20 some years ago, when I was first starting out as a bassist, I had an early 90s Peavey Foundation. It was my first bass that I owned myself, not counting the crummy Squier Bronco that I shared with my younger brother. But I was young and foolish enough at the time that I bought into the Fender hype and eventually traded it in for credit towards a Mexican P bass (which I still have and love, I just wish I hadn't been so eager to lose the Peavey).
I've been kicking myself for that decision now for years. I've also been keen to acquire a bass from the year I was born, 1984.
Last weekend I traded some shop time and soldering know-how to a fellow TB member, and wound up not only with a birth year bass but one that's awfully similar to that old Foundation.
I knew that this was going to be a bit of a fixer upper project when I accepted it. There are some cosmetic issues, such as pitting on the metal Peavey logo "P" knobs and bridge plate, scuffs and dents in the body that are largely cosmetic, and those I can live with - they're just signs of a well loved and often played instrument.
The neck, however, needs some TLC to make it really playable. The frets on this are worn down enough that they may actually be the originals from 1984. I'll need to pull them and put in some new frets, but before I put in new ones, the gloss poly finish on the neck has spots where it's worn through or scuffed up, and has that slightly sticky feeling some gloss poly finishes tend to get after a while.
I haven't determined whether I'll strip the neck finish all the way down to the wood, or sand it down to a thin satin finish. That will depend on how deep the scuffs go. If I do take it all the way bare I'll refinish with Tru Oil.
Someone also adjusted the neck tiltback screw, making anything above the 15th fret unplayable unless the saddles are raised as high as they can go. So a full setup is in this bass's future as well. At the moment this has some D'Addario NYXL strings on it, I used the lower 4 strings of a 5 string set as it was already set up for BEAD tuning. The Super Ferrite pickup is a gem, I love how full and rich it sounds even for a single coil. It handles the low B remarkably well.
One interesting thing I noticed while inspecting it last night is that the maple neck is two pieces, joined at the center line - I don't think I've seen another neck built like this before!
I'm excited to bring this bass up to its full potential. It may look like an old beater but aside from the wear and setup, it's a fine instrument.
I've been kicking myself for that decision now for years. I've also been keen to acquire a bass from the year I was born, 1984.
Last weekend I traded some shop time and soldering know-how to a fellow TB member, and wound up not only with a birth year bass but one that's awfully similar to that old Foundation.
I knew that this was going to be a bit of a fixer upper project when I accepted it. There are some cosmetic issues, such as pitting on the metal Peavey logo "P" knobs and bridge plate, scuffs and dents in the body that are largely cosmetic, and those I can live with - they're just signs of a well loved and often played instrument.
The neck, however, needs some TLC to make it really playable. The frets on this are worn down enough that they may actually be the originals from 1984. I'll need to pull them and put in some new frets, but before I put in new ones, the gloss poly finish on the neck has spots where it's worn through or scuffed up, and has that slightly sticky feeling some gloss poly finishes tend to get after a while.
I haven't determined whether I'll strip the neck finish all the way down to the wood, or sand it down to a thin satin finish. That will depend on how deep the scuffs go. If I do take it all the way bare I'll refinish with Tru Oil.
Someone also adjusted the neck tiltback screw, making anything above the 15th fret unplayable unless the saddles are raised as high as they can go. So a full setup is in this bass's future as well. At the moment this has some D'Addario NYXL strings on it, I used the lower 4 strings of a 5 string set as it was already set up for BEAD tuning. The Super Ferrite pickup is a gem, I love how full and rich it sounds even for a single coil. It handles the low B remarkably well.
One interesting thing I noticed while inspecting it last night is that the maple neck is two pieces, joined at the center line - I don't think I've seen another neck built like this before!
I'm excited to bring this bass up to its full potential. It may look like an old beater but aside from the wear and setup, it's a fine instrument.
