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Peavey T-40 Club Part 2

#861
First of all a DISCLAIMER:

PLEASE READ ON BEFORE CALLING ME A CRIMINAL OR ANYTHING, DON'T JUST LOOK AT THE PHOTOS, THE ORIGINAL BODY IS KEPT INTACT AT HOME.

So, I got this really clean, barely played 1982 T-40 for 450€ early in July. Weight (some 12+lb) was a real issue to have this as a "daily driver" (something I wanted to do as this bass fits almost anything I play). FYI I use mine stringed BEAD (mostly for fast punk/HC/metalcore).

t40.jpg


So, I bought an aditional body out of eBay (99$+shipping made for a 130€ grand total) and did the lightening myself with a router on the back (inspired by some works by Chip Todd I've seen googling around). Now this extra body I got was a much less "attractive" grain and rather beat up and scratched (which attenuates the intensity of my "crime") so I had to do some color finishing on it (after quite some filler and sealant job). Paint looked more red in the can but ended up looking like the purple you tipically see on many Gibson SG guitars. I bothered doing all this because the bass is THAT GOOD, just way better quality than any Fender bass I've ever had or played, in the same league as a couple Stingray 5ers I own and are my main basses (so far). And as of sound, well, let's say this has the most versatile best designed electronics on any passive bass ever.

This is the "new" body...
newbody1.jpg


... before routing...
newbody2.jpg

... after...
newbody3.jpg


... and this is after the whole finishing process, front...
t401.jpg


... back...
t402.jpg


Haven't weighted it but it feels more or less like my Stingrays which are around 10lb (4.5kg), perfectly usable for me now.
 
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#864
Hi again pals. Just need to ask some setup questions. After some weeks of fiddling with my T-40's setup and losening the truss rod all the way I still need some more neck relief. I know this is a single action truss rod. I can partially countereffect this by having the strings high but it's WAY over my desirable string height zone now and also it's noticeably harder to adjust intonation (bridge saddles have to go back A LOT). I'm using this bass tuned BEAD, started with the 4 lowest strings of a .040 set, then swapped to the same thing but from a .045 set to no avail. I can still go thicker, if I manage to have the action lower (with proper relief) it'd still have decent playability. Still I'd like to know, is there some compatible Peavey neck with a double action truss rod? Thanks so much for your help.
 
#865
Please find a link to the manual of the T-40 here: Invalid Link Removed
If you read the part under 'Adjustment 3. Neck tilt' It is explained how to change the tilt of the neck. This should fix your string height problem. It is very easy, I have done this on my T-40 with excellent result.

I also have a question for you: after you reduced the weight of your T-40, did this introduce any neck-dive?
 
#866
Britsie said:
Please find a link to the manual of the T-40 here: Invalid Link Removed
If you read the part under 'Adjustment 3. Neck tilt' It is explained how to change the tilt of the neck. This should fix your string height problem. It is very easy, I have done this on my T-40 with excellent result.

I also have a question for you: after you reduced the weight of your T-40, did this introduce any neck-dive?
Click to expand...

I have the manual and know how to adjust neck tilt (done it several times). My problem is still neck relief, the neck is too straight, almost no bow even with the truss rod loosened all the way (rattling loose in fact). In comparison both my Stingray 5ers have way lower action and less fret buzz (I like a little of it but not to the point of choking notes) and have more maybe 1.5 to 2mm clearance in the middle if I fret a string at first and last fret (while the T-40 hardly has 1mm). Should I be looking elsewhere, maybe high/low frets or the sort? Lower regster frets are (minimally) worn, and are like new in the upper register.

And no, I have no neckdive after lightening the body, I assume the massive bridge impacts to it being so even more than body weight itself.
 
#872
Okay I'm pretty hyped. I've been wanting a T-40 for a while now. They look like really great basses. The only time one has popped I didn't have the cash (300 for a mint natural). But it looks like I'm finally going to get one. I posted a Dean 7 string guitar on local sale sites and some body offered me this
FB_IMG_1484086531648.jpg
He said the neck was replaced and needs a setup. And from the pictures a good cleaning too. I'm waiting for pics of the front and back of the head stock but I'm really excited for it. Would there be any way to get a date estimate without the neck?
 
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#873
eilif should be around any minute with the definitive answer. All I know for sure is that you have the "earlier" pickups ('78-'80?). I don't remember the exact cutoff year from when the new "blade" pickups were introduced. All my '82 and newer T40s have the blade pickups. Aside from that, you will need the original serial number on the back of the headstock to pin down the exact year of your very cool T-40. Congrats!
 
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#875
eldoryder said:
eilif should be around any minute with the definitive answer. All I know for sure is that you have the "earlier" pickups ('78-'80?). I don't remember the exact cutoff year from when the new "blade" pickups were introduced. All my '82 and newer T40s have the blade pickups. Aside from that, you will need the original serial number on the back of the headstock to pin down the exact year of your very cool T-40. Congrats!
Click to expand...
It's no big deal if I can't get a date on it. We have the trade set up for Friday so more pics will follow, maybe I can try to find the maker of the neck too. And for the life of me I couldn't find any fretless T-40 videos, I know it sounds great fretted so I'm eager to hear the fretless
 
#879
mech said:
There's a 4 digit code on the back of the pots that gives the week and year they were made and that'll be close. That looks like a Fender Jazz type neck.
Click to expand...
I thought there would be something like that. I planned on giving it a good cleaning when I got it so ill check the pots then. The current owner got the bass as is so he doesn't know what the neck exactly is. At first he called it a rosewood board but that looks too dark to me. Part of me hopes it's a good warmoth neck. From the pic it looks like it has the same string tree and maybe tuners as a regular T-40
 
#880
Minirehak 212 said:
It's no big deal if I can't get a date on it. We have the trade set up for Friday so more pics will follow, maybe I can try to find the maker of the neck too. And for the life of me I couldn't find any fretless T-40 videos, I know it sounds great fretted so I'm eager to hear the fretless
Click to expand...

Sorry I have no sound clips of my T-40FL, but here's a family pic showing the fretless Peavey on the far right. The others are my '78 (natural) and the '82 White. The T-40FL is capable of all kinds of "Jaco-esque" tones (at least in competent hands other than mine!)

DSCN3094.jpg
 
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