Peavey T-40 Club Part 2

[jglunt]

Still, the question remains: why does the modest output of my toaster-equipped T-40 suddenly start peeling paint with distortion?

I play with a clean bass sound, so I can't speak from direct experience, but a couple possibilities come to mind. (1) Is there a signal boost in your distortion unit? If so and if it has an adjustment to that boost, it can be managed in that way. (2) A distorted signal on any instrument  sounds louder than a clean signal, so while the sound level is the same, the perceivedloudness is greater with distortion. Probably neither suggestion is the answer, but it gave me a chance to practice my typing.

 

[Riff Ranger]

You guys are probably sick of seeing my bass but I'll drop it here:

Those super ferrite pickups sound burly I had a first-generation Fury with one of those slanted in the Precision sweet spot, and if it hadn’t needed more work than I could do or would willingly pay to have done, I would probably have hung onto it. At least I know it’s in the good hands of a friend who helped me get more comfortable with electronics work in exchange for what is a birth year bass for him.

 

[Riff Ranger]

I play with a clean bass sound, so I can't speak from direct experience, but a couple possibilities come to mind. (1) Is there a signal boost in your distortion unit? If so and if it has an adjustment to that boost, it can be managed in that way. (2) A distorted signal on any instrument  sounds louder than a clean signal, so while the sound level is the same, the perceivedloudness is greater with distortion. Probably neither suggestion is the answer, but it gave me a chance to practice my typing.

It doesn’t seem to matter which pedal I use, but the perceived output increase with my T-40 seems several orders of magnitude higher than with any of my other instruments. I don’t have a great way to measure actual output but I set my distortion pedals so that the decibel meter in Reaper doesn’t jump up noticeably when recording with my other instruments. I will see if I get a measurable increase that way with the T-40.

 

[Riff Ranger]

It doesn’t seem to matter which pedal I use, but the perceived output increase with my T-40 seems several orders of magnitude higher than with any of my other instruments. I don’t have a great way to measure actual output but I set my distortion pedals so that the decibel meter in Reaper doesn’t jump up noticeably when recording with my other instruments. I will see if I get a measurable increase that way with the T-40.

Confirmed: in as much of an apples-to-apples comparison as I can make, the T-40 came in 1.5–2 decibels under my Yamaha BB734A when clean, and 1.5–2 decibels over when distorted.

If I understand the T-40 electronics correctly—big “if” —I used the humbucker in the neck, whatever louder single coil in the bridge I got with the phase switch up, both volumes dimed, both tones as high as possible. I tried the Yamaha with the master volume dimed, the blend favoring the neck pickup about 2:1, in passive mode with the tone up; I also tried active mode with a teensy boost to lows, midrange flat, and a moderate boost to highs. I found it interesting that engaging the active electronics on the Yamaha didn’t show any measurable increase in output, but I perceived it as louder, at least in isolation.

 

[lug]

My most used jam is Neck pup single coil, Bridge in humbucker (around 7). Sound thick and lean to my ears.

 

[jglunt]

Confirmed: in as much of an apples-to-apples comparison as I can make, the T-40 came in 1.5–2 decibels under my Yamaha BB734A when clean, and 1.5–2 decibels over when distorted.

If I understand the T-40 electronics correctly—big “if” —I used the humbucker in the neck, whatever louder single coil in the bridge I got with the phase switch up, both volumes dimed, both tones as high as possible. I tried the Yamaha with the master volume dimed, the blend favoring the neck pickup about 2:1, in passive mode with the tone up; I also tried active mode with a teensy boost to lows, midrange flat, and a moderate boost to highs. I found it interesting that engaging the active electronics on the Yamaha didn’t show any measurable increase in output, but I perceived it as louder, at least in isolation.

If you dimed both tone controls, then both pickups were in single coil mode. Back each tone control off until you notice a slight volume increase on each pickup. That'll mean it's switched into humbucker mode, which is louder. That should happen with the tone controls around 7 - 8.

 

[Riff Ranger]

If you dimed both tone controls, then both pickups were in single coil mode. Back each tone control off until you notice a slight volume increase on each pickup. That'll mean it's switched into humbucker mode, which is louder. That should happen with the tone controls around 7 - 8.

That’s what I tried (and apparently failed) to communicate with “as high as possible” on the tone knobs but that said, everything dimed with both pickups engaged and the phase switch disengaged might be my favorite sound with the T-40.

 

[Justyn Brando]

Re assembled and loving the new wiring. Having the phase selecting which neck PU coil it's active in single coil mode is great. Way more useful IMO.

 

[Bassguy61]

New club member here! Just recently picked up a 1979 model. Very clean... looks like it never got a lot of play time. One of the cooler things is that it came with all the case candy: manual, sheet from Chip Todd on adjusting necks, the carbon reply of the original warranty card, and the original receipt. Price? A whole $337.50 plus tax!

I do have one question... I get how the tone control works, switching from single coil to humbucker, but it seems like no matter the setting the low notes end up not having as much definition. I have new DR Sunbeams on it now. Could it be just a product of the time/pickups/electronics, or is there something I should maybe get checked that might account for that?

Anyway, loving playing it and the range of sounds that I do get!

 

[Riff Ranger]

New club member here! Just recently picked up a 1979 model. Very clean... looks like it never got a lot of play time. One of the cooler things is that it came with all the case candy: manual, sheet from Chip Todd on adjusting necks, the carbon reply of the original warranty card, and the original receipt. Price? A whole $337.50 plus tax!

I do have one question... I get how the tone control works, switching from single coil to humbucker, but it seems like no matter the setting the low notes end up not having as much definition. I have new DR Sunbeams on it now. Could it be just a product of the time/pickups/electronics, or is there something I should maybe get checked that might account for that?

Anyway, loving playing it and the range of sounds that I do get!

Welcome aboard!

You’ll see me wondering a few replies back whether my 1980 might have electronics issues, as it seemed low output and polite compared to what I regularly play (Yamaha BB734A and Ibanez ATK300). I think I know what you mean about the low end, but at least in my case I would describe the low end as articulate and mellow. The consensus here was that there is nothing wrong with mine, and that’s just how the models with the “toaster” (as opposed to “blade”) pickups are; and as much as the T-40 can effectively mimic a number of classic basses it retains an unmistakable character of its own, at least in isolation.

Somehow, my polite T-40 turns into a raging beast with anything more than mild dirt in the signal chain, though, easily becoming my loudest instrument by far no one seems to know why.

 

[Bassguy61]

Welcome aboard!

You’ll see me wondering a few replies back whether my 1980 might have electronics issues, as it seemed low output and polite compared to what I regularly play (Yamaha BB734A and Ibanez ATK300). I think I know what you mean about the low end, but at least in my case I would describe the low end as articulate and mellow. The consensus here was that there is nothing wrong with mine, and that’s just how the models with the “toaster” (as opposed to “blade”) pickups are; and as much as the T-40 can effectively mimic a number of classic basses it retains an unmistakable character of its own, at least in isolation.

Somehow, my polite T-40 turns into a raging beast with anything more than mild dirt in the signal chain, though, easily becoming my loudest instrument by far no one seems to know why.

Thank you! Nice to have some confirmation of what I'm hearing. I think you describe better than I did certainly.

 

[lug]

"Lack of definition" on the low note is definitly not how I'd decribe mine. Overall volume is not hot but the lows shine. Make sure the phase switch is functional.

 

[jglunt]

"Lack of definition" on the low note is definitly not how I'd decribe mine. Overall volume is not hot but the lows shine. Make sure the phase switch is functional.

Just what I thought when I read the comment. If the phase switch is kicked in, the T-40 is meek and mild in the low end. Less low end means less volume. Worth a look.

 

[Bassguy61]

"Lack of definition" on the low note is definitly not how I'd decribe mine. Overall volume is not hot but the lows shine. Make sure the phase switch is functional.

I'll see about that. I guess the way it sounds, in my ears, is like the low end is more "woolly" sounding than the upper. On the D and G strings I can get a "snappy", "chime-y" type sound. On the A, less so. On the E not much in the way of "ring-y" at all. Again, I've been playing either more modern, or at least active, basses, so it may just be me having to readjust my expectations. I'm not at all unhappy with the tones I can get, just curious. But thanks for the suggestion on the phase. It's worth checking it out.

 

[babyDJ]

New to the club! Picked up a maple neck 1980 that somebody along the line made into a fretless. Want to revert to frets. New neck or have this one worked on? I do like the neck pitch adjustment on the original.

 

[SpoonySmalls]

New here. Picked this one up in a pawn shop for $150 in the 90s.

176330

 

[lug]

New here. Picked this one up in a pawn shop for $150 in the 90s.

176330

Very early 6 digit serial number model! Another indicator is the pinstripe going around the truss rod cover, they quit doing that very early on, nice bass!

 

[UNICORN BASS]

I did the same, $200 with HSC and everything, 2002 or so. Sorry, no pics.

 

[SpoonySmalls]

I did the same, $200 with HSC and everything, 2002 or so. Sorry, no pics.

Hella sweet that they are considered cool all of the sudden. I hardly ever play this thing, but now I'm reluctant to get rid of it! Ever since I learned about the uniqueness of the electronics I've been on a mission to learn how to best use this thing!

 

[lug]

Hella sweet that they are considered cool all of the sudden. I hardly ever play this thing, but now I'm reluctant to get rid of it! Ever since I learned about the uniqueness of the electronics I've been on a mission to learn how to best use this thing!

Front pup single coil (both controls dimed), rear pup humbucker (around "7" on the tone), in phase. You are welcome.