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U.S. Peavey Club

#9,741
A Peavey Axcelerator mystery...

Background: My first new bass purchase was a Peavey Patriot eons ago. I sold it a couple years later to buy a Stingray5. Knowing what I know now I would have kept the Patriot but I was traveling light at the time. Haven't had a Peavey bass since but gigged with a Mark VI head and a 1516 or 210 cabs for a long time.

I've had the bug to pick up a decent 4-string for a while now and was specifically looking for a used US Peavey: Forum, Foundation, Dyna, or the like. An Axcelerator showed up on C-list and I went to check it out. The guy said he was the original owner, having bought it new from a GC in Chicago in the mid 90s. (Serial # indicates 1994.) He played it a few times and then stored it in the case since. It was cosmetically mint for the most part. Lousy cell phone pic:
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It made bass-like noises through my amp. The controls all seemed to work though the pots were a little scratchy. The truss rod moved smoothly, the action was high but I figured that could be remedied using the neck tilt adjustment. Opened the battery compartment and found this:
PVbatteriesSm.jpg


Even Peavey batteries from the 90s were made in the USA! Anyhoo, either these were the best batteries in the world or they had died and the bass also worked in passive mode. I'm fine either way. I had batteries with me just in case but time was tight. He came down a bit on the price and I took it home.

First things first, set the action up and sprayed some De-oxit on the pots - no more scratch. New strings. Put in two new Duracells and noticed one was getting really hot. A second battery and the same issue. I suspected a short somewhere and started trying to track down the problem. After a minute or so of tracing/pulling on wires this fell out. I think I may have found the issue...
batteryLeadsSm.jpg


Notice that the the wires are shrink wrapped together so this was obviously intentional. Emailed the guy and he had no recollection of any work done on the bass. (He didn't even know it was an active bass.)

So the questions are...
If the guy is honest (and I'm pretty positive he is) then how did this 18v to 9v conversion happen? Was it just not wired at the factory?

Can it be run using just one battery or should I wire the "spare" in series back into the board?

My understanding is that 18v just gives some extra overhead (whatever that means) vs. 9v but doesn't really affect the sound. I have no issues with the sound as-is but am I missing out on anything?

Is this the right thread/forum to be asking these questions?
 
#9,744
ubernator said:
I want that neck! It appears to be a 1994 neck, but I have seen SF foundations with post 95 one piece necks too. Were VFLs offered as an option when SF versions were still being made? Or is this "parts bass" territory? Either way I would stick that neck on my late 90s foundy in a heartbeat, and later restore that body to working order and perhaps sell it later with my one piece neck.
If this goes under $50 I might poke a bid at it, especially if they are willing to do store pickup at a goodwill in my area. Not sure they offer something like that.

If the body was maple I would probably keep it too. But surely someone is going to be willing to pay more. And the condition of the neck is a crap shoot
Click to expand...

PICKUPS
Yes they were standard versions wihtout ferrite. Seemed like the Dynas were the more popular variation during this period.

YEARS
It's common to see parts mismatched when shippped. Commonly, when folks will ask about a speciric year - it's irrelevant. Generation is a more reliable discussion.
 
#9,746
jmlee said:
Interesting questions. The battery compartment looks big enough to be designed to hold two 9Vs. [I *love* that wiring job on the 9V.] The manual I could find on line specifies an 18V power supply.
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geoff_in_nc said:
I think it depends on the preamp design.... One kind might work on 9v or 18v, and another might not work on 9v. I have 3 Axcelerator 5 strings (I love this model) but have never tried 9v.
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Thanks for the responses. Every indication I've seen is that it should be an 18v preamp. Mainly I'm curious how and why my bass ended up this way. It is a puzzlement... Oh well, at the very least it will be a nice storage area for a spare battery if I never wire the extra connector back in.

I might also ask on the electronics sub-forum.
 
#9,750
Ay yi yi ... I looked, I said I wouldn't.... A minty SWR redface 350 (like the one I had stolen but in better condition), for a great price, and a peavey bass I would snatch in a second if I had the money... And I have no money. Im tempted to talk to the bank of lead singer about a loan and then figure out what to sell or use future gig money to make payments.

Unfortunately the peavey is a bit of a drive, and does not have the neck shape I like (would want to play it to see how it is), but man it is a beauty, v v v vintage! That's all I will say about that for now, because I want a chance at it ;)
 
#9,751
Came over this -79 a couple of weeks ago. All original except for the pickguard and the phase shift knob. Even the thumb rest is still in the case. The pg is home made by previous owner, I probably replace it and the switch sometimes, but for now it will do.
Used her with my band first time last weekend, wow all the sounds she could do! Everything I heard about this bass sounds was true, and more... Was so happy playing so I did not even notice the weight during our 2,5 hour rehearsal.
She will definitely be out for her first gig soon!
By the way, if someone is still giving out numbers I'd like to have one please.
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#9,753
Just realized I have not posted up my USA Peaveys yet...

G-V in Holoflake Black - Upgraded to Hipshot tuners after the factory B string tuner broke. Bought this one new in 2001.
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Millennium Plus in Black Violet - Upgraded to Bartolini Pickups and Audere Z-Mode Preamp this week. Purchased used (for $101.88 :)) in April of 2016.

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#9,754
Mvf said:
Came over this -79 a couple of weeks ago. All original except for the pickguard and the phase shift knob. Even the thumb rest is still in the case. The pg is home made by previous owner, I probably replace it and the switch sometimes, but for now it will do.
Used her with my band first time last weekend, wow all the sounds she could do! Everything I heard about this bass sounds was true, and more... Was so happy playing so I did not even notice the weight during our 2,5 hour rehearsal.
She will definitely be out for her first gig soon!
By the way, if someone is still giving out numbers I'd like to have one please.
View attachment 2745569View attachment 2745570View attachment 2745571View attachment 2745573View attachment 2745574View attachment 2745575View attachment 2745576View attachment 2745578
Click to expand...

Lovely grain on that one!
Mvf you are member #410
Welcome to the club!
 
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#9,755
ubernator said:
I like the 2pc necks better than the later 1pc necks.

Have you noticed much difference between the pinstripe fury pickup and the post 95? Generally the pinstripes have lower output, but a really clear tone.
Click to expand...

I feel the same way about the 2-piece necks!

I ended up replacing the pickup in the pinstripe Fury with an EMG Geezer Butler, which I really like. Not that it was bad, just not the output level and mid-presence that I prefer. The pickup in the 95+ Fury is noticeably hotter and quite similar in tone to the Geezer Butler. YMMV.
 
#9,756
SpruceApple said:
I feel the same way about the 2-piece necks!

I ended up replacing the pickup in the pinstripe Fury with an EMG Geezer Butler, which I really like. Not that it was bad, just not the output level and mid-presence that I prefer. The pickup in the 95+ Fury is noticeably hotter and quite similar in tone to the Geezer Butler. YMMV.
Click to expand...

The 93 pickup is hot and barky like that too. But I probably will keep the 5wire in the pinstripe, I like the tone, can live with the lower output. I have a quarter pounder that lived briefly in my milestone II before I sold it, but I am not tempted to put it in the pinstripe or 93.

Are you keeping the 5 wire pickup?
 
#9,758
ubernator said:
The 93 pickup is hot and barky like that too. But I probably will keep the 5wire in the pinstripe, I like the tone, can live with the lower output. I have a quarter pounder that lived briefly in my milestone II before I sold it, but I am not tempted to put it in the pinstripe or 93.

Are you keeping the 5 wire pickup?
Click to expand...

Oh yes, I'm keeping the 5-wire pickup.

The Quarter Pounder is not my thing either, but I like the Geezer Butler. I wouldn't call it barky.
 
#9,759
SpruceApple said:
Oh yes, I'm keeping the 5-wire pickup.

The Quarter Pounder is not my thing either, but I like the Geezer Butler. I wouldn't call it barky.
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barky was probably not the best word. But it is very aggressive with a healthy dose of mids. The quarter pounder is super high output as you know, but too scooped and boomy. But I am holding onto that quarter pounder just in case. It is good for a more modern heavy sound, which might come in handy. Also if I end up acquiring a squier/ex etc... that has an ubercrap pickup. It made the milestone II super powerful, almost overwhelming
 
#9,760
ubernator said:
barky was probably not the best word. But it is very aggressive with a healthy dose of mids. The quarter pounder is super high output as you know, but too scooped and boomy. But I am holding onto that quarter pounder just in case. It is good for a more modern heavy sound, which might come in handy. Also if I end up acquiring a squier/ex etc... that has an ubercrap pickup. It made the milestone II super powerful, almost overwhelming
Click to expand...

I can totally see how the Geezer could have that effect. I use flats with it on my pinstripe Fury and the combination sits really nicely in the mix.
 

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