Peavey Foundation Bass

I have an'87, a '92, and a '94 Foundation with maple necks. The earlier two have Superferrites, while the newer one has dual jazz shaped pickups.

All three are wired passive VVT and I am not sure of the wood type though it is likely either poplar or ash.

All three are black poly paint with maple neck. The fretboards are gloss on all three, but the newer two have satin finished backs. I bought all three used and only have cases for two. The '87 has the old triagular style plastic case which has held up well. The '92 has a molded plastic case that remains solid, though slightly warped on the front and back

I am currently playing mostly oldies and country. The Foundations cut through two guitars more effectively than my old jazz bass, and the '94 seems to have a particularly warm bottom end. At home I like to practice slap style, and the '87 is particularly good for this. It has a very distictive tone when palm muted and slapped.

My main amp rig is an Eden WT400 running a GK 410. The foundations really come to life when played through a powerful amp. They sound good at home on my practice rig, but great at rehearsal through my main gear.

I haven't taken on into a recording studio, but I find them particularly flexible and responsive to different playing techniques.

Peavey was the first major manufacturer to use CNC machines. The tolerances on the neck joints and control cavities are as good as anyone's. I got all of mine used, so I can't talk about the use they did receive prior to me, but the finishes seemed to have held up very well. They all have a few chips and scratches, but less than should be expected for basses of their age. I did set the action on all of them, so I can't judge the factory setup, but I can say that they all solid enough that they were easily returned to great playing condition with very low action.

These basses seem to be extremely solid and play as well as most new basses. The hardware all seems solid and has maintained its integrity over the years. The basses all hold a tune very well. I frequently take them out of the case, plug them into the tuner, and make no adjustments.

Never had to deal with them, though they do have manuals and wiring diagrams online.

I love these basses. It is amazing to me that more players haven't discovered them. That said, I'm glad because that means I can always find more at an affordable price. I have been playing for over 25 years, and these basses have moved to the front of my playing line, and that includes ahead of 2 pre-CBS Fenders.

My bass is actually a Foundation S 4 string Bass. It has 2 pickups, one is Jazz, the other Precision, both graphite passive pickups. It was made in the U.S. in 1986. 2 volume, 1 tone control. Used on eBay. Came with the original plastic case although the foam lining had been removed. Needed some work.

I got away from playing several years ago (that's another story) and sold all my equipment including my Fender 70's vintage Bass. Last year I got together again with the guys I used to be in a band with and I got the urge to play again. My brother did some research on basses since I have been out of touch for some time, and he found this one. It was purchased on eBay. I use a GK amp with it and it has incredible sound. The Precision/Jazz capabilities work extremely well. I can play it either way or both at the same time which is an interesting sound in itself. I don't do studio work so I don't have any opinion about that. Mostly at the moment I am using it at church but I am trying to put a band together for gigging purposes. It has a very clean sound and everyone who hears me play it is impressed by the sound it makes.

Like I said at the beginning, this bass needed some TLC which I gladly gave it. The bridge was quite rusty and I wanted to replace it with a Bad Ass II bass bridge but found once I got one, it would need a lot of modifications. I did a lot of searching and finally found out that nobody makes a perfect match for this bridge so I went one step better, I rebuilt the bridge with some help from a millwright friend of mine. It came out fantastic and when I put it back on the bass it worked perfectly. I have since learned the finer points of setting up the bridge for action and intonation and the bass works and sounds awesome. It does have a few nicka & gouges in it but anything really noticable is on the back. It looks like whoever owned it before had a big belt buckle!

I haven't had it long enough to establish a real opinion about how long it will last me but I plan on playing it for several years to come and have told my son he can have it when I am to old and feeble to play anymore. When I got this bass, the neck was a bit off and the truss rod needed adjusting. The problem being that Peavey designed a special truss rod for this bass and not just any socket wrench will do (notice I said socket wrench not allen key) and trying to find/buy one was a nightmare. I found a 5/8" socket with a fairly thin wall and once agin my millwright friend put it on a peice of tube for me and turned the sides of the socket down slightly. It worked like a charm. The only thing is it looks for all the world like a crack pipe however it does the job. I don't own another bass so I don't worry about a backup!

Costumer Service was excellent from Peavey. Anthony Johns who is the costumer service manager gave me all kinds of info including when and where the bass was born. When I was trying to replace the bridge, I emailed the costumer service department who told me that part was obsolete but I could probablyt find one that would work. Than I emailed Steve Smith one of their guitar technicians. He actually called me (I live in Ontario Canada they are in Texas) and figured out what I needed. Than he said he had a trunk with all kinds of new "old" (old replacement) parts and he would see what he could do. Ubfortunately he couldn't find one. However in this day and age with the customer service a lot of companies have, I was absolutely thrilled with the service I got, especially since I had not bought a new bass.

I was not to sure about this bass because back in my playing days Peavey was all about sound systems. I remembered the quality of instrument Yamaha put out when they started making instruments and I was afraid this bass would be like that. However I love this bass. Now that it is set up properly it is so easy to play and it sounds like a high end instrument.

Owned It for 21 Years!!

Hand Crafted In The USA
1987 Peavey 4 String Tobacco Burst
Maple Neck Normal Set Up
2 Super Ferrite Passive Pick Ups

Awesome Tone,I Bought a 5 String USA Cirrius Out Of Need for the Low B,Played for 5 Years Sold it Went Back To The Foundation With Hipshot "D"
Better Tone....Beautiful Warm Tone.. Very Versital Capable

Thin Neck Playes with Ease
Action Like A Guitar.Finish Has Lasted 20 Years Of Heavy Play.

Will this bass withstand live playing?
It Has for More Than 20 Years and TONE Has Only Improved.
Always Stays In Tune.Replaced input Jack at About 10 Years of Use.
Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
Your Kidding Right?

PERFECT .

I Have Been Plaing Proffesionaly For More Than 20 Years.and Am Always Looking for Better Sound And Tone.and Am Still On The USA Foundation With GHS Boomers.
Peavey USA Cirrius,Steinburger
5,Peavey TNT 130, Mesa Boogie M Pulse 600, Peavey Pro 500,Peavey 115 Combo.
Best Tone With The Mesa Boogie M Pulse 600 with 2-15's

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.