Peavey US basses...PLEASE COME BACK.

[GOX42]

I could see it costing somewhere around 2500$ which is what CA acoustic guitars go for (or there-a-bouts) if peavey made USA cirrus full on again it would probably be close to the same. But the already have production facilities for carbon fiber instruments. Building the mold shouldn't be an issue .
I don't think 2500$ to 2800$ would be to out of sorts.
No doubt they would use VFL pickups which in my opinion make any bass sound like VFL pickups,meaning they don't really take the sound of the bass but just the pickups

 

[fhm555]

...A lot of us first got into Peaveys because they were cheap used...

That would be me. Had a T-40, several foundations, several dynas, including one of the first 5 strings to hit Alabama. It was white all over (neck and headstock) with black hardware and a rosewood board. I went to an audition for a country band and when I took that thing out of the case they hired me before I got it plugged in. 5 strings were not at all common back then so it was a very novel thing at that time, and these hillbillies were so excited by it I thought they might try to love on it.

 

[LowB-ing]

Peavey should bring back the Cyberbass. That's a unique bass that nobody else can build because Peavey owns all the rights to wired fret MIDI tracking. I also think that in todays electronic music environment there is a larger market for it than ever.

 

[LowB-ing]

On second thought, wouldn't the wired fret MIDI patents be expiring pretty soon? The Wal MIDI bass came out when, around '90? Wal licensed this technology from the inventor, who later sold the rights to Peavey. Patents usually last for 25 years IIRC.

 

[songwriter21]

Here she is, and she looks INCREDIBLE in person! Dead-flat neck on both sides, and plays nearly buzz-free with sick action. Scored her for $1200!

I posted this in another thread. I'm stoked!

 

[ModuMan]

I posted this in another thread. I'm stoked!

The Tiger Eyes are real beauties. How do you find the neck profile?

 

[CGremlin]

Patents usually last for 25 years IIRC.

It's 20 years in the U.S., so they should have expired by now since the original Peavey Midibass came out in '92, I think.

As far as the original topic goes, I don't see Peavey pursuing the U.S.-made bass market with any enthusiasm. A few years back someone asked Chip Todd about re-introducing the T-40, and Chip's opinion was that Hartley didn't have much interest in it since they would be so expensive to make. Personally, I think that even if they were reasonably priced there are too many folks out there that see the Peavey name and think "oh, it's crap" without even having ever played one of their American instruments, and that would be a tough hill to climb for them. It's really a shame, as Peavey made a number of really unique instruments with great build quality that just never really caught on.

Fortunately for me, I recently found a 1978 T-40 + OHSC in practically new condition aside from a couple of very tiny dings. Should be here sometime next week.

 

[songwriter21]

The Tiger Eyes are real beauties. How do you find the neck profile?

Reminds me a lot of the Carvin asymm neck, but with way better action. Peavey seemed to know how to initially set the neck beam to the Hipshot bridge way better than Carvin. I can't get the action I want with a Carvin, because the saddles bottom out...with the Peavey, not a problem.

 

[StuartV]

Reminds me a lot of the Carvin asymm neck, but with way better action. Peavey seemed to know how to initially set the neck beam to the Hipshot bridge way better than Carvin. I can't get the action I want with a Carvin, because the saddles bottom out...with the Peavey, not a problem.

I'm not sure which Carvin you're talking about, but if it has a bolt-on neck, you just need to shim it.

 

[songwriter21]

I'm talking about every neck-thru I've had with the A-style bridge. I've never had something like a Vanquish, for example, so I couldn't say on that one. My LB's, Icon, and Xxcelerator had saddles that bottomed out before I could get the action I wanted. Yes, I like really low action, but you should be able to get whatever action you want. If the saddles are bottomed out, then the strings should literally be laying on the frets, and if not, then there's got to be a design flaw in the manufacturing. Even though they have different bridges, the Ibanez BTB's that I've owned were no problem. My Peavey basses? Same, no problems. My Xxcelerator, which arrived last Dec, got sent back the same day, because the saddles were almost bottomed out from the factory. Carvin either needs to set their necks right at construction, or just route the bodies, and recess the bridge. Moduluses I've had (NOT shimmed), were made right, also, so the Carvins puzzle me. Though, the bolt models with the no-name locking bridge can get SICK-low action, as I've had a B50, and am now waiting on a PB5.

 

[StuartV]

Yeah, that definitely sounds like Carvin needs to make their necks or fretboards a bit thicker. I agree that a bottomed out bridge saddle should have the string laying on the board. And, really, I think they should be made so any "standard", commonly available bridge (like a Hipshot, BadAss, Gotoh, or Babicz) could be put on and still get the strings on the board by bottoming out the saddle.

 

[kodiakblair]

I don't really see this happening,not even a custom shop.

The closure after 40 years of the Peavey UK facility and the recent payoffs at Meridian show the company
consolidating not expanding.

Sadly Peavey basses failed to win the public opinion game,not through lack of trying, I count at least 15 US models that
came in 4,5 & 6 active/passive flavours. Most folks here bought used Peaveys,my 13 all were.

Outside the USA the BXP models sell well so no call for Peavey USA there and within - US built basses under $500 would struggle to be cost effective
against similar priced overseas models and over $1000 the market is still dominated by the same few.

For over 30 years Hartley tried to get the public to see sense but they never did. Just be glad he tried for as long as he did.

 

[CGremlin]

Most folks here bought used Peaveys,my 13 all were.

Of the five Peavey instruments I've owned, four of them were bought new if that helps. The last new one was a Grind 6, although that one is Vietnamese so I'm not sure it counts.

 

[ebozzz]

Most folks here bought used Peaveys,my 13 all were.

I would guess that most of those basses you are referring to are models that were no longer in production when they were purchased by their current owners. Someone had to buy them new or they would NOT have have been on the used market, right?

 

[kodiakblair]

But of course ebozzz.

And there lies a big problem for Peavey. How do you convince enough folk to buy new when there's so many great used
Peaveys out there selling for pennies.

And it is pennies,I paid $80 for the active B-90 with SD pups. Something's wrong with public perception when great basses
like that sell for so little. The Peavey ideal was affordable pricing back in the day but that ended up a cheap stigma rather
than a lauded idea.

 

[ebozzz]

Well, I can't speak for the stuff prior to 2000 but on the models that were in production from 2000 going forward, I'm already on record stating that I feel the way that Peavey chose to market their instruments hurt their efforts. Why? Created confusion among the potential consumers. I for one feel that they could make American made instruments again but they would really need to be more focused on their marketing approach. Clear distinction between the US made and import lines.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I remember buying at least one new Peavey, a Fretless Foundation.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Actually, I bought two new Peaveys in my life: a Fretless Foundation, and a four string Millennium Deluxe J/MM with the Detuner, abalone, etc. That said, I am pretty sure that I bought the Millennium for around $600, because I think Peavey had already ended the production of that model and NOS was being discounted.

 

[songwriter21]

Yeah, that definitely sounds like Carvin needs to make their necks or fretboards a bit thicker. I agree that a bottomed out bridge saddle should have the string laying on the board. And, really, I think they should be made so any "standard", commonly available bridge (like a Hipshot, BadAss, Gotoh, or Babicz) could be put on and still get the strings on the board by bottoming out the saddle.

Funny, as I just got my PB5 a few days ago, and returned it the very same day. This was a bolt with the no-name bridge, and the action still sucked, with the factory setup having high action and buzzing all over the place. It had a perfectly straight neck, but the action was pitiful, and I was going to set it a lot lower...that wasn't happening here!

Thank God I found my Peavey!!