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U.S. Peavey Club

#4,981
My last bass teacher has a '59 P - and a Peavey Zodiac. He likes the way the Zodiac sounds. But, he just "puts up" with the fact that the bridge on his was put on shifted over a bit from where it should be. It aggravated me every time I just looked at it. It was very obvious that the strings were not going over the center of the pickup pole pieces like they should.

That's not to say that they are all like that. I expect he just got the rare "bad" one. So, my two real points are: They sound and play good enough for a serious pro player that could be playing his '59 P. And, the QC on them may not be the best, so if you mail order one, I'd be prepared for the possibility of sending it back to exchange it - just in case.
 
#4,982
StuartV said:
My last bass teacher has a '59 P - and a Peavey Zodiac. He likes the way the Zodiac sounds. But, he just "puts up" with the fact that the bridge on his was put on shifted over a bit from where it should be. It aggravated me every time I just looked at it. It was very obvious that the strings were not going over the center of the pickup pole pieces like they should.

That's not to say that they are all like that. I expect he just got the rare "bad" one. So, my two real points are: They sound and play good enough for a serious pro player that could be playing his '59 P. And, the QC on them may not be the best, so if you mail order one, I'd be prepared for the possibility of sending it back to exchange it - just in case.
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Great information, thanks Stu.
 
#4,983
ChrisW2002 said:
Any David Ellefson fans on this Peavey thread??? I thought maybe there would be as he used to play Peavey guitars for many years including the Cirrus and then his own signature model that was sadly only made overseas..the Zodiac. I currently own a Jackson David Ellefson signature model made in the USA that he played during a clinic at sweetwater guitars in IN.... At any rate I would like to add a zodiac to my collection but have never played one. Has anyone touched one of these? I would like to own one just to compliment my collection but at the same time I don't want to waste any money. :help:

I just wanted to clear-up that I don't work for Sweetwater, I work for Uncle Sam.
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In general, I don't care for Chinese-made basses. Most say "they're good for the money", and that is true. But take the cheap prices out of the picture, and you've got competently made bodies and necks with cheap hardware and electronics. Nothing special.

The Zodiac DE Scorpio bass is an exception. This bass is the best made-in-China bass I've ever played. There is no close second. Superbly made with a chunky (for Peavey) neck and excellent electronics, the DE Scorpio is a superb instrument. Sounds great, plays great, feels great. It looks great too, IMO.

I picked mine up from Music 123 when Peavey was blowing them out after they were discontinued. The prices were insane. Under $300 including shipping. Hell, the pickups alone are worth half that price. I wish I bought 2 of them. These are awesome instruments that are often confused with the cheaper Zodiac models, and priced accordingly. You can find them used for under $200 all day long. Considering how awesome these basses are, that's an incredible bargain.
 
#4,984
smcd said:
In general, I don't care for Chinese-made basses. Most say "they're good for the money", and that is true. But take the cheap prices out of the picture, and you've got competently made bodies and necks with cheap hardware and electronics. Nothing special.

The Zodiac DE Scorpio bass is an exception. This bass is the best made-in-China bass I've ever played. There is no close second. Superbly made with a chunky (for Peavey) neck and excellent electronics, the DE Scorpio is a superb instrument. Sounds great, plays great, feels great. It looks great too, IMO.

I picked mine up from Music 123 when Peavey was blowing them out after they were discontinued. The prices were insane. Under $300 including shipping. Hell, the pickups alone are worth half that price. I wish I bought 2 of them. These are awesome instruments that are often confused with the cheaper Zodiac models, and priced accordingly. You can find them used for under $200 all day long. Considering how awesome these basses are, that's an incredible bargain.
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Thanks! I will be looking for a DE model now. I was not aware that there were diffrent price catagories of this model so this information is great. If anyone sees a mint or very close to mint DE model please let me know.
 
#4,985
ChrisW2002 said:
Thanks! I will be looking for a DE model now. I was not aware that there were diffrent price catagories of this model so this information is great. If anyone sees a mint or very close to mint DE model please let me know.
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Your best bet - by far - is to look on Guitar Center's used gear page. Put "zodiac" in the search box, and keep an eye out for the Scorpio model. Most of the Zodiac models are the BXP or EX models, which I wouldn't bother with. But very often a Scorpio comes up, and it's frequently priced the same as the cheap models. The GC staff in the stores don't pay attention to Peavey gear, and when they get something like the Scorpio in, they just throw it up for sale priced as a standard Zodiac. Which means that you can find these priced under $200 all the time. I see them often, and it's hard for me not to buy them just because it's a killer deal.
 
#4,986
smcd said:
Your best bet - by far - is to look on Guitar Center's used gear page. Put "zodiac" in the search box, and keep an eye out for the Scorpio model. Most of the Zodiac models are the BXP or EX models, which I wouldn't bother with. But very often a Scorpio comes up, and it's frequently priced the same as the cheap models. The GC staff in the stores don't pay attention to Peavey gear, and when they get something like the Scorpio in, they just throw it up for sale priced as a standard Zodiac. Which means that you can find these priced under $200 all the time. I see them often, and it's hard for me not to buy them just because it's a killer deal.
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Understood, my final question is; how will I know when looking at the bass, say the headstock, will the headstock say DE?
 
#4,987
ChrisW2002 said:
Understood, my final question is; how will I know when looking at the bass, say the headstock, will the headstock say DE?
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Look for the logo of a scorpion at the tip of the headstock. That's the clear giveaway. Nowhere on the bass does it say "Scorpio bass", which is why people underprice them. Also - make ABSOLUTELY SURE the stock Seymour Duncan Basslines pickups are in there. A previous owner may have swapped them out. The Scorpio model is the only Zodiac model that had these factory installed.


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seymour_duncan_pjb-3_set.jpg
 
#4,989
ImageUploadedByTalkBass.com1357689953.874773.jpg
ImageUploadedByTalkBass.com1357690036.390108.jpg

This is my Peavey Rudy Sarzo (modified). I got it off eBay in April last year for only 550. It's amazing, it plays great, sounds great, and is a chameleon. It "feels right" too. Now on to the modifications. Nothing that heavy, just a few basic stuff. I swapped out the input jack for a regular one, because it always fell out, and made a bunch of bad noises. The electronics were swapped out with Bartolini's when I bought it, and they're great. I also put on a little Precision thumb rest closer to the neck because I like to play there sometimes for really soft tones.

Number please? :)
 
#4,991
ChrisW2002 said:
How crazy would it be if I told you that the Dyna is my favorite? I love the Cirrus guitars I have to death, but I always grab the Dyna when it's time to play. Needs a bit of a fret dress but other than that, what a great guitar. Thanks for the vote!:hyper:
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Not crazy at all. The Dyna is my favorite and my favorite Dyna is my Unity factory fretless. Im in the hunt for all I can find.
 
#4,993
Ken J said:
Not crazy at all. The Dyna is my favorite and my favorite Dyna is my Unity factory fretless. Im in the hunt for all I can find.
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Interesting. Maybe you can help me with a few questions about a local bass. I found a Dyna Unity (neckthrough) at a local Pawn Shop. Looks to be in decent shape - the neck is a bit of a ski ramp, but can probably be adjusted out. It's a P/J configuartion, but they are EMG's.

Not knowing much at all about the Dyna Unity, I was wondering if anyone has had experience with the P/J configuration and especially the EMG's (not HZ) in these basses. I think they want $260 USD for it.

I already have a couple of P/J US Peaveys (RJ-IV and Forum) and I love the P/J configuration, but like I said, I have very limited experience with the Dyna.

Thanks.
 
#4,995
ack said:
Interesting. Maybe you can help me with a few questions about a local bass. I found a Dyna Unity (neckthrough) at a local Pawn Shop. Looks to be in decent shape - the neck is a bit of a ski ramp, but can probably be adjusted out. It's a P/J configuartion, but they are EMG's.

Not knowing much at all about the Dyna Unity, I was wondering if anyone has had experience with the P/J configuration and especially the EMG's (not HZ) in these basses. I think they want $260 USD for it.

I already have a couple of P/J US Peaveys (RJ-IV and Forum) and I love the P/J configuration, but like I said, I have very limited experience with the Dyna.

Thanks.
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I have a Dyna Unity. To the best of my knowledge, they all came equipped with Schaller hardware and pickups. If some previous owner swapped them out for EMG's, I'd consider that an upgrade. $260 is about what these basses go for, although if you're patient, you can find them closer to $200. But, a Dyna Unity with EMG's for $260 is a good buy, especially if it has a hardshell case.

Note that there are 2 types of Dyna Unity. One is the standard Dyna Unity, which has the active circuitry the Sarzo and TL-5 has. The other is a passive Dyna Unity. The active model is DEFINITELY superior. Construction-wise both are the same. Beautifully made, light, with thin fast necks. Very similar to your RJ-IV.
 
#4,996
smcd said:
I have a Dyna Unity. To the best of my knowledge, they all came equipped with Schaller hardware and pickups. If some previous owner swapped them out for EMG's, I'd consider that an upgrade. $260 is about what these basses go for, although if you're patient, you can find them closer to $200. But, a Dyna Unity with EMG's for $260 is a good buy, especially if it has a hardshell case.

Note that there are 2 types of Dyna Unity. One is the standard Dyna Unity, which has the active circuitry the Sarzo and TL-5 has. The other is a passive Dyna Unity. The active model is DEFINITELY superior. Construction-wise both are the same. Beautifully made, light, with thin fast necks. Very similar to your RJ-IV.
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Thanks. As always, you're a wealth of knowledge and it's greatly appreciated.

I think this one was passive (well, at least there was no battery compartment that I saw) and it did not come with a case. I can probably get them down to $225 OTD, and since the body is in really nice shape (metallic charcoal color), I'll probably just go get it.

Thanks again.
 

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