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U.S. Peavey Club

#10,901
I'm in the same club with liking 80s Foundations more than 90s Foundations.
I did get a 94 Forum Plus that I like almost as much as a 80s Foundation! It has a very similar neck profile (not a thin 90s) to my 84 Foundation, and the bridge and electronics are great. It's also metallic green, a favorite of mine, which you can't find on a factory 80s Foundation. It has some of the 90s era cost-cutting vibe, but not as much as the 93 Foundation I used to have.

That reminds me, what did Peavey call their metallic forest green? I know they called the deeper shade of metallic blue "62 Blue" and apparently the metallic pink was called "Salmon."
 
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#10,902
mesaplayer83 said:
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...
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Some Fenders are worth the hype, most aren’t, in my opinion. I have a better opinion about EBMM, but they still should improve their final neck prep work. Haven’t owned any G&L.

My 20+ US Laklands (I currently still own 3) smoke, I mean SMOKE US Fenders in every way, that’s why they cost more than twice the $$. But, my two old Cirrus 6ers played better than Laklands. They were equal to my Dingwalls in playability and build quality. They had stiffer necks, which meant less buzz with closer action. When I think about going back to 6ers, it’s Cirrus I look at.

This is just my opinions based on basses I’ve owned.
 
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#10,903
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.


How where they crudely made or was it because they were using CNC machines to cut the bodies, and also were the necks also done using a CNC machine? Defiantly going to have to get a copy of the Peavey book to learn more about the history of this company and how,they built their guitars & basses.[/QUOTE]
 
#10,904
I agree with a couple of points made. @mesaplayer83,for saying " best not let our enthusiasm for Peavey get the better of us." and @JEDI BASS for his bold but true statement regarding "Fender Hype" :)
My Fender experience was soured by too many high priced (UK prices were ridiculous) but decidedly average basses in the mid 80's,compared to them the Foudations and Furys were a decent buy.
Trouble is when you compare Foundations/Furys to the Tokai Jazz Sounds or Hard Punchers available in the early/mid 80's.

@Shawn Luckman
Can you remember any Tokai prices ? £200 - £250 rings a bell with me.
 
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#10,905
kodiakblair said:
I agree with a couple of points made. @mesaplayer83,for saying " best not let our enthusiasm for Peavey get the better of us." and @JEDI BASS for his bold but true statement regarding "Fender Hype" :)
My Fender experience was soured by too many high priced (UK prices were ridiculous) but decidedly average basses in the mid 80's,compared to them the Foudations and Furys were a decent buy.
Trouble is when you compare Foundations/Furys to the Tokai Jazz Sounds or Hard Punchers available in the early/mid 80's.

@Shawn Luckman
Can you remember any Tokai prices ? £200 - £250 rings a bell with me.
Click to expand...

Tokai that takes me back they were around the same money as the JV Precision & Jazz. You would remember when Dixons were doing either the JV Strat,Tele, or Precision for, £199 with a small 10w amp.
 
#10,909
kodiakblair said:
Few year back a pal sold his Fury,Foundation and a Forum to fund a Ric, when I was picking them up I took the chance at playing his Tokais. Can't fault him for keeping them and not the Peaveys.
Very tasty basses :)
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The Tokais were very well made 2 mates I had back then had them, a Brezzysound (Tele) & a Jazzsound (Jazz). This was back in around 1985/86 they were miles ahead of any other Fender copies at that time.
 
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#10,910
JEDI BASS said:
Some Fenders are worth the hype, most aren’t, in my opinion. I have a better opinion about EBMM, but they still should improve their final neck prep work. Haven’t owned any G&L.

My 20+ US Laklands (I currently still own 3) smoke, I mean SMOKE US Fenders in every way, that’s why they cost more than twice the $$. But, my two old Cirrus 6ers played better than Laklands. They were equal to my Dingwalls in playability and build quality. They had stiffer necks, which meant less buzz with closer action. When I think about going back to 6ers, it’s Cirrus I look at.

This is just my opinions based on basses I’ve owned.
Click to expand...

Everyone's entitled to their own opinions - I've played a few US Laklands with the idea of buying one, but they didn't wow me enough to buy one over a good US Fender... Sure, they are very well made instruments, but I can make a Fender every bit as playable - and prefer the Fender sound over the Lakland(or Sadowsky) sound...

I would also say that US made Peavey Cirrus basses are a class above a typical Fury, Foundation, etc... IMO/IME, the Cirrus basses are typically as well made as any other production instrument out there...
 
#10,913
kodiakblair said:
@mesaplayer83
The early/mid 80's was a great time for UK bass players. Gibson never really had a big presense bass-wise and Fender hit a rough patch, with those 2 big names out the equation the market opened up to other brands.
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It really was a golden for bassists I miss the 80's for that :(, you had Peavey (of course :thumbsup:) giving you American made basses for roughly the same price as a Squier JV. Then there were the Japanese brands that were everywhere Tokai, Fernandez, Ibanez,Westone, Aria, Samick, Vester the list was endless like the choices, that the bassist had back then. I feel now that we have lost that I don't get excited by new basses now, and that's a shame.
 
#10,914
Shawn Luckman said:
I don't get excited by new basses now, and that's a shame.
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Even primo new basses are made from lower quality wood. At least, that’s what I’ve heard from reliable sources. For example, I’ve watched my favorite wood, birdseye maple, go down hill in the last 20 years. I rarely see really beautiful pieces used on basses.
 
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#10,915
My 1983 SQ Squier Japanese Precision is extremely well crafted, as good as the 80's Peaveys at the time. The hardware Peavey used in the 80's was second to none IMHO. The two piece neck was also very, very good. I own a couple bases from that era where it's obvious the neck has never needed adjustment.

That said, I have 90's Peaveys that are pretty darn good too. They may have cheaped out on hardware, etc. but Peavey still knew how to put together a good bass guitar. Resonant, comfortable and well crafted.
 
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#10,916
I've played enough USA Fenders (including 60's and 70's P basses, Strats, Teles) to know they can vary quite a lot.....i know some dont agree with this, but much is in the neck itself and i do NOT think the price point or build quality 'necessarily' has much to do with a neck that resonates well across the neck itself.

Case in point is my beat up real 59 Danelectro DC with a single lipstick pickup in the middle, the necks on these are poplar and have the square rod reinforcement (like old Martins), this guitar doesn't sustain well but it has a certain beautiful twang and responds very well to compressors for sustain and pedals.

A LOT is in the neck and pickup on this old Danelectro.....i think its the EXACT same thing with my 89 Fury, it has a Duncan SPB1 vintage P pickup and the neck is of course superior on this bass....i think its poplar or soft maple body whatever.....doesnt matter, it does everything a P bass should do imo.

My 85 Foundation needed a lot of work on setup etc, the 89 Fury much less so....my 1st Gen Fury is pretty darn good overall in build quality and of course P players love these bigger necks.

My 90's Foundation 5, the neck is amazing really.....BUT the darn bridge had to be recentered (couldnt correct it with a neck reset), the rest of the bass is outstanding in terms of it needs NOTHING.......tuners, pickups, pots everything (so far) is functioning fine and sounds very good.....guess i lucked out.... and it was completely stupid, dirt cheap as it has a lot of buckling on the back and off center bridge let me walk out of the pawn under $100 USA with a soft case....heck it had good RW strings to boot...black on maple too!
 
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#10,917
JEDI BASS said:
Even primo new basses are made from lower quality wood. At least, that’s what I’ve heard from reliable sources. For example, I’ve watched my favorite wood, birdseye maple, go down hill in the last 20 years. I rarely see really beautiful pieces used on basses.
Click to expand...

True whatever good pieces there are left are probably stashed away, for expensive boutique builds.
 
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#10,918
Runnerman said:
My 1983 SQ Squier Japanese Precision is extremely well crafted, as good as the 80's Peaveys at the time. The hardware Peavey used in the 80's was second to none IMHO. The two piece neck was also very, very good. I own a couple bases from that era where it's obvious the neck has never needed adjustment.

That said, I have 90's Peaveys that are pretty darn good too. They may have cheaped out on hardware, etc. but Peavey still knew how to put together a good bass guitar. Resonant, comfortable and well crafted.
Click to expand...

Who made the hardware for Peavey in the 80's or, was it done in-house by Peavey themselves?
 

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