Peavey T-40

1978 vintage- sunburst finish-maple neck-volume and tone for each pickup-phase switch-huge string through bridge-molded case (tough as nails)-body constructed of concrete? (actually ash i think)-yes it is as heavy as everyone says, a definite asset for tone and durability-i play mine sitting down

i play bluesy rock and spacy stuff-home recording-this bass can make darn near any sound, from big fat bottom to a whiny single coil squank-almost have to take notes to remember where i set the tone controls to get a particular sound-extremely versatile. clean sound through most settings-

i set the action very low, and got some fret buzzing-adjusted it up a touch and problem solved-can play it softly or wail now with no buzz-body finish is flawless-very beautiful guitar-neck has a funny dark spot about 1 inch wide and 5 inches long running the length of neck around the 5th fret area(knot in the wood?)-i cant feel it and it hasnt affected the neck stability, sound, or playability, so lets just call it a birthmark and say it gives it character-would make the guitar immediately identifiable if some jerk stole it. all parts are solid and well fitted

had this since 1989-still looks and plays like new-no finish wear-no hardware wear-yes folks, this is has the durability (and weight) of a tank

pay close attention other gear manufacturers-peavey rules in gool ol USA service-havent called them on this instrument, but i have on other products-you talk to an actual person, promptly, in a professional polite manner, and you get the answer you need. period. new item or 25 year old item like this-doesnt matter to them- keep it simple stupid-tech support is for solving problems, not being a salesman-and peavey has figured this out. good job

i am not a bass player as such-i play guitar mainly-i use this for home recording for my own amusement-i own one other bass-an old firstman which i love-its a blast to play and weighs what the bridge weighs on the T40-overall the T40 is solid, solid, solid, and can give you the sound you want with enough twiddling of the knobs-yeah its not the sleek lightweight super cool modern bass, but so what-i play in my basement studio(a rock star in my own mind)i was going to trade this in for other equipment-but i just couldnt-

It's a peavey t-40 (usa), with quite a bit of switches, knobs, dials, tv remote.... etc. Alright, so I'm exaggerating. What this bass does have is a big neck, big pickups, big body, and big weight. Typically these could be cosmetic items, but for the sound I go for, these are definate features.

As far as the year goes, I've never bothered to investigate. I'm going to assume it's a late 70's model, simply because it makes me feel better to know that it's been around the block a few times.

It's about 15 pounds of ash, which means if you're a small guy, don't bother unless you feel like getting muscles. That's what I did, and now I'm the animal man.

Passive electronics, giant bridge, humbucking pickups, with phase control for 'fattening up the sound.'

Okay, I play really fast hardcore, think of bands that sound like early D.R.I. or Void. I play this monster through a mesa/boogie rig, consisting of a Bass Buster 200watt all tube head, and a 6x10 deep cabinet. I turn the gain all the way up, and ease the volume up as I need it. I drop the highs on the amp back, just to dirty it up some more, and turn the horn on the cab up, just to get a really noisy high end slash to it. The lows are adjusted to the room I'm in at the time, but the cab handles that well. I've used a Fender Jazz Deluxe (american) through this same rig, and it doesn't have the push of the peavey. Obviously, they put some thought into this thing before building it. My T-40 has so much control, it blows the $900 bass out of the water. I feel like a jerk now, because for the 150 I paid, I could have scored 6 of these damn things, and I bet you, all of them still work.

Everything about it was right when I bought it used almost a year ago. Any flaws are hard to notice, since the bass has a nice natural finish.... This finish feels like a real light clear coat, it hides dents real well, and it feels more like it's been coated by the sweat and grease of others, rather than any factory finish. This is a good thing to me, it looks good, and well, unless I crack it in half (if that were possible) no one will ever notice how big of a dumbass I truly have been... re: "oops, I can't believe I dropped it" or "jeez, that kid sure has a resilient head!"

Lots of dents that you'd never notice unless you were really looking for them, or unless you made them.

I do, however, have to drop this thing down just a bit, simply because it's not for everyone. It's very heavy, and younger players couldn't handle it. I'm a firm believer in the idea that manufacturers should really concentrate on making an all around bass for everyone, so nobody ever wins in this category for me. When they do, everyone will already know about it. So far though, peavey has come the closest with this piece.

I have hurt myself, other people, and practically everything in my little michigan-based world. You name it, I've damaged it intentionally or not. Everything except this damn bass. Trust me, I've tried. I pitched it about 10 feet in the air, and it came down hard. It didn't even need an adjustment. I tossed it at a drummer in the middle of a set. Never needed adjustment or repair. It's simply the most durable thing I've ever played. And that list goes from squier, all the way to rickenbacker.

I have not had to, so that's a good sign. I also own a peavey P.A., and I once had a peavey board. Nother ever went wrong with them. I think that customer support starts with the sale. If it never has a problem, that's pretty damn good customer support. I think that maybe fender should learn a lesson from peavey, and give us customer support by giving us good products. Not cracking necks and faulty wiring.

I've been playing too long.

If stolen, I'd replace, I may get another.

I enjoy this thing entirely, but I'll probably think different when my back goes out at 30 years old.

This was an impulse buy on cosmetics alone that I'm glad I made.

It's just great. Buy one... at 150-200 bucks, you cannot lose.

Made-Late 70's
Made in U.S.A.
4 string (nice and standard, nothing fancy...yet;)
2 volume 2 tone, 3-way pickup selector, phase shifter(very cool feature)
2 vintage humbuckers that get John Paul Jones/Phil Lesh/Roger Waters type sound.
Maple neck Heavy wood body.
Precision body style

This Bass is unbelievable. If I could trade my Rickenbacker and my Ibanez 5 string P.O.S.'s for a mint condition T-40, I would do it in a heart beat. I play Psychedelic/Jam Band/Jazz/Heavy Groovin/Funk/Fusion type music oh and blues and it can be manipulated to fit any genre with it's intricate pickup config. Rich/Full,Dark,Warm,Bright and in between it does it all. It can sound like an upright with the Phase Shifter or it can sound like a fuzzy Jazz off of Zep I if you want it to. In the studio it is perfect. I cut a record w/9 11:00 long songs and my friend asked where I got the money to afford all the basses on the album and I just shook my head grinning (if he only knew...!) On stage it is a crowd pleaser for sure. It has vintage features that make you and the crowd feel free and right at home. Best bass of all time!!!!!!!!!!!! 13.5 (off the chart)

This bass feels like it's new and its 20 + years old! The pickups...well...they speak for themselves, play a T-40!!! Almost mint cond. A few dings but who's counting.

This is the bass that all other basses have nightmares about because they hear stories about the toughest bass in all the land and they all know that it is the dreaded....T-40!!!(Dun-Dun-Dun in background)...O.K. enough of that 'ahem' it's really F@#(kin tough alright. Backup...We don need no steenken backup. (Blazing Saddles-Mel Brookes...Watch it, very funny)

This is a pleasure I have not yet graced.

THIS BASS IS GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mid 80's model made in USA. Black finish. Came with a solid OHSC. Features have been done. Needs a Torsion Rod Wrench, Part # 75031006, available from Peavey by calling 877 732 8391 and asking for the Parts Department. It's reasonably priced at $5.00.

Decent tones out of it but there should be more given the features.
The neck pup has a slightly growling tone to it, the bridge has a hollow sound, and together it's a mildly muddy combination. I don't have much use for the humbucker mode on either pup as it muddies the sound too much.

I got it used and it was set up well but with light roundwounds. The cracking sound from the stings hitting the fretboard are minimal for some reason which is very nice.
I wish I could set up the neck pup lower. Frets are original and in great shape. Some rusted screws around the pups that alot of t40s have.
Needs to be rewired. All the parts and soldering is in original/pristine condition but hasn't aged well.

The bass will withstand live playing fine. Above average weight at 13pds. To be fair, this just won't be for everyone.
Everything on it was built to last except: the screws around the pups and the wiring and/or pots (at least on mine).

The great thing about PV support is that even when you have a product that's 10 or 20 years old that they no longer stand to profit from, they treat you like you bought it new yesterday. Peavey is paramount in standing behind their products.

Been playing the better part of 12 years and own and have owned many basses and guitars.. If it were lost or stolen I wouldn't buy another. I've always had a been there, done that attitude and would want to try something else. Off the top of my head, I'd probably replace it with a P...but I love P's.
I like it's look, solid construction and materials, variety of tones, string spacing.
I dislike the muddiness from humbucker mode. If the neck pup was half an inch further from the neck it would be much more slap n pop friendly. And, Holy Crap, did they need to put so many screws to hold down the pickguard! It takes half an hour to get in there. However, the counter sunk holes in the wood make a nice tight fit. Great idea but only for dense woods.
Overall, I guess I just prefer the simplicity of a P Bass (for ex., I have a high end bass with active EQ that I've never even put a battery in; the volume, tone, and a 3-way selector is all I need).
So I guess I'm speaking for people with the same minimalist perspective when I say: This bass has overly pickups, too many knobs, with too many uses, a useless phase switch, too many screws, a needlessly large bridge and heavy body, need for a special truss adjustor where a hex key is more than sufficient, etc, etc... Excess for the sake of excess.
I don't get it but I know many people do and LOVE these basses. All I'm saying is consider this b/f buying one. I don't regret buying it; it retains its' value and I really enjoy trying new gear.

Feastures have been listed in detail in previous entries..

Bought it on eBay for $200. I have a 1978 model, still looks like it was a couple years old, the molded case is not in great condition any more, but it definitly does its job.

Can't beat it for the price.

The sound is impressive. You have a lot to choose from- it can sound bright and biting, or deep and mellow, and anywhere in-between. Can be a little noisy when the tone is turned to 10 (single coil mode). But that varies with the pre-amp/amp. I dial the tone back to about 7, and it's fine. I play a variety of styles between mellow space-rock and "punk." I use an Ampeg SVP preamp/QSC power and an Aguilar 212, and I can get virtually any sound that I could ever want with this setup. One thing I don't like about this bass, and I think might be common in all T-40s, is the action is super-low. You have to play pretty mellow, cause if you wail on it- all you get is buzz buzz buzz. Maybe I just need to learn how to play bass...

Like I stated, the action is too low for my taste. It's not horrible though. Everything else about it is great...

For being 24 years old, and still rock solid- I'd say the quality is pretty damn good. Everything about the thing is solid. I'm confident that this bass while last longer than I will. No need for a backup!

Never dealt with them

Been playing bass for about 8 months. Pretty new to all the equipment. I would definitly buy another one if it were stolen. This bass is just kick ass for the price. It's unbelievable.

Plays well, sounds good, many tone options.

I will use this bass for recording mostly. The variety of tone options is a huge plus. Great sustain.

It is a solid bass built in 1976 with no signs of degradation. An American-made beast.

I bought the bass from Charles @ Kuciel Electronics. He was patient and always in contact. He also took the initiative to forward extra
valuable information about the bass on his own good will. Another excellent Harmony-Central transaction, and another really cool Canadian.

I play all kinds of music (mostly indie-ish stuff). I first saw this bass in action when I watched Thirty Ought Six (One of the best bands the
world has ever seen) play at the WOW hall in Eugene Oregon. I have never heard a bass sound like that, and I have never seen a bass look that
good on stage. 30:06 has since broken up, but I have something other than their albums (Bozozoku and Hag Seed) to remember them by; I will
steal that bass tone.

1981 T-40, Made in the USA. 4-string Swamp Ash Body. 2 Volume/2 Tone, 3 was selector switch and a phase switch. 2 Red Rhodes designed passive humbucking pickups. 20 fret 34" maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. More features than you possiby need.

Name a tone. Go on, I dare you. I'll bet you $100 that I can get it with my T-40. J-Bass? You betcha. P-Bass? Of course. It's never noisy, exept perhaps if you put the pickups directly against a television.

When I got it (about 3 months ago) the wanker who owned it before me had put a set of light strings on it when the nut was carved for heavy strings, so the nut buzzed when I played the open E and A strings. A set of heavy-gauge strings fixed that whippety quick. The only other problem was with the neck pickup volume knob (it didn't work) but that was easily fixed.

This think is a TANK. It's not all that heavy, but I'm a big guy so I'm not the best judge for weight. I could beat off groupies and still stay in tune. When world war III comes, there's gonna be 3 things left after the bombs drop: Lawyers, cockroaches, and my T-40.

I emailed Peavey to enquire about the age of my T-40, and within an hour they had emailed me back with the pertinant information. Past that I have had no interaction with Peavey.

This bass is incredible. I will be playing this bass for years to come.

'80 natural finish.

Nothing I can say that hasn't been said. Although the crazy coil-tap/tone knob deal they've got going is pretty cool.

Mine isn't one of the paticle board ones they made from 80 on.

Heaviest bass on the planet, that I know of. I love it. I'm not afraid I'm going to break it like my Ibanez (which I ripped the bridge completely off of the body during a very vigorous song where slapping wasn't enough and I was punching the strings.) The body shape is unique enough to stand out from the sea of Fender and Ibanez that everyone around here seems to have.

The added neck-tilt adjustment is great, as well. When you use it with the truss rod and bridge adjustments, you can pretty much keep this neck playing great forever.

I play in a melodic hardcore band, but there are a lot of different styles I integrate into my playing. Mostly simple blues and galloping metal, but I do quite a bit of slapping, too.

For practice, I play through a POS Crate BX15 practice amp, which I plug into my Hartke TP 4X10 cab, just so it sounds halfway decent. On stage, I borrow a friends rig: Two 2X15 Sunns, Two 4X10 Sunns, and if it's outdoors, we add a 1X18 Peavey. All of this is powered by either an old Peavey power head w/a Peavey Preamp, or a Gallien Kreuger RB1000 (I think that's the model.)

LOUD LOUD LOUD!!! Excellent volume without getting harsh...will distort speakers in cheaper amps at higher volumes, so be careful!

This bass definitely sounds more vintage. Not entirely versatile, but the sounds you can coax from it sound great. I don't get the EMG tone I like with modern EMG-Equipped basses, (like the Spector I'm pining for) but the sound is very reminiscient of a P-Bass, while still being slappable. Nice and Fat, but the highs aren't harsh. On the neck pickup that is. The bridge pickup, no matter how I set it up, sounds tinny and annoying. All of the wiring is fine, so who knows why it sounds so bad. I don't recommend using the phase switch, as all it really does is add a hollow sound. Not really all that useful.

Comparing this bass soundwise to anything else in the price range is laughable. This is a legitimate bass that you can play on stage and still sound good. Try doing that with a Squire or low-end Ibanez after having it for about three months. Only if you play in a punk or metal band where there's so much sound coming off the stage that tone doesn't matter. But for the price of a cheaper bass, you can just get this one, which has an excellent sound for punk and metal.

Being as this bass is over 20 years old, the setup was outstanding. The E-string rattles on the 13th fret, but the rest of the fretboard is nice and quiet. The E- string does get a little floppy when you detune (and since we play a lot of dropped-D which is then tuned down a half step, this can be a small problem), but it stays in tune and is still articulate when coming through an amp.

The neck joint has room to fit a playing card into the gap, but it's secured to the body very tightly, nonetheless.

The neck is too big for me. I started out on Ibanez, and I prefer Jazz bass necks, but the rest of this bass is good enough that I just have to practice more to compensate for the size of the neck.

Compare this bass to anything in the price range. NOTHING even twice as much will last as long. Like I said, when I got it the 13th fret on the E-string rattled. But a little adjustment brought that down to where it's barely noticeable.

There is no tougher equipment on the planet than old Peavey stuff. NOTHING!! I bought this bass strictly for this fact after destroying an Ibanez. I also have a T-60 guitar, and it's a '79 model. We had to fix a scratchy pot and replace the screws (the metal was corroded), but in 20-some years that's all that needed to be done. We've done the standard Peavey durability tests, too (all accidental, of course)--dropped it off a stage, down a flight of steps, off a truck, and it's still great.

Also, you know that a finish that the manual says should be periodically wiped with cr wax will hold up!

Peavey is the best in the world in this regard. There are some that are close (Spector, for instance), but Peavey is the absolute best. That's why us Peavey players are die-hard Peavey players. Go to the website. Download the manual free. E-mail them with your serial number. They'll get you info on your instrument in a day. Fender when I have called, have been cheerful when I was looking into spending tons of money on a custom made instrument, less so when I wasn't. Gibson is horrible.

I've been playing bass for 3 years. Before that, I was a sound tech for several years. That's where I got my introduction to Peavey stuff. I also have a Peavey T-60 guitar (which my brother keeps stealing to play on stage in favor of his Custom Jackson SL). We play exclusively through Peavey Amps (Transtube 212 or 5150 for the guitar), and when I can afford it, I'll be getting a Peavey FireBass head to go with a couple Peavey cabs. We started out playing Peavey garage sale finds, and those instruments are still going just as strong as more expensive instruments we've bought, so why bother to change? Our old Peavey Bandit guitar amp is on its thrid person after I got rid of it, and it's still cranking out loud rock!

If it were stolen, I would find another one. The only other bass I'd rather have is a Spector.

The lone things that keep this from being a ten is that the neck is too big for my hands, and the resale value is horrible. Guitar Center offerd me 50 bucks for it, and it's in mint condition. Hence the reason I avoid GC...assholes all around! I know I overpaid for it, but I was looking for one in mint condition for several years.

Bottom line, what are you going to get in this price range? A Squire? An Ibanez GSR? PUH-LEEESE! The only thing even close is if you look really hard, you may find a used Gibson Ripper for a little more than one of these will cost you. But then you'll be playing a Gibson. I prefer to defiantly beat on my Peaveys, and I always will.

This is a 1981 Peavey T-40. Two humbucker pickups with separate volume and tone controls for each. A three way selector switch for bridge, neck or both pickups and a phase switch to run them in or out of phase. 22 fret maple neck with maple fingerboard. The body is solid ASH wood.

The T-40 is the chamelion of basses. Name the tone and this baby can get it. I haven't found a style of music yet that I can't play on this bass. The Peavey Humbuckers are built to last forever, and after 21 years, they are still going strong.

I bought this bass used and it was in pretty sad cosmetic condition when I got it. The guy before Me didn't believe in cleaning his basses or something. I had it refinished in Gibson's transparent red and the chrome cleaned. You can still tell the bass isn't new, but she sure looks a damn sight better.

I've had the bass for a little over 9 months now. This thing is built like a tank and weighs just about as much. Peavey equipment is built for the long haul and is some of the most dependable stuff out there. They are a highly underrated company, and more people should give them credit where credit is due. This bass will probably outlive Me.

Peavey has some of the best customer support going. Anytime I have e-mailed with questions, they have responded within 24 hours with good reliable answers.

Overall, I'd give this bass an 8. The only way it could really be better is if it were brand new. Sadly Peavey chose to discontinue the T-Series line of guitars and basses. they are fast becoming collectors' items and once you play one, you'll know why.

I had a Peavey T-40 bass, with the natural body and maple neck, when I was in high school. I later modified it somewhat, and then sold it (which I still regret). The recordings I did with this bass are probably still the best bass sounds I've ever gotten.

I have read that this bass is now favored by many Nashville session bassists, who won't record with anything else. I used to play four sets a night with when I was younger, but I don't think my back could put up with it anymore.

I recommend a couple modifications. The bridge (which is a through-body) looks like milled steel but is really empty pot metal, as are the bridge pieces. I eventually took it off, filled in a hole in the body with wood putty, and put on a 62' Jazz bass bridge, which brought the weight down and opened up the sound a little (wasn't so dark). A Badass bridge would work well, of course, for hard rock. Carvin sells nice Gotah through-body bridges too, which are much better made.

The other thing I did which helped a lot was rewire the pots to standard volume/tones for each pickup, without the single/double coil feature being tied to the tone control. It was an interesting idea, but the problem was the stage volume goes through the roof whenever you back off the tone control, making it very hard to make tone changes live without blowing your stage mix. So I rewired it standard (Les Paul schematic, basically) with a coil tap switch for each pickup. They have an out-of-phase switch, but I found this to be completely worthless. The tone sounded like paper, and the volume drops out completely. Why? Because out-of-phase sounds bad! The three way switch was fun, and an unsual feature for bass and useful for solos.

I later turned it into a fretless, which worked out pretty well, but I later regretted it because it had such a nice fretted sound. At one point I had a Dimarzio Pbass pickup in the bridge position, which was kind of cool. The stock pickups are a little tame sounding - the Dimarzio definitely was not.

Anyway, this is a great bass, even stock, and probably sounds as good as a Musicman, for about $150 over Ebay. One guy here said the black bass was cheaper made, but I'm not sure about that. I thought they were the same. Also, the natural body is Ash, not alder, which he said and was wrong about that. I think it's hard ash, not swamp ash, like the old Jazz Basses (which were also a lot heavier than the new "reissues" which are actually a lot lighter.)

Full and ringing sustain, with nice overtones.

Very nicely.

Will be here long after humans have vanished from the planet. Maybe the cockroaches will learn how to play them.

Peavey is always excellent in this. Plus, you gotta love those accents.