Peavey T-40

This is a made in the USA 1979 T-40. The neck seems like a mix between a Jazz and P-bass. Two humbuckers that can be switched to single coils with a turn of the tone knobs. The body reminds me of an old worn lousville Slugger baseball bat. Its heavy and hard wood. I have been hearing alote of comments about how heavy the bass is from fellow musicians. Come on people get to the Gym.

The bass has a really good variety of sounds due to its ability to go from humbucker to single coil. It also has a phase switch which gives it that woody sound. The bass sounds great through my GK amp and is definatly in the classic sounding bass catagory. As far as recording goes I would have liked a stronger Mid response which is so important but that can be resolved in the mix.

Purchased from Ebay. When buying a bass off of ebay try to avoid buying one from a pawn shop since they no nothing at all about its condition or playability. This was the second T-40 I purchased from ebay via a pawn shop and it was in pretty bad shape. The action was bow and arrow like and the strings were kept in place by 20 years of crud. Fortunatly I was able to get the bass back in playing condition and all is well.

I can beat Barry Bonds home run record or wipe out a crowd at a gig with this bass. The bass is solid and the hardware is big and heavy. This is one of those gems(also see old 70's Kramers) that you can get these days for practically nothing on Ebay cause the kids don't know about them.

The best in the Business. I had many questions answered on one of thier forums by a Peavey rep named A.J in less than 24 hours.

Whatever you want you get with this bass. You can switch amps and just adjust the tone knobs, don't even worry about the EQ on the amp. Lots of options, lots of sounds. Its a genie in a hardshell case, whatever you want, you get.

I can't believe how good this thing sounds. My amp sucks but it manages to over come the amp and still sound good. I can't wait till I get my SWR, man that'll be some tone. Its good for anything, live, studio, whatever you want. Its sounds perfect in whatever enviroment.

Plays like butter. The maple neck and finger board feel great. Pickups rock. Bass had no flaws bridge and neck are too big and heavy to be knocked out of adjustment.

This bass could withstand anything. I call it the Mack Truck of bass giutars. If you ever had to use a guitar to knock down a wall, use this bass. its heavy, its got quality metal hardware, solild body, bolt on neck. You can't bust em.

Never had to deal with them, but I am sure they're great too.

I bought this from a guy who wanted an acoustic bass and wasn't sure of the value. I told him I had $120 to spend and he said he'd take it. I got a 1978 model in the original hardshell case with the original owners manual in the case aswell. I kinda felt bad that I gypted this guy, both him and I were oblivious to this guitars value and worth. I'd keep this bass forever, its my baby, you know how you feel about your first really nice guitar, well this is mine, and I would have to go on Paxil for weekks if it were ever stolen, T-40 is a religion and I am a believer.

This is a Peavey T-40 4 string bass with a natural finish, black pickguard, 2 volume and 2 tone controls with a three-way switch and a coil tap switch, 2 exposed blade humbuckers. The body is solid ash and the neck is rock maple.

AMAIZING AND EXTREMELY VERSITLE. The best sounding bass I've heard!
These pickups are of very good quality. So many sounds can be achieved.

I bought it from a pawn shop so the action had to be adjusted. This is a very heavy long scale bass. Very solid. I'm giving it a 9 because of the weight although it doesn't bother me that much.

This bass is solid enough to chop down a tree and you probably wouldn't hurt it. You deffinately don't need a backup with this.

Peavey has probably the best customer support there is. Very helpful.
Never needed them for this bass but have called them about other questions.

I've been playing for over 20 yrs and I would deffinately find another if someone stole this one.

Very easy and sweet to play. Just turn a dial and change your sound. Humbucking/single coil pickups with a turn of a dial. I used to have two. An all natural wood grained natural finish from the 1970's and a shitty painted black one from the 1980's.

Differences between the two:

Natural finish T-40=Alder body, Maple neck, nicely made, better components, a superior bass, and much rarer. The kind you find in a musician's collection. Nice.

Black Painted T-40=Poplar body(many chunks of wood glued together), Maple neck, quality went down(5/10), cheaper electronics, and all around poorer bass. Much more common. Typically the kind you find in a grimy old pawnshop. Beater.

Natural wood finish T-40: Nice sound, no hiss or extra noise from pick-ups. Nice full sound.

Painted T-40: Hissy and pissy pick-ups. The wood doesn't resonate at all.

Pretty good on both. Depends on the set-up.

Painted T-40 bass: poorer quality wood, fret are average.

Natural finish T-40: Alder, nice fretwork.

They will last longer than mankind.

Peavey is always helpful. Thanks for the extra info on the differences between the T-40s!

Below. Price paid is for my Natural Finish T-40.

I have been playing about 17 years. I used to own both kinds of the T-40 bass. I still have my one form the 70's Natural wood grained finish T-40. The other T-40(some painted black POS) I had was horrible garbage so I sold it to a bassist I didn't like for $200.

FANTASTIC VALUE IS FOR THE NATURAL FINISH T-40.

THE PAINTED T-40 IS JUST PLAIN CRAPPY.

Very straight forward and easy to use. I mean it! Easy as a Mississippi girl in a rainstorm. Solid body(alder) which is a nice wood for bass, maple neck, nice thick steel pots and dials, and nice warm tone. I won't say what's already said so that's about it.

I'm talking about the T-40 Bass with the clear finish(natural finish) not that mediocre T-40 bass from the 1980's(the painted one.)

Very Warm. Reminds me of a G+L bass sound minus the big price tag. Great for studio, gear presence for live work. It's heavy, so that's the only bad thing I can say about it. Great for modern basswork or doing the old classics. If Fender(pre-CBS Fender) and Gibson got together, this would be the product. The T-40 Bass is great. I can'r say enough good things about it, so I'll shut up.

Plays well, made well, pretty good condition for bass made in the 1970's.

You could use this as a battle axe and still play it at you Saturday gig. The hardware will out last me, my kids, and their kids, and so on. Get the picture

Never had to phone them up so no comment.

If you are going to but a T-40 bass, here's a few things you'll want to remember. Buy one from the 70's. The T-40's from the 1980's WENT WAY DOWN IN QUALITY AND STARTED USING woods like popular and small chunks of wood glued together. Pianted ones. Forget those too. Stick with the natural finish one's from 1977, 1978, 1979. Anything after is mediocre. These are getting to be really collectable, especially the ones kept in great condition(not the bar, beer and puke ones). Great as an investment. Great as an instrument. Expect pay anywhere from $500 to $1000 for the Peavey T-40. Anyless and you are getting a deal.

The big feature on this bass is that you can switch from humbucker to single coil by the turn of the dial. It's just how these puppies work. I love this bass. I've had it for about eight months now. Great bass. Great sound. Lucky I bought it cause with all these US prices going up for gear these have gone up way up too!

Sound is as good as any boutique bass today. Great sound and versatile too. Just sweet. Works with all kinds of music.

Nice action, very playable. Nice build quality and I love the metal Peavey used for the dials, pots, switches and so on. Vey nicely built. Looks and play wonderfully.

It's lasted this long. 20 odd years. Mine is in good condition. The prices went up so I wan lcuky to by this T-40 for $500 bucks. The ones that are in excellent to mint sell in stores from $800 to $900 dollars, so I am just stocked that I got this bass for a steal of a deal.

Peavey's great and one of the few big players in the biz that cares about their customers.

Well, The T-40 bass (the one for the 70's with the natural wood finish is really collectable now. The thing that happned with old Fenders is happening with the T-40 Bass. Lucky I bought mine when I did cause I could afford the $900 they sell for now. The painted T-40'S are not collectable cause Peavey made way more of those in the 80's. The ones to look for are the T-40s from the late 70's with the natural wood finish. It's like a clear spray over the wood.

See other reviews for features. this is the same as the rest of them. natural finish. ASH body (not swamp ash). this bass is very versatile due to the 3 way selector switch and in/out of phase switch. in conjunction with your amp's EQ it can get a LOT Of different sounds. in/out phase switch can be used as a coil tap with the bridge pickup selected (VERY useful!). tone knobs turned down past 7 switch from single coil mode to humbucking mode. HUGE string through body bridge. Peavey t-40s are made in the USA.

This thing sounds like a really really really good jazz bass. there are a lot of variety in the tones you can get. i have mine strung with DR Hi beams that are a few weeks old and it sounds really really nice. very good for slap and solo stuff, esepcially with the bridge pickup and the coil tap on. with both pickups on full and the tone knobs down just a tiny bit it gets a very full sound that is almost good for any situation. this bass is pretty bright, due to the woods used, so one of my only complaints is that the highs can be a little too crisp/glassy on top if you're not careful. also, through my yorkville BM200 (a very good bass combo), it has a LOT of high mids. using the bridge pickup and leaving the hi mids flat results in an ugly, almost distorted tone. i think it sounds pretty cool, but it's not always very useful. turning the hi mids down really smooths it out, so keep that in mind if you're looking into buying one of these. i'd rather have too much than not enough! i dont use any effects, and i love the way this thing sounds. my BIGGEST complaint with this bass is that it's easy to make it sound bad. when you turn the tone knobs down a little bit, it goes straight into humbucking mode and it gets REALLY loud, the pickups are already high output and humbucking makes it even louder! i think it sounds pretty ugly on humbucking mode. your highs disappear and everything gets REALLY muddy. i never use the humbucking mode. i wish the tone knobs would keep it in single coil mode. but you have to admit, the humbuckers sure look cool! all in all, this bass can sound great with stainless steel roundwounds or nickelwounds. nickelwounds have a much softer high end, which is good for fingerstyle but the stainless steels give it a treble bite and makes this thing a slapping machine. this bass sounds wonderful as long as you know how to use it!! like i said, it's very easy to make it sound bad.

i bought mine used, it's in pretty fair shape. the neck has some ugly scratches, the wood grain on the body is getting way darker than it should be, and there is a spot where it looks like there used to be a sticker that said 101 on it. this doesnt matter because you can only buy them used now, so if you buy one, make sure it's in good condition. i like the scratches and the color of the wood on mine, it gives it character! setup was very easy on this bass, you need an "ice pick" to raise or lower the bridge saddles. i havent messed wiht the truss rod yet because i didnt need to, but i hear you need some kind of weird tool to adjust it. one complaint is that the neck pickup is right where you would usually want to slap, so you have to get used to slapping in a different spot, like closer to the neck. if you dont, slapping on the G and D strings sometimes results in LOUD pops from the string hitting the pickup. this isnt a problem if you solo the bridge pickup, then you can slap wherver you want to. also, the neck is kind of sticky. there is a thick laquer on the back of the neck, which keeps it from feeling silky smooth like some basses. not a big deal, but it's also one of the few reasons i dont deem this bass as being perfect

this thing is WAY tougher than i am. if you dropped it i doubt it'd really matter. the wood is so hard and dense and heavy that i think you could play baseball with it if you were strong enough to swing this thing. as for the finish, this is a natural finish, and it's apparently very thin because it feels like this thing isnt finished AT ALL and it's really cool. i like how it's like an actual piece of wood, not like a piece of plastic. this thing will last forever.

peavey's webpage is cool because you can email them your peavey serial number and they'll tell you when it was made. mine is an 83 model.
other than that , i have no idea how good their customer support is!

this bass is really great. the rest of the review says it all. i love everything about this bass and it never ceases to amaze me.
the only things i wish it had:
1) a way to switch to humbucking mode without turning down the tone knobs.
2) a smoother neck
3) tone knobs that didnt change from single coil to humbuckers.
other than that, it's just about perfect if you ask me. yeah, it's heavy, big deal! i would definately buy another one if something happened to this one, and i'd recommend to the reader of this review that if you really want one you should save up and get one soon because they're getting more and more popular. i love my peavey, it's a very high quality made in the USA product. it's a shame that new basses cant be this high quality and be for such a reasonable price. email me if you want any advice or have any specific questions about my Peavey T-40. it's not for sale, either!!!

Shipped from Peavey in April of 1978. Two blade Humbuckers, 2 Volume, 2 Tone, 3-Way Military Grade Toggle, Phase Toggle...Natural Finish, B/W/B pickguard, maple neck and fingerboard, massive string-thru bridge! The bitch ways a ton!!

I play alt-country, roots-rock and this bass is perfect. It can even take my metal beatings and still play in tune when I'm done. There are a few crackles when I turn the volume knobs, but other than that, I love the sound. I play thru a Carvin R1000 Head into a 4x10 Red Eye cab and a Fender BXR 2x10 cab...this bass sounds great thru it, especially with the tube pre-amp turned to 5. I've been playing it more than my Stingray and P-Bass.

Haven't had to adjust anything since I got it. The frets are great and the neck is perfect. I wouldn't touch the pickups, they sound great.

This bass has gone across the country with me and has played each and every show with flying colors. The hardware is massive and I don't expect anything to go wrong with it. I did put some Strap-Locks on it, but that's just my preference. I love the beat-up, worn finish as does everyone I run into. I DO use it without a backup.

When I called the Peavey factory in Mississippi, I got right thru to a tech, he ran the serial number, told me what I needed to know and that was it. In and out, what more could you ask for?

I've been playing bass for damn near 14 years and this, by far, is the best bass I own. I have three other electric basses, a '76 Fender P-Bass, A Musicman Stingray I picked up in '95 and a Niki Sixx Edition Gibson Blackbird. Out of all of them, that huge, heavy hunk of wood is my favorite. I love the fact that it can take abuse and still sound great. If it were stolen, I would weep and search for the fiend who would take my baby!! If you can find a Peavey T-40, BUY IT!! Buy it before everyone else realizes how good a bass this thing is!

It was made in the Mid 80's i think im not really sure.. 22 fret 4 string 2 blade humbuckers Very nice...

The sound of the t-40 is crazy it has such a heavy sound it is amazing! I play in a band and we tune down to drop "c" cgcf and the t-40 handles it perfect.... i would have to say it is perfect for on stage or studio... its a all around awsome bass

This is one bass that can take a beating... never had trouble with it at all...

Havent had the pleasure

This is a awsome bass... i love it!

Standard featured T-40. Has the 2 blade style humbuckers, string through body bridge, 2 volumes, 2 tones, three way pickup selector, in/out of phase swtich, maple neck. natural finish, black pickguard, made in USA. it has a huge bridge too. all the parts and hardware are of very high quality, im still impressed with it all. new basses with this amount of features and quality are really expensive. it also has a P-sized neck and fat string spacing (which i really like)

i usually play regular rock music, but i like to play slap and other styles too just for fun. My amp is a Yorkville BM200 with a 15", it has a very neutral sound.

first of all, unplugged this bass has a very bright sound. playing hard makes the wood vibrate and it even sounds like reverb sometimes. it sounds much brighter than my Charvel 3b (passive P&J P bass rosewood neck). plugged in this bass has a very loud and aggressive sound. i have mine strung with DR Low riders, which are nickelwound.
the two humbuckers are VERY high output, i mean this bass is really loud. with my charvel, i usually boost the bass and mids a little bit. with this bass i have to turn down the mids if i turn up the volume, there is just too much of them. turned down it smooths everything out. there is a good amount of highs in all the pickup selections, and the bass is always satisfying. this bass is naturally not a hi-fi sounding bass, and i like that. it sounds very "rock and roll", but softer tones can be gotten easily also.
The bridge pickup with the hi-mids turned down to about 10 oclock and the highs boosted a little bit gives a really good solo/slap tone. i think if i had stainless steel rounds on my bass it'd sound very stringray-like. the out of phase switch with the bridge pickup gets a sound that sounds like of like an OLP stingray when u turn down the first knob and crank the rest. it's pretty cool also. the middle selection sounds pretty good with everything about flat. the highs boosted a little can add for a little more clarity. it has a nice fat sound, great for slap. i dont like to take the mids down too much on this setting or it sounds too modern.
the neck pickup sounds good with the settings about the same as the bridge pickup. if you leave the mids on flat there is just too much and it can even sound distorted at times. it's hard to slap with the neck pickup on because the neck pickup is close to the fretboard, where i slap. so the string bonks the pickup and makes a really loud popping noise. i also like the sound when u drop the highs to 10 oclock and the hi mids to about 10 oclock, it gives a good soft sound that i like using for sour girl. it sounds good like this in any selection really.
with the out of phase switch on and the pickup selector in the middle it gives a weird hollow sound. im not very big on it, it doesnt sound very useful, but it's kinda cool i guess.
im overall VERY happy with the sound this thing gets. sounds very high end, i played a warwick thumb that seriously didnt sound this good. the sustain on this thing is crazy, it'll go forever. i like how im able to get good mellow and aggressive sounds out of this bass. it's definately a winner.
complaints: the tone knobs are weird. if you turn them down very much they switch from parralell to series (this is what ive been told), which makes the pickups even LOUDER. so by doing that u get to the point of overdrive, and the tone knob is down so it sounds muddy. i dont like using the tone knobs at all on this bass, so i use my treble knob on my amp as it now. it's kind of an inconvenience, i wish the tone knobs wouldnt make it get into series mode, it just makes it sound muddier and louder, when it's already almost too loud!!
other than that, i have no complaints. this bass gets a lot of different sounds and i can find one for just about every occaision. and for the price you CANT beat this. my charvel still sounds good compared to this, it'll be my backup bass, but it doesnt have the low end that this thing does. the Peavey just does everything it does, but better and gets a lot more sounds while it's at it.

i was very impressed. i bought this thing used off of ebay and the guy hasnt used it in a long time, so i expected that the truss rod would need adjusting and the bridge saddles were gonna need adjusting but no. the neck is perfectly straight. My charvel has some high frets, this thing DOES NOT. i couldnt find any, they're all smooth and even. this bass is of high craftsmanship. all the construction is top notch. the finish is a little messed up and there are some dings but that's because it's used, im sure it didnt come like that when it was new. so that doesnt count. i give it a 10. nothing to complain about.

this thing is more durable than i am. it's really heavy, not heavy to the point where i need a graphite reinforced strap, but it's heavy enough. i think if it fell it'd be just fine, that wood is really hard and dense. but i have one more complaint about this bass: in order to get to the controls u have to get about 20 screws off so u can get the pickguard off, and then u have to take the humbuckers out and THEN u have to take the strings off. if i ever took this on a gig and something happened it'd take me all night to fix it! so i wouldnt gig with it without a backup. but thats the only reason. i doubt anything would happen on the inside unless i dropped it really hard or something, but still, u cant take your chances.

peavey is cool because you can email them the serial # of ur bass and they'll tell u how old it is. im in the process of doing this right now.
but ive never had to deal with them in terms of warranty or repairs. so i cant really say.

Ive been playing for about 3-4 years. im in love with this bass. everything about it, the looks, the sound, the way it plays is just perfect for me. it's a little heavy but that's okay. if i lost this one or it was stolen i'd cry, and then i'd go buy another one as soon as i could. i think i'll buy another one sooner or later just to have one in better condition and to keep in case something happens to the other one. they're really a great deal, they go on ebay for about 170-250 bucks. and im telling you, this thing probably sounds just as good as a stingray. and u can get a lot more sounds out of it and it costs WAY less. they also make T-60 guitars, which have like all the same features but it's a guitar. they go for about the same price and i hear they're great as well. im glad no one likes peavey or else this would be pretty expensive. it'd be the perfect bass if it wasnt quite as loud (a little smoother), weighed a little less and had the control cavity in the back. other than that it's perfect. i'd buy another one if i had another 250 bucks. i was originally looking into an Ibanez ATK 300 but i think this is better, and the ATK has active electronics, which i dont like, and it only has one bridge humbucker. and it costs more too. so im glad i found this one. ill hopefully have it forever. if u have any questions about it u can email me and i'll tell u to buy one right away.