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Peavey Grind Bass Problems?

MarcTheRogue

MarcTheRogue

Guest
Mar 27, 2013
83
7
#1
Hey guys, I have been going to this blues club to jam out for a few months now. Recently I started bringing my Peavey Grind 5 bass to the jam night, but there has been a slight problem I have been noticing. Keep in mind that the Peavey is used and the previous owner abused the living crap out of it.

The volume on the Peavey seems to pale in comparison to the house bass there, a G&L ASAT. Is it mainly because of the electronics that he is using, or just difference in bass (hence why I am posting in the "basses" section)? Also, note that the amp we play on is the same and doesn't change settings. We usually switch out back and forth on stage for the jam night, and the volume difference is extremely noticeable.

Also, another question: Is there anyway I can increase the volume output of my Peavey? I only paid $100 for it, so I should be able to invest in getting some electronics either repaired, replaced, or giving it an upgrade if need be.

Edit: Also, please don't turn this into a Peavey Bashing/G&L Worshipping thread. I just need some advice, if it doesn't bother any of you lovelies. :hyper:
 
#2
I had a Peavey Grind BXP (the one with the Jazz pickups) for my first bass. I was never happy with the way it sounded, but I only paid $85 for it and I was playing it through an acoustic B-20. I got prices to replace the pickups, but ended up trading it in on a bass I liked better.

The one thing that made that bass sound decent (aside from playing it through a better amp) was a couple of pedals that it really worked great with.

I bought a used Danelectro Cool Cat overdrive pedal for $25 bucks and that gave it enough signal to sound decent even with a cheap amp. You don't need much gain on the pedal to improve the tone so it still sounds clean.

Tech 21 Sans Amp also did a great job of improving the tone, but it cost quite a bit more than the Danelectro. I ended up going with the SansAmp because I cost about the same as replacing the pickups, and I could use it with other instruments. (It's great for Mandolin and Hammer Dulcimer too)

I also tried a Delta Lab Dbfx1 and a Boss ME-20B, but that bass couldn't drive either one of those pedals.
 
#4
Landy67 said:
I had a Peavey Grind BXP (the one with the Jazz pickups) for my first bass. I was never happy with the way it sounded, but I only paid $85 for it and I was playing it through an acoustic B-20. I got prices to replace the pickups, but ended up trading it in on a bass I liked better.

The one thing that made that bass sound decent (aside from playing it through a better amp) was a couple of pedals that it really worked great with.

I bought a used Danelectro Cool Cat overdrive pedal for $25 bucks and that gave it enough signal to sound decent even with a cheap amp. You don't need much gain on the pedal to improve the tone so it still sounds clean.

Tech 21 Sans Amp also did a great job of improving the tone, but it cost quite a bit more than the Danelectro. I ended up going with the SansAmp because I cost about the same as replacing the pickups, and I could use it with other instruments. (It's great for Mandolin and Hammer Dulcimer too)

I also tried a Delta Lab Dbfx1 and a Boss ME-20B, but that bass couldn't drive either one of those pedals.
Click to expand...

I think I am better off getting newer electronics. I don't know what the guy before me did to this bass, and he probably did some unspeakable things to it. Besides, I already have a good cab and head from Kustom that puts out a good 1000 watts.
 
#7
I like the feel of the Grind, have tried it out in stores, but the fact is it has noticeably weak output. That's just how it's wired. I don't know if Peavey made it that way deliberately for some reason or if it's a result of trying to keep costs down, but you need to either run it though a good outboard preamp (like a Sansamp or MXR M-80 or something) or else just crank the volume on the amp. Yeah, if you're switching out with a house bass with hot output you're going to need to keep adjusting volume to compensate.

Personally, if I bought a Grind (and I've thought about it - I really like the body shape, the neck and the 35" scale), I would swap out the pickups. Spend a couple hundred on nice pickups and you'd have a beast of a bass.
 
#8
I played my Grind for about 2 years and it always had considerably less output than my bass and my friends basses. Once I got use to another bass(Peavey Cirrus BXP) and went back to the Grind I didn't like it cause I couldn't pull anything but a muddy or thin sound out of it depending on how I used the tone knob. If I had another one I would replace the pickups and preamp for sure cause I liked how the bass felt, just not how it sounded.
 
#9
hrodbert696 said:
I like the feel of the Grind, have tried it out in stores, but the fact is it has noticeably weak output. That's just how it's wired. I don't know if Peavey made it that way deliberately for some reason or if it's a result of trying to keep costs down, but you need to either run it though a good outboard preamp (like a Sansamp or MXR M-80 or something) or else just crank the volume on the amp. Yeah, if you're switching out with a house bass with hot output you're going to need to keep adjusting volume to compensate.

Personally, if I bought a Grind (and I've thought about it - I really like the body shape, the neck and the 35" scale), I would swap out the pickups. Spend a couple hundred on nice pickups and you'd have a beast of a bass.
Click to expand...

Sounds like the best idea to just put in new electronics. Like I said, it only cost me $100. I could get some nice EMG pickups, and get it rewired to fit up for an active bass. That last part, I might need to get confirmed.. :D
 
#10
I have a grind and its a very comfy bass, seems to fit me perfect. The pickups are dark in tone as well as being average to low output for passive. Definitely not usable with flats or tapewounds very low output for me. With enough gain I like mine alot, as was stated before an overdrive or clean boost helps. I'd recommend an onboard preamp like an Aguilar ODB 3 to give you some oomph as well as some treble content.
You may like the pickups with a preamp boosting and buffering them.
 

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