Peavey T-40 Club Part 2

[kodiakblair]

That Blue T-40 is say we say here the dog's b*ll*cks. And there was me thinking I was done with T-40s having 1st refusal on a white with blades.
Oh well my blue B-90 will have to suffice

 

[RadioactiveGuy4]

So is there any T-40 love still out there? I just got my first T-40 and i am super stoked!

 

[Eilif]

Of course, but we do love to see pics of newly acquired T-40's....

 

[Landsharks]

I had a sunburst with blades and rosewood fretboard, loved everything about it except the weight. Sold it and a Koa Dyna to get a Cirrus. I want to get another one one day and really want a Koa Dyna Bass. One day!

 

[CGremlin]

I just picked up a T40 on the weekend. One of the ones with the infamous 6 digit serial numbers. I'll post a picture later, but does this mean it's an early model?

Yes, the six-digits and those with serial numbers that begin with "8M" are early '78s. Did you get lucky and get one with the pinstriping that follows the contour of the truss rod cover?

 

[CGremlin]

Since I'm here, can I haz number too pleeze? Here are some poor photos of mine:

'78 Sienna Burst, S/N 8Mxxxxxx:

'78 natural, S/N 211xxx

'78 natural, S/N 00000000:

 

[CliffEllefson]

Im very excited to join the t-40 cult here on TB! Just got this in the mail today. Some idiot defiled the poor fret board with sharpie, but i'm going to figure out how to fix it soon enough. I was going to change the brown back to natural, but I actually really like it, and it make the bass mine. No Pics no bass so:

T40

• CliffEllefson
• Dec 3, 2015

Brown with sharpie frets

 

[CliffEllefson]

Also, I have a broken tuner on the bass. Anybody know of a good replacement?

 

[kodiakblair]

Cliff

Plenty tuners on eBay this week an they ain't cheap.

 

[JMacBass65]

Anybody here have a T40 lined fretless, with a polyurethane satin finish on the rosewood board? Three tone burst, logo etc sanded from the headstock, a brass nut and neck shaved to jazz width??

If so, you have my old bass.

 

[Eilif]

Also, I have a broken tuner on the bass. Anybody know of a good replacement?

Schaller M4s or Grover Titan have the same basic dimensions and elephant ear button shape. The main difference between the two is the name stamped on the back and that the Schaller has pegs for anchoring like the Peavey tuners and the Grover tuners have screws.

I don't know if the Schaller pegs are in the exact same place as Peavey, but below is diagram you can compare to one of your stock tuners. Note that the picture below doesn't have the shape quite to scale, but the measurements should be right

The other thing to consider is that a set of Grovers or used Peavey T-40 tuners is $60-80 bucks while a set of Schaller's is over $100. Still, if you can't/don't find a single and instead replace a whole set, you can probably get some of your $ back selling each of the 3 Peavey tuners individually.

 

[10cc]

Im very excited to join the t-40 cult here on TB! Just got this in the mail today. Some idiot defiled the poor fret board with sharpie, but i'm going to figure out how to fix it soon enough. I was going to change the brown back to natural, but I actually really like it, and it make the bass mine. No Pics no bass so:

T40

• CliffEllefson
• Dec 3, 2015

Brown with sharpie frets

I bet one of those magic erasers might clean that up

 

[joeaba]

I was browsing at Randy Wood Guitars, (South Georgia) and saw some T40's for sale. Not sure if they are still available, but they were looking good and cheaper than I expected them to be.

 

[RadioactiveGuy4]

I'm out of town but I will post pics when i get home. I'm pretty sure mine is an 81 going by the SN but it has blade pick ups and i thought those came about later.

 

[CliffEllefson]

I forgot to mention that my poor T40 has (had) finish over the sharpie as well. I took it off with a razor, will post pics tonight. Now the fret board actually looks maple instead of that grey color.

 

[Eilif]

Glad to hear it came off all right.
How does it sound?

 

[CliffEllefson]

It sounds very nice. I enjoy the tones I've gotten so far, especially in a mix. I've got some wiring/grounding/jack issues to play with still.

Here is what the fret board looked like for comparison:

t40 fret

• CliffEllefson
• Dec 4, 2015

a sharpie fret

And here she is in all of her brown, sharpie free glory:

Brown T-40

• CliffEllefson
• Dec 4, 2015

A refinished T-40

 

[CliffEllefson]

The electronics issue I have is that when I'm not touching anything grounded (pots, bridge, ect) its dead silent. But when I touch them, the bass starts buzzing. Any pointers?

Edit: The jack is also messed up, only works if you hold the cable against the jack. Will replace and report back.

 

[CliffEllefson]

Update:

So the previous owner wired the jack in backward, and somehow I didn't notice. I switched the wiring and shes as quiet as you would expect. I still need to replace that jack once the replacement arrives, and put on the tuning key I got of the 'bay for $13 . As far as the tone, oh lordy it's everything I had hoped and more. Its no P bass with flats but it certainly has tone for days. I love having everything up on 10, both pickups on. Its not your daddies jazz bass that's for sure. I love the response when I really dig in playing just over the frets. Overall very happy. Glad I stumbled upon these threads and decided to pick one up. Should keep my gas at bay...for now. A big thanks to everyone here for a great T-40 community.

 

[xaxxat]

T40 in action: