U.S. Peavey Club

[mb94952]

I gig ALL my Peaveys. In fact, it's pretty much all I own, besides my Alembic Europa, and a custom Garz. I prefer the Peaveys because they are the best. Period. They are just DAMN GOOD basses. I love them. The Axcellerator is a KILLER bass. It's if a Cirrus and a Fender jazz had a baby.

Also, I LOVE that
jmlee has Star Trek the next Generation quotes in his signature

 

[JEDI BASS]

Direct off the wireless. She's got this grunt thing. Love that bass

Very nice! And great band too!

 

[JEDI BASS]

Sure, lots of people do but why don't MORE people gig with Peaveys? Not that there's anything wrong with Fender, Alembic, etc. but lots of people are paying substantially more for brands that aren't any better and sometimes are actually worse in tone and reliability. There's no real reason why a 1990 Peavey bass is half the price (if not less) of a 1990 Fender bass.

You guys have surely gigged at places where the owner or booking guy has commented on your “pro quality gear”, right? I had one owner (a drummer in another band) say that he judged bands on what the bass player played. I was playing my EBMM basses that night, which turned out to be his favorite. Long story short, we don’t play at that d!<#head’s bar anymore. But, I do think about my bass choices when I play a venue. My band is still fighting to get our name out there, even though we are tight as heck (over 100 years of experience among us 3) and have a truly fantastic singer. I don’t take my Peaveys to gigs yet. But, once we get to be well known in the area, I’ll play whatever basses I want.

 

[BassikLee]

In a similar fashion, when I first started playing my cheap fretless, I'd bring my Spector Euro 5 along, leave it on a stand. I figured that would silence any "gear is important" types. After about three gigs, the Spector stayed home.

You guys have surely gigged at places where the owner or booking guy has commented on your “pro quality gear”, right? I had one owner (a drummer in another band) say that he judged bands on what the bass player played. I was playing my EBMM basses that night, which turned out to be his favorite. Long story short, we don’t play at that d!<#head’s bar anymore. But, I do think about my bass choices when I play a venue. My band is still fighting to get our name out there, even though we are tight as heck (over 100 years of experience among us 3) and have a truly fantastic singer. I don’t take my Peaveys to gigs yet. But, once we get to be well known in the area, I’ll play whatever basses I want.

 

[MNAirHead]

“pro quality gear”, .....I’ll play whatever basses I want.

Yea... it makes me puke. My Fenders (59, 63 and 13) are the suckiest of all of my basses... Folks see them on the gear list... they are really hearing a Fury

To win this silly battle... 7 string... acoustic upright and unlined fretless... then just rock a millennium (after the competition is gone).

It's kind of the king of the cromagnums silliness - I play with a guy that claims a Martin D28 is the only guitar worth owning on the entire planet - and yes, I chuckle at this one too..

 

[JEDI BASS]

In a similar fashion, when I first started playing my cheap fretless, I'd bring my Spector Euro 5 along, leave it on a stand. I figured that would silence any "gear is important" types. After about three gigs, the Spector stayed home.

Smart!

I should have added, when I toured around a little in an original music band, that made no money and usually (almost always) lost money by gigging, I took my T-40 and an ‘84 Ibby Musician. But, in a cover band that’s making money and aiming to eventually play weddings and corporate shows, bringing “pro gear” is a must for now.

 

[JEDI BASS]

Yea... it makes me puke. My Fenders (59, 63 and 13) are the suckiest of all of my basses... Folks see them on the gear list... they are really hearing a Fury

To win this silly battle... 7 string... acoustic upright and unlined fretless... then just rock a millennium (after the competition is gone).

It's kind of the king of the cromagnums silliness - I play with a guy that claims a Martin D28 is the only guitar worth owning on the entire planet - and yes, I chuckle at this one too..

Yup. I know a guy that only plays Martin acoustics and brags about what they cost. He isn’t in a band and I doubt he ever will be LOL.

 

[MNAirHead]

Yup. I know a guy that only plays Martin acoustics and brags about what they cost. He isn’t in a band and I doubt he ever will be LOL.

Some are nice.. (and yes, I own Martin stuff)... in all reality, my carbon fiber Composite Acoustics Cargo is a better sounding/made guitar.

The reality is that a ton of Nashville stuff is done on Plywood Takamines...

sheesh... I can't tell you the number of times folks have downloaded an album and then been floored that it's an elctric upright vs acoustic

 

[JEDI BASS]

The reality is that a ton of Nashville stuff is done on Plywood Takamines...

sheesh... I can't tell you the number of times folks have downloaded an album and then been floored that it's an elctric upright vs acoustic

The ear of the listener is easily fooled, while the eye overrides the other senses and common sense sometimes LOL.

 

[Mike Whitfield]

You guys have surely gigged at places where the owner or booking guy has commented on your “pro quality gear”, right? I had one owner (a drummer in another band) say that he judged bands on what the bass player played. I was playing my EBMM basses that night, which turned out to be his favorite. Long story short, we don’t play at that d!<#head’s bar anymore. But, I do think about my bass choices when I play a venue. My band is still fighting to get our name out there, even though we are tight as heck (over 100 years of experience among us 3) and have a truly fantastic singer. I don’t take my Peaveys to gigs yet. But, once we get to be well known in the area, I’ll play whatever basses I want.

I never would have thought of venue owners judging bands by the "quality" of their gear. Wannabees in the audience, sure, but owners and bookers? That's pretty messed up. I could buy a $5,000 bass today and I'd still suck tonight.

"Where are you people going? That's a '60 Fender Precision - it's got a little card of authenticity and everything! Don't you people know good music when you see it?"

 

[JEDI BASS]

I never would have thought of venue owners judging bands by the "quality" of their gear. Wannabees in the audience, sure, but owners and bookers? That's pretty messed up. I could buy a $5,000 bass today and I'd still suck tonight.

"Where are you people going? That's a '60 Fender Precision - it's got a little card of authenticity and everything! Don't you people know good music when you see it?"

I’ve encountered plenty of venue staff that are wannabe musicians, some gig. Many just love guitars and know that some brands are “good” and some are supposed to be “crap”. I did get plenty of compliments on the T-40 back when I was traveling around. It’s one Peavey that has an excellent reputation!

 

[Chuck M]

I play mostly 6 string basses and was hired to play with a big band and took my Alembic Europa 6. Played the gig well and never got called again. The regular bassist played a Fender.

The way a bass looks does matter to some folks.

 

[Mike Whitfield]

I’ve encountered plenty of venue staff that are wannabe musicians, some gig. Many just love guitars and know that some brands are “good” and some are supposed to be “crap”. I did get plenty of compliments on the T-40 back when I was traveling around. It’s one Peavey that has an excellent reputation!

Ah, hadn't thought about that. And yes, the T-40 has some major respect. It's just odd that later American-made Peaveys don't get similar respect.

I play mostly 6 string basses and was hired to play with a big band and took my Alembic Europa 6. Played the gig well and never got called again. The regular bassist played a Fender.

The way a bass looks does matter to some folks.

Aren't Alembics typically much more expensive than Fenders? I would think a professional musician would know that and respect the brand if not the sound. Although actually, I'd expect a big band leader to ONLY respect the sound. No one responsible for making enough money to satisfy a big band can afford foolish conceits. Though maybe I have that backwards - maybe leaders of big bands are more conscious of which brands the owners & bookers will recognize.

 

[jmlee]

Ah, hadn't thought about that. And yes, the T-40 has some major respect. It's just odd that later American-made Peaveys don't get similar respect.

I think the Cirrus line gets some generalized respect.

 

[Mike Whitfield]

I think the Cirrus line gets some generalized respect.

That's true. The T-40 and especially the Cirrus line command pretty high prices. And the twin pickup Patriot Mahogany finish models seem to be hot right now too. But then we see a late 90s Axcelerator for $300.

 

[JEDI BASS]

My first musical hero was Michael Jackson. I was 10 years old and dressing like him with sparkly glove and Thriller jacket. This was in an all white very small K-12 school in East Tennessee. I got picked on HARD, and never changed... just kept making great grades and gave my valedictorian speech with my hair halfway down my back, and covering my face. I was into Guns n Roses and Metallica by then (1989). So, my personality is such that I’ve always done what I want with no care at all about what others thought about me. But, as a mid-40s man that wants to get paid for what I do, I unfortunately have to play the game.

 

[mb94952]

I can't believe the things I'm reading in this thread. Venues judging you by the gear you own ? This is insanity. I've NEVER heard of such a thing. I'm here in the Bay Area, Sonoma County (what tourists call Napa) and the bands are judged by this weird thing called the way they sound. Yes, I'm being sarcastic.

The only problem is that the music scene here SUCKS !!! It's ALL cover bands. The audience has a lazy ear and only wants what they hear on the radio. Original music is almost a four letter word. The scene was awesome in 2008. It was all original bands and a ton of them.

The "problem" is that now nobody says, "Hey let's go out and hear / see some local live music." Youtube and staying home always wins. A damn Tom Petty cover band was voted best local band THREE years in a row and only because the son of a local celebrity is the guitar player and everyone kisses his ass. He sucks, too.

 

[Eilif]

I play mostly 6 string basses and was hired to play with a big band and took my Alembic Europa 6. Played the gig well and never got called again. The regular bassist played a Fender.

The way a bass looks does matter to some folks.

This is definitely true.

I don't know the dynamics of that particular group but I can see where a modern styled instrument might not have fit the visuals they were going for. Music is a "performance" in all respects so showing up with a bass that "looks the part" can be as important as showing up in the right clothes.

When I auditioned for my first country (mostly classic and classic'ish tunes) gig you can bet I brought my Standard P. The T-40, Fury (First Gen) and other "classic" styled basses eventually made the stage, but the Fender was the right choice for the audition and I never brought any basses on stage that were "modern"/pointy/etc.

 

[Mike Whitfield]

Have to admit that I almost never go out to see local bands, even though we (Chattanooga) have some pretty good local & regional bands. We're not bar folks, and most of the local venues are either very large or standing only. Hey, we're old; we like to sit, not dance. Our recent concerts have been in Atlanta, Knoxville and Nashville. Although part of that is that my wife and I no longer like the same music. She's down to pretty much Willy Watson and Steve'N'Seagulls. (Although she did love Yonder Mountain String Band and Trout Steak Revival. She hated The Devil Makes Three though.) That makes it very difficult to get enthused about any local music when the chances she'll like it are pretty much zero.

 

[JEDI BASS]

I’m extremely picky about original music bands. My favorite band split a year or so ago. I’ll be honest, most original rock music here in east TN is lacking, usually in the singing department. All the best singers, including the one I work with, are making money in cover bands. I decided, after a long period of writing/recording/performing original music, that I wanted to play more songs for more appreciative audiences, and get paid for it. I now play 40+ songs to screaming and dancing audiences that throw 20 dollar bills in the tip jar. I absolutely love it, and know probably 100 songs, and am a better bassist than I’ve ever been.