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U.S. Peavey Club

#12,862
sirsam22 said:
@B-Mac @bassbrad
I concur on the RSB. $400-500 seems to be normal for those. I scored a koa version from Reverb for $300 with case. A shop was parting it out because a pot went bad and they thought it was a rare and expensive part, probably because the pickups are active. There's no preamp, but it needs a battery. It's maybe the most comfortable bass I've ever played. It's super light, hangs in a really comfy spot with no neck dive, and the neck is really thin front to back. It's p-bass width side to side. And, 24 frets is pretty cool, too. The pickups sound a little flat, but I'm also using tapewounds. I think I'm gonna go back to rounds soon and see if I can coax a little more character out of them.
Click to expand...
Had a Koa RSB and it sounded uninspiring/flat/character-less for me also.
Did not like the neck as much as other Peavey bass necks.
Sold it.
 
#12,868
DM661 said:
I'm a guitar player of 30+ years and I just bought my first bass today. I wasn't planning on buying one, in fact it hadn't even crossed my mind. I'm a craft beer enthusiast and I brew with one of my neighbors 2 to 3 times a year and today we brewed at his brother's warehouse. His brother has an Ebay store for all kinds of used stuff and he so happened to have been given a ton of musical gear on consignment. And I mean, a lot of 70's and 80's era Fender, Marshall, Peavey amps and cabs, misc items like strings and pics, just a tone of gear, most of it looked like it hadn't seen the light of day in ages.

I asked him if he had any guitars and he said no. But, he said he had a bass. I said, let me see it! He busted out a Peavey case and I opened it to reveal a gleaming white, 5 string Peavey Dyna Bass.
View attachment 3218455View attachment 3218456View attachment 3218457

At first glance, nothing special really other than it had more knobs than you'd normally see on a bass. I assumed some kind of active system possibly, wasn't sure. I picked it up and the first thing that surprised me was just how easily it played. I'm no bass player but I get around, finger picking, thanks to some classical guitar training.

I asked if I could plug it in and he said of course. I set up a Peavey Mark IV (400 series) amp into a tall Fender (4x8 maybe) cab. Plugged it in and wow, I was very surprised by how well it sounded. My fav band being Rush, I dug in on a few Geddy riffs to get some grit out of the bass' sound and damn, I'd be fooled if it didn't have a bit of a Ric color to it! The more I played it, the more I loved it. Great sustain, excellent action, smooth yet aggressive tone... I kinda fell in love.

I put it away and the day went on, not thinking I'd really buy the thing, but it kept bugging me. At the end of the brew session, my buddy's brother asked if I was interested in that bass. I was like huh? Um, well, it's probably more than I'd want to spend... on a bass. He said, let's go see what it's worth. We headed over to a computer and popped up eBay. $300 to $1000 for listings on the Dyna Bass 5 strings. Now, the bass isn't in the most pristine of conditions. Scratches and blemishes abound, rust on the neck plate, just all around well used. But, I had played it for a solid hour and I knew how it felt, buttery smooth and sounded clean as a whistle.

He's like, I'm sure it's not worth more than $200-$300 bucks. I said, well, I don't see anyone paying that much for it considering its shape. "Yeah you're right, would you want it for $150?" -- I said, I'll give you $100 for it. And he agre

I did some research and based on the serial, it's a 1987 model. I will be cleaning this thing out from top to bottom and likely will be getting it to my guitar tech to go over. So here I am, a first time bass owner. I feel a bit like a kid again with this thing! ;)
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That is an awesome story ! I especially love the fact that the bass could've been any brand but fate gave you a Peavey Dyna Bass. They play and sound so good. Oh, and RUSH is my favorite band, too besides Level 42, too.
 
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#12,871
Those are two totally different beasts though too. The RBS is a bolt on with that "borrowed from Aria" Sarzo shape with active soaps. The RJ-IV is a neck thru, dare I say "take this Dyna Unity Limited, and that angle grinder, and thin the body a bit" shape, with active "peavey"(cough, EMG) P/J pickups.
 
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#12,872
@MNAirHead
I got lucky with the RJ-IV, the burst was more red than pink :) I'd also take the RJ over the RSB or the Sarzo.

A lady Cirrus player was visiting over the summer,think she worked her way through about 30 different Peaveys while here. Great opportunity to get different ears/different opinion.

She reckoned both Sarzo basses lacked bottom end,exact words were "No Balls" :laugh:

@DavidEdenAria

Specs on RSB Koa are maple/pau ferro neck, 38mm nut and 8" radius. Mine weighs 8lb. The other models use poplar for the body so expect weight to remain the same.
 
#12,873
kodiakblair said:
@MNAirHead
I got lucky with the RJ-IV, the burst was more red than pink :) I'd also take the RJ over the RSB or the Sarzo.

A lady Cirrus player was visiting over the summer,think she worked her way through about 30 different Peaveys while here. Great opportunity to get different ears/different opinion.

She reckoned both Sarzo basses lacked bottom end,exact words were "No Balls" :laugh:

@DavidEdenAria

Specs on RSB Koa are maple/pau ferro neck, 38mm nut and 8" radius. Mine weighs 8lb. The other models use poplar for the body so expect weight to remain the same.
Click to expand...
Pickups?
 
#12,874
DavidEdenAria said:
Pickups?
Click to expand...
Active VFLs. passive pots.

Sitting next to me are my RSB and a Foundation with the single coils in VFL shaped shells. On the neck pickup only and with the tone rolled back the RSB doesn't come close to the deeper tone of the Foundation.Also much lower output.

My advice to anyone considering an RSB is play it first. We all have a tone that works for ourselves,for me it doesn't live in either of the Sarzo basses.
 
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#12,876
2474C773-D67F-4F83-9238-E42D65CDDDD7.jpeg 40562CE4-BF3E-4C0F-8963-729663235BBA.jpeg F4267396-4CB8-4A57-A411-22A905376A4D.jpeg Glad I picked up an RJ IV recently! Mine is heavily mod'd but in a good way.

Nice strip job, oil/wax neck finish (my favorite), stained body, volume only for the active pickups.
 
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#12,877
Had a Koa RSB and was unimpressed, had an Axcellerator and was unimpressed...decided I don't care for VFL pickups.
But the (single) larger "wide aperture" VFL in the G Bass sounds good to me.
Super Ferrites sound great (in a one pickup or two pickup bass).
And of course, split coil P pickups always seem to sound great.
 
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#12,878
58kites said:
Had a Koa RSB and was unimpressed, had an Axcellerator and was unimpressed...decided I don't care for VFL pickups.
But the (single) larger "wide aperture" VFL in the G Bass sounds good to me.
Super Ferrites sound great (in a one pickup or two pickup bass).
And of course, split coil P pickups always seem to sound great.
Click to expand...

VFL...
Did you ever own any with the millenium preamp
 
#12,880
The preamp used in the Axcellerators was also used in the Forum which was similar to the G bass in configuration but had a maple neck and a pickguard. I had one and it sounded and played great but was quite heavy.

The G bass was built with the same preamp as the Cirrus but, of course, configured for one PU and no blend control. To my ears the stock G bass really is fantastic sounding. Peavey got the PU in just the right spot IMO. The G bass can get close to the P bass tone but is more muscular sounding. I'm sure it would kill with a Millennium preamp.
 
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