U.S. Peavey Club

[kodiakblair]

To me it seems like a steal on a US made bass but I figured I should ask here.

Can you think of another US company who was using poplar as a "tonewood" ?

Now I'm beyond being a tonewood skeptic, tonewood denier would describe me better , but it's one example of the Fury's relative cheapness. In the years where the competition were using prime rib alder and ash, Peavey went for the chump cuts

$350 is a bit on the high side, recent eBays sales show an average of $270.

peavey fury | eBay

 

[tindrum]

Can you think of another US company who was using poplar as a "tonewood" ?

Now I'm beyond being a tonewood skeptic, tonewood denier would describe me better , but it's one example of the Fury's relative cheapness. In the years where the competition were using prime rib alder and ash, Peavey went for the chump cuts

$350 is a bit on the high side, recent eBays sales show an average of $270.

peavey fury | eBay

I’m almost certain Suhr uses either poplar or basswood on some of their guitars(?)

 

[bassbrad]

Can you think of another US company who was using poplar as a "tonewood" ?

Now I'm beyond being a tonewood skeptic, tonewood denier would describe me better , but it's one example of the Fury's relative cheapness. In the years where the competition were using prime rib alder and ash, Peavey went for the chump cuts

$350 is a bit on the high side, recent eBays sales show an average of $270.

peavey fury | eBay

Chump cuts, love that! Oh yes the tonewood debates that rage on and on. While you will certainly get my agreement that for the most part woods that major manufacturers use for mass production make little to no difference especially thin veneers used for appearance alone. And I do appreciate the beauty of different woods. Building a guitar or bass from primarily a solid wood of a different type will have a determining effect on tone and feel, point in case the difference in the KOA basses that Peavey built have both a different tone and feel from their counterparts Foundations or Dyna Unity models. My Carvin basses with KOA slab bodies and necks have a warmth that the maple body and necks do not have even though the weight, hardware and pickups are exactly the same. I have noted the same phenomena but more apparent especially in acoustic guitars Martin, Taylor and Takamine who will all occasionally do limited runs featuring a specific wood for back, sides and neck - particularly KOA - those guitars are often very spectacular.

 

[kodiakblair]

I’m almost certain Suhr uses either poplar or basswood on some of their guitars(?)

It's not really about the timber but public perception. The general public are clueless regarding production costs or materials. Look at the disdain shown for basswood on TB, it's cheap and soft etc yet Suhr and Tom Anderson use basswood on a few of their $2k + models. Ibanez is another who used basswood on top tier models like Vai's JEM.

 

[Runnerman]

I agree with @kodiakblair $250 would be a reasonable price for 90's Fury if in good condition. Up to $350 for an 80's Fury depending on body wood and fretboard. Make an offer, they can only say no.

 

[egroeg]

Gonna pass on the Fury. Looking at the pictures closer it's a little rougher than I would like. It really mostly interested me because it was US built. In the end I feel I was only gonna want something else as well.
This is what I think of when I think bass. I'm a very new player but all the same this would be my dream instrument. Judas Priest has been my favorite for a little over 40 years now.

 

[ElBecko59]

I agree with @kodiakblair $250 would be a reasonable price for 90's Fury if in good condition. Up to $350 for an 80's Fury depending on body wood and fretboard. Make an offer, they can only say no.

spot on pricing ! I paid $259 +shipping for my clean 90s yellowed-white Fury in Oct 2020 from MGR online

 

[egroeg]

So... I ordered a G&L Tribute JB in 3 tone sunburst with maple neck and fretboard with black block inlays. My dream instrument for right at 500 delivered.

 

[jmlee]

Can you think of another US company who was using poplar as a "tonewood" ?

Now I'm beyond being a tonewood skeptic, tonewood denier would describe me better , but it's one example of the Fury's relative cheapness. In the years where the competition were using prime rib alder and ash, Peavey went for the chump cuts

$350 is a bit on the high side, recent eBays sales show an average of $270.

peavey fury | eBay

My US-made Guild Pilot bass was poplar. Very light due to small body and the wood.

 

[ATLbassist]

I am just now getting into Peavey basses mostly do to listening to Hugh Hopper.

You don't hear much about him anymore, but Hugh Hopper was a huge influence for me. I loved all of the fuzz bass in Soft Machine, which I got into when I first started playing. Recently, he was also a factor into me getting some Foundations. I've also picked up a bunch of his solo works (Alive, Carousel, the recent live compilations) that have excellent compositions and playing. Great stuff.

 

[tindrum]

So... I ordered a G&L Tribute JB in 3 tone sunburst with maple neck and fretboard with black block inlays. My dream instrument for right at 500 delivered.

Those are awesome basses! I think you are going to be pretty happy.

 

[MNAirHead]

This "tonewood" stuff has me chuckle..

Aren't Pbasses known for their inarticulate "thud" that's not complicated by sustain? Doesn't the reputation have the tone knob seem like it's many times broken (just doesn't do much)?

My USA Fender P is made from something that dents as easy as cardboard... manybe mushroomwood?

For the life of me, I can not articulate the sound difference between many of the passive Pish basses...

 

[Runnerman]

The Runnerman definitive list of things that affect tone on an electric bass...

In descending order
1) Technique
2) Pickup position
3) Strings
4) Neck wood
5) Body wood

I reserve the right to be wrong.

 

[Chuck M]

The Runnerman definitive list of things that affect tone on an electric bass...

In descending order
1) Technique
2) Pickup position
3) Strings
4) Neck wood
5) Body wood

I reserve the right to be wrong.

There is also the other little matter of the amplification used. Yes, I know the amp does not contribute to sustain but it certainly contributes to the tone you get.

You called it technique. Jaco said "The tone is in the hands". So true. My bass teacher gets a much fatter tone out of a bass than I do. He once played my bass and sounded exactly as he did when he played his bass of the same make and model. I played it and I sounded like.....Chuck.

I will say this. I have owned about a dozen or so Cirrus basses. The ones that have sounded the best to me were the ones that have walnut necks and bodies and either Bubinga or Wenge tops. I owned one that was Claro Walnut and it sounded really good but not as warm and fat as my 6 with the Wenge top. So far, my favorite sounding Cirrus have all had Bubinga or Wenge tops and an oil finish. That said, my GV which has an alder body and the fiber glass covered wood neck sounds close to the Cirrus basses. Close but not the same. The GV is a little brighter sounding and does not have quite the same sustain...or note decay that the neck thru basses have.

For what it is worth, my practice room has an Aguilar AG 500 and an Aguilar GS 212. It is a heavenly sounding amp that I no longer want to move so it is in my practice room.

 

[MNAirHead]

The Runnerman definitive list of things that affect tone on an electric bass...

In descending order
1) Technique
2) Pickup position
3) Strings
4) Neck wood
5) Body wood

I reserve the right to be wrong.

1-design geometry & engineering (ergonomics + pickup position + string type/setup + contiguous rigidity (neck + body composition))
2-Technique (feel/fit + player nuances)
3-Amplification (room + amp + signal chain)

I'll say all of the above can rarely be articulated by an average listener... and are moot with someone with poor timing/groove.

 

[Landsharks]

HEADS UP!

GC has a Koa Dyna Unity for sale at $599.99 with a case.
Listed as great condition and it does look good.

Dammit, that is my white whale bass. Just looked and it is not listed anymore. The search continues...

 

[Runnerman]

There is also the other little matter of the amplification used. Yes, I know the amp does not contribute to sustain but it certainly contributes to the tone you get.

You called it technique. Jaco said "The tone is in the hands". So true. My bass teacher gets a much fatter tone out of a bass than I do. He once played my bass and sounded exactly as he did when he played his bass of the same make and model. I played it and I sounded like.....Chuck.

I will say this. I have owned about a dozen or so Cirrus basses. The ones that have sounded the best to me were the ones that have walnut necks and bodies and either Bubinga or Wenge tops. I owned one that was Claro Walnut and it sounded really good but not as warm and fat as my 6 with the Wenge top. So far, my favorite sounding Cirrus have all had Bubinga or Wenge tops and an oil finish. That said, my GV which has an alder body and the fiber glass covered wood neck sounds close to the Cirrus basses. Close but not the same. The GV is a little brighter sounding and does not have quite the same sustain...or note decay that the neck thru basses have.

For what it is worth, my practice room has an Aguilar AG 500 and an Aguilar GS 212. It is a heavenly sounding amp that I no longer want to move so it is in my practice room.

Yes, yes, amplification and effects of course....my thoughts were specific to the bass itself. I did forget pre-amp though which could be a big one.

 

[bigtone23]

Poplar was used by Fender (a lot) in the 90s on their USA instruments. If the instrument wasn't Custom Shop and has some sort of burst finish with ash grain, it's waaaay more than likely to be a poplar slab with ash veneers.
Pretty much all of the '90s to early '00s MIM Fender was full on poplar bodies. If it was an opaque paint, definitely poplar.

As far as poplar as a tone wood, I have no issue with it. It seems much like alder. My only issue is how soft it is. I have had to reinforce plenty of screw holes over the years with it. Same with basswood, it sounds fine, just a little soft.

 

[mb94952]

I think the aging of the wood is more important than the wood, itself. If y'all remember the Rudy Sarzo interview our own Rodney McG did, Rudy was saying that the wood on currently made Asian basses is SO fresh, the sap still comes out of its pours. They are too green.

Peavey used aged wood, poplar or not. Peavey, overall, got everything right in my book. Hartley's mission statement was to provide top quality instruments on a musician's budget. He succeeded in doing that.

My white Peavey Millennium 4 is poplar and is THE best sounding bass I own for recording. It growls like nothing else. I used to think poplar was just a cheap substitute for alder because it grows fast and is a hardwood. It is also compared to basswood, which every EBMM MusicMan is made from. Not my thing, but millions of people love Musicmans.

 

[58kites]

For Fender in the 60's,70's, 80's and maybe 90's, the USA sourced Alder had a Janka Hardness Scale number of 590.
The USA sourced Poplar for Peavey was 540 Janka and was slightly heavier than Alder.
Peavey's Basswood was 410 Janka and too light and soft IMO.

I don't notice any difference in the 50 points between their Alder and Poplar for screw retention or sound, ...color is a factor though for trans finishes.

Musicman's have been made out of Ash, Poplar, and Basswood as far as I know.
Mine is Poplar.