Peavey Firenza

I am following up on my review below. I've done ALL the upgrades; Jon Moore (tonefordays.com) p-90s and swapped out the Chinese made tone/ vol pots and switches for CTS, Vitamin Q and Bumblebee capacitors, coming up with a wiring scheme to resemble more of a 50's style. This thing NOW gets wolly and Womanly!

What's surprising... a LOT of people (player friends of mine) are gravitating to this guitar! I've got a very sexy, all black ESP NTB and a U.S. Masters Vector Artist... and they are grovin' on this Peavey.

It's a very PLAYABLE guitar! It's well made overall (body/neck/tuners/bridge) and worth the stretch to customize.

Now, the "sound category" is more of a review for the J. Moore P-90s and they are truly fantastic. Jon fully admits that he has the Lollar book and watched the Lindy Fralin tapes from StewMac and that's how he started to wind pickups.

You can get him on the phone or email him (tonefordays.com) and talk about what you are looking for. Talk about the guitar it's going into. Talk about your playing and what you listen to... and then he winds.

These are OVERwound AlNiCo V (11,000) in the bridge and OVERwound AlNiCo IV (10,000) in the neck. Really good balance to them.

With the complete rewire, these pickups and the tones are terrific. Very squawky ... Strats "quack"... this squawks, and I LIKE IT! it's almost like a perfect set of tele pickups that eat too many twinkies... there is a certain fatness to the tone of these pickups.

And again, the mahogany body w/ the maple neck lends a certain brightness to the overall tone. Good resonance throughout w/ the deeply mounted bridge (can't do an overwrap on the stop-tailpiece though)

This is MY customizations on the guitar and I'd better be pleased with how it turned out! These guitars really show promise of being really nice players and you do owe it to yourself to get one and customize it to what you like.

When I got it (used) the action wasn't so hot and it needed tweaking fo' sho'.

Now, it holds tune, action is great and the neck is easy to play. Had the frets polished and all, so a bit of work has gone into it.

Yes, you can use this.

While not a "lightweight" guitar, it's not THAT heavy either. Replaced the strap buttons with something wider to ensure that the strap won't slip away easily.

Finish seems ok. it's a polyurethane so more than likely will last.

Peavey's are veritable tanks. I think the durability came from playing gigs in the back swamps of Mississippi and having to block bottles of beer hurled at you while playing in a redneck biker bar.

never have called them

You know, I really do dig this guitar. In my life I never thought to own a Peavey except for the odd Peavey Backstage I used to own.

And I'm interested in owning another Peavey guitar now. Another model. These late 90's/ early 2000 guitars... they really stepped up the quality much beyond what anyone would really ever expect. Also, their Strat and Tele knock-offs (USA made) are also rather good too.

They are a fantastic deal when you find them and are MUCH better quality than any Korean or Chinese or Indonesian or India made guitar.

I AM guilty of not giving Peavey a chance when they were making these rather affordable guitars NEW... but they DID really CHEAP OUT on the electronics in some instances, like this model. I know about the formulas of... save a penny here, a dime there (20k units x.10= $2000 saved...)

But, I think people would have been willing to pay an additional $25.00 a guitar for ENTIRELY made in the USA components that sound great off the rack.

C'mon, a P-90 is one of the EASIEST pickups to actually make. And they used Gotoh? ROC Pots? Really?

American made Peavey Firenza P-90 guitar with a SG Red gloss paint job. Body is a hybrid of a 3 piece solid mahogany (slab) Les Paul Junior, Stratocaster and a Telecaster with a maple/ rosewood "Wolfgang" style neck (15" radius, satin/ raw feel finish, straight string pull and a slight pitch back), 25" scale. Medium frets and a slightly pitched back headstock.

Gotoh made stop tail piece that is set into the body to max the sustain. Seems to be of good quality.

Japanese/ Gotoh P-90 pickups (bridge pickup is weak, neck pickup is nice), One Volume, One Tone with a Three Way LP style switch. Non locking mini tuners, good quality.

Play some Metal, but mostly White Boy Blues and some Jazz. The neck and middle setting on this guitar is near perfect for those applications.

The neck pickup has better tone and balance (and is louder) than the bridge pickup.

P-90s are fatter single coil pickups and are great for blues and jazz applications. Takes to some pushing of overdrive as well (Ramones, Green Day...). My amp is a 10w Single end Class A Magnatone Varsity from the 50's. A Champ style amp for about 1/8th the cost of a real 50's Champ Amp.

The stock pickups are OK... the bridge isn't good at all and the neck is pretty nice. I'm going to replacing ALL of the guts of the guitar with better quality pots, Vitamin Q oil filled capacitors and tonefordays.com P-90 pickups.

Acoustically, the guitar sounds quite good with naturally good sustain. She has real possibilities to be a really killer guitar.

I find the neck to be very comfortable to play, generally liking a slightly beefier neck profile and a flatter radius on the board. Nut could be cut a bit better to set a lower action. After re-wiring the guitar, I'm going to have the neck worked on, including having the nut re-cut.

I bought it used... so I'm still working on the action, but not too much since I'm waiting for my custom wound P-90's and the other electronics. Then I'll be tweaking it to my taste.

Fret job seems to be quite good actually, may need a polish, but intonation is just fine and neck plays smoothly.

Peavey guitars are truly utilitarian/ workingman's instruments. They generally aren't that elegant and this one is no exception.

But this does have something that DOES appeal to me.

I would prefer if it did take another page further from the Strat School of Design and it did have an upper arm bout cut and a belly cut.

Finish seems durable. I doubt I'd invest in a re-finish, bought the guitar for $260.00, including shipping.

The hardware seems to be of good quality and the strap buttons are solid.

This is a good choice of a guitar for someone who is looking for a solid backup guitar that has the tones a P-90 equipped guitar can offer.

Never dealt with them. Since I bought it used... doubtful they would be of any real help.

I've been playing off and on since I was 15... so about 22yrs. I mostly get "mutt" guitars like this one; fix them up, get sick of it and sell it off, then get another one.

My MAIN axe is a Neck-thru-Body ESP Horizon (another eBay special for CHEAP) and that one I won't get sick of.

I do like this Peavey. Many of the 1990's Peavey's are quite under-rated/ valued guitars. They really did step up their quality and build for a period there, but have always made a solid quality instrument that have served students and working musicians for years.

For about 6 years, I've actually always wanted one of these Firenzas because I like the neck and like the tone of P-90's in a mahogany body. Pairing it up with a maple neck does lend a bit more of a "spank" to the mellowed mahogany tone, which is why someone like Zakk Wylde has his signature models with a maple neck.

What this is not is an elegant guitar, but it's really good for playing dirty blues and bashing out some Punk rhythms. The neck is "meaty" in some peoples opinion... my hands tend to like a neck that can grab at some meatiness.

Since you can get these for under $300.00, they are worth checking out and doing some customizing on. tonefordays.com can and will wind you a set of P-90s for about $140.00 including shipping. A pair of CTS pots are about $15.00 and a new switch is $10.00. The Vitamin Q Cap is $6.00.

My overall for this guitar is a 7. With a bit of work and some upgrades... she could be a SOLID 9. My ESP, as it is... is a solid 9, going to do another customization on it for it to be a 10...

Final opinion... if you are looking for an inexpensive guitar where you do want some Junior meets Telecaster qualities, then this is a really fun and inexpensive choice to make. You can find near-new examples (like this one is) on eBay for under $300 including the shipping and either a case or a gig bag.

Hey, there were PRIMARILY USA made guitars... imported hardware, so improvements do need to be made. But well quarter-sawn rock maple necks, thick slab of rosewood to mellow out the tone and a nicely sawn slab body, which could use a bit more contouring.

Can certainly tell where they applied the designs of the Wolfgang/ EVH model, including the Music-Man style spoke trussrod. The 25" scale has nice tension to it... so it's almost a poor man's PRS.

Nice wood, functional electronics. Could use another set of volume and tone controls, but really doesn't need to. Decent stock P90s. Nice finish, impressive workmanship.

I bought it off ebay and bought a set of Lollar pick-ups to mount in it prior to delivery. I was somewhat disappointed that the stock P90s sounded pretty damned good, none of the unbalanced string-to-string output referenced in other reviews. Nice punch and scorching, edgy tone. Sounded decent clean, but I bought the thing to have scorching lead tone and it delivered. After installing the Lollars the tone was even better but the single-coil hum was also much louder. I'm sticking with the Lollars until I get a vintage Gibson at a yard sale to pop them into.
This guitar has P90 pick-ups. Do not expect humbucking noise levels. Do expect screaming lead supremacy.

Very tight action, perfectly intoned. Nice finish. Decent tuners. Low-cost pots and hardware. The cavity cover bowed out on its flat edge after re-installation. I'll add a screw to fix that. It has Les Paul-style bridge and stopbar, nicely nestled in routes. Overall, I'm very impressed with the workmanship, materials, and tight tolerances.

Should be bullet proof. Pots will probably start crackling and failing before too long, but no biggie. It has a rock maple neck, so it could double as a battering ram and probably stay in tune.

If I ever call any manufacturer, kill me.

I was going to buy a Collings 290 for two grand and decided to save $1500 and get this guitar and some Lollars. I've played Peaveys before and was unimpressed except for the Wolfgang models which are well built, comfortable to play, and sound great. This guitar is like the Wolfgang in that respect. I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a P90-equipped axe. Much higher quality than the various low-cost imports which are now flooding the market. A definite bargain for American-made quality.

Make - 2000 Peavey Firenza, Made in Mississippi, USA.
Neck - Hardrock Maple, Rosewood board, 22 frets, 25 scale, Telecaster neck profile.
Body - Mahogany, Shape is a cross between a Longhorn Strat and a Wolfgang.
Color - Tobacco Sunburst.
Pup's - 2 x P-90's.
Controls - 1 Vol, 1 Tone, 3 Position Toggle.
Bridge - Gotoh TOM.
Tuners - Gotoh.

The sound is what I was expecting - pure P-90. The best way to describe it is somewhere between a Gibby 490 Humbucker and a Strat Single coil. The pick ups, overall are pretty noisy - but - they do cancel if you switch to the middle on position. There isn't much of a sound difference between the neck pick up and the bridge pick up on mine for some reason. I have noticed the lead 'pup is a little louder, but also much noisyier than the rythem. It does sound good and bluesy though. I currently play through a Laney TFX300 with an extention cabinet - all loaded with Eminence Modeling 12s. I have a Boss Blues Driver, a Digitech Hotrod and a Dunlap Wah.

When I received the guitar, the action was spot on and it has remained that way since. The strings are able to sit very low with no buzzing. I wouldn't call this guitar a "Lead" model by any stretch of the imagination. I may be used to the Ultra Fastneck on my SG but, the neck on this Firenza is as fat as a Luisville Slugger and the playabilty is as slow as grass growing. I would rate it about as good as any Telecaster. It would make a great rythem guitar in a rock and roll or country band or a pretty good slide rig if you raised the action a little.

As was said before the pup's are noisy and I have run into the same "quiet" E string problems as others who have reviewed this guitar.

This Firenza does have some flaws. I recieved it and it has 2 small "Strat" cracks on either side of the neck pocket. They are pretty much cosmetic, probably from a side slide to the floor at some point in its former life. There is also a factory finish flaw on the back of the neck where it seems the finish was applied a bit too lightly and has worn away, leaving a slightly sticky slow spot.

As a whole, with the exception of the finish issue, the guitar is well put together.

One thing to note about Peavey's in general - they are build like tanks and are about as heavey as one. This Firenza is no exception. It is without a doubt, the heaviest solid 6-string guitar I have ever played. As I have said before, the guitar is well made and I would say very reliable. The body finish is very thick and even though this one is 6 years old, I cant find a single dimple, scratch or ding on the body. The hardware appears to be well made and fully functional

Others have said they have had good luck from Peavey as far as support goes - but, I'm sorry to say that I have not. I e-mailed them several times about how to read the serial numbers so I could confirm the year and sadly, I recieved no reply. I ended up having to research it myself, which isn't a big deal, but it left me wondering about if I had a real problem with the guitar, would they help me.

I bought this guitar via an online auction for pennies because I wanted to try something with P-90's in it. I'm generally a Gibson man and was looking for a Les Paul Jr. - but I saw this Peavey, found out it was made in the USA (Thank You Harmony Central) and best of all, couldn't believe the rediculasly low bid price.

Loves - The bodies finish and coloring are gorgeous, well made and very solid.
Hates - Heavy!, neck pocket may be a weak spot, neck finish is light, no body relief cut.
Wishes - Lighter and a body relief on the bass side.

If it was stolen, I would probably replace it with a Les Paul Special or Jr.

I always liked the stock pickups on the two Firenzas that I've had, but have found that, for some reason, the high E has very little output. I've ended up changing the pickups (DiMarzio Virtual P-90 in the neck; DiMarzio DLX NECK [production version of Yamaha Q-100] in the bridge). This guitar now SCREAMS, has become the perfect barroom rock'n'roll lead instrument, and the sound finally lives up to the playability it always had. If you can find one of these cheap enough, consider the pickup swap right off the bat. I've also put in a 1 megohm volume pot with a 'treble bleed' capacitor--makes the Firenza into the biggest, baddest Tele on the block.

I'm a fan of these guitars and it seems there is some confusion about the different Firenza models that Peavey has released over the years. As of this writing, there have been a total of five (5) different versions of the Firenza.

All five Firenza versions were designed by Jim Decola, currently Master Luthier for the Fender Custom Shop in Nashville. Other Peavey guitars designed by Jim Decola include the Generation Series, the Wolfgang, and the Limited, to name a few.

All Peavey Firenza's utilize a 25" scale length maple neck, with a 15" radius rosewood fingerboard, and 22 medium jumbo frets.

Here is a rundown of the different Peavey Firenza guitars, and how you can tell them apart:

Impact Firenza: The Impact Series, unlike later versions of the Firenza, are easily identified by their plastic pickguard and 6 inline Schaller tuners. The Impact Firenza was the first Peavey guitar to carry the Firenza model name. Offset Strat shape body made of poplar, high quality alnico pickups in a fat-strat configuration (H/S/S) with one volume and a single tone knob. Gotoh Powerbend tremolo system. Made in Meridian Mississippi USA between 1994-1996, MSRP for the Impact Firenza was $599.

Impact Firenza AX: The AX designation is used by Peavey for their deluxe models. The Impact Firenza AX is virtually identical to the regular Impact Firenza, but it came standard with locking tuners (also by Schaller), and had an ash body option. It is unclear how many Impact Firenza AX models shipped with ash bodies and how many had poplar bodies, but if it's heavy, it's ash. Made in Meridian Mississippi USA between 1994-1996, MSRP for the Impact Firenza AX was $699.

Firenza (aka "Soapbar" Firenza): Probably the most popular Firenza ever built. Offset Strat shape body in solid mahogany. Appearance is kind of a cross between an Impact Firenza, a Wolfgang, and a Les Paul Special or a PRS McCarty. Two Gotoh "KMS Old" alnico soapbar pickups on a 3-way switch with one volume and one tone. Pickups are mounted directly to the guitar body, i.e., no pickguard. Gotoh tun-o-matic style bridge set into the body ala the Wolfgang, and 3-on-a-side Schaller tuners, also similar to the Wolfgang. Unlike the Impact series Firenzas, which were made in Meridian, the later model Firenzas were all made at Peavey's now legendary Leakesville plant. All of the Leakesville Firenzas feature three-on-a-side tuning machines, and Peavey's patented "torsion wheel" that adjusts the truss rod at the base of the neck, the same as the Wolfgang. An interesting bit of trivia about the Leakesville Firenzas is that none of them are stamped "Made in USA". Since the soapbar pickups and all of the bridges were sourced in Japan, it is a common misperception that the entire guitar was made in Japan. In fact, all of the later model Firenzas were made in Leakesville Mississippi, USA, between 1998 and 2002. MSRP for the "Soapbar" Firenza was $699.

Firenza AX: The Firenza AX is kind of a cross between an Impact Firenza AX and a Wolfgang. 3-on-a-side Schaller locking tuners, and two high-output alnico humbucking pickups on a 5-way switch which allows for a wide variety of tonal possibilities. Pickups are mounted directly to the guitar body, i.e., no pickguard. All Firenza AX bodies are made of solid ash. Gotoh Powerbend tremolo. Made in Leakesville Mississippi USA between 1998-2002, MSRP for the Firenza AX was $899.

Firenza JX: The least expensive of the Leakesville Firenzas, but still a performance quality instrument suitable for professionals and entry-level players alike. 3-on-a side Schaller tuners, offset Strat shape body made of basswood, high quality ceramic pickups in a fat-strat configuration (H/S/S) on a 5-way switch with one volume and a single tone knob. Pickups are mounted directly to the guitar body, i.e., no pickguard. String-through-body Gotoh stoptail bridge usually associated with custom Telecaster-type guitars. The geniu

This is not a review. I’m a fan of these guitars and it seems there is some confusion about the different Firenza models that Peavey has released over the years. As of this writing, there have been a total of five (5) different versions of the Firenza.

All five Firenza versions were designed by Jim Decola, currently Master Luthier for the Fender Custom Shop in Nashville. Other Peavey guitars designed by Jim Decola include the Generation Series, the Wolfgang, and the Limited, to name a few.

All Peavey Firenza's utilize a 25" scale length maple neck, with a 15" radius rosewood fingerboard, and 22 medium jumbo frets.

Here is a rundown of the different Peavey Firenza guitars, and how you can tell them apart:

<b><u>Impact Firenza</b></u>: The Impact Series, unlike later versions of the Firenza, are easily identified by their plastic pickguard and 6 inline Schaller tuners. The Impact Firenza was the first Peavey guitar to carry the Firenza model name. Offset Strat shape body made of poplar, high quality alnico pickups in a fat-strat configuration (H/S/S) with one volume and a single tone knob; Gotoh Powerbend tremolo system. Made in Meridian Mississippi USA between 1994-1996, MSRP for the Impact Firenza was $599.

<b><u>Impact Firenza AX</b></u>: The AX designation is used by Peavey for their deluxe models. The Impact Firenza AX is virtually identical to the regular Impact Firenza, but it came standard with locking tuners (also by Schaller), and had an ash body option. It is unclear how many Impact Firenza AX models shipped with ash bodies and how many had poplar bodies, but if it&#8217;s heavy, it&#8217;s ash. Made in Meridian Mississippi USA between 1994-1996, MSRP for the Impact Firenza AX was $699.

<b><u>Firenza (aka &#8220;Soapbar&#8221; Firenza)</b></u>: Probably the most popular Firenza ever built. Offset Strat shape body in solid mahogany. Appearance is kind of a cross between an Impact Firenza, a Wolfgang, and a Les Paul Special or a PRS McCarty. Two Gotoh "KMS Old" alnico soapbar pickups on a 3-way switch with one volume and one tone. Pickups are mounted directly to the guitar body, i.e., no pickguard. Gotoh tun-o-matic style bridge set into the body ala the Wolfgang, and 3-on-a-side Schaller tuners, also similar to the Wolfgang. Unlike the Impact series Firenzas, which were made in Meridian, the later model Firenzas were all made at Peavey&#8217;s now legendary Leakesville plant. All of the Leakesville Firenzas feature three-on-a-side tuning machines, and Peavey's patented "torsion wheel" that adjusts the truss rod at the base of the neck, the same as the Wolfgang. An interesting bit of trivia about the Leakesville Firenzas is that none of them are stamped &#8220;Made in USA&#8221;. Since the soapbar pickups and all of the bridges were sourced in Japan, it is a common misperception that the entire guitar was made in Japan. In fact, all of the later model Firenzas were made in Leakesville Mississippi, USA, between 1998 and 2002. MSRP for the &#8220;Soapbar&#8221; Firenza was $699.

<b><u>Firenza AX</b></u>: The Firenza AX is kind of a cross between an Impact Firenza AX and a Wolfgang. 3-on-a-side Schaller locking tuners, and two high-output alnico humbucking pickups on a 5-way switch which allows for a wide variety of tonal possibilities. Pickups are mounted directly to the guitar body, i.e., no pickguard. All Firenza AX bodies are made of solid ash. Gotoh Powerbend tremolo. Made in Leakesville Mississippi USA between 1998-2002, MSRP for the Firenza AX was $899.

<b><u>Firenza JX</b></u>: The least expensive of the Leakesville Firenzas, but still a performance quality instrument suitable for professionals and entry-level players alike. 3-on-a side Schaller tuners, offset Strat shape body made of basswood, high quality cera

i would give this guitar a nine because even though it is mahogany with 2 singles and a dimebucker pickup it did not come with anything

all that i can say is that this is one of the best guitars that i have ever heard ranging from blues to hard rock on a peavey supreame amp this guitar is great. it sounds great with stairway to heaven

i got this guitar which they no longer make at a little store called live music after they had it for 8 years and it is in exellent condition

this guitar is extreamly solid i have had it for over half a year and there is'nt a scratch on it including one time i accidently put a hole in the wall with its headstock i got in major trouble with my family but not a scratch on the guitar

i did not talk to the peavey company but the store i got this at was extreamly helpful and told me what it was mainly used for.

i have been playing for over 3 years and i have 1 other guitar an acoustic ibanez G7. if this guitar was stolen i dont know what i would do because i have never seen another solid black one. i love how this guitar sounds and my favorite feature is probably the dimebucker pickup. i was going to get a fender strat from guitar center because this was 1000 dollars but this was way better and it went almost 75% off. i also like that the input jack is on the side so it doesnt hit your hand when you play.

made in 2001-in USA--22 tall vintage frets--mahogany body--volume/tone control wired to a 3 way switch--p90 pickups by gotoh--trans red finish with a satin finish maple neck and rosewood fretboard--TOM bridge and stop tailpiece by gotoh along with gotoh tuning heads--i would describe the body shape as an 'elongated strat'coalescing with the 'slabness' of a tele--

also has a tusq nut(factory equipped)--very nice touch and if installed aftermarket, it would be around $40-50--straight string pull(ingenious)--small headstock(another great idea)--15" radius(it is the 21st century finally!!!!)---

this is a rather interesting hybrid of a guitar--even though p90 pickups are associated with blues/rock music, the first jazz guitars used by charlie christian and others were p90 equipped--which leads me to think that the history of jazz guitar must definitely be related to this sound--the pickups are noisy when overdriven, but no more than a typical single coil--the quality of the pickups is quite impressive-- a warm and transparent jazz sound in the neck, a great tele sound in the middle, and a very present lead sound in the bridge--i think more and more that the p90 is the closest thing to a 'perfect' pickup--

i have compared this one to $1200--$1500 ernie balls and $2500 tom andersons and quite frankly, it is every inch to these in fit and finish--a remarkable construction--there is not one flaw anywhere on this instrument--perfect---

the boutique instruments on the market have nothing on this one--its too bad peavey discontinued it--probably because enough people didn't really see this guitar for what it is--my only comment has to do with the 'noise factor' from the pickups--and in all probability, i will change them to hum-cancelling p90's, as i play out a lot and also record frequently--

Made in USA with a slab mahogany body, bolt on maple/rosewood neck, and 3 to a side tuners on small wolfgang style peg head. Body is sort of a PRS double cut style with a longer upper horn. Pups are 2 P-90's with single tone and single volumn knob 3 way selector switch. Stop tailpiece with an adjustable bridge. Mine has a very nice red wine transparent finish.The fret board is very flat 15" radius and has a bone nut. There is a unique neck adjustment wheel at the base of the neck. A very basic guitar that grows on you as you play it. Simplicity is a good thing.

I bought this because I wanted something with P-90's to try. These things are super and are very vintage sounding. They play well clean and then get down and gritty as you add the gain. A very good vintage rock sound. These are actually pretty quite unless you sit on top of you amp then you can get some hum.

The flat radius takes abit of getting use to. When I bought it the previous owner had 8's on it. I immediately replaced with 9 GHS boomers and it was a big improvement. I have really gotten to like the action and feel of the neck. The fit and finish are excellent and the hardware seems excellent fretwork is well done . Again it is a pretty simple guitar but the execution is super. I would no be afraid to take this guitar on any sort of gig .

Like I said simple with good quality hardware and electronics. Solid slab body. I would expect this thing to last and last unless you are extremely hard on your stuff and then I can't think of a guitar that I think might out last it.

No contact so I don't have an opinion.

I've been at it about 5 years now . I have a strat and a hwy 1 tele . This guitar is finished well and a rock solid guitar. When you handle it you can just see that it is a well made piece of gear. It is quite different in feel than my Fenders and the body would look better cosmetically if the upper and lower horn were more balanced in size. But once you get use to it you are hooked. It is a lot of fun to play and sounds super. I would really hate to lose this guitar. It is clearly the equivalent of the gibson slab body juniors and Les Pauls I've seen and costs just a fraction.

Mahogany body, two P-90 pickups, one volume, one tone, three way switch, tune-o-matic with stop tail piece. 4 bolt neck with micro-tilt adjustment. Rosewood neck with what seems like 12" radius and medium jumbo frets. Compact ( read smallish ) headstock with enclosed tuning gears.

I play blues, worship, country, jazz...whatever floats the ol' boat at the moment. I use a variety of tube and solid state amps, various emulation devices along with overdrive, delay, fuzz and assorted other noise makers.

This little guitar really has surpassed my expectations. I got it for cheap as the store had it for 3 or so years and wanted to blow it out. Since I had been jonzen after a P-90 equipped guitar, I was ahppy to take it off their hands. It had been years since I last had a P-90 equipped guitar and when the opportunity to get one for less than the price of an effects pedal, I had to jump. Glad I did. While it will never replace my #1, I could see myself playing and being happy with this guitar if it was the only one I had. The elongated strat body style is not my favorite, but that has nothing to do with the stellar tone this thing puts out. I bought it without plugging it in as it played so well and felt good. My thinking was I would upgrade the pickups at first opportunity to some Lollars. While I still may do that, the stock P-90's suprised the crap out of me! They sound darn good. I'll keep it as is till a nice used set comes along cheap, then upgrade. The Peavey Firenza is an excellent example of not having to spend stupid bucks to get a nice sounding, nice playing guitar. One of the P-90's is reverse wound, so it's hum cancelling in the middle position. It's not real noisy anyway on single pickup settings.

Action, fit and finish are very nice. As good as any out there for this range of guitar. It's basic, but that's fine with me.

As far as reliability, the Firenza reminds me of a telecaster in the way it's put together. As such, I do believe it would take a licking and keep on ticking. I'm lucky to have many fine guitars to choose from when I play out. I'm lazy and have a bad back, so I rarely take a backup guitar....and for many years I had only one guitar, so I had no backup! With that, this would be a fine guitar for many different types of gig. From blues to top 40 to rock to country. The tone control is not very well voiced, so it would need a bit of attention to do a jazz gig. Since I gig so infrequently, I won't worry about it. Must be getting a bit less anal in my old age.

In 30 years and many, many,many,many....MANY guitars, amps, pedals, etc., I have never had to use customer support. I take good care of my gear. I've been lucky enough to be able to do my own set-up and repair work if any thing went wrong.

All I can say is this" If you find one for 2 bills or so, buy it. You won't regret it. Think of it as another color in the crayola box. Since I do some recording, having P-90 tones availabe is refreshing from the usual single coil / bucker tones that are so prevelant today.

NOS Peavey Firenza U.S. Made frets Mahogany body Maple neck, Rosewood board, p-90's. One Vol one Tone Three Way switch. Very basic. Nice cream finish.

This little guitar sounds superb! Nice and ballsy like a p-90 equipped guitar should sound. Wide range of sounds using the tone knob. AC DC, ZZ Top, Govt Mule, Neil Young, and everything blues lives in this guitar. Can even sound Jazzy clean.

This is my first Peavey Guitar. Never wanted one due to the fact that from 12 years old to 18 years all the amps I owned were the god awful Peavey solid state (Backstage, Bandit, Special 120, Renown). Hey dude I know you had one too.....wink......(still keep one hidden in the garage to run the ol POD through don't ya) It'll be our little secret. ahem I digress....compared to my few guitars this thing is built very very well. As good or better than my Fender 82 us strat, Gibson Les Paul JR 59 reissue, Fender US tele, Carvin DC-127. Carvin Bolt. None of these guitars are museum pieces just honest wokingman players. The Peavey Firenza is actually more solid than either Fender and just as solid as the Carvin Bolt. The neck on the peavey is kick ass! Nicely rounded, great frets!

I depend on this guitar in my darkest hour. There I was awake at 2:46 A/M........out of cigarettes......... staring into the black. The wife would never forgive me for going out at that hour for smokes. So fellas I grabbed my durable and reliable Peavey Firenza and sans amp proceeded to play perhaps the greatest solo never heard!!! Through my feverish nicotine deprived fingers erupted cresendo after cresendo of testosterone laced .........well actually I wanked around as usual never straying too far from my reliable lil buddy ....the 5 tone pentatonic scale. However the guitar did not let me down in any way!!!!!

Never delt with them.

Ladies and gents this guitar is an AMAZING value. Super duper guitar. As well made as any I have (mere mortal) owned. Go get one if you can find one. Sounds great feels great and very solid.

Pretty simple , master volume, master tone three way selector for two p-90 pickups. stop tail piece, bolt on neck. US made. I've had many guitars with lots of switches, its nice sometimes to just have just a couple of nice choices. I do wish it had two volumes and two tones, but I only use one sound at a time anyway.

Wow. I have never played a guitar with p-90 type pickups, so I didn'yt know what to expect. In the lead position with the tone up it is bright, detailed and punchy. a little single coil hum but that is to be expected. Nice tone with the tone knb rolled off, useable. Neck is nice too, especially with the tone rolled off. where this guitar shines is the rarely used middle position. Very nice and with the tone rolled off it nails the quacking tone that ted nugent got on the lead of "stranglehold". It almost sounds like you're running through a filter or a wah. I have never gotten that sound before, it was a very pleasant surprise. bends are especially nice.

This is not a top of the line type guitar. I personally think its very beautiful. It has a two piece cherry stained body, a solid maple neck with a little bit of tiger stripe. It is a simple slab, no binding. It listed for $699.99 which for an american guitar is quite normal. I bought it used for much, much less. $250 to $300 used is normal and at that price level its a deal.

I have made a habit of buying discontinued top of the line peaveys for very little money. I own a Torino gold top, a Milano, a Horizon II (one of the best all around sounding guitars, even though it looks like a strat made by a russian army committee)a Generation s-3 (killer, killer lead sound)and a PAF t-60, not to mention a t-27 and a predator ax. The total cost to me for ALL of these including 5 hard shell cases and of course my new Firenza is only $1300. THey are all quite reliable.

hey it's peavey, one of the best helpful websites there is.

I love it, its different, its a keeper, find one.

1999 USA
22 frets
Solid body
Volume, tone controls, 3 - way switch
2 humbuckers (not sure what type)
Passive electronics
Alder body (I think), maple neck, rosewood fretboard
Sparkle red
Strat style body
Tune-o-matic style bridge
Gotoh tuners
Thin neck 25" scale

I play various styles of music rock, blues, country, old time
through a Peavey Express 112 amp and find it quiet. With a bit of patience I can get hte sounds I need.

Since I bought the guitar used I don't know how the factory settings were. When I got the guitar I had to set the intonation and string height and radius. The adjustments were fairly easy to achieve to my liking.

The guitar seems to be made fairly durable and I can't complain about the price I paid for it. I still prefer the sound of my 92' tele for the country music but I think the Firenza would do in a pinch.

I've been playing for 10 yrs. and also have a 92' Fender tele, 94'G&L Strat, 85' Aria Pro II CS-350 and a Tokia Hardpuncher bass.

Mohogany body, 2 soapbar pickups and 22 frets. The body resembles a strat but in no way can be mistaken for a copy. Nice simple finish, not flashy but conservitive. tune o matic bridge, non locking tuners. simple and tough. Not many extras, but what it does have is solid.

Good blues rock guitar. Soapbars are a good middle ground between a strat and a lespaul. Soapbars even and smooth, with usual noise. Excelent middle switch sound.

The Firenza played and sounded great right from the store. I have yet to make any adustments.

Tough guitar, the workhorse of my fleet. I have An Ibanez, and a hand built electric, I have had gibson SGs and Strats.

NA

I Have been playing for 20+ years, and have owned over 15 different guitars. The Firenza is in my top 3 ever. I bought it because I wanted a guitar with soapbar pickups, and the price was right. If you are not bound by brands, and like simplicity, pick one up. I do not think that you will regret it. MADE IN THEU.S.A.

I have two of these. One sunburst made in, I believe, 2000, and a green one made in ought-one. These are both mahogany with maple bolt-on neck, rosewood board. Pickups are P-90 style with 3-way switch, 1 volume, 1 tone control. 22 frets, 25" (PRS) scale. Sealed Gotoh tuners, recessed tune-o-matic style bridge with stop-tailpiece. For all purposes, these must have been designed to be a slightly fatter Tele-type instrument.

I play classic rock / blues / variety. It basically does everything I ask of it and nails Tele and Les Paul JR. type stuff. Using it with Carvin Nomad tube combo and EH Memory Man delay.

I've added a 'treble bleed' cap to the volume control on both guitars, which helps the Tele comparison. I've noted a review where the middle switch position is called unusable. Beware! ONE of my two Firenzas had the pickups accidentally wired out-of-phase FROM THE FACTORY. More of these may have slipped through. The pickups should be in-phase for best sound. They do have reverse-wind, reverse polarity so the middle position IS hum-cancelling. Some noise from either pickup used alone, esp. at high-gain. With the added cap, I'm delighted with the sound.

One problem which I believe I've fixed: BOTH guitars had low output from the high-E string. Lowering the B and G polepieces and adding more foam under the treble side of the pickups seems to help.

These guitars were built absolutely wonderfully! A pity that they never seem to have captured the public's fancy. Low sales killed off a wonderful instrument here. Beware: there are still a lot of Firenza AX's out there (ash body, humbuckers, non-locking trem). I don't think these more-expensive variants are anywhere near as useful as the mid-line Firenza. The cheaper Firenza JX (basswood, fixed bridge, hum-single-single) is a nice poor-man's Strat.

I would, and have, many times, taken just ONE of the two Firenzas to a gig with no backup and without fear. Finish and hardware seem absolutely solid. I expect to be using these for many years. A pity that the lack of market acceptance has driven Peavey to stop trying to make low-to-mid priced guitars in the US. The Cropper Classics and Wolfgangs are great instruments, too, but one shouldn't have to spend over $1000 for a US-made guitar.

I've never needed factory support for these guitars, but my experience with Peavey techs and sales people is first-class. I do wonder how some Firenzas got out with the pickup phase wrong (and it WAS from the factory, too! I played the 'bad' one right out of the box!). It's a very simple fix, though. BOTH red wires are hot and BOTH white wires are ground!

Been playing for FORTY years. I also have a Peavey Cropper Classic and a Fender Roadhouse strat. I wish the neck had a less-flat fingerboard (maybe 10" radius instead of 15"). A rib-cage cutout would have been nice. All moot points since they're no longer made.

Great guitars, though. I'm glad I have TWO

1999 Peavey Firenza, solid mahogany, 25" scale hard rock maple neck w/ wheel truss rod adjust & rosewood fretboard. Gotoh p-90 pickups. Nice Tusq nut. Tune-O-matic bridge. One volume, one tone control. Vintage sunburst finish. Rock solid!!!! (Oh by the way - MADE IN USA!) If it had separate tone & volume controls for each pickup, I'd give it a '10'

I play mostly blues, classic rock & alt. rock. This guitar sounds FANTASTIC. The pickups are smooth, yet have great crunch when overdriven. Great articulation!

The finish on the body is world class. The sunburst is very warm due to the mahogany & looks absolutely gorgeous. The neck also has some very pretty grain in the headstock. There's a slight defect where the nut is joined with the neck, but your really have to look hard to see it. There was a bit too much relief int he neck when I got it & I was having trouble adjust it out. The Peavey guiter tech (Steve - great guy!) told me to take the truss rod nut off, lube it, & tap it out away from the neck cavity so it wouldn't bind (it's double expanding). Now it has smooth, infinite adjustment & is dead perfect! The wheel feature is great.

This is my second Peavey & it's a shame they don't have a better reputation. Their guitars are very durable & play great. 'Not to mention made in USA!

The guitar tech, Steve, has been absolutely phenomenal to work with. I call & if he's there, they put me right through. If not, he promptly calls me back. I've NEVER experienced this kind of personal attention from any other company. Great job!

I paid $360 for this guitar new (one of the few new ones left) and got a case for about $60. Nowhere can you get this kind of sound, quality, and service in a US made guitar for under $400. It's too bad that Peavy discontinued this model. My guess is that some day this will be considered a real pawn shop prize! If stolen, I'd definitely try to find another one.

I have the Red beauty, you know the rest.
Built like a concrete slab and the hd. stock is angled. For this it gets an 8, considering the price. Every feature is just what I wanted. Great foundation that offers something to build upon.
I gave it "Tons of features": pup's rewound($40w/taps)and alnicoII's in bridge, neck has V's for glassiness and bite. No ice pick and smooth or twang. BTW, install some 250K pots 1st thing. Installed 5-way sw. w/Donahue schematic. Taps and wiring offer all the junior/strat/tele tones. For infinite settings I used pots to handle the tapping(variable!) rather than switches. I use them much like a volume but I get gain with 90 tone. Such variety for those in-between strat sounds.

I went to GTR Center just to test P-90's for mod. idea for my Yamaha. I used a FDR Bassman and proceeded to test every ax w/90's. PRS, Epi Special, even a couple very pricey vintage Gibsons. I left with P-90's attached to a nice resinant hunk of Mohagany. I felt this baby sounded every bit as good as some and better than the majority. Maybe the best unplugged.
The reason I started w/the mods. was that the bridge tone setting was such that it didn't work with the neck pup. I rarely use hi-gain, but when I did, I had to turn the tone to about 3. 500K pots are stock? 250K pots and alnicoII's helped dull the ice pick at the bridge.
It's offerings are both warm and/or bright. If you add the cap to the volume pot you can drop the volume and get mucho spank. As far as hi-gain, I just use the tone a bit to get good metal sounds. Not very noisy either. I don't play under lighting like real men though.

Finish is very good as is fret dressing. Bought used, but was very nicely set-up. This thing had no signs of use. For maximum contact at the neck/body junction I backed the tilt feature screw out and re-tightend the screws. This required lowering of all hardware. The action is fine and you could easily go with pretty heavy guage strings with no buzzing. Most will prefer 09's and would enjoy the relief that an Eb tuning would offer the digits.
But hey, SRV used 13's and painfully high action. This is by no means a surgical weapon. Bends are a bit stiff and shredding is not it's strength. The frets are a bit abrupt when sliding around...ouch. The fit of everything is spot-on, the recessed hardware and low pup height give a refined look and feel to a straight ahead non-carved top design. No string binding with the Hdstock and tuner layout, but the keys are cramped for tuning chores. The pots offer no resistance, period, you will have to be careful not to bump them and attention is required when adjusting.
My focus is on the tone this thing generates and I tend to like clean simple designs. I think the body shape is just right, part Strat, part Special. Looks better than either one IMHO.

Pretty industrial strength IMO.

N/A

Been playing 25yrs. Also have a Yamaha Pacifica for wiring projects, sounds sweet with Firebird type Duncan mini-hums. I play thru a Deluxe Tweed/5E3 kit that I built, but also sounds great thru a solid state Peavy with "Real Tube" and Zoom terd that I have. I was surprised with the acoustic proporties the moment I started picking. I play this thing unplugged constantly. I want to buy another Peavy made of a big chunk of Bass or Ash for those Firebird mini-hums. Then again I may get another, but hide the mini's inside the P-90's for a closer Firbird tone. Mucho Mohagany.
I really hated those 500K pots and every thing goes better with alnicoII's, IMO. I chose this guitar for the sound and it was about $75 over the cost of a set of Duncan P-90's. SOLD!

Maple neck, rosewood fretboard, solid mahogany body (finished in cherry stain)with dual P-90 pickups; sealed tuning keys are very reliable and Grover-like. The 25" scale neck is a blend between Gibsons (24-3/4") and Fenders (& others, including Peavey's "Wolfgang") @ 25-1/2". The neck feels MUCH more like a Fender-style... but NOTHING like a Wolfgang. This is important to note, since this guitar is no longer produced by Peavey but you are apt to see used ones for sale, touting its 'near-Wolfgang' porportions: don't be fooled. This is a very good guitar, but it is no where near as good as the EVH Wolfgang, in case you're wondering.

As far as FEATURES go, this is a bare-bones type of guitar, somewhat like the Gibson Les Paul Specials (but different). So let's be honest: a plain (albeit beautiful) plank of mahogany with two P-90s and 1 Volume, 1 Tone control... not much for features- this is a GOOD GUITAR which rates a "6" (slightly better than 'sufficient')in the category of FEATURES. 'Cause there ain't none!

The sound is excellent for P-90 tone, which is: a little more than your Fender-esque type of single-coil, but still sensitive to things like your attack, your finesse... whatever. These P-90s DO rock with that made-for-tube-amp kind of breakup. I found the neck and bridge pups were both better sounding from this guitar than the stock Gibson P-90s on my (P-90 equipped) Les Paul. However- the middle position (it has a 3-way pickup selector, by the way) is a so-called "hum-cancelling" effect, where both of these single-coils are united out of phase, and unfortunately it was nothing I would or could ever use, unless I needed to play a guitar part that sounds like a dying duck on its last gasp. I have to flip between bridge & neck only, avoiding the middle position.

Although the rich, bluesy tone of the P-90s is very satisfying, there are physical constraints with the neck design that prohibit this from being a good choice for someone like a blues player, for example (see below).

Peavey is incredibly underrated in the current guitar community. Sure, they have a reputation, but nowhere near what they deserve. I have been impressed (and won over)only recently by the great workmanship and excellent quality of their EVH Wolfgang. This is a shame, but it presents a window of opportunity for us, until players find out what great stuff this is (then the prices go up).

In truth, I was hoping for a Wolfgang-like guitar, with that great neck, and some P-90s in a simple stop-tailpiece configuration. Okay, so the 25" scale neck of the Firenza is not quite the 25-1/2" of the Wolfgangs. I figured I'd adapt. But this is nothing like Wolfgang. The neck on the Firenza is thinner and wider, with the fretboard feeling much more like an acoustic guitar--wide and flat--which makes it easy for fingering CHORDS, but not nearly so good for soloing. Seriously: this guitar is great for chording, and well set up for nice chimey, ringing sounds for any Rhythm Guitar player to love, as long as you like the burning sound of P-90s, that is.

The weight is well balanced; the satin feel of the neck is easy to move around on; the reach on this fretboard is unbelievable- every note you want to play is so easy to get to. I wish all guitars were so well-designed. The finish is clean, alignment is true and fret work is well done. I am so impressed by the quality Peavey is putting out; long ago I gave up on stock Gibsons due to the shoddy workmanship that kept coming up, but I play a couple of Custom Shop models (Les Pauls) that I eventually settled on. But Peavey is knocking me out with their well-built guitars-- it's as if somebody CARES about their work product! How come I haven't heard of this before, is my only question.

BTW: I also own a PRS- yes, it's very pretty; I'm impressed. I paid over $3,000 for it and thought it was worth it, but I prefer to play my Wolfgangs (two for the price of my PRS), and frankly, I can't justify the huge difference in price. Bottom line is: I'm HAPPY to take my Peaveys on stage, and I'm happy to play them at home, too.

Very well made. The finish is beautiful and solid. The hardware is such a pleasure, especially the tuners because they're so good, but all of the hardware and knobs--and strap buttons--are good quality. I wouldn't feel the need for anything else up there, except for fear of breaking a string at a bad time.

Not in my experience. Rumor has it they are quite good, which for an American guitar company- that's considered fairly OUTSTANDING.

It's a nice guitar, but I wrote this review to fend off the sellers on e-Bay and the like who are claiming this model is "just like a Wolfgang." It's nothing like a Wolfgang, except for the shape of the headstock and the name "Peavey" on it. It is well made and sounds very good. I could easily recommend this to anyone who likes to strum chords- there may not be anything easier to finger than this if you like chording. But if you want to blaze through solos or bend notes on a blues lead, you must consider the flatness of this fretboard and its wider spacing. Check the specs and compare to other guitars you already know. I hate to sound negative on such a well made instrument, but this didn't fit my needs, and I was hoping it would at least come close. Perhaps somebody will find it to be perfect for their needs, but I suspect at least part of the reason why Firenzas are no longer in production is that there are better options for the majority of players out there.

Made in USA, 2 P90's w/ 3-way, tone and volume, hardrock maple/ bolt-on w/ rosewood, tune-o-matic, beautiful cherry red stain mahogany, semi-strat shape, hardshell case.
Basic, like a T-bone and a loaded baked potato.

Not Tele, not LP sound. Warm, original. Very nice. Rich and full.
DeLuxe Reverb, '56 Gibson LP Junior, Electar Tube 10 amps. No pedals, etc. just amp, cord and guitar. Enough for me.

Obviously made with PRIDE. I think computer-run machines cut the wood, but craftsmen assemble the parts, very nicely. Thank you. Hartley, take the folks out to dinner! Neck fits perfectly to body. I've read where this is a problem on some, not here. Neck is silky smooth. This is a RED guitar- gorgeous finish. Had my fnms, Great Southern Music ( gsmmusic.com, cool people ) check it out and set it up for me. This Firenza is made as well, if not better, than any Gibson, Fender, etc. selling for a grand or more. Yeah, I've hear the various Peavey bashers. Go ahead and bash. I quit listening.

Like others have said, this is a tank. I imagine it will hold up to my use, as well to a touring player's.

Not sure. Haven't needed it. May never.

I've taken lessons on and of for a few years. I have a Martin D-15, too ( also made in "merica" ). I had looked at the Firenza a few years ago, but couldn't locate one around here. Now I'm glad I didn't. These have been discontinued. I do not care. This one, nos, is cheaper than I would have paid retail back then ( I bid against myself - had to leave town - so I could have had it cheaper - but still worth it! ) If someone stole it, I'd track 'em down, then bash him over the head with it a few times. This guitar would still look and play just fine, except for a tooth mark or two.

- Mahagony double-cutaway body
- Vintage creme colored finish - high gloss
- 2 Gotoh P-90s (very low noise, great tone)
- One volume, one tone, 3-position selector
- Bolt maple neck with 15 inch radius rosewood board and medium frets
- 43mm nut width
- The neck has a micro-tilt adjustment and a user-friendly truss adj