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U.S. Peavey Club

#10,881
years of frustration got the best of me and after refusing to take a file to the A nut slot on my T-20 FL I suddenly have it in agreement with the rest of the strings which have always laid as close to the board as possible without any issues and now no extra effort is noticeable when fretting the 1st on any of them. I didn't go quite that perfect on the A but my tired eyes say it's a hair closer than the E and certainly responds dreamy so I'll call it macaroni. that, and the single coil hum, always took me away from getting into the zone with this great bass and with minimal effort it's finally nearer Nirvana, kinda feels like having a killer NBD, maybe better in reclaiming it from obscurity, hell... even the hum seems less!
 
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#10,883
mech said:
I quit when I think a pass or two more will make it perfect. Learned the hard way a good while back.
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I knew I'd blow it, then after the first tryout being so acceptable I said don't get stupid! now it rides nicer going between the thinny D and heavy A, resolving that one thing has made all the difference... WHAT A FABULOUS BASS, and Peavey's notoriously great necks is giving the tone of the aged rosewood board such a distinct and airy character especially coming out of my Fender hybrid amp which can accentuate the mids that it's indescribably delicious. I REALLY missed this bass!
I am so dying for a maple boarded 20 and 45 :)
 
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#10,884
I think a lucky someone is honeymooning with this dusky beauty, any smart TB admitting new ownership?
upload_2018-3-29_19-24-31.png
 
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#10,886
Bass V said:
years of frustration got the best of me
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I don’t even have the proper files, but I’ll sand my nuts without hesitation. (Yes, I hear the humor in that last sentence .) I take short pieces of old bass strings, wrap sandpaper around them, pull them straight and tight, and use them as files. I use the A string piece on the E slot, D string on the A etc, due to the thickness of the sandpaper adding diameter to the makeshift file. I’ve done this on expensive basses, don’t care, cause they need to play better. EBMM almost always need filing. I use a capo on fret 1 to compare the feel of the open strings. Then I try to match the nut slot to fret 1’s height. If I had my way, all basses would have a zero fret, it just makes sense to me.
 
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#10,887
JEDI BASS said:
I have jumped on 2 T-40s and a T-45 lately, couldn't let the money burn a hole in my pocket.
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procrastination works well for me and if waiting meant not messing it up then I'm pretty happy despite the wait.
I borrowed the improper file (for the umpteenth time before chickening out) and winged it. guess I got lucky.
I'm a late convert and now a Peavey freak, as awesome as the 40s are the 20s don't take a back seat at all and I'll be on the lookout for a sweet maple / burst 45. how on Earth did these go so underappreciated for so long by so many?!
 
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#10,888
Bass V said:
procrastination works well for me and if waiting meant not messing it up then I'm pretty happy despite the wait.
I borrowed the improper file (for the umpteenth time before chickening out) and winged it. guess I got lucky.
I'm a late convert and now a Peavey freak, as awesome as the 40s are the 20s don't take a back seat at all and I'll be on the lookout for a sweet maple / burst 45. how on Earth did these go so underappreciated for so long by so many?!
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I understand totally! Glad it worked out well for you. If you grind a slot too deep, there’s a fix for that too.

As for the T-45 going unnoticed... I’ve not had time to rehearse it, with the band yet. But, from the couch, it seems like one of the most versatile P-type basses ever. Single coil bark, and humbucker oomph just a knob twist away... so cool!

I have played a handful of shows with my white/RW T-40, and it’s sound was unmatched! The T-40 got remarks at almost every stop, while my first year Lakland 4-94 did not.
 
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#10,889
JEDI BASS said:
the T-45 seems like one of the most versatile P-type basses ever. Single coil bark, and humbucker oomph just a knob twist away... so cool!
I have played a handful of shows with my white/RW T-40, and it’s sound was unmatched! The T-40 got remarks at almost every stop.
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I like that they, the 20 too, cover a lot of classic tones but have their own strong voice and personalities that put them in the upper crust of vintage tone. I think the 20 has a lot more under the hood than it is allowed to show off, it just may be lacking a wiring setup to get all there is to be had, and rid the hum. I'll bet that hunch extents to the 45 as well. I've seen so few mods for the Ts, they're fertile ground for upgrades but would be some of the hottest platforms ever!
 
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#10,893
richntiff said:
I can confirm that the US Peavey basses - in general - are better sounding and playing, better constructed basses than a non CS Fender - regardless of country of manufacture. For the price of a CS Fender - yeah, it better beat any non CS bass from any mass producer.
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Sorry, I'll have to disagree with that - I've owned at least a dozen US Peaveys(probably more), about as many EBMMs, probably 3x as many US Fenders, and that definitely has not been my experience... I currently have an 80s Foundation, a 90s Fury, and a 90s Foundation 5, and although they're all solid instruments, they are not in the same class as my US Fenders, Sterling 5 HS, or '83 G&L L2k...

I'm a US Peavy fan, but let's not get crazy here...
 
#10,894
After looking at 58kites '92 fury (very nice) so I thought I'd get my '92 Foundation out of it's case, & take a quick photo of it next to it's replacement the '86 Foundation :cool:.I really prefer the 80's look & feel over the 90's versions to me they feel better made, & I don't understand why Peavey wanted changed the look of their basses :unsure:. I was PM-ing kodiakblair for advice about letting the '92 go but I'm still not fully convinced that the neck is as it should be, so I will take it to a repair man first I wouldn't want to sell someone a project bass.
Anyhow here are my 2 Made In USA Peavey Foundation Basses in all their glory. :hyper:

20180330_165516 (2).jpg
 
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#10,896
Shawn Luckman said:
I really prefer the 80's look & feel over the 90's versions to me they feel better made, & I don't understand why Peavey wanted changed the look of their basses :unsure:
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Nice black one you have there.

$0.02...

The early Foundations were made better than later iterations, in the sense that all the hardware on the later ones had been downgraded. The original Foundations are classics IMO. Crudely made by today's standards, but commensurate in build quality to their peers of the era.

Still, the heart and soul of a Foundation is its twin SF pickups. And you still get that great sound with the later versions.

Question; Do the later SF Foundations have Peavey's "Tone Compensation Circuit" wiring like the originals? Curious....
 
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#10,897
Shawn Luckman said:
I really prefer the 80's look & feel over the 90's versions to me they feel better made, & I don't understand why Peavey wanted changed the look of their basses :unsure:.
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I totally get that - I definitely prefer the 80s Foundation over the 90s Foundations I've had in the past... I like the chunkier neck, and think the tuners are better - and prefer the headstock and body shape of the 80s as well...

 
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#10,898
JEDI BASS said:
I could see someone sticking a set of Foundation super ferrites in a T-20, side by side in that sweet spot, to get hum cancelling. You could also throw a series/parallel switch in.
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That might be an interesting project. I'd be loath to hack up a T-20 (although there might be enough room in the existing cavity), but I do have a pair of Foundation SF's that I've been saving for a future project bass. Hmm....
 
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#10,900
Shawn Luckman said:
I don't think so here are the control cavity's of both basses, the '86 has the series/parallel switch added.

1986 Control Cavity
View attachment 2967340
1992 Control Cavity
View attachment 2967337
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Yeah, I suspected that Peavey may have eliminated the TCC when they cheap'd out on other aspects of the Foundation. That old circuit actually works to some degree, by maintaining high freqs at lower vol settings.

Having wired up a gutted Foundation like a standard Jazz bass a while back, my ears could detect a slight difference in overall tone between the two circuits. My Foundations with the TCC circuit seemed to have a tad more presence. Not a huge difference, but noticeable side by side, sans any mix.
 
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