperforms the $1000+ icon.I had a couple ideas I wanted to try.
First, I put an orphan 1982 T45 neck on a 1987 Foundation body. Screwed right on with no adjustments or modifications and the neck fits the pocket perfectly. Thank you computer aided manufacturing! (A T40 neck, at 20 frets, is too short and would mess up the scale length and intonation.) Gotta say, the 1.75" wide nut Foundation is a really great feel.
Secondly, I added the bridge Toaster pickup and coil split switch. Experimented with the wiring to get it to split to the neck side coil (which was magneticaly North Up) to be opposite the South Up Super Ferrite. There is still decent hum canceling in single coil mode on the Toaster when blended with the SF. Toasters and Super Ferrites play great together, volume and tone wise, too! This bass has most everything a stock Foundation has to offer in single coil mode, but with the addition of a little more midrange punch when the Toaster is in humbucker mode. I usually don't play soloed bridge SFs, but the humbucking Toaster sounds real nice soloed. The wider aperture (that is skewed neckward) and inherently thicker tone of the Toaster works great in the bridge position.
I call this one Foundation T or T-42.5.
I just picked up a sunburst body.
I'll be swapping a neck from one of my duplicates. Probably one of the red metallics.Funny thing... my wife was semi ok with it till I told her I was going to use the beat up, (sorry, road worn) duplicate body as a table top. JK of course.
It really makes the Patriot a whole new animal. There are some crossover tones when compared to a Foundation, especially the scoopy tones of both pickups on. However, the (modded) Patriot pickup locations, being shifted neckward, lend fundamentally deeper, thicker tones. Plus, the soloed 'bridge' pickup is much more full and useful vs the Foundation as it's bridge pickup is a little further towards the bridge vs 70s position on a J bass!
Theoretically, one could rout in an extra pair of Super Ferrites in the Ric spots into a Foundation. It would be rather busy to have 4 pickups on a bass, but it would work.
