Peavey T-40

4 String Bass. Made in 1978. Made in USA. Solid top, heck, the body on this one is a solid chunk of hardwood. Some sources say it is swamp ash. Satin finish on body; Rock maple neck with maple fretboard, glossy finish originally but pretty well worn by now. Usual compliment of volume/tone per pickup (4 total knobs); two Peavey humbucker pickups, 3-pos selector switch an 2-pos switch which, from my reading of the schematic, reverses the phase of the bridge pickup with respect to the neck pickup. Passive electronics. The body is style is somewhat P-bass/J-bass like, but heavier than any Fender I???ve ever held. Massive solid metal bridge, usual adjustments for intonation and string height. All the hardware on this thing is massive. Tuners are massive Peavey open gear deals, work great, last long time. Neck is medium fat, wide, more p-bass than j-bass shape, great for players with big hands (my hands are not so big). Standard ???fender??? bass scale. I got this in 1979, it is box stock as it came from the factory except for strings. Pretty versatile sound, all the knobs and switches do useful things. The control layout is easy to get used to, and switching things around while playing is easy to master.

Not tons of features, but all I've ever needed on a bass.

This is one solid sounding bass, and quite versatile for its vintage. You???ve got the expected neck/both/bridge pickup selector, volume+tone on each pickup, plus a switch that inverts the phase of the bridge pickup. Oddly, the phase switch makes a subtle but noticeable difference when only the bridge pickup is selected, too.
I???m a guitar player who also plays bass; my long-time bass playing accomplice in musical mayhem also uses a T-40, and used this one as a backup for some time. I loaned it to my little sister when she was in an all-girl punk band. I???ve used it for Jazz, coutry-ish folk, blues, and serious stomp, plus it's stint in above referenced punk band. It can thump, twang or even slap. Very solid, deep sound. These days I play through a GK and custom JBL loaded cabs, with a GK head or a Yamaha head (solid state), sometimes through my Fender tube amps too. Played it through a 60s Bassman, and other amps over the years. Never had a problem with any amp.

I like the sound. The only thing not to like is the heft ??? this sucker weighs a ton. When my skinny little sister used it it was a toss up which weighed more, the bass or her (the bass - she may be skinny but she's strong). I give the tone an 8 - only because a "10" is a vintage Jazz Bass and this isn't one of those.

Can???t comment on the factory set-up, as that was sooo long ago; As far as I know, my bass-tech friend did basic set-up, left pickups factory stock. Everything if fit properly, and has stayed that way for 30 years. This is a high quality, rock solid axe. It was a bargain when new. For what it is, it's fabulous.

This can withstand live playing, and close quarters combat. Not only is it a good sounding bass, if the stage is rushed you can beat off the horde with it???and play it the next night after a good cleaning. This was built to last, and has???it will survive the nuclear winter and rock on. Nothing we???ve done to it has affected the finish. This was used by my long-time collaborator as a backup bass for a while, been on the road, ridden hard, and put up wet. Everything on this beast is solid. Can you depend on it? Like a faithful hound (it???s just as homely, but doesn't shed); If you can find a woman as dependable, marry her (I did). Gigged with it back in the day when I had no other bass. My half-sister gigged with an all girl punk band with it. As for durability, this should get at least an 11.

This is another ???11??????or maybe 14. Peavey support is nothing short of mind blowing. I emailed them not to long ago to figure out the year it was made from the SN, someone responded that day with the info, years of production, how many were made, and even sent me a wiring diagram for it just because he could. This is for a 30 year old instrument! Every time I???ve dealt with Peavey, they have been great.

Been playing for, almost ever. I???m a guitar player, current stable is Gibson (Les Paul, ES, Firebird), Guild acoustic (D40 cutaway), ancient Harmony acoustic, and a custom ???strat type???. My friend and long time collaborator picked Peavey in ???78 because it was more flexible than the other offerings, with some then-innovative features and because it looked like it was built to last, good value and very consistent quality. At the time both Fender and Gibson had inconsistent quality ??? we liked the idea that if anything happened to it on the road, the next one would be just as good. He still has one, and so do I. It is a very competent instrument, does what it promises. If I had to replace this one I???d probably get a Jazz Bass. The only gripe is the weight, its a back breaker, takes a big dude and/or bad *** girl to play long sets standing up.

Very much a sleeper, few people know what it is. If you see one cheap, pick it up???even if you don???t play it, you can use it to beat off hostile fans or drive nails.

"8" becasue there are better basses out there, but this is pretty darn good.

This bass is pretty heavy i admit, but its worth it...4 knobs and 2 switches, this thing is amazing...the way it looks and the way it feels...its better than my younger sisters fender...

Nice sound....when I play with an amp however, its kinda hard to hear what comes out of the amp, but i guess thats because I turn the amp down low inside the house...I enjoy popping with it, but besides that its amazing

Has a nice look to it...its pretty thick and heavy however...I don't notice any flaws, but it has some pretty awesome wood for the basses ive seen with the same design

This bass seems undestuctable. Can almost endure anything XD

Never had any dealings with C/S

I havent been playing bass for long, but my dad does and so does my younger sister...this baby has been sitting under my bed for a coupla months, so i decided to pull it out and play it...and im completely satisfied...my dad gave it to me so thats a good bit of pocket change i saved :D

I have just finally put into commission my '79 T-40. Once I finally got my hands on a schematic for the 4 knobs and two switches on this thing, I was in hog heaven. Pick a sound, any sound! I'm used to an American hot rodded P, which just has two volums and a tone knob, so this is defnitely new.

I bought this thing about two years ago on craigslist because another older bass player told me to buy one of these if I ever saw one. I paid around $250 I think. Obviously, its one of the most stylish basses ever made and mine looks perfect, but the sound was not right at all due to years of having no upkeep. I just finally got around to taking it in to a professional last week, and now I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner. He adjusted the intonation, neck, cleaned all the electronics, adjusted the pickup heighth and steel wooled the frets. OMG this thing absolutely sings now! I got it back from the shop the day of a show (one of my bands is a cover band). I brought both this and my Fender and I hate to say that my Fender didn't even make it out of its case this time. This thing makes you feel like a rockstar. It does anything except slap (and I'm pretty sure I just haven't found the setting yet.) My favorite part was the way that it sounded while playing the bass solo on "Godzilla"...past the 12th fret it gets even better! I'm a very happy boy.

The setup is great now. People, unless you're a professional at setting up your bass, let a professional do it for you. Michael at Aviator guitars in Seattle be praised for this one. I have my own profession, and it is certainly worth $65 to make my baby sound like this.

I'm a 200 pound tank, and this big heavy monster feels great. (I can't stand light basses...make me feel like a putz.) Its older than I, and the finish is every bit as good as my Fender which I bought new in 2001.

Don't know...first Peavey product I've really owned.

Sounds awesome, feels awesome....looks awesome. I actually had a couple of girls in the crowd comment on how sexy the thing was. I think they were getting a little bothered ;) I used to play my Fender exclusively, and I'm positive that it'll be 50/50 from here on out.

I've got a white, second run T-40 (with the rail-style pole pieces).
This would put it in the early to mid 80s.

His name is Popcorn.

About a 34'' scale neck, two fat passive humbuckers, original electronics, etc.

A strange phase shift. It has me confused.

The string through body seems to add some power to the bass, but it leaves standard bass strings a little short. But, this isn't so bad.

Dah da dah, check out the other reviews for real in depth details.

This bass can cover most anything.

Say I want to play some dub. I will, of course, rest my thumb on the neck. From there, I can get several different dub tones by playing with the pick up combination and tone settings, all with noticeable quirks. (A real good one is neck pickup only, tone around 5 or 6. Mmmmmm.. But, funny enough, another good one is both pickups going, both rolled all the way off. Then shove a piece of foam under the bridge. Like a bass drum.)

This bass is crazy agressive, too. With a pick, all things to ten, a very satisfying punk twang can begot by playing over the bridge pickup. With the same control settings, playing over the neck pickup gets a really nice thump-growl.

Etc etc.. All this **** is great, just playing with it will get you somewhere.

My only issue is that there is a whole lot of mid-range twang. I had been playing an Eleca jazz bass knock-off for the longest time, and was not used to this. I've since gotten used to it. (and even like it, tah-dah) So, I suppose it isn't even an issue.

Unfortunetly, it does not sound like a Rickenbacker. I don't know why this keeps popping up in these reviews, but let me just say: It doesn't sound like a Rickenbacker. At all.

After horsing around with it, I've got the thing pretty set. Peavey has this cool screw in the neck plate for (relatively) quick action adjustment.

A big issue is that I can't manage to get the action just low enough to feel real smooth, but also have it not fret buzzes too much. And, the retarded ****** rail pole pieces are slightly raised, not allowing me to really wail of the strings. I can lower the pickups, but then the power starts to decrease. This all means that it's just a balancing act. Perhaps I'll get it professionally set up.

I went with medium gauge round wounds. They feel pretty good, but by no means let Popcorn play himself. I'll go with some lighter round wounds next time.

Popcorn is pretty beat. All sorts of bumps and scrapes and ****. There is even a hefty crack by the E machine on the tuning board. But, this is to be expected from a bass from the 80s. Plus, I don't have to worry about beating it any more.

Popcorn has never failed me. It's heavy as ****, and will gladly get beat around.

Sure, the switches are scratchy, and the finish is pretty dag nasty. But that's just Popcorn's life. He's rough and tumble, and doesn't take ****. I going to give the J-bass to my girlfriend. I'm not going to insult Popcorn by doubting his potency.

Warranty is long since gone, never had to deal with Peavey.

I've been playing about three years now. As I said before, I own am Eleca jazz bass copy, which was my first. I practice through a Fender Rumble 60, and also regularly use a some sort of rig my friends got. The details escape me...

If it got stolen, I would have to ****** work again and save up. God ****** ******, if it got stolen, oh my god. I would be pissed for weeks.

I only plan on getting one other bass: A Univox Hi-Flier, as all original as possible. With these two basses, I could reach any tone I want (except a Rickenbacker.. god dammit, Rickenbacker..).

I'm not a fan of active tone, I like to scoop the mids on the equalizer, and I like me some bass wah. Stylistically, I'm all over (metal to reggae to punk to jazz to ****** disco and straight ****** music), etc.

One thing I don't get: The phase switch. It seems to only effect the bridge pickup. Pushed away, it makes the single coil mode super quiet and hollow. Humbucking, it booms about. Then, throw the neck pickup in there, and you got yourself a cluster ****.

It's great.

I feel like I payed a little much, though... It's just so beat. But, then again, this bass will last till I ****** die.

Great. The double humbucker makes for a plethera of sound possibilities. I have played and recorded with this bass on everything from funk to christmas albums, and I have always been impressed.
The case (I like to call it the "indestructo" case) is solid as a battleship. Nothing is getting through this thing.

Sounds great! I use it for all of my Wooten covers on stage. The harmonics ring for days off of the maple neck!

The action is set up to my standards, so of course I like it. It's a wood finish, no paint, and whoever had it before me (sometime before 1990)woodburned a pink panther into it. It's unique! It plays great (action) but looks bad.

This bass could fall out of a plane and still be plugged in that night. It's crazy strong. Like it was made from a solid tree.

Never had to deal with them.

Great bass. This is my only 4 string left, I sold the rest of them because this one plays and sounds the best. I also play on a curbow 6 and a pedulla 5, so all of my bass player friends think I'm crazy for keeping this one around until they play it.

1979 Peavey T-40, natural finish, maple neck, stock. This is the most unique and versatile bass ever made.

Very versatile with the 3-way switcher and Humbucker and single coil modes. With both pickups on in Humbucker mode you get a nice biting rock tone. Flip the PU selector up and turn the tone knobs up past 7 for a blues/funk tone. Flipping the selector down adds presence and treble which is nice for cutting through or when your strings start wearing out. It has a nice warm vintage tone.

The neck is very solid and smooth. It has a similar feel to my buddies vintage strat. The action can be set very low and with a nice set of stainless steel strings it has a very smooth and buttery feel. It is the easiest playing bass that I have ever played. It is very easy to bend the string like your playing guitar. It is a tank, but I don't mind because I'm a big guy. A heavily padded strap is a necessity though.

This thing is heavy duty. Nice wood, very solid hardware. The only complaint that I have is that the PU selector switch breaks easily. Pickups can slip out of adjustment too. Not a big deal though.

I've never contacted them. I don't think they could help much with a vintage instrument though. Parts can be hard to find.

This bass is a fantastic value on the used market. Built like a rock, versatile, easy playing. The thing I like the most is the feel of the neck and versatily of the 3 way switcher and Humbucker/single coil modes. The weight is an issue for a lot of people but not me. A small guy or someone with a bad back may want to consider this. I do have a permanently damaged sciatic nerve and a torn muscle in my back and I've been fine playing long sets. A nice padded strap is enough to keep me comfortable. I bought this because my USA Fender strat twisted up like a snake and I wanted something more solid. The T-40 delivers in that department and then some. I did like the sound of my Jazz a little better but the T-40 sounds nice too and it's more versatile. For the price you couldn't get a nicer bass.

i'm in love w/ the dual pickups and the two tone and volume knobs. the only down fall is the string loading through the back of the bass but a bass that has that many fancy knobs and switches has to bo worth a 10!!!

This bass has some of the best sounds i have heard the lows do not distort or anything but when you strum the lower notes on the top string will raddle a little bit toward the bottom of the neck. the treble on this bass is the best quality.

I got this bass off of my friend for a wakeboard, a mini fridge, and an acoustic gutair that i paid $30 for. but there were few flaws to it all the screws were there but a little nick on the back of the neck, and the top switch is broken off. it has the natural wood finish i think it is a 78'

I have had no problems with this gutair just the top switch i will have to touch it sometimes cause the sound will cut out but after the touch it will not quit

??

I have only been playing for 1 1/2 years now but this is the best bass i have ever seen i had a cheap drive wildfire i bought it from on of my budies. i would highly recomend buying this bass if you have the chance to buy it its genna hold up and sturdy and heavy (very heavy)

i think mine is an early to mid 80's model
-arch top
-ash wood body
-white paint job
-alder neck
-rose wood fret board
-blade style pickups

along with the normal 2 tone knobs and the 2 volume knobs
along with the phase switch and the picup switch

AMAZING!
nice treble
and deep low end

and the best part is....
when the tone knobs are at 10 the pickups are in single coil mode
but when you roll them to 7 or below they pickups go into humbucking mode HOW RAD IS THAT!

action is nice and low but not too low
the body is heavey as all hell
but i dont mind it becuase not only can i feel every vibration in the bass but it makes me feel like im playing a BASS not some 12.oz toy that looks a paint splatter

it held up this long but it got mine used from guitar center and it looks like some of the machinehead screws are missing and some one had replaced the nut with a metal nut (i dont know if they came stock with a metal nut but im guessing no) but tone wise its as solid as the day it was made
plus it feels/sounds/looks/is better then the T-20

ill give it a 9 becuase it is rock solid but im missing some part and i dont know if thats due to the prev owner or the parts falling out

havent delt with them yet but sometime soon

GREAT BASS! if you see one and you dont mind heavey basses pickup they go for pretty cheap now (200-350) and they are always on ebay
this thing will get every sound you want out of it low and deep to treble madness! and every where in the middle do your self a favor
throw away the P-bass or the J-bass and pick one of these up
(or trade. people are dumb)

1978 natural made in USA baby!!!

incredible tone and versatility. Still haven't figured out all the settings yet.

solid as a rock, heavy as a rock also.

It is perfect for a 30 year old instrument. The previous owner bought it new. He was a smoker so I need to air it out.I

I have been playing a few years. I have a Rogue Violin bass and an Ibanez R series, as well as a Rick 4003.

I believe it was made in '78, i was at an outdoor swap shop and saw my dad's friend pull out a guitar case, and as soon as he opened it, was truly love at first site, and now 8 months later, i'm still just as in love if not more as then, i'd never had a bass guitar before and when i plugged it in it was exactly what i had expected of a very high quality bass, the only problem, is that i began to think a lot of other instruments i was trying out sucked horribly because of lack of tone power or the ability to push out the low end, only to realize that the T-40 is simply a beast,

i'm still finding out how to get new sounds out of it, which seem limitless, it can sound like a top of the line new bass backed with tons of sound, to a sound like your clich?? early 80's bass with a twang to it.

from having strings been left tightened on it for about 30 years, the neck had some bend to it which raised the action, but a small truss rod adjustment made it perfect.

i am also entirely in awe of the beauty of this instrument, it may seem beastly in pictures (which believe me in real life still is) but up close it takes on a slender sleek look also, or i'm just obsessed.

hahaha....dropped this a few times, once out of the back of a car onto a driveway, once i forgot to shut the latches on my case...and down the stairs to top it, it's still beautiful as ever. the strap buttons are a wee bit small, so get a good strap, or some strap fasteners like i did because i couldn't find a good strap cheaper than 59.99

N/A

i've tried and played many basses, but i still love the sound, shape, and feel of this instrument..i believe with the right person (which isn't a hard kind of person to find) this is easily one of the best basses ever made (And you can still get them for less than 300!!!!!)

I have a 1984 T-40. Made in the usa.
4 strings, not fretless
passive loud pickups
natural finish
hard peavey case
i paid $100 for it in 1992

this bass surprises me with the different tones i can get. I don't like the fret buzz i get when everything is turned all the way up.
I have the worst amp in the world, yet we are soon recording, i'm blown away, this thing really does play itself. So many different sounds. i am getting a bow soon. i record and play live with this, my only, bass

the setup is a bit low. action seems a little odd. but it sounds great once we begin playing.
no flaws in the bass.

this bass has been moving around with me for 15 years. it has been dropped and decorated with hot glue and furry fuzzies. It has been to hell and back. and it sounds amazing. finishes are for stupid nerds. I'm never selling this bass so who cares about the finish, scratch it, paint it , whatever. strap buttons suck, get a locking strap or new buttons. never adjusted the truss rod. don't think i ever will. I need no backup. never even broken a string, yet my fingers bleed often.

never dealt with peavey. no warranty.

I've been playing for 20 years. I have a couple guitars, keyboards, processors, pa's, etc. If this bass was stolen, I would replace it with a stingray. This bass is like a pet, you never get rid of it or sell it, it will be with me my whole life.

I bought my Peavey T-40 about 30 years ago. It came with a rigid Peavey rectangular case, with a gold/brown velvet interior, it still has the pickguard protective liner, with the written functions on it.

the pickups (4 in pairs) were explained as working to create a field used in pairs as in one transmitter and one receiver. when the knobs were all at Max, all 4 pickups kicked in.

A very heavy bass, but a divine touch, and a very wide range of sounds. the only problem I have with it, is that it lacks when it comes to belt it on. if you raise the neck, while playing, hang on, it jumps out of the loops. the top peg is not in a good place.

it responds well to fingering (my style), picking (i go there once in a while) and tapping. (someone else did that on my Peavey, and i had to sit down... wow, what a surprise... it covers pretty much any range or depth or style you want to work with. I play this one on an old Traynor Bassmaster YBA-1.

never had to adjust anything on it. still going on strong. no rust, no static, still good for another 30 years, i guess

the color, wood grain, and a whiteneck to boot! since i like to take care of it, after every session. and offer to break anyone else's finfers if they touch my baby. it's still new after 30 years.

aside from the poorly placed small strap buttons (the top one, actually), never needed to use my backup. darn thing is a heavy tank, but then again... i'm big and old myself. the weight makes it sit there quite well. the only remaining thing is to let your fingers do the walking.

never needed any help. if it ain't broke... don't fix it...

I played an Ampeg shortneck fretless with a Jazz band. great trip.
played on a precision, a Jazz, and very briefly tried a Rick.

the T-40 will not match ant of these gems, but will range a lot closer to any of them than they will between themselves. This one's my baby. practice or play.

This one dates back to 1978. I bought it off of my friend who bought it at a pawn shop for $300. Natural finish. It is an original right-handed model, but 1 of the previous owners had restrung it to be a left handed version.

I play in an instrumental prog/experimental band. I bought it for the looks, but the sound blew me away. Very 70's-esque (we use lots of old equipment), so it fit the band just fine. Live, I plug into a Marshall DSL-401, which I plug into a peavey basic 112. I also use a marshall supervibe chorus and a crybaby wah pedal, along with the built-in marshall effects. It handles them all fine. The sound is dark. It sounds great when picked, slapped, and bowed. However the pots are worn and crackle a bit, and the pickups loose power when turned up all the way. It is also great for studio work

Good action. However, falls out of tune after hours of playing. The original nut was badly worn so i replaced it with a bone nut. The problem is the neck is wider than most basses, so i had to custom make one. The bridge, although massive, was grimy and dirty, along with pitted chrome.

Band practice frustrates me often, so it survives being thrown. It has marks from the previous owners, along with a couple from me. The upper part of the body is beat up pretty good (fell inside friend's jeep), but that only adds to the character. I'm not sure if these are the original strap buttons, but very solid. Never had to adjust the neck. I use 2 basses at gigs (even though it is strong, always expect the unexpected). This bass will survive a nuclear holocaust.

Had to contact about the amp. Very helpful.

I've been playing for almost 4 years (6 as a drummer). I also own a mustang bass. I'm not sure I'll need to buy another, but if this dies, i will. I love the reliability/weight. The look is what caught me, and my friend sold it to me to buy a ric. However, the peavey is so much easier to play than the ric. I use a violin bow in many songs for a creepy, murky sound, and it is very easy to bow. Wish it was a 5 string. I also own a mustang bass. I've played my friend's peavey tradition bass from about the same time period and it doesn't even compare. It is perfect for the prog stuff. I also use it to record a solo project I'm working on (indie-rock stuff) and it works just as well.

I,m not sure of the year yet-waiiting for a reply from peavey.This my second one(sold my first one out of stupidty :( )My sons found me a replacement on ebay.I loved the natural ash finish.I.m in search of a case that it fits in.I've played the first one for about 15 years on stage.The pickups are awesome sounding and lOUD!

This thing almost played itself.It was low and mellow for ballads,loud and crisp for high energy rock songs.The pickups were hot enough that i could play one handed.I've read other posts and i can say from experience that you can "slap" it with some neat effects when you put the pickups out of phase.

I bought the first one new and it was basically plug and play,didn't need adjustments.I agree that the strap pegs could have been larger,I had my strap come off while doing some dances on stage.All electronics were reliable and I never had to do a thing with them,other than play.

This this beast was played 4 to 5 nights a week at a club and on sundays on stage shows.The strap buttons never came loose,but I had to invest in a heavy leather strap with reinforced holes to hold this tank up.I never had a backup,this was the only on i had.The only thing I had to was have the neck adjusted after a clumsy stage hand dropped it about 4 ft off the stage. Other than that it was reliable instrument

I never had to deal with customer support.One of our band members owned his own music store(He's the one who adjusted the neck).
Although I do have a request for a plastic bezel for the t-40 I currently own.I am also looking for wedge shaped case that was originally made for this.

I have been playing professionaly for almost 40 years.I currently own the t-40 bass,a fender BXR 300C amp,a black dean edge(a little lighter-used for pratice),a supro double neck lap steel,a gibson skylark EH-500 single neck lap steel.If my t-40 was stolen i would be looking high and low for another one.My Dean plays well,but my T-40 is like having my best friend on stage with me.I love the feel,the action,the sound,and the dependability.The weight of the guitar also keeps other musicians from borrowing it.The only thing i wish i had was the original wedge shaped case (when you stuff the bass inside you had a lethal weapon ;> ).I hope the peavey never stops making instruments the can stand the test of time!

I'm not going to retell the obvious,you can read the others.But i'd like to tell some of the differences of old and new T-40's.i've owned 4 and am down to 1 that i will not part with. its an early model,77 i think,6 digit serial# patents applied for.natral blonde ash. with a custom polished aluminum pick gaurd, wich by the way is 100% improvement over the black one. makes it ooze class.but out of all t40's i've owned,from a new with plastic film still on pickgaurd to an old beat up one,i'm keeping the old one!!and here's why. first the pickups, the newer with the exposed pole piece,WEAK and thin!they look similar but are very different.OH! and here's a tip for you guys with the old style,play a Pick? the exposed rubber on bridge p/u tends to wear through to the magnet. buy some of that Plastic Dip paint in a can and you can refurbish/paint them,looks good and tough.old P/U are Red Rhodes designed i've heard but don't know who he is? Next the body, early ones are 3piece laminate,and flat,so the top looks more like a single piece of wood,the newer have 4-5 piece laminate so you can see the joint on top above bridge wich sucks if you love your wood grain,but the newer ones are contoured wich is nice they fit your body a little better when sitting.so somewhere they either ran out of good big pieces of wood or cheaped out like on the P/U's.and the electronix, couple of newer ones tended to hum, my old one is dead quiet,but thats only speculation,i never really took'em all apart and compared the pots at once,but the soldering is all top notch.other than that everything is basicaly identical. tuners look the same,but there are some minute differences,internals won't interchange.

? sounds like a winner to me ? it is pretty versitile,but i don't think its like having all these different basses sounds at your disposal!! it can be very bright to a creamy rich baritone,i've plugged in same time with many different bass and you CAN NOT sound exactly like a p,jazz or rick for example,it is a t-40 and it sounds like a t-40,just like those basses you can change its sound by switch p/u and adjust tone and volume BUT also go from single coil to humbucker and a phase switch,but the phase switch only operates on one p/u,bridge i think, it kinda thins it out and gives a kinda hollow sound to it. its cool enough to have cuz its already there, but i wouldn't bother adding it to a bass.but if you're a player and not a collector(they will be very collectable SOON)i opinionate(hehe;) you to rewire everything!!! basicaly to lose the single coil deal(tone adjusted below 8 turns both coils on and bass gets more dynamic and alot louder!) which they have an ingenious design,but it makes your tone control Useless!! i love humbuckers!! they are hot and hum free!! i settled for hot dynamic output,and my tone controls actually work,and install some vintage bumble bee caps!!! my tech did it for me,but i think its just a rewire ,you don't have to buy new pots,bumble bee caps are not cheap but there great!!!! tone is smoothly adjustable from 1-10,you know how some tones don't do any thing from like 7 down?? you might as well have an on off switch there!!i think push pull pots might have been a better original design,you could do that too. if you want to keep all versitility.

first things first,you Will have some degree of trial and error finding strings that are long enough to fit your T-40,particularly on the E string,with the string through body deal,you need some pretty long windings to reach the Knut,many times i've burned off the silk windings cuz they go halfway to the 1st fret,only to see the winding steps below the knut!!bass string are not cheap!!so take a tape measure with you to the store,most places will pull out the E for you so you can measure it.all t-40's have the same features since they were basicaly the first guitars in the industry to be made with CNC technology, so out with hammer and chisel and hand crafted,just put your wood in a clamp and press a button and a computerized machine hoggs it out perfectly!!!so unlike vintage Fenders where you sometimes find that bass or guitar that just feels right and plays excellent,or you got one that will never be right. all T-XX are virtually identical in every tolerance.and here is some advice to all looking to replace your t-40 neck!!!you can hope for an actuall t40 neck to pop up on ebay(i have seen them!!faily cheap too)or you can customize one!!i;ve done this 3 times and its pretty easy,t45 patriot necks will not work!! they're 21 fret you need a 20!!!so close yet so far away!!the closest with least mods is a Fender tele bass neck with a squared butt end and truss adjustment on head stock(p and jazz are rounded and must be cut square for a proper fit!!!!and that cut is trickiest!!but heres how. shim,brace,and clamp the neck SQUARE FLAT AND STRAIGHT IN EVERY MANNER in a small mitre box,cut with appropriate mitre HAND saw,slowly,let the saw do the work.cut just enough off end to barely square it,leave some material for HAND sanding,and pray you don't cut into truss rod pocket,havent yet but i know its there somewhere,unless truss rod is already exposed and you know what you can get away with, you are taking a chance!!next,the t40 neck has a bastard neck width(2-3/8 i believe)fenders are usually 2.5 to 2-7/16(prefered)tape off area not in pocket and with a sanding block sand each side equally on area that fits in pocket(use fine paper BTW)now there is some gap in stock t40 so test often for fit,basically 1/32 must be remove on each side for fit,thats not alot!!.You will have to shave a little of the plastic pick guard or sand above it for clearance as well.you want it tight but shouldn't have to force it in,and don't forget to seal bare wood with something, like some linseed oil or wipe-on polyeurethane.and finally once you get it in,gently clamp it in place and use a nail to mark new screw hole locations.this is the only time you EVER use any kind of power tool,stick a screw through the body(w/plate!) and measure hole depth,use a DRILL PRESS not a hand held(trust me)and drill holes as marked a little less than half diameter of your srews 1/8? and have some sort of depth stop(a must!!)you'll get better sustain with tighter fit and you will like the wider fretboard,plus raised string height(thicker heels(p/u don't go into the body far enough for low actions.you must have some mechanical aptitude for this, if not get help from a friend(preferably one with a mitre box and a drill press!!)Fender necks are too plentiful and most aftermarket necks are made to fit Fenders and peavey CAN NOT provide any help at all for a new/used neck.Take your time.its easy as it is hard?but it can be done. Then go have a steel knut installed and your In.

TANK TANK TANK TANK TANK TANK.but dont take a shower with it!!!I've played countless, owned too many, and seen the rest, and after the storm settled, there was one.One cherished,prized and gracefully aged customized bass.My T-40 stands alone, I don't worry myself with a backup.its heavey enough, i couldn't carry one more.Are there strap buttons not solid????screws keep coming out on buttons??Take some toothpicks,dip'em in elmers glue(optional), sick'em in screw hole and break off flush,pack a couple in there then screww button back in,good as new(better with glue,screw is removable)stays tight

there awesome for new stuff,but they can only help you with the date of manufacture and only sell the truss rod tool, other than that,you are on your own. Heck,they haven't made t-series in over 20 years!!!!any spare parts are looooong gone.

Sorry i've been so winded on off topic material!This is a great bass,and you have hours of reading here to learn all about it.Just wanted to share other info you don't see often. I know replacement necks is a huge issue,and i've found an easy(kinda) do it yourself solution, all the bass forums tell you sorry about your luck,should've bought a fender!!i think the older models are of a higher quality.but the newer ones are great too!!i play mostly rock,but the bass enjoys being slapped now and then,you just gotta find that sweet spot but it can be done.If it were stolen,the sucker better run,cuz the LoJack in the case will lead me right to him!! SOMETIMES,PRECISION JUST ISN'T ENOUGH good luck.

solid maple neck with black inlay dots to dual coil, humbucker, soapbox whatever u want to call them. new switches installed but they still need tweeking, all four knobs intact(why wouldnt they be this guitar is a tank).

this suits all types of music especially jazz, classic rock and funk. it has a rich tone that that hums beautifully. this bass can be really punchy if switch to the bridge pickup, and soft and muddy on the neck pickup. the phase switch gives it great versatility. this guitar has that rich vintage sound.

this guitar was built flawlessly and that all i have to say. eccept i bought it used from my uncles pawn shop and it has some paint missing on the back were somebody was wearing a beltbuckler(idiots who wears a belt buckle while playing?)

this guitar could with stand the apocalypse its big bulkly and reliable of course every thing made back in the day was reliable. everything is so solid on this guitar this guitar will last forever.

never had to deal with costumer service.

this bass totally kicksass i played an ibanez and an esp and they both felt like a made in china p.o.s.(but they were alot lighter than the t40 but the weight of tht t40 is what makes it so good). the neck is very fast and playable. i can eat up any stage with this guitar. i wont ever need another bass.

Stock Peavey T-40 built in the USA in 1978, two selectable-coil pickups, four knobs, two switches (one replaced). I found my T-40 to accompany my impressive T-60, and it quickly won my heart over as my favorite guitar, bar-none (I'm more of a bass player anyway :). Incredible number of tones possible with this thing, great playing neck, but just a little too heavy for some people! Personally, that's one of my favorite features, but I'm a big dude.

The sound is HUGE! I've let my buddy play it with his punk band, I've played it with a metal band, I played it with my dad's oldies band, I bought it off a guy who played it in a country band... It does it all! The pick-ups are the most MASSIVE passives in the world - this thing can, will, does, and has blown quite a few speakers out! The wide range of tones and slightly playing area make it a little more suited to the studio, but it certainly is up for a live gig, as long as you can handle it! Also, great slap sound for a passive, but can be cumbersome playing wise for above mentioned reasons. Also, volume knobs on both this and my T-60 tend to get crunchy...

My man at A-String instrument repair totally overhauled the action and pickup adjustments on it, made it super sweet to play. So I can't comment on what it would have felt like back in the day, but it plays great now! The switches, tho, do have a tendency to wear out.

How dare you question the tank! As far as violent physical abuse, this thing laughs at it. 20lbs of pure Swamp-Ash skull-crushing power (and I ain't talkin about music here). Extra long 36inch neck gives you extra power, but can make your swing a little sluggish, so make sure your hit counts! Don't be afraid to smack this flat against a bouncer's mid-area, it'll take it - trust me. Where it tends to fall flat is years of loving use and abuse to it's electrical apparati. Switches go lame, dials get crunchy, and my neck pick-up is only half-there on occasion. Not bad enough to turn me off, but something to consider. Check EVERYTHING before you buy!

Peavey's customer support just flat-out rocks. They'll send you any parts you need, usually for free, and they'll tell you anything you want to know about your guitar over e-mail. They're are the best, bar-none.

This is my favorite bass, even ahead of my sparkly-smooth Tobias and my sharp 5-String Schecter. Ages old, still in one piece (one good looking piece, too) Loudest passive pick-ups in the galaxy. Phyically, the thing is completely invinvible. The electrical hardware has a tendency to crud up, tho, but that is the only problem your likely to face. The sound is fat, punchy, and surprisingly versatile! Wide range of tones, all with that kickin bottom your need so bad! (Except for the phase-switched variety, yikes what a bite!) Definetly a nice toy for the tone-connessiour, and just a bad-ass live-axe - for the able bodied! This thing has crushed the spirits of many an honest and well-meaning player (and speaker, btw) who just hasn't had the balls to put up with the most ultimate of music-makers. My opinion? At $285 or less? This thing ROCKS!

Hey. I've got a Peavey t-40 that was my dad's and it's sat in my closet for 15+years. 1983 Black w/ Ash body. Includes hard case. Needs new strings.

I'm trying to get rid of it to fund car repairs. $250+ship

hob684@yahoo.com
Hob625 on AIM

I personally have never played it. I never learned and frankly don't have the time or patience. My roommate has played it recently and said that everything worked on it and that it sounds great.

Again.. like all the other reviews.. this thing is a TANK

This bass is exactly how it came from the factory except it has 1 small scratch on the body, frontside, just above the strings. Not noticable from 2-3 feet away.

just like everyone else's reviews..

I'm from Meridian, MS (hometown of Peavey) and I've met Hartley personally. I know a few of their repair techs and such but I've never dealt w/ them as a customer.

This T-40 looks like it's a late '70's model, but it's had plenty of abuse, so maybe not. It's a Curbside Upgrade bass snagged from the piles of debris left when the collegiate types make like lemmings in May. Two pickups, three knobs, and no frets. Barbeque brown stain swabbed on in probably a drunken frenzy.

After I pieced it back together, it sounds pretty good, can cover a wide variety of bass tones. Farts like it camped out at Taco Bell if you push it. I usually use my basses for home recording, so all they have to do is work.

The bass was pulled out of a trash can after the students left town--the poor old thing was a mess, some doofus had yanked the frets out then tried to fill the fret slots with Plastic Wood without sanding everything level, then they put a Wilkinson bridge on it, but about 1 1/2 inches too far forward. When I got it home, I just dissassembled it and tried to clean it up. Fortunately, I had an old Cort P-Bass copy lying around, so I swapped the necks, much easier than refretting the Peavey neck would have been. Now I have a fretless P-Bass and a fretted T-40, no problem. Both necks are fairly similar, so they play about the same, except one's a bit closer to being in tune.

Well, the Peavey was beat to Hell, but I brought it back to playable condition and all I bought was a set of strings, so it was built tough--it improved my opinion of Peavey guitars enough that I bought a USA Predator (used and cheap, of course). I would do some more cosmetic work on it if I were going to play out with it, but nobody sees it at home, and it's too heavy to play all night anyway. If I were going to play bass in front of people, I'd get something newer and lighter, just to save my back--oh yes, and it would have strap butttons on it too.

Never had to contact Peavey, I do all my own repairs.

I've been playing for 38 yrs. blues, rock, jazz, whatever. Doing repairs for 25yrs. and I've had lots of guitars and not many basses--now I have two, heh, heh. I like the T-40 since it doesn't automaticly sound like a P-Bass and has a little more range of tone--put a limiter on it, then straight to the board--done! Several of my guitars are of the recycled variety, and most of them work pretty well, and allow for a range of quirky things to happen that people who have to have brand-name instruments will never know. As the song says, I am resplendent in divergence.

I believe my tank is as issued in 79 or 80. Plenty of sounds at hand with nonstop fiddling. Natural burst ash body with rosewood fretboard over maple... Peavey says rare combo for that year. It's the loudest passive I've ever played.

Fat swelling wood tone. Solid lows, a little muddy at quiet volumes. Bright and rich tonal mids and highs. No tin sounds. When they tell you as a beginner to buy as much instrument as you can afford so that the sounds that provide your positive feedback are as quality as possible? I started on this bass.

It sat in a southern smoky dank pawn shop for years and then went to dry Colorado. With only new strings and some cleaning the tank fired up clear and lusty. Local luthier barely had to touch truss rod. Stays in tune through seasons.

Everybody knows the fight is fixed when you pack a T40... nothing can bring it down.

Never had an interaction with Peavey before I bought this. Forums on their website seem very helpful.

I'm new at this. Guitar player for a few years, bass for less than a year. I play a Danelectro U1 reissue, Jay Turser JT200DC (double cutaway LP knockoff), a Fender HM bass V, and a wacked out home modded chinese silent bass. I play them through my Trace Elliot 7210 bass amp. My T40 is the one I have a serious relationship with. I would buy another and don't care about the weight. I like it so much, I keep an eye out for another and would like a companion T60 guitar someday.

I purchased this guitar off ebay after 22+ years of enjoyment with my Peavey T-60 electric guitar. I didn't know Peavey made a 'companion' bass guitar to their T-60 guitar until I tripped across it in a pawnshop by accident. Unfortunately, the pawnshop overpriced their T-40 and I found a better deal on ebay. The T-40 is constructed almost identically to the T-60; ash body with a maple neck (I think...not sure as I am not an expert on this), 2 pickups, 3-way selector, 2 tone and 2 volume knobs. The body has a natural wood finish and can hide scratches, dings and dents very well. The frets are laminated - Peavey's guitars are the only guitars I've owned with gloss lamination on the frets and they are a joy to play.

I'm just starting to learn how to play the bass guitar (after playing regular electric guitar on an amateur basis on-and-off for about 22+ years) and feeling my way around. I play 60's & 70's rock songs (Beatles, Pink Floyd, Cream, a little Yes, etc.) with classic bass riffs (Money, Badge, etc.). Just like the T-60, I'm very pleasantly surprised and happy with the T-40 tonal range...very broad and fun to mess around with. I can get soft warm bass sounds or crisp, higher intonations and everything in between. It also has a deep presence that can make my apartment floor shudder (although the amp helps out a lot there, too). I don't slap yet but I understand from other reviews that the T-40 can handle it (or anything else for that matter).

The other thing I love about this guitar is the neck action - slightly thin neck that allows low and fast playing (just like the T-60). I have had a slight problem with the occasional buzzing strings, but that's probably due to my lousy playing. If I play clean, it comes out clean. The glossy laminated finish on the frets is unique and nice. The neck is solid and seems to hold all these years. However, this bass is very heavy but it you get used to it after a while.

I haven't used this for live gigging; mostly used in the privacy and comfort of my home (will remain there until I can play better). This guitar is rugged, heavy and built to last. My T-40 came with a hardshell case that can handle just about anything thrown at it. I'm considering getting strap guards as this guitar is heavy and the straps are not exactly 'held' in place.

N/A - Never had to deal with customer support which attests to the strength and durability of this guitar. Spare parts are available if you break a switch or something on the body (as I found out when I had to repair the pickup switch on my T-60....ahhh, the joys of having children).

Overall, I love this guitar. I bought this guitar to match my Peavey T-60 electric guitar and I love both of them. Terrific guitars, great sounds, great neck action and fantastic value. Pound for pound, these guitars have given me the best bang for the buck! Just like my T-60, I love my T-40 and I will never give it up until they pry it from my cold dead fingers.

I think I'm at least the third owner of this bass, so it's is understandably lacking. I don't have those two switches that everyone else seems to have, but I do have two nice holes in my pick guard...
There are four knobs, and I only know what two of them do.

It is loud, but kind of fuzzy. I think that it just has to do with the crazy people who owned it before me. It sounds way better on stage than on my little 30 watt amp, way less... gross. Muddy is the word for it. I really don't know how to manipulate the knobs too much, but I can change it to sound really awesome wherever I am, mainly with the tone knob.

I think my action is massive, way too high, but the E-string still smacks the pickups when I pluck it even moderately. Weird. But the thunking doesn't get picked up on the main speakers, just on the moniters. The G string is a little close the egde of the neck, so it slips off sometimes.

It holds up pretty well. It better, it weighs about 5,000 pounds. Ok, more like 14, but it is still really heavy. But hey, if you play it you end up a beast, like me! Trust me, I've dropped this guitar on cement, hit it with a ceiling fan - you name it. And it still sounds fine and stays in tune! The strap pegs are a little on the small side though: I've had more than my share of drops.

Well, I haven't had to use it much, but a free manual on the Peavey site really helped me figure out what some of the knobs do. It's pretty easy to understand.

Eh, I give it an 8. It's sound isn't the best, but I can blame it on it's previous owners. This is my first bass, and I've only been playing for about a year, but I love it. It is amazingly heavy, but that just makes it even better. It's a great, solid bass that is good for a beginner like me. I will never, EVER sell it, I would rather sell my Playstation 2 - and that's saying something!

@ Humbucking Pickups, 2 volume, 2 tone nobs, mute switch, Phase(i believe its called) switch. Tons of options.

The only reason i gave it a 9 is because you have to be playing at medium to high volumes to get the full effect of what this bass really sounds like, the louder it gets the better it sounds. At lower volumes the E string can be a bit muddy. But once you turn the volume up a bit this bass sounds just as good if not better than most every bass i have played, and owned. Im running through an Ampeg B2 head, and a 4 10" cab, and i have never played another bass with better sounding highs....the lows are great, but where the bass sounds best is on the mid and high notes. For the money, or 3 x the money i couldnt ask for a better bass. Not the best for slap bass...but i dont play slap so thats not a problem for me.

the only thing i have had to do since i bought it used was raise the action for the E string a bit...it had a little rattle. But other than that, and making sure i buy long enough strings everything is great. One thing...i would recomend straplocks.

I think you could drop it off a 3 story building pick it up and keep playing.....this bass is built like a tank. And as heavy as one too...but i actually prefer a heavier bass. It also has solid hardware.

Never dealt with them.

Ive only been playing bass for about 4 years now, but i have played everything from a dean, to a music man, ric, fenders, and everything in between....out of all of them this is by far the one bass i could Not part with. If it were ever stolen i would DEFINATELY replace the bass as soon as possible. Some of my favorite features other than the amazing sound, is the bulkyness and weight of the bass. I hate really small and light basses....i feel like they will break if im not careful, or if i drop them. No worries here, also the weight helps because it doesnt flop around when you move around on stage.

Read other's reviews for info on features.

Most versitle passive bass I have ever played. Loud as well. You can get any sound you want out of this bass.

The action can be adjusted, although one of my saddles is partially broken, but I still get very nice action on this bass. The controls are very smooth, with no crackeling, and the switch has no pop when changeing it. Truly more than is to be expected of a bass that sells for under $200. I love the natural finish. It makes even deep scratches unoticeable.

Peavey T-40=A tank
Enough said.

Peavey's webiste is extreemly informative and I found the manual to the T-40 on there. Very helpful indeed.

Out of all the basses I own, I only prefer my Earnie Ball music man (Cost 10x what this cost me) to this one. The T-40 is the perfect backup bass; even the perfect lead bass if you dont have the money to spend. It is so versitile, and rock solid, it is hard to reccomend anything other than this for the price range.

Typical Peavey T-40 with natural finish body and maple on maple neck. 2 humbucker pickups each with volume and tone controls and a 'phase' switch and 3 way pickup selector switch. The volume pots are designed so that at approximately the '7' position the pickups change from single coil mode to humbucker mode. Solid tuners and a massive bridge. Heavy duty composite case.

You can't imagine the wide variety of sounds you can get with those 2 humbuckers and the phase switch and the volume pots designed as they are. You can dial in just about any sound you want, especially if you have a decent amp. Who needs active?

Vintage quality design/construction. Almost flawless.

Vintage peavey quality.

You can reach them on the phone or on the web.

It is without a doubt the best bass I will ever own sound and quality wise. It evens looks real nice in the natural wood finish with the maple fretboard, but, IT'S WAY TOO HEAVY. I am in very good overall physical condition but my neck aches after a half hour standup session with this beast. I can maybe survive an hour sitting down while constantly readjusting the bass to redistribute the weight on different areas of my shoulder. Heavier is better may have been the way to go in the 50's and 60's, but it just ain't necesary to get the sounds desired from a quality bass guitar. I didn't want to ruin this beautiful vintage instrument so I sold it and got a Peavey Fury and a Peavey Milestone II to replace it.