Peavey Foundation Bass

My Foundation is a bone-stock 1983 tobacco sunburst, with rosewood fingerboard and maple neck, purchased brand new on 12/31/1983. It's still in exceptional condition.

The plastic case has been called junky by some, but here is my testimony as to its durability; during a load out in 1985, someone helping to lug stuff left it on the passenger side of a Dodge Dart, and nobody saw; the Dart promptly backed over the bass, the right front tire crossing the case laterally at about the 12th fret. Not only was the case and the bass undamaged, the bass DID NOT EVEN GO OUT OF TUNE.

It has sparse accourtements, as many have noted, but it's a blue collar kind of axe, so I don't expect a lot of bells.

I've never played a better sounding bass. WIth 45-105s on it (Peavey, GHS Boomers, or ClearTones), it has that wonderful throaty snap, a clear, defined and punchy low end, and a delicate upper register with a gentle hand. Can be pushy if you're playing hard. I have a Peavey Combo 300 (also bought 12/31/83) and they are a wonderful matched pair, though the Combo 300's high end is more harsh and clinical since it lacks a tweeter; through a Fender Bassman 60, it sounds luscious. For recording, you just peak all three pots (kills any hum) and record direct, no EQ needed. Nobody ever believes me that it records like this, but it does.

I lived with a degrading action for many years as the neck slowly bowed until I finally got my hand on a genuine Peavey truss rod wrench this last fall, and now it's factory fresh again. I LOVE the narrow neck/string spacing. The nut could have been more precise in cut, and the break angle on the A string is not sufficient to prevent buzz unless you're VERY careful winding the strings do it's coming from the bottom of the machine.

See the case durability story. This thing has endured climate changes, humidity changes, and other rough treatment for all of it's 24 years, and it's just flat bulletproof. I'm going to hand sand the laquer off the back of the neck because I never liked it, and because that will fix a few minor dings. If you follow the manual for finish (paste car wax), your Foundation will live forever. I never had a backup axe until 3 months ago. I trust my foundation implicitly. (My backup is a new Millenium, has the same neck!!)

Peavey's support is wonderful, personal, and helpful. Only needed them twice in 24 years (to order the truss rod wrench, and for some general setup advice) and they were all over it both times.

My Foundation is irreplacable to me. I've owned it for 24 years, and I have my Millenium which will be my "beater" now since it weighs less than 1/2 the Foundation; but my recordings will all use the Foundation. If I had a wish list for it, it'd be a prettier finish, I lost my taste for the tobacco sunburst over the years. THe finish is in grwat shape, but my Millenium's faux figured maple finish is WAY prettier.

Mine was a late 90's 4-string model
"Crafted" in USA (what does that mean exactly?)
No frills black finish
2 SINGLE COIL pickups VFL-style (not super ferrite)
2 volume, 1 tone controls
maple neck & fretboard

Lots of mid-range nasaly spank that makes a kick-butt slap sound. I haven't heard anything that compares. The pickups are single coil and generate a little hum but quieter than stock Fender Jazz pickups. Quiet stock tone pots. Tone was a little thin on the low E and I never could seem to adjust the pickup height to compensate. Still, the sound was incredible.

Blah no-frills finish, chrome hardware seemed to have a thin coating and may corrode over time. Fret edges rough - absolutely unacceptable for a USA model bass. I wasn't impressed with the quality. The bassed played great otherwise and the action was nice.

Other than the cheaply coated chrome finish hardware it would hold up well for years.

I love Peavey support which is why I will always remain a customer. They are always very helpful. I did not encounter their support with this bass but have with other products.

I love Peavey products but this guitars fit and finish is one of worst Peavey's I've ever placed my hands on. Sound quality was great and had tones I can't quite duplicate elsewhere. I hear the finish is better on early 90's models with the Super Ferrite pickups but you won't have as good of tone.

Standard two pickup jazz bass type bass. Poplar body, bi-laminated neck, rosewood fret board, passive electronics.

Holy shit. i can not believe how good this bass sounds. It sounds like a vintage jazz bass, only more like a vintage jazz bass than a real fender. Total ballsy rock sound. I have had many many basses, some very pricey, and if i were playing rock, i would choose this over any of the others hands down. Just a very very nice rock tone. I added a series parallel switch and now it sounds even better. i highly recommend that mod for this bass

This is probably the best neck i have ever played on any bass ever. It is bi-laminated like a g&l and from my experience these types of necks never ever warp. I have never seen a warped bi-laminated neck. I have seen warped one piece necks, warped 3 piece necks and warped 5 piece necks, but these old peavey necks are as stable as i have EVER seen. they really knew what they were doing back then. man...

The body is soft, but it is poplar. And thats why it has that bouncy resonant tone with a fast attack. Poplar really gets a bad rap. It easily sounds as good as alder, if not better. I know this bass sounds better than any of my alder basses. Everything, other than the softness of the body wood, is absolutley top notch. Super nice fret work. I guess in the 80's they actually took the time to do it by habd rather than just have a machine press them in and assume they are level enough. These frets are LEVEL!

never had to use em

This is a rock solid, easy playing classic bass. I really wish peavey would start making them again, in the USA and not as some cheap BXP import piece of junk.

Peavey USA made Foundation made in 1992, 4 strung, maple neck and fretboard, long scale, 2 vol 1 tone control set up, ivory white body, 2 passive pickups, large clover leaf key open tuners, simple adjustable bridge. Very fast, thin neck, very comfortable to play body is cut well, great balance.

I found this bass in a pawn shop, priced at $199, but I bought it for $160 after bitterly complaining that "that ol' Peavey is all beat up, and needs a lot of work..." etc. It looked like someone used it for a hammer-there are dings on the body and the paint is flaking off, the jack has been replaced by a home made thing, and it was very noisey and the neck was terrible.
It is now about the best full scale bass I ever played.
A very simple design, nothing fancy, but everything you need, period.
I have been playing since 1963, and I'd recommend this bass to anyone.
*-because it has no extras, but doesn't lack anything-very well thought out design.

Bass was noisey, and still has some noist in the pots, but this will be repaired. I cleaned and oiled the tuners, and put some Loc-Tite on the big cloverleaf keys because they were loose and rattling, then went around the bass and tightened up all the screws. This got rid of most of the noise. I reset the neck angle, and adjusted the truss rod and re-set the bridge. The neck is near perfect for me, and very fast.
The tone is very versatile, much like a Fender Jazz, but a little more bass to it. I love the pickups, and the possibilities of varying the tone. I think this would be a great all-around bass, and I'd love to hear it recorded. It is also simple and tough enough to go on the road-this one looks like it fell of the bus a few times, but it was very easy to put back into playable condition.
Dislike-I think I may someday replace the entire bridge-it works fine, but I'd like a more massive and solid unit, a Badass probably.
I had the same complaint about my old Fender Telecaster Bass. so it's not just the Peavey.
Overall quality of manufacture is excellent-this is a USA made Peavey, and I have no idea what the ones made else where are like, but this one is a gem! Versatile,great tonal range, sounds fine theough out the range from low to high, very quiet and fast with no fuss-very easy to play even for my old (60) hands.
9 because it's not finished yet- I'm adding Fender flat strings and having the witing checked by a dealer-Final rating might be higher.

Have no idea how tha factory set it up, but I was able to set it up with the aid of a factory manual I downloaded from the Peavey website for free. It is absolutely the easiest long scale bass I have ever played, topping a Ric and several Fenders and my '50's Danelectro.
This bass was abused by previous owners, and it looked terrible when I bought it.It looks better, and plays beautifully after maybe 1 1/2 hour's work.
Rated 10.

SOLID! Bass looked like it was slammed against the stage many times- had chips and dings in the bottom ot the body, screws were loose, had not been cleaned or maintained, maybe ever since the 1990's.
It took a little TLC, but not much else and came back.
Good basic design. There is a lot of thought in this simple bass, and I'd bet a long time bass player had a hand in the design.
In my experience, the best thought out bass design for simplicity and function.
Rated 10.

Planning on a trip to a dealer for service. Have contacted Peavey online for information and an owners manual, and got a very quick, helpful and friendly response, free manual downloaded from their site.

Rated 10.

I have been playing in bars since the age of 15, started bass lessons in 1963. I own one other bass and several guitars and small amps.
If it were stolen, I'd shoot whoever stole it, or buy another one.
I love the way is has been thought out-the design is very comfortable, there is nothing "extra" added, it is a very solid, simple design, but...
It is very comfortable, both in the body cuts and the neck-the neck is very narrow at the nut, and very thin front to back, but feels very good in the hand. It is the fastest long scalke neck I have ever played, very little string noise, very little effort to play, intonation perfect up the neck.
The neck is adjustable for tilt angle and the bridge is elementary, but it works well. Truss rod is very heavy duty. Tuners are heavy duty ans well made, tune fine and hold tune well. Pickups are variable
and tone is great. I believe the tone will improve with better strings.
I plan on taking this bass to a Peavey dealer for an electrinics checkup, but I have no problem with the bass overall.
It is simple, beautifully put together, very high quality materials,great design, and I'd buy one again in a minute.
I'd recommend a US made Peavey Foundation to any bass player for any purpose.I believe they set out to make a General Purpose bass for a good price, and IMO, they hit a home run with this bass.
Overall, this is my favorite bass, period.
Rated 10.

Mine is a 1988 black alder body Foundation with a log scale maple neck. I bought it used 15 years ago. The little music store had no bass amps so I had to play it unplugged. That was what sold me. The feel of the tones through the alder body were so warm.

Granted, it has only one volume and two tone controls, but the feel of this bass is what's so special.

Everything was stock and it had a few battle scars.

The tone is very clean and sweet. If you're looking for an EBO sound you came to the wrong place.

Like I said before, the wood on this bass sings all by itself.

I do a lot of work on a digital studio and have found that running this bass through an old Bass Rockman the Super Ferrite pickups provide a very clean foundation to work from.

They can be a bit noisy with both tone controls up, but I think if I took the time to shield the bass better I could solve my own problem...

I bought the bass used from a very small music store. The set-up was whatever the last guy had... 15 minutes and she's been fine ever since.

The neck is the standard for all other instruments. It just melts into your hands.

As far as the finish, it's poly of some kind. Eventually I'll strip her down and do something nice, but it has taken 15 years of bumps and bruises with minor effects.

I would trust this bass to show up and sing anywhere.

After 20 years this bass has only needed a slight truss rod adjustment and periodic minor set-up changes with new strings.

The electronics and pick-ups are beginning to show their age, but it's probably more of something I'd notice.

I've moved cross country 4 times and dragged her to God only knows where and I've never had this bass fail on me.

American made does mean something I guess...

I've only used Peavey's website for support and they've been quick and very helpful on dating the bass.

I've never had a problem that required any service or repair so I can't say much more.

I've been playing bass for over 25 years and have had Fenders and Gibsons. I'm not a collector or hoarder and as it is when times are hard the instruments go... Those basses I wish I had back because they're worth more then I am... This bass is now the only one I have. I feel no need to buy another one.

The natural tones from the alder body are incredible for an instrument of this price class. Who needs active electronics when the natural tone is this good.

If someone stole this bass I have to hunt them down...and God help them if anything was broken...

My is a mahogany Foundation in natural color. Made in USA, 1987. 34" scale, 1.5 nut width, 8" radius. Extremely fast maple fretboard. Features are pretty basic, but... when you are on stage, that's all you want. I will give it a ten just for the neck feel.

I do play mainly funk. Lots of slapping and popping. I just set up the bass to suit my needs and corrected the action. It plays amazingly and I feel like an extension of my arms. Ferrite pickups are really hot and silent. Deep lows and bright highs.

Action had to be adjusted, but I bought it used. I always send my instruments to my tech guy to set it up to my needs, so I cant really say anything about original set up. One thing i know... it is very well constructed. The strap buttons seem to be as tight as its first day, and neck straight as an arrow... for a 20 yo bass thats pretty impressive.

Im sure it already withstood A LOT. And it will handle much more. I would totally depend on it, but of course i never show up at a gig without back up.

Peavey forum and help is unbelieavable. AJ replies to your questions asap, and that usually means in 2 days max.

Amazing bass. Im looking for a fretless version now.

Mine's solid maplewood neck and fingerboard.... My favorite part of the bass. controls are rhythm + treble volumes, 1 tone control. Easy bridge w/ screws to adjust intonation.

Pretty much the bare basics. I think most anything else gives you a cheezy sound, feel, or look. Although they don't give you much, I'm satisfied.

1 thing: When either one of the volume controls is off while the other is on, it gets a little buzzing. I always play w/ all three nobs on 10.

I play rock + reggae. My amp (peavey keyboard 100w) does it no justice. It works though. As soon as I get a better amp, I'm sure it'll be great. Tone is pretty good- could be better though.

Nothing else feels right compared to this bass.

I bought it used, i've had it for 3 years. no problems yet. I've given it some belt buckle rash, and a little ding in the neck. Also, the plastic covers on my pickups are a little worn down in some places from heavy playing. None of it has affected the play or sound, though. As far as I'm concerned, its still a great bass. I trust it.

got it used, haven't had any problems w/ it 3 years and counting.

Definately the BEST bass for $275, best money I ever spent. If I lost it, I'd probably upgrade to a nice Fender Jazz, but some don't even compare to this one. I have a crappy OLP Stingray which I hate. This is pretty much the ONLY BASS I'LL PLAY. The most natural feeling to my hand.

I bought my Blue jazz style maple neck bass in 1989 in NYC. It has two volume controls and a tone knob.

I can play any style of music from rock to funk, to Jazz on this bass. I tend to play rock and blues. I find that the pickup may crackle when the knobs are turned. I used to spray the knobs out with degreaser. I just replaced one of the pots this year. I find the sound to be rich and full.

The bass had to be set up immediately, and worked well after it was set up. It holds adjustments well. The truss rod is a bit hard to adjust and needed a special adjustment tool I got directly from Peavey. I sanded off the finish from the back of the neck with very fine sandpaper and 0000 steel wood. It is easier to play that way.The saddle is a bit cheap looking, and rusts easily.

I have this bass since 1989. It plays well and sounds good. I don't need any other bass. It suits my purposes well.

N/A

Been playing on and off for 16 years. The head stock is long and sticks out of every gig bag I have tried. I tried Fenders, Music Man, Ibinez, and this is the most comfortable bass (short of the Fender '66 Jazz bass I played)

Nothing special here, I bought mine used in 1993 for $175. Needed a bass for recording my songs and it filled the bill nicely. Plastic case is kind of junky

Patched through old an Peavey PA it recorded great. No hum etc. In jam sessions it sounds like a bass should but I did disconnect the bridge pickup because this chick I used to jam with cranked that pickup and it was way too treble-y. I like a good "Jack Cassidy" bass sound and the neck pick up is good enough for that.

Heavy strings sound good, lighter gauge can be a bit weak. Well made for the price, far superior to Fender's junk Squier basses. One drawback is poor balance, the neck end wants to point downward so that can be distracting.

It I was a pro bass guy I probably would go high dollar but this bass is an all around worker. A good player can make anything sound good. For a spare bass it is more than I expected.

Again this bass is plain but good. I never regretted buying it.

I bought this bass in 1993 or 4. It has the maple neck, I was a little concerned with the durability of the maple neck, but I tell ya the thing hasn't moved a bit. I put a hip shot on it, but other than that I left everything stock. For me, it is very comfortable, I love the thin neck and the range.

let's face it, are we ever completely satisfied with our sound? Not really. But if you are a road dog doing a lot of gigs and you need your sound to be versitile and you can't afford 20 basses to fit every style you play,this bass could work for you. I'm not to worried when I get a sratch or a ding because I didn't take a morgage out on it. I play through David Eden equipment I chose eden because I play at relatively low volume, just enough to hear what i'm doing and let the mains do the rest of the work. I like my hearing and I want to keep it. Eden sounded the best to me at these levels. I like the way this bass records. It took a while with the eq and to find the right compression but once that was achieved it recorded rather well.I've recorded and played on live t.v. with this bass.The only minor complaint I have is I wish the pick ups were a little hotter.

The bass was playable when I brought it home but I had to set it up the way I like it. I like the action low because of the different techniques I use. I had to raise the pich ups a little for the right hand tapping stuff. But other than a quick set up, everything was in order from the factory. After a few years, the plastic around the imput cracked and one of the screws were stripped but after reading a few other summary's i learned that it was a common problem.

I think this is the best asset of owning this bass. The day I brought it home I tweaked the neck, havn't touched it since! I always bring a back up bass but I have never had to use it. A true road beast for the $$. The finish still shines but there is a bare spot of wood over both pick ups from my big sausage looking thumbs ( not Peavey's fault). I'm also very pleased that I don't have to fiddle with loose strap buttons or hardware which could be common with any guitar or bass. It still has that new car tightness so to speak.

I havn't had a problem yet. (knock on wood).

I started at 8 years old i'm 38 now so I've been at it for 30 years.I also own a 5 string les paul I try to keep it nice so it only goes to the studio...on nice days. Once in a while it will show up at a gig.I usually bring an ibinez for a back up. I also have a fender jazz with a bad piece of wood. When I was looking for a bass to gig with, I went to the music store in the morning when there were no people there and tried many different basses at all different volumes with the same equipment that I own. I felt this bass was the best chioce for the value. It is comfortable, easy to play and very durable.As I've stated above, I am never fully satisfied with my sound but for a bass that's under $500. it is versatile. I can live with that.