Friday, May 20, 2011

Peavey T-40 Bass


Here's a Peavey T-40 bass from the late 70s, an almost criminally underrated instrument.  Maybe it's due to the fact that there haven't been many iconic players associated with Peavey when compared to Fender or Gibson, because these early Peavey instruments are very cool and deserve a bigger following.  This bass is American made, after all, and  though it's hefty size and weight aren't for every player, they let you know that this thing means business.  If you can haul it around on your shoulder, you can wield some serious thump stuff.

      
"Whosoever proves worthy..."
 The distinctive "Toaster Top" pickups pack a nice wallop, similar to many of the humbucker-equipped Gibson basses.  The other toggle switch flips the phase, just like the T-40's guitar cousin, the T-60.  The funky, out-of-phase tones available are admittedly more useful on a guitar, though more iconoclastic sound freaks might find the them hip for upper-register soloing or chilly post-punk chord riffs.


The amp back there is a Spectra, a bass amp apparently designed by the people at Dean Markley.  It's solid-state, but it has a very musical EQ and limiter built in.  Again, a lot of the non-tube stuff from the 70s may not be as sexy as a blackface Fender or an Ampeg SVT, but if you dig around a bit you can find some real gems for relatively cheap.  Swing by and see if we've got any cool pieces that are right for you!