Peavey G-V

I'm not sure what year my G-V was made, and they stop making them in '98 or '99, so I guess from one of those years. Anyway, it's an American made, 21 fret 5-string wonder. There's no fancy top, just a solid alder body, with a nice sunburst finish. There are bass, mid, treble, pickup blend, and volume knobs, along with two big Peavey VFL humbuckers. 18-volt active electronics power this beast, as the circuit is a Cirrus model, as it says this on the circuitboard inside the control cavity. The neck is carbon fiber-woven graphite made by Modulus (even though it doesn't have the "ribboney" finish like on Modulus's own). The body and neck both have a gloss finish, which seems pretty durable. The body style is exactly the same as the Cirrus line. The bridge is a chrome-plated ABM brass model, with black saddle inserts, and it's a top-load piece. The stock tuners were a satin-finished chrome, no-name type, but I replaced them with black Gotoh mini tuners. The neck has a shallow C-shape, with the instrument having a 35" scale, and sporting a Pau Ferro fretboard. This is a used bass, so I only got the hardshell case, which is pretty decent-pretty much Modulus's case with green fur on the inside and Peavey logo on the outside. My only gripe in this department, is that the G-V doesn[t have 24 frets, which do come in handy for doing experimental/progressive type songs.

I really can't say there's anything I don't like about the sound of my Peavey. You can get a lot of usable tones, so it's not like you're limited. I use a Hartke 3500 amp (don't roll your eyes-this is a great little amp) with a Madison 600 watt cabinet. I only have a few effects/pedals, consisting of a Boss Chromatic Tuner and Bass Chorus, and a cheap but great Zoom multi-effects stompbox, all running into a Furman power conditioner, as are my amp and cab. There's no noise from the pickups or electronics even at full volume. The tonal qualities are all there to me. It's probably got the most complete "do-all" sound of any bass I've owned. I thought at first it wasn't bright enough, but it's perfect in a live situation, as it isn't overly "brittly" bright. Therefore I've come to get perfect balance out of it when practicing through headphone monitors. I was used to my Fender Jazz 24, and thought the Peavey was tame in comparison, until I realized the Fender is waaay too bright and clacky for live playing, especially soloing. My G-V sounds really smooth, in-your-face, and aggressive (redundant?) at the same time. You're safe in the studio and especially on the stage, as the graphite neck won't move, and it defines every note clearly right down to a fretted low C on the B string. The harmonics sound great, as I can coax nice Jaco/Jeff Berlin tones, and really nasty Billy Sheehan attitude (no pun intended).

I got this bass used, so I set it up how I like it. The pickups adjusted very easily, and that's not easy for me, since I like the pickups right under the srings to get as much response as possible. The things I didn't like when setting the bass up, were the neck tilt adjustment, and the bridge. The neck tilt is a second neck adjustment to sort of "fine-tune" the neck curvature or something. Whatever reason it serves, I just found it useless, as loosening it only made the neck creak and move a little when doing neck bends. So, I tightening it up, and got the action nice and low with the really easy-to-use trussrod adjustment wheel. This is a fave feature of mine, since you don't have to loosen any strings while dialing in the action you want. My strings only buzz when I really play hard, but considering the big volume of this bass (louder than my Jazz 24's!) and the action, you don't have to play hard to get great tone. The ABM bridge is a royal pain in the butt. I've heard lots of gripes about Kahler bridges, but no bass of mine has had one, so I can't comment there. ABM makes a bridge that royally sucks to set up. First, I realized the G, D, and A saddles had to be filed down because they were still too high at their lowest settings. That meant a couple of trips to the local luthier. The saddles also have to locked, the spacing has to be locked, and the intonation has to be locked. Changing string height messes with the spacing, then you have to reset the spacing after you've lowered or raised the strings. All in all, everything was great to set up, except the bridge.

I got this bass to withstand the season changes at gigs. I always bring a backup, as problems can happen with even the best bass. I haven't had to touch the neck and it doesn't go out of tune, so it should be quite dependable. I just don't like the bit of creaking from the neck-tilt function. But, if you're not big on neck bending like me (or Billy Sheehan), then you should be cool.

I had a piece of one of the bridge saddles snap off (probably over-adjustment from a previous owner), so I called up Peavey to see if they had a new one. Well, since the bass was discontinued, they considered the bridge obsolete, but they referred me to their guitar tech. He scrounged around for a saddle, and managed to find one. Steve was his name, and he worked with Melinda Rucker, who was the one who I orginally talked to and also handled the whole thing. She called me back within a few days, and shipped me the part at no charge. Plus, both Melinda and Steve were very friendly throughout the whole process. Peavey scored very high with me in the customer service department-hopefully it'll continue...kudos all the way.

I've been playing since Christmas of '95, and I've got three other basses-a custom fretless Ibanez SR506, and two stock Fender Jazz 24's. I really don't know how this bass didn't catch on-it's an even bigger hidden jem than my Jazzes (I have a review on one of those). People don't seem to be sold on graphite when compared to wood-beats the hell out of me why this is-graphite is so much more consistent (good electronics and pickups make this come together). Graphite is a "goof-proof" foundation. What good is a bass if it isn't reliable-wood ain't all that, Fodera! I just don't like the neck-tilt, bridge, and only 21 frets. I still wish Peavey and Modulus would make this wonder again. I'd get another one in a heartbeat, if I had the money-if you can find one, get one!!

The active 18V pickups are amazingly quiet and responsive, the neck feels great, and it comes with a hard case with all the tools you need. I love it all. The only thing I regret is that it doesn't have 24 frets. I love the 3 band equalizer. The mid contral makes a huge difference as to how much control you have over the sound. The easy load bridge make string changing a breeze. I really like the graphite neck. It doesn't warp at all. The rear neck adjustment is useful when adjusting string height but it can be a pitfall as well. It tends to come a little loose if the bass is bumped and sometimes results in a slighty different string height than you set it for. This can be a bit of a pain if you like your strings really low like I do because the slightest change makes it very difficult to play.

I play a lot of funk and jazz. This bass is extremely versatile when it comes to what types and styles of bass sounds it can produce. The G-V can emulate that hardcore funk, fender sound that Marcus Miller uses or it can produce a that warm, mellow sound that is very close to a Ken Smith. I love this bass. The graphite neck really brings out the brighter tone of the strings and the low B is nice and clear. I really like how it sounds through the Eden amps but it sound pretty good through the peavey amps as well.

I would have preferd that the strings be set up as low as possible (without buzz of course) from the factory. Instead, when I got my bass the strings were really high. The pickups were fine when I got them but I chose to make further adjustments to them(I'm really picky). The bass was in top condition when I got it. Absolutely nothing was flawed. My only complaint is that the manual doesn't really do a good job of describing how to used the rear neck adjustment. It took me a LONG TIME to figure it out on my own.

The finish on the G-V is amazing. I could swear I've seen scratches disappear as if it were healing itself. Okay that's a bit of an exageration but the when the finish is marred, the mark seems to slowly fade over time. When the finish is scratched the marks left are extremely small. Good Job Peavey. Everything on the bass is really well put together. It very rarely goes out of tune and when it does the change is very little.

2000 Model 5-string, made in USA. The G-V features a 21 (jumbo) fret 35" Scale Pau Ferro fingerboard with a 15" radius, and a solid fully adjustable graphite composite neck. It has a solid Alder body (I'm guessing probably 2-piece), with a 'Charcoal Grey' Finish. 9-volt 3 band EQ, with 2 Peavey internally active VFL humbucking pickups (very nice). It has a quick load ABM bridge, and Gotoh style tuners. Comes with a very nice hardshell case wich I'm pretty sure is made by TKL for Peavey.

I play alot of styles, from Grind metal to Jazz, but I play in metal band. This bass is very versatile and can get a big array of sounds for almost any style. I play it through a Mesa/Boogie M-2000 (which pretty much eleminates any need for FX pedals), and a Mesa/Boogie Powerhouse 1000. It sounds absolutely great through this rig! I have also played it on smaller, cheaper practice rigs, and it sounds just as good. It has a very punchy authoritive sound. You get a huge midrange response from this thing, cuts through VERY well. You can also get a very nice 'mid-cut' sound for slapping on this bass. It sounds really good live, recorded it sounds very good too. I'm used to either 34" scale 21 frets, or 35" scale 24 fret basses. So it was kind of hard for me to get used to the slightly larger fret spacing, but I got used to it fast.

My dealer didn't have the bass with the finish I wanted, so it was ordered for me. When I got it, it was setup fairly low and required a quick bridge adjustment. Which is no big deal. The finish is great, it is very nicely glossed and just genuinely looks good. There were absolutely no flaws on this bass when I recieved it, everything was in perfect shape. The frets had nicely polished crowns, and no high spots or buzzes. The graphite neck is AWSOME, only had to adjust relief once since I got it, VERY stable. The graphite neck eleminates all chances of dead spots and warp. I love the shape of the neck, some other graphite neck basses (like Zon basses)have REALLY thin necks, I hate that. The neck is very comfortable, and has a nice bit of 'meat' to it.

This bass is excellent for live play. The hardware is solid and will last through almost anything. The finish as I said before is very nice, and is durable againts ware. I put Shaller strop locks on it, but the original strap buttons seemed to be decent. I make sure the batteries in all my basses have juice before I play, so I use this without a backup. No need to worry about anything else happening with this bass.

Peavey is very good with customer support. They will promptly answer any questions you may have, about anything from general info to the pre-amp wirings.

In all this bass is a very solid, and great sounding bass. I have played Modulus, Zon, & Status basses with the graphite necks, and this sounds just as good. Plus, it's alot cheaper than alot of them. Many people have said this before me, but I don't understand why people bash Peavey so much! Peavey makes GREAT, reliable equipment, at an insanely affordable price. Their instruments are superb, and rival ones twice their price! If it were lost or stolen I'd definatly buy another! I love this bass! If it were to have 24 frets and a string-thru body bridge, this bass would be ABSOLUTELY perfect! As it is though, it is damn near it.

"G-V Bass is a 35" scale, expertly crafted bass with a sculpted, lightweight body. The G-5? bass features an adjustable graphite composite neck, Pau Ferro fingerboard, and two VFL? internally -active pickups plus three band active equalizer. Handcrafted in the USA, the G-5 also includes a sculpted neck joint for access to the higher frets. Built for maximum playablilty, the G-5 has 21 frets, a 15" fingerboard radius and a lightweight, ABM fully-adjustable bridge." Peavey Website

The stock Peavey pickups do the job really well. It sounded great right out of the box. Hardly any buzz or 60 cycle hum. I bought the bass for the Graphite neck with the intention of switching out the pickups but there is no need. Peavey did a good job in that dept. I have to watch when I am jumping around, the output jack isn't very tight which causes a little signal crack when I am bouncing

From the factory the set up was fast and light which is great for people who play with a light touch. I had to raise the action a tad. The neck joint was nice and tight, fret work was great. The only negative is the pickups were wedged into the body because the holes weren't large enough. That made the pickups sit crooked in the bass. Nothing a Dremel tool and about 15 mins couldn't fix. The controls seem kinda flimsey. I might replace the pots and knobs with thick metal poles. The beauty of this bass is that even with the cost of any modifications it is still hundreds less than the cheapest modulus.

So far the bass is treating me very well. I recieved it just after winter NAMM in Feb and have done about 20-25 shows with no major complaints. First thing I do to all my basses is put on DiMarzio Clip Lock straps so the bass can stay with me during some of the more hectic moments of a show. The Graphite neck is, as expected, very sturdy.

I've never dealt with Peavey aside from an email or two for information about the bass and they were answered promptly and politely. Great Job on there part.

Overall this is a great bass for the money. I might need to do a little to make it a tad more "Road Worthy". I played it against a Modulus Quantum 5 spi. The Modulus looked great and sounded phenomenal but for the price I loved it. I am really hard on my instruments so a beautiful quilted top doesn't make me any difference. Plus I like to tinker and switchout pickups, controls and such. The Peavey was the perfect Bass for me. Inexpensive for the features it offered, plenty to work with when customizing it and it sounded really good right out of the box so I could start using it right away