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U.S. Peavey Club
- Thread starter Soundchaser11460
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I bought an '89 Foundation a few days ago and it had a pretty big bow in it. First issue was that the truss rod nut was stuck - probably been in that position since 1989. Had to soak it with Liquid Wrench and let it sit for an hour. Then I worked it until I got it loose. Took the TR nut off, cleaned and oiled everything, then put it back on. So, when I was finally able to tighten the truss rod it became clear it wasn't going to be able to pull the neck back to straight without some help. But all it took was some mechanical force on the neck while tightening the TR. Had to pull hard on the neck to take the pressure off the TR when tightening. Worked great, and the neck is flat now.
Yes, that method has worked for me most of the time.
Progress on my 90's Foundation 5er black on maple with the single coils (VFL covers);
This bass had to have the bridge slightly moved over a tad...i tried adjusting the neck alignment but the pocket was very tight and no movement would help...thats now solved..
There have been a few frets around the neck joint that were slightly high, so i finally got around to getting them level and now the action is almost capable of being too low LOL....i put on a slightly bigger G string (not sure maybe a .55) and it really balances well sound wise and tension now....these are rounds that sound great (maybe Peavey brand with red silks tuner end, no silks bridge end) and i like the tension just fine BUT the rounds are just too rough for my fingers and they are a bit floppy compared to my go to Fender 9050 SS flats in light gauge.
I DO like the B string okay...should i just replace the E A D G with flats and if so which flats? I dont know if i want chromes but am considering Fender flat 9050's which are on my 89 Fury and 85 Foundation, just enough zing but thumpy and smooth.
Otoh, the action is capable of being just 'crazy low' so i could go with stiffer flats....what say you folks?
Any flats users on 90's Peavey basses with the single coils as on my 90's Foundation?
This bass had to have the bridge slightly moved over a tad...i tried adjusting the neck alignment but the pocket was very tight and no movement would help...thats now solved..
There have been a few frets around the neck joint that were slightly high, so i finally got around to getting them level and now the action is almost capable of being too low LOL....i put on a slightly bigger G string (not sure maybe a .55) and it really balances well sound wise and tension now....these are rounds that sound great (maybe Peavey brand with red silks tuner end, no silks bridge end) and i like the tension just fine BUT the rounds are just too rough for my fingers and they are a bit floppy compared to my go to Fender 9050 SS flats in light gauge.
I DO like the B string okay...should i just replace the E A D G with flats and if so which flats? I dont know if i want chromes but am considering Fender flat 9050's which are on my 89 Fury and 85 Foundation, just enough zing but thumpy and smooth.
Otoh, the action is capable of being just 'crazy low' so i could go with stiffer flats....what say you folks?
Any flats users on 90's Peavey basses with the single coils as on my 90's Foundation?
songwriter21
I have an obsession for wood. The musical kind.
Your bit about raising the nut, is why I don't understand why all guitars and basses don't have adjustable nuts (like Warwick, Alembic, some Gibsons, etc). They allow even adjustment at both ends. I've never liked how the nut is fixed, because nothing can be done for personal preference there.
Hi all, I've been lurking on talkbass for years now, just finally made a profile. Over the past two years, I've stumbled onto a couple of sweet deals on US made Peavey four stringers. I have a Millennium Standard P/J (passive, 34" scale) in a sweet dark purple finish. $200 with a hardshell case. I had to replace one of the tuning keys, other than that it's stock. I have flatwound strings on it, and the P pickup sounds super rich.
Two days ago I picked up a B-Ninety Active in really great shape, $170 with a hardshell case and an Ibanez SoundWave 20 practice amp. I put some fresh strings on it, and it really sings! The finish is called Raspberry Pearl, but let's be honest - it's pink! I play lots of shows for kids and families, I think they'll dig the fun color.
Two days ago I picked up a B-Ninety Active in really great shape, $170 with a hardshell case and an Ibanez SoundWave 20 practice amp. I put some fresh strings on it, and it really sings! The finish is called Raspberry Pearl, but let's be honest - it's pink! I play lots of shows for kids and families, I think they'll dig the fun color.
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My 90's Foundation with single coils in VFL covers rocks with flats!
It also had a neck alignment problem like yours. The neck pocket was tight, but I loosened the neck screws and pulled HARD on it sideways while tightening the screws. I was able to get it straight and its stayed that way for over a year, so I think its good.
Anyone ever use the micro-tilt adjustment on their old Peavey? I never do … seems like a bad idea. But I'd like to hear from anyone that's tried it.
I've done it on a couple of Foundations and on a T-40. Worked just fine, felt stable, and I'll be darned if I could hear a difference in tone before/after. IIRC the manuals for those bases were clear on Peavey's preference that you use the microtilt rather than raising/lowering the saddles to any degree.
Interesting … I'd never even consider the micro-tilt before adjusting the saddles. Saddles are made to be adjusted. I'd only consider the micro-tilt as an alternative to shimming the neck when truss rod and saddle adjustments aren't able to get the action where I want it.
Exactly how are you supposed to use the micro-tilt? Slightly loosen the neck screws, tighten the micro-tilt a little, then retighten the neck screws? Repeat until the action is the way you want it?
I use the micro tilt fairly sparingly-no more than 1/16" or about 2mm worth of protuberance. I back it all the way off and then set up the bass. If the action isn't reasonably consistent up and down the neck (from too shallow of a neck angle), I will see if a small use of the micro tilt helps. If the neck needs more than a very small amount of micro tilt, I use a larger shim to get it in the ballpark and then use the micro tilt to dial it in. I have had to shim more older micro tilt Fenders than Peaveys!
As has been discussed here before, some of us are concerned with the wedge-like action of a neck tilt centered on a glue seam. Crank down on the neck bolts while having the neck tilt bolt screwed in a decent amount, and voila... the neck starts splitting at the heel. After seeing many split necks (and owning some too) I prefer using shims to get the neck angle right, then gently turning the neck tilt bolt/screw until it makes contact. In other words, I don’t use the neck tilt as it was originally meant to be used. IMO, it’s not worth the risk.
I get what you're saying, but 2mm is a lot. Really, you micro-tilt it that much? I generally set my strings to 1.5mm above the 12th fret. When I shim a neck, the shim is always less than 1mm (more like 1/32") and it makes a huge difference.
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@jmlee Thanks! Just saw your post with instructions on using the micro-tilt. Makes sense to loosen the string tension and the screws slightly before adjusting.
Sorry for asking so many questions, but I've been really getting into working on basses the last year and am trying to learn everything I can. Can you elaborate on the "glue seam" you mentioned? This would only apply if the neck is laminated from more than one piece of wood? My Foundation is one solid piece of maple - I think?
