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U.S. Peavey Club

#10,601
Shawn Luckman said:
Just got home to tierd to take some of my own pics, will do that hopefully tomorrow. Here are a couple of pictures the owner sent me to show off the bass. And it looks better in the flesh :cool:.
View attachment 2924419
View attachment 2924423
Firstly it is better made and finished than my '92 Foundation I have read that the, quality of the earlier versions was better and to me it is the neck on the '86 is better than a lot of basses from now. I would like to thank kodiakblair again for finding this (and not buy it for himself). The only Peavey bass I want now is a '79 T-40 like my Dad bought me for my 21st, which was stolen a few years later.
Click to expand...
Like my 85 Foundation only mine is black/maple, love the thing...with my Eden Metro and it extensive EQ the range of tones is incredible....i run Fender flats.

Do tell about the toggle......curious how SF pickups sound in series if thats what the toggle is.
 
#10,602
mesaplayer83 said:
The toggle switch is probably series/parallel...
Click to expand...

You are correct it is a series/parallel switch which the last owner had put in. The bridge saddles were changed to get a lower action without using the tilt neck function, the neck is nice and flat and the action is nice & low and buzz free. The original saddles are in a bag in the OHSC should I ever wish to swap back.
 
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#10,604
DavidEdenAria said:
Like my 85 Foundation only mine is black/maple, love the thing...with my Eden Metro and it extensive EQ the range of tones is incredible....i run Fender flats.

Do tell about the toggle......curious how SF pickups sound in series if thats what the toggle is.
Click to expand...
By the time I got home last night I was to tierd to plug it into my amp, I will do that tonight and let you know :thumbsup:.
 
#10,605
Shawn Luckman said:
You are correct it is a series/parallel switch which the last owner had put in. The bridge saddles were changed to get a lower action without using the tilt neck function, the neck is nice and flat and the action is nice & low and buzz free. The original saddles are in a bag in the OHSC should I ever wish to swap back.
Click to expand...

I'm considering adding a series/parallel switch to my Foundation - and I swapped out the OEM saddles on mine because they were pretty corroded, but they were also too tall for me to get the action I wanted without more micro-tilt use than I wanted... I did end up adding a little micro-tilt with the saddles I used, because I felt that I didn't have enough break angle at the saddles without it - but overall, swapping saddles was an improvement for me...
 
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#10,606
Bass V said:
oh the joy of a new Peavey T-40!
or, at least the joy of securing a nice one with a down payment...
Beat Street Music worked well with me to get it sent next month.

at least an 8 for cond., the front side has survived the years and it's got the blade PUs which I wanted
View attachment 2922909

Invalid Link Removed
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it's a good thing I make a great pot of survival beans cos I got just enuf cabbage to make the balance of a clear and clean walk-out-the-door $500 shipped to Hawaii should owner Terry agree... and he just did. instead of 2 mos I might see this in 2 weeks, only cos I'm primitive and still use ancient forms of transfer, the USPS and MOs. this is one of those bucket list checkoffs and the timing was right to score the one I've wanted ever since I was convinced these were sexy as hell. I may swap in a brass nut for the plastic stock unless it's just too good as is. my T-20FL is v fine with the plastic.
 
#10,607
Shawn Luckman said:
Just got home to tierd to take some of my own pics, will do that hopefully tomorrow. Here are a couple of pictures the owner sent me to show off the bass. And it looks better in the flesh :cool:.
View attachment 2924419
Firstly it is better made and finished than my '92 Foundation I have read that the, quality of the earlier versions was better and to me it is the neck on the '86 is better than a lot of basses from now. I would like to thank kodiakblair again for finding this (and not buy it for himself). The only Peavey bass I want now is a '79 T-40 like my Dad bought me for my 21st, which was stolen a few years later.
Click to expand...
I have a 85 fretless that is identical to this one! Love the matching black headstock. I sold my 93 Foundation when I got it because the 85 is a better bass in terms of build and parts quality.
Also have a 84 Foundation with the maple fretboard. It had a wonky bridge volume pot, so I replaced it with a push/pull for series/parallel. The SFs sound loud and thick in series and are fully hum free. A very useful sound, indeed. The trick is being able to pull up on the metal "P" knob, it's kind of slippery! Highly recommended mod for a Foundation.
FWIW, I like to put series/parallel options wherever I can. I do it on split coil P pickups to get a lower output tone with more clarity, too. Same with the Fender Mudbucker on my Tele bass, it sounds better in parallel. Seems more players like a J type bass in series vs a P type bass in parallel. I like them both.
 
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#10,608
Shawn Luckman said:
The bridge saddles were changed to get a lower action without using the tilt neck function, the neck is nice and flat and the action is nice & low and buzz free. The original saddles are in a bag in the OHSC should I ever wish to swap back.
Click to expand...
Wish I knew exactly where to source those saddles....could fix all those trapezoidal Peavey bridges with the saddles that are too big to work right with the body and neck without jacking up the neck tilt.
I changed the saddles on mine but they are a bit smaller than they need to be.
Took me at least a half dozen different sets of saddles to get a reasonable fit, there is no standard for a simple Fender style bridge, not even at Fender.
 
#10,612
bigtone23 said:
I have a 85 fretless that is identical to this one! Love the matching black headstock. I sold my 93 Foundation when I got it because the 85 is a better bass in terms of build and parts quality.
Also have a 84 Foundation with the maple fretboard. It had a wonky bridge volume pot, so I replaced it with a push/pull for series/parallel. The SFs sound loud and thick in series and are fully hum free. A very useful sound, indeed. The trick is being able to pull up on the metal "P" knob, it's kind of slippery! Highly recommended mod for a Foundation.
FWIW, I like to put series/parallel options wherever I can. I do it on split coil P pickups to get a lower output tone with more clarity, too. Same with the Fender Mudbucker on my Tele bass, it sounds better in parallel. Seems more players like a J type bass in series vs a P type bass in parallel. I like them both.
Click to expand...
I remember the pic you posted of the '84 & '93 together when I was asking about body sizes. You are right about the build & quality of the early Foundations over the '92 onward versions. The '86 neck at the nut seems thinner than the '92 and I thought that was thin. And the overall feel of the earlier versions seems better to me. I also downloaded the owners manual just to keep in the case as well.
I'll probably keep the '92 in the case for now as it still only cost me less than the price of a New Squier Affinity bass , & the '86 with delivery was less than a New Squier VM Jazz bass. And the best part now is that I now own 2 vintage American made Peavey's for less than the price of 1 New Mexican made Fender :jawdrop::thumbsup::cool: .
 
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#10,613
I am still shocked with the little Forum 4 that I bought off Ebay for $129. What a great little bass. A muscular sounding single PU bass.

IMG_3129.jpg
 
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#10,615
bigtone23 said:
I have a 85 fretless that is identical to this one! Love the matching black headstock. I sold my 93 Foundation when I got it because the 85 is a better bass in terms of build and parts quality.
Also have a 84 Foundation with the maple fretboard. It had a wonky bridge volume pot, so I replaced it with a push/pull for series/parallel. The SFs sound loud and thick in series and are fully hum free. A very useful sound, indeed. The trick is being able to pull up on the metal "P" knob, it's kind of slippery! Highly recommended mod for a Foundation.
FWIW, I like to put series/parallel options wherever I can. I do it on split coil P pickups to get a lower output tone with more clarity, too. Same with the Fender Mudbucker on my Tele bass, it sounds better in parallel. Seems more players like a J type bass in series vs a P type bass in parallel. I like them both.
Click to expand...


I too have a black, matching headstock, fretless Foundation. However...
20180220_120914_adjusted.jpg
 
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#10,619
Shawn Luckman said:
I remember the pic you posted of the '84 & '93 together when I was asking about body sizes. You are right about the build & quality of the early Foundations over the '92 onward versions. The '86 neck at the nut seems thinner than the '92 and I thought that was thin. And the overall feel of the earlier versions seems better to me. I also downloaded the owners manual just to keep in the case as well.
I'll probably keep the '92 in the case for now as it still only cost me less than the price of a New Squier Affinity bass , & the '86 with delivery was less than a New Squier VM Jazz bass. And the best part now is that I now own 2 vintage American made Peavey's for less than the price of 1 New Mexican made Fender :jawdrop::thumbsup::cool: .
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, on my mid 90's Foundation 5er black on maple, the bridge was not aligned well with the neck.

NOW, i showed this to the pawn owner along with the belt buckling on the back, he responds thats why its already under $100.....i beat them down to like $60 out the door.

I reset the bridge and all is fine....the neck is absolutely killer, needed little truss rod adjustment, whereas every 80's 2 piece Peavey neck ive seen locally (and own) needed extensive trussrod adjustment (tightening 100% of the time).

One of my fav basses now...i'm not seeing a real lapse in quality on this bass....but we all know that Eddie Van Halen raised h##l with Hartley Peavey over this issue in the late 90's.

I always wondered if it could be disgruntled USA workers with the move to import basses
 
#10,620
With regards to quality just on my 2 basses side by side the '86 looks better made & more expensive looking to me, and maybe a little more time spent on each instrument (my own thoughts). Now the '92 is a great bass & I love it "but" you can see how things are changing, from body shapes, body wood, the controls on the later Foundations being more of a Jazz VVT to name a few. I loved the Peavey basses from the '80's so much choice and all USA made which for anyone who couldn't afford a, Fender,Gibson, Rickenbacker or any-other American made bass Peavey had you covered.
 
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