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U.S. Peavey Club

#7,401
Eilif said:
Whatcha going to do with the extra set of ferrites?
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I've promised the SFs to a fellow on TB looking for a set since I already have a spare set. I PMed him as soon as I decided to part it out. The bridge and pre/knobs I'll use on projects.

kodiakblair said:
That sure is a fine looking bass you did there mech:thumbsup:
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I really like it and had several good comments on the white/black theme. It doesn't show up well in the pick but the white is a pearl. I did have to use a worn out green scotchbrite pad on the back of the neck. That gloss black paint had so much traction you could easily leave your thumb behind.
 
#7,402
Those SFs are getting rarer than hens teeth:) I gave up looking for one to make up a pair but the spare didn't go awanting.
I'd made a hash of a rout on a 50s P bass copy,SF covered it up nicely and it's sounds pretty darn good too.

All things Peavey are kinda quiet here in the UK just now but I know half a dozen players who won't leave the house without one
so that's good news.Just need to encourage some more:thumbsup:
 
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#7,403
Last edited:
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#7,405
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#7,406
DavidEdenAria said:
I wondered about import Milleniums because I see them for $150 used.....
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I just received one of the $150 four string imports. Cirrus type PUs and 3 band EQ pre with no Mid Shift. I was curious about them, too. I actually bought it for the neck and electronics for projects. Spent about an hour on a good setup, nut slot height, end of fret dressing details, mods for BEAD and gigged it last night. The eq is different from what I'm used to but didn't take long to dial in. This thing is definitely a keeper...... for now one more joins the herd. The workmanship is very good and it's pretty light. If I ever find a stripped TL-5 in decent shape for the right price I may transfer the electronics.
 
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#7,407
Hey club! Does anyone know if Peavey ever offered a TL-5 in fretless? There is one I found for sale that the dealer thinks might be a factory defret. I have some serious doubts, but anything's possible. Even if it's an aftermarket, I'm highly interested, since I'll have matching TL-5s, and the more peaveys one has the better.

Attached are the pictures.
 

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#7,409
birdman14 said:
Hey club! Does anyone know if Peavey ever offered a TL-5 in fretless? There is one I found for sale that the dealer thinks might be a factory defret. I have some serious doubts, but anything's possible. Even if it's an aftermarket, I'm highly interested, since I'll have matching TL-5s, and the more peaveys one has the better.

Attached are the pictures.
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I seriously doubt that your bass in question is stock fretless. Only some of the inlays aren't discolored from the board coating, and I doubt that Peavey would've let noticeable flaws fly back then (The TL was absolute top-shelf)....
 
#7,410
songwriter21 said:
I seriously doubt that your bass in question is stock fretless. Only some of the inlays aren't discolored from the board coating, and I doubt that Peavey would've let noticeable flaws fly back then (The TL was absolute top-shelf)....
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That's kind of what I thought, but it was still a good enough deal that I snagged it. It's currently waiting for me in the local mailroom, so I'll be sure to get some better pictures up. I emailed Peavey, and said they thought it could be original.
 
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#7,411
Well, that big beautiful box was waiting for me when I got back to my apartment, and I could barely contain my excitement as I pulled it out of the packaging. I have to say, for 270 shipped, it was definitely worth it (especially as an introduction to fretless!) One thing that the pictures don't convey is the amount of flame in the body. It's crazy how much there is!
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The good: Great sounding pickups! (sound even better than my fretted version) Now I know what all the hub-bub about these dyna-pre's with super ferrites is about. Additionally, the body is in really clean shape. Best of all? The bass weighs in at just about 8.75 pounds, which is incredible for a neck-through 5 string, as my other TL-5 weighs a good 10.5 pounds. (HUGE +1 ON STILL HAVING THE BATTERY COVER THOUGH, I'm really amazed. I'm thinking I'll 3D scan and print another few, to put on my other TL5 and to have in case)

The bad: It definitely doesn't look like a factory fretless, as songwriter21 mentioned, the pearls just aren't consistently colored. Additionally, there is a little bit of tear-out from the ebony (really the only bad spot is the 12th fretline), and you can tell there is a little bit of coating dribble on the edge of the board. At some point, the previous owner thought it was a good idea to install a new nut (maybe when they defretted the bass?) and it's not very well cut/fit to the neck, as the strings are way too far away from the fingerboard. I'll probably have to get that taken care of by a tech sometime soon. There's currently rounds on the bass, so I'll probably change those out soon for some flats/tapes. I was thinking about getting some Labella Black Nylons and stringing E-C, anyone done before? What was the result?
 
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#7,413
Well, you know how your luck runs hot and cold. Mine's been pretty good as far as basses go. I picked up this USA Grind 5 string body and neck with no guts a while back. Serial number is stamped into the back of the peghead. Didn't know they had made any. I was casting about to find parts for it and found an import on epay at the right price that the body was cracked through the control pocket. The pics are of the result.....plus a 5 string, 35" neck for a project :).

The export had a 5 knob pre and the USA body only had 4 holes so it now has 5. The PUs are passive and the pre is a 9V Won Hung Lowe. The bridge hardware wasn't exactly what was needed but works. The real Hipshot parts are too expensive right now. Knobs are the same as the 1st gen TL-5.

The neck was really plain vanilla so I painted it flat black to keep the feel. It is one piece, quarter-sawn. The truss rod is totally slacked off and the neck is a taste too straight. About .002" relief so the action is a little high for my taste. Will see if a little time takes care of that. The neck profile is the same as my TL-5s, as best I can tell, but is a 35" scale. The fret ends have that quality Custom Shop feel.

I've played it live a few times and it's a keeper. Has a pretty much Jazz sound. Guess I may now be in the 21st century as far as basses go with this and the import Millennium 4 that I really like. My pics don't do the looks justice.


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#7,415
Another Foundation I just acquired,a 1988 CAR with matching headstock.When it arrived it was all jacked around on the set up,the neck was cock eye in the pocket and the bridge saddles were sky high as well as the neck having too much relief.Removed the neck and found 4 plastic shims in the pocket and then understood why the neck was not sitting flush and square.Put the neck back on and started from zero,lowered the saddles on bridge,adjusted the truss rod and used the neck tilt as it was designed to be used.A fresh set of LaBella Nickel rounds on it and this thing sings!!
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#7,418
gfaulkner said:
Another Foundation I just acquired,a 1988 CAR with matching headstock.When it arrived it was all jacked around on the set up,the neck was cock eye in the pocket and the bridge saddles were sky high as well as the neck having too much relief.Removed the neck and found 4 plastic shims in the pocket and then understood why the neck was not sitting flush and square.Put the neck back on and started from zero,lowered the saddles on bridge,adjusted the truss rod and used the neck tilt as it was designed to be used.A fresh set of LaBella Nickel rounds on it and this thing sings!! View attachment 730213View attachment 730216View attachment 730218View attachment 730219View attachment 730221
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Nice...love the Foundations?

Now, you can go ahead and easily shim the neck if a person wanted to...I don't know if it really helped sustain/tone once I shimmed the neck on my Foundation...but that tilt neck is a very nice feature to have to get the neck quickly playable.

A big reason I love the old USA Peavey basses is the tilt neck!
 
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