U.S. Peavey Club

[AudioTaper]

Millennium plus JJ with a nice top. Looks like prices are coming back down a little. Not affiliated
USA Peavey Millennium Plus "JJ" 2000-2004 - Tiger Flamed Maple w/hard case USA Peavey Millennium Plus "JJ" 2000-2004 - Tiger Flamed Maple w/hard case | Reverb

 

[Runnerman]

Chiming late but yes maple and poplar were both used and I don't have enough info to say when one was used over another. I believe poplar was the preferred wood and I would think that from the late 80's on all were poplar.

 

[bigtone23]

Chiming late but yes maple and poplar were both used and I don't have enough info to say when one was used over another. I believe poplar was the preferred wood and I would think that from the late 80's on all were poplar.

This is how I think it worked out, too. I only have factory (opaque) painted basses, so this is my take...
My main squeeze black 84 Foundation is def a maple body, as looking at the distinctive wood grain in the neck pocket, the hardness of the wood (fingernail can't dent it) and heavy weight is conclusively maple. My early 90s era basses are/were most likely poplar, as they had that signature wood grain, I could dent the wood with my fingernail, and they were very light. There is a chance that they might be alder or basswood. Basswood was a very popular choice with imported instruments at the time, and it seems those 90s era bodies with the slimmer dimensions were made in Korea. My 93 Foundation was crazy light (8 pounds), but the body wood was pretty soft. I'm positive it was a Korean body.
The basses from the late 80s seem to be poplar here, maple there, maybe some alder..?
Doesn't really matter, though. They all sound and perform great. None of the hardware is popping out of stripped screw holes, so the body woods are sufficiently solid.

It's funny, 'tone woods' are not as important (IMHO) as they are purported to be. I come across this a lot with drums, which is my other nerd-level 10 instrument. Drummers argue over the minutia of shells made of maple vs birch vs poplar vs basswood vs mahogany (plus combos of those woods), let alone how many plies they use in relation to the thickness of the shells. Yes, all things being equal with shell design, certain woods can impart a signature tonality, but how the edges are cut, the heads used, and how those heads are tuned make a bigger difference in the final tonality than the wood. Drums are an acoustic instrument, so they are heard more like an acoustic guitar, or similar to when you play your unplugged solid body bass. However, once strings, pickups and an amp come into play with that solid body instrument (just like when the drums get mic'ed up and processed with compression, EQ and reverb), the subtle to not-so-subtle differences in the woods fade away to the processing.
Do my German 9 ply/9mm (.35") poplar Sonor shells with a sharp 45 degree bearing edge sound like my US made 8 ply/.25" (6.35mm) Rogers shells made of old growth eastern hard maple and cut with a really sharp 45 degree edge? Not so much acoustically, though both kits have the same heads and tunings. The Sonors sound more 'old school/vintage' with less sustain like 60s era Ludwigs and Slingerlands vs the Rogers sounding more 'modern' with way more sustain and attack. This is funny, considering that the Sonors are from '92 and the Rogers from '83. However, once mic'ed up, they sound nearly the same, so much so I have to note which kit I used for the recording or I will get them confused.

 

[58kites]

My Peavey G Bass was basswood, really light and easy to ding and dent, also slightly neck divey, I think it was a poor choice.
I had a Squier VM P bass that was basswood, screws stripped easily in that body and I hated that.
I have a paint stripped '92 Foundation body here that is several pieces of what looks like poplar with a veneer across the top and the back as well.
My blue Gen 2 Fury weighs 8.24 pounds.
My 1992 white Gen 3 Fury weighs 8.51 pounds.
My 1992 cream Gen 3 Fury weighs 8.25 pounds.
My Meranti (mahogany) Patriot weighs 8.50 pounds with the smaller Patriot shape.
My Hackberry (ash) Gen 1 Fury is my heavy Peavey at 9.28 pounds and I love that thing.
I have a 2019 Squier CV 50's with a pine body that weighs 9.7 pounds, the pine holds screws correctly and the grain looks great with a sunburst finish, but an alder body would probably be lighter.
My Music Man SUB Bass is a poplar slab body and the bass weighs 8.9 pounds with that big StingRay body, so poplar was a good choice.
My Yamaha Attitude Custom weighs 8.9 pounds and that body is alder but the bass has a lot of pickups and additional crap that adds weight.

If I have a choice, I like ash or alder one or two piece bodies but all the basses here work fine, now that the basswood ones are gone.

 

[Bassinthemudd]

I kind of wish that I could find an issue with my basswood G Bass body. I was thinking about having a custom body built when I did the refin, but I just can't get myself to throw away something that functions well.

In the tone wood debate, I agree with the folks who say that the differences in sound are so hard to discern that they are irrelevant (for solid body electrics.)

The bridge mounting holes in my G Bass have held up. @Murivan said he'd done a pretty big clean-up on it when he first owned it (prior to the owner I purchased it from.) I don't know if the bridge was removed in that process. So it has only been removed once that I know of.

I almost always play seated, but maybe next time I play standing, I can notice a slight neck dive. Then I'll know that I need a chambered walnut body with a carved and bookmatched flame maple top.

 

[kodiakblair]

Don't have the time or inclination to list which had what but I know I've owned and built basses using.

Alder, Ash, Basswood, Bloodwood, Bubinga, Douglas Fir, Idigbo, Imbua, Iroko, Jelutong, Koa, Limba, Mahogany, Maple, Meranti, Obeche, Okoume, Ovangkol, Oukume, Paulowina, Pine, Plywood, Sapele, Utile and Wenge.

Every one of them sounded like a bass guitar.

 

[58kites]

I kind of wish that I could find an issue with my basswood G Bass body.
I almost always play seated, but maybe next time I play standing, I can notice a slight neck dive.
Then I'll know that I need a chambered walnut body with a carved and bookmatched flame maple top.

Walnut sounds like a great idea....without the maple top.

 

[58kites]

Don't have the time or inclination to list which had what but I know I've owned and built basses using.

Alder, Ash, Basswood, Bloodwood, Bubinga, Douglas Fir, Idigbo, Imbua, Iroko, Jelutong, Koa, Limba, Mahogany, Maple, Meranti, Obeche, Okoume, Ovangkol, Oukume, Paulowina, Pine, Plywood, Sapele, Utile and Wenge.

Every one of them sounded like a bass guitar.

Holy crap Davie! ...I've never heard of seven or eight of those woods.

I don't believe that body wood type is on the list of what matters to the sound of a bass guitar when played with a group of other instruments.
Pickup type and placement
String type
How and where you hit the strings
Amp and it's tone shaping
Effects devices
Scale length
After that, there are a bunch of things I don't think most people can hear.

 

[kodiakblair]

I don't believe that body wood type is on the list of what matters to the sound of a bass guitar

Aye, that's my viewpoint too.

 

[Runnerman]

My Bongo is basswood and it has been gigged mercilously without really any denting or seeming frailness. Maybe because it's painted it helps.

 

[58kites]

My Bongo is basswood and it has been gigged mercilously without really any denting or seeming frailness. Maybe because it's painted it helps.

I think when Music Man picks wood for their basses, they pick the best stuff you can get.
I saw a video of them talking about that, so I bet when they pick basswood, it's the best basswood, whatever that means.

 

[XsoGol]

This is how I think it worked out, too. I only have factory (opaque) painted basses, so this is my take...

My main squeeze black 84 Foundation is def a maple body, as looking at the distinctive wood grain in the neck pocket, the hardness of the wood (fingernail can't dent it) and heavy weight is conclusively maple. My early 90s era basses are/were most likely poplar, as they had that signature wood grain, I could dent the wood with my fingernail, and they were very light. There is a chance that they might be alder or basswood. Basswood was a very popular choice with imported instruments at the time, and it seems those 90s era bodies with the slimmer dimensions were made in Korea. My 93 Foundation was crazy light (8 pounds), but the body wood was pretty soft. I'm positive it was a Korean body.

Any idea what wood Peavey used for your black RicRiot?

 

[kodiakblair]

I think when Music Man picks wood for their basses, they pick the best stuff you can get.
I saw a video of them talking about that, so I bet when they pick basswood, it's the best basswood, whatever that means.

I don't doubt care is taken to grain match pieces of timber but not for sourcing.

Simple logistics rules it out.

Timber is bought MBT, 1000 board foot. Highest grading is FAS, 1sts & 2nds . That's for knots and shakes.

Takes roughly 4 BF to make a body blank. Factories build 160 to 300 units per day, 5 days a week/ 50 weeks a year.

It's a lot of timber.

 

[bigtone23]

Any idea what wood Peavey used for your black RicRiot?

I'm not 100% sure, it's an 87 body (with 85 1.75" neck). My notes say alder, but it is probably poplar. If it were maple, I would have known for sure when routing it out and updated my notes on the bass.
A maple body would have given it the extra 'Ric' edge, eh?

My 87 Foundation body (which is pearl white-so it was ordered as a Foundation Custom), has a maple body. This body has the original 87 Patriot neck on it.

 

[XsoGol]

I'm not 100% sure, it's an 87 body (with 85 1.75" neck). My notes say alder, but it is probably poplar. If it were maple, I would have known for sure when routing it out and updated my notes on the bass.
A maple body would have given it the extra 'Ric' edge, eh?

That was my thought, yes I have an "ash" (hackberry) Patriot body and a "mahogany" (meranti). I'm thinking the "ash" will definitely get more more into Ric territory but I was hoping I could find one that actually was maple to really get there. I have a very unique Ric-like Birdsong Sadhana that Scott built for me as a one-off after Chris Squire passed away (R.I.P.), but I'd really like to bastardize a Patriot (my favorite body shape) with my weird 3-pickup setup (RicRiot + Foundation bridge) and a 32" maple neck and really get close to the Ric clank.

 

[ctmullins]

That was my thought, yes I have an ash Patriot body and a mahogany. I'm thinking the ash will definitely get more more into Ric territory but I was hoping I could find one that actually was maple to really get there. I have a very unique Ric-like Birdsong Sadhana that Scott built for me as a one-off after Chris Squire passed away (R.I.P.), but I'd really like to bastardize a Patriot (my favorite body shape) with my weird 3-pickup setup (RicRiot + Foundation bridge) and a 32" maple neck and really get close to the Ric clank.

I’m going to trace my Foundation body to make a template, then I can make a replica out of whatever wood I like (I really like maple, walnut, and cherry), with whatever pickup layout I like. Plus I can also get rid of that horrible blocky neck heel.

 

[kodiakblair]

I have an ash Patriot body

No, you have a hackberry Patriot body.

Similar grain, different genus, cell structure, janka etc.

Has 80's hackberry/Ash joined VFL Foundations and Tim's "poor man's Modulus" of enduring Peavey myths?

 

[rok51]

I certainly had been under the impression that my first Foundation was actually ash…with Kodiakblair’s knowledge, I now realize that it might have been hackberry…it seems that Peavey played a little bit loosely with their wood descriptions. This begs the question: is my Dyna Unity Koa actually Koa…or is it just an imposter?

 

[Shagnum]

That was my thought, yes I have an ash Patriot body and a mahogany. I'm thinking the ash will definitely get more more into Ric territory but I was hoping I could find one that actually was maple to really get there. I have a very unique Ric-like Birdsong Sadhana that Scott built for me as a one-off after Chris Squire passed away (R.I.P.), but I'd really like to bastardize a Patriot (my favorite body shape) with my weird 3-pickup setup (RicRiot + Foundation bridge) and a 32" maple neck and really get close to the Ric clank.

That’s a cool tribute. I think it’s safe to say maple bodied patriots are out there but it’s going to take some patience and/or luck to find a project body. The patriot body I bought had a lot of overspray in the neck pocket and cavities so there may not be much wood visible. The weight and hardness would be the only other clues. Hope you can find a seller that’s helpful!

 

[XsoGol]

No, you have a hackberry Patriot body.

Similar grain, different genus, cell structure, janka etc.

Has 80's hackberry/Ash joined VFL Foundations and Tim's "poor man's Modulus" of enduring Peavey myths?

Correct sir, I have a hackberry and a meranti Patriot body. Seems like hackberry is oh so slightly harder than ash on the janka scale so I'm hoping it adds more clank.

I’m going to trace my Foundation body to make a template, then I can make a replica out of whatever wood I like (I really like maple, walnut, and cherry), with whatever pickup layout I like. Plus I can also get rid of that horrible blocky neck heel.

I've been thinking about tracing one of my Patriot bodies as a template too...I really love this body shape and it's balance. I'm sorely tempted to create a "what if?" XsoGol signature Patriot with laminates and a beautiful wood top (what if? as in "what if Hartley Peavey has decided to make a Prestige line a la Ibanez for his amazing 80s basses and that Prestige line had a lot of the same stylings and wood options as the Cirrus line...). Please everyone tell me not to do this...I have a problem.