• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Peavey T-40, Interesting Facts?

#21
Well, the bass arrived, and I must say I am very very impressed with it. The bass I got is in flawless condition, and I really like the glossed maple neck. I have mine in the "Rickenbacker" type setting, and love the tone of it, it sounds a lot like Geddy's Rick tone on "2112" or "Hemispheres". The bass plays great, and I am so glad that it has such awesome tone for the price I got it for... I would definitely say it beats a Fender standard jazz or maybe even active (I'm no huge active fan) anyday... I also like the slap tone a lot, it's very thumpy (I love the sound of when a slap almost sounds like a bass drum kick), which is a hard slap tone to come across these days, and the pop is clear and focused. All in all a great bass, 'tis a heavy one though.

Also, the neck pickup is in a pretty annoying place for popping and slapping, but I found if i play right behind it, I get the tone I want.:bassist:
 
#24
Munjibunga said:
Yes, and it feels like it was built out of rock. Not a bad sounding bass, though.
Click to expand...

+1 on both counts

I absolutely LOVED my T-40 even though I didn't have it very long. I didn't care for the weight, and if I didn't NEED to sell it, I certainly wouldn't have done so. I really needed a serious backup for my main Jazz, and the T-40 just didn't do that tone for me. I do miss it now though!

My wife keeps laughing at me b/c she sees me looking at them on eBay (yes I am considering another) and says "Wait, I thought that you have one of those..." You can imagine how the rest of the conversation goes. :D
 
#25
pete&petelives said:
. I have mine in the "Rickenbacker" type setting, and love the tone of it, it sounds a lot like Geddy's Rick tone on "2112" or "Hemispheres".

I would definitely say it beats a Fender standard jazz or maybe even active (I'm no huge active fan) anyday... :
Click to expand...

Congrats, glad you like it. Funny you should mention the ric thing, I have always thought that my t-40 does the best ric imitation of any bass out there. A little higher output perhaps, but it really does get a good ric-esque' tone, with a fair aproximation of the ric "ring". It probably has something to do with the wierd pickups and their placement. That said, if I ever get myself a ric (I hope I hope I hope) I will probably keep the t-40.

Definately agreed on the Fender standard comparison, but even with the pickups in single coil mode, it's still a bit like comparing apples and oranges, two very different animals.
 
#26
I had a white 1980 T-40 as my first "real" bass. Sound was great. Playbility was very good. Weight was very heavy. Like a fool, I sold it 3 years later. IF I ever come across a good deal on another, I'll probably buy it.

Funny thing is, I never see any white ones. Even when I google images for one. Wonder if white was that rare?

EDIT - I just googled again (for about the 100th time) and found the only pictures I've seen of a white one, other than a couple of photgraphs that I have at home).

Invalid Link Removed

I'll have to dig out my old pictures, because I think I remember mine having a rosewood fingerboard.
 
#27
Boy does this thread bring back memories. A T-40 was my first bass. back in 79 or 80. One of the ones with the slab body. When I saw that they later did a contoured body, I was pissed, because it was soo much lighter.

The thing is sitting in my storage room. I think the bridge pick-up is shot. But I will have to go dig it out the next time.
 
#29
I'd really love a T40, just because it's a classic and really looks funky. But they're as rare as rocking horse poo down here and I don't ever seen to be able to find a nice one on ebay for a price I can afford (+shipping) when I actually have the cash to pay for it..
I also have a T60 guitar.
 
#30
T-40? Bah. The T-20, now that's a man's bass. That was my first bass, and I remember the salesman in Clovis, NM trying to tell me how great a value the T-40 was, and that I should save up for one. But the 17 year old didn't want to wait and settled for the lowly T-20. I learned to play on it and had it for the next 3 years. Sold it as soon as I got my hands on a Ric.

Man, that bass was a piece of crap.

wish I still had it though, for nostalgic reasons (my first bass!)...
 
#31
Have bought one 2 months ago, in absolutey new condition never played since 27 years...it just needed a setup.
I was amazed by 4 things :
- The general quality of the instrument (building and hardware)
- The wide and beautiful tone possibilities (except that I won't use the out of phase switch...)
- The fact that this thing NEVER runs out of tune ! (my modern T-Bass with graphite reinforced neck needs to be retuned more often...)
- At last, it also outperforms anything I know in terms of weight.
But if you don't play it on stage, and stay comfortably seated while playing (recording session, for example), you'll experienced great moments.
IMHO.

I appreciate it so, that I'm looking for a second one...

Michel.
 
#32
FMICH said:
(except that I won't use the out of phase switch...)
Click to expand...

Hahaha. :p Those were my thoughts exactly when I bought mine.

Here is a pic of me using mine.
l_bbcc05b91977635cb592538734dea6ef.png
 
#33
4x4Given said:
I had a white 1980 T-40 as my first "real" bass. Sound was great. Playbility was very good. Weight was very heavy. Like a fool, I sold it 3 years later. IF I ever come across a good deal on another, I'll probably buy it.

Funny thing is, I never see any white ones. Even when I google images for one. Wonder if white was that rare?

EDIT - I just googled again (for about the 100th time) and found the only pictures I've seen of a white one, other than a couple of photgraphs that I have at home).

Invalid Link Removed

I'll have to dig out my old pictures, because I think I remember mine having a rosewood fingerboard.
Click to expand...


I had a white one, with maple board. Sold her about a year ago!
 
#34
The "problem" with T-40's, if you want to call it that, is that a lot of people got them as a first bass, "moved up" to a fender shortly after before building a lot of knowledge about what they want as opposed to what was the "pro's bass" at the time. Many years later they find they are looking for a bass with many of the T-40's features, (Ash bodies, Strung-thru more massive bridge, nut material same as frets, super stable neck, wide variety of tones) not realizing they've already had one. :D
 
#37
lug said:
The "problem" with T-40's, if you want to call it that, is that a lot of people got them as a first bass, "moved up" to a fender shortly after before building a lot of knowledge about what they want as opposed to what was the "pro's bass" at the time. Many years later they find they are looking for a bass with many of the T-40's features, (Ash bodies, Strung-thru more massive bridge, nut material same as frets, super stable neck, wide variety of tones) not realizing they've already had one. :D
Click to expand...

The dealbreaker is the weight.

All the features, all the tones, the quality... mean nothing if you're completely physically uncomfortable playing it. In the early 90s, the singer from my band wanted to be a bass player and had a T-40. I could not stand playing his bass. I was 22 years old, in prime shape, I was used to playing Les Pauls and even played a Travis Bean for a while during that time period. I hated having the the Peavey strapped on. I don't remember, or even care to remember what it sounded like or anything because it was just too heavy.

One of the best sounding guitars I ever owned was a 1974 20th Anniversary Les Paul Custom. It was a beautiful guitar, I still remember it as being my best sounding guitar until recently. But that thing was a pig. I'm not joking when I'd guess the weight to be around 14 pounds. I didn't care that that guitar had the voice of angels, or that it looked cooler than anything, even if it played it's own damn self... I couldn't play it because it was too heavy. It was useless to me. I don't miss that guitar at all.
 
#38
FeelTheGroove said:
The only annoying part about the old peaveys was the fact that you cant adjust the truss rod with a allen wrench. You have to order the proper tool from Peavey. Its only like $5 but its a cheap piece of crap, I had a Fury bass with a pretty tight truss rod and I stripped the tool trying to adjust it.
Click to expand...

:confused:

i adjust all my T-40 truss rods with an allen wrench
 
#40
The Golden Boy said:
The dealbreaker is the weight.

All the features, all the tones, the quality... mean nothing if you're completely physically uncomfortable playing it. In the early 90s, the singer from my band wanted to be a bass player and had a T-40. I could not stand playing his bass. I was 22 years old, in prime shape, I was used to playing Les Pauls and even played a Travis Bean for a while during that time period. I hated having the the Peavey strapped on. I don't remember, or even care to remember what it sounded like or anything because it was just too heavy.

One of the best sounding guitars I ever owned was a 1974 20th Anniversary Les Paul Custom. It was a beautiful guitar, I still remember it as being my best sounding guitar until recently. But that thing was a pig. I'm not joking when I'd guess the weight to be around 14 pounds. I didn't care that that guitar had the voice of angels, or that it looked cooler than anything, even if it played it's own damn self... I couldn't play it because it was too heavy. It was useless to me. I don't miss that guitar at all.
Click to expand...


Mine are both just slightly heavy. There seems to be a bit of variation. I have a couple of heavier basses for sure, I think my G&L L2000 outweighs them by a pound or so.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back