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Peavey T-40

#2
My guess is that they thought they'd make something that would be newer and supposedly better. It's probably one of those strange cases of "they don't make things like they used to anymore."
 
#4
I don't think they were all too 'hip' in their prime, and they moved on to stuff that people bought more, like the Foundation series and all the high-tech stuff (G series, MIDIBass, etc). I think it'd be awesome if they reissued the T series.
 
#6
A case of 'hip-after-the-fact-syndrome'. They weren't popular enough to keep in production when they were being produced. (see also - Sunn amps)

While it'd be cool for a re-issue... i have a feeling they'd cost a pretty hefty amount. Maybe not the extreme example of the Gibson Grabber Re-issue... but definetly more than what you can find original T40s for.
 
#8
Why not reissue.. the public wouldn't pay for them... it would be bad PR to issue a chineese T-40 that has the same price tag as a used T-40

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These were not popular when released.. Peavey positioned them as a gigging guitar until you could afford a disposable major brand.

T-60s have a much bigger following (and are sonically a superior guitar to any other affordable option)

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Now why the cult?

1-Nostalgia.. folks with cash now remember when they could only afford a T-40.. they moved on to lesser basses with more notable names.. they now can buy back their dream bass

2-Consistent - I own a ton of vintage gear. I'll never recommend it (except peavey usa stuff) as the quality is all over the place. I can confidently check out a pix and recommend a Peavey usa and fit the suggestion to the player's preferences.

3-The Rick syndrome.. T40s have their own cult of folks that commonly will also include rick lovers. The issue is that ricks are all over the map in quality.. and cost 4-5x more.

4-Vintage.. what other vintage USA built bass can you have for the price of a case and some strings?

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Now read the for sale ads with all the nut balls wanting to know if the bass weighs 9.8 or 9.7 pounds.. it's commonly been noted that a T40 is the heftiest production bass out there... folks today would gasp when holding it next to a chineese Yamaha plastic bass.

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I've owned several T40s and just don't "get" them.. but then again I've owned (or still own) Ps and Ricks and don't get these either.


If there's a way I can help value, identify etc... please feel welcome to PM me.
 
#11
Style-wise, T-40's were viewed - correctly - as being kind of clunky. They were on the heavy side, and as an earlier poster mentioned, other manufacturers were coming out with sleek, modern looking designs. Though it's looked back on fondly now, the T-40 never established itself as an icon like the P-bass.
 
#12
For some reason the T40 made much bigger inroads in the country scene than the rock scene. You would see them quite regularly there. I always thought that this was odd given the T40's sonic pallette that seemed much more appropriate for rock at the time. Peavey's rep was a bargain amp company at the time and if the bass had worn another label, it would have probably been better recieved due simply to the innovations and quality of the builds it possesed.
 
#13
lug said:
For some reason the T40 made much bigger inroads in the country scene than the rock scene. You would see them quite regularly there. I always thought that this was odd given the T40's sonic pallette that seemed much more appropriate for rock at the time. Peavey's rep was a bargain amp company at the time and if the bass had worn another label, it would have probably been better recieved due simply to the innovations and quality of the builds it possesed.
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+1 to all this. It was Peavey's first foray into instruments. Their reputation as an amp maker was workmanlike without much gloss. So I imagine people thought "it can't be anything special" and "what can they bring to the picnic?" I know I did.

The shape was also just plain bulbous, something only a mother could love.

RE: Country vs. Rock. I remember the ads for these instruments with endorsers like Molly Hatchet. I'm sure Peavey's southern provenance had something to do with that.
 
#14
If anyone is looking for one, I saw one yesterday that looked to be in good shape (didn't pick it up for close inspection or to play) at the Guitar Center down the road from me (the Buffalo, NY store). Think the price on it was $289... though I'm sure that's flexible.
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c
 
#15
dalkowski said:
+1 to all this. It was Peavey's first foray into instruments. Their reputation as an amp maker was workmanlike without much gloss. So I imagine people thought "it can't be anything special" and "what can they bring to the picnic?" I know I did.

The shape was also just plain bulbous, something only a mother could love.

RE: Country vs. Rock. I remember the ads for these instruments with endorsers like Molly Hatchet. I'm sure Peavey's southern provenance had something to do with that.
Click to expand...

Yeah, like a lot of Detroit bands used West amps.... I think Lynyrd Skynyrd was one of Peavey's first notable users....
 
#17
The Lurker said:
+1. Plus, I wonder how profitable they were to make and sell at the original price point-- most of the models that replaced it were a little down-market by comparison, with less costly materials, simpler electronics, and so on.
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I'm sure they did quite well.. remember this was the first automated manufacturing guitar.

There'd be no high quality imports if it weren't for this model.

I'm always amazed that the schecter and fender collectors don't go nuts over these with chip todd's career impact.
 

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