Peavey Generation S2

as per the helpful review below.

Mine is translucent red with the the flame maple cap and gold hardware. even has its own

Just replaced the stripped string locking bolts from kahler parts and can finally change my strings with ease. The spyder trem is a very good unit that still works well with no problems.

very usable in many styles, not overly bright but full clean sounds are great, espacially with a hint of break up, the humbucker even gives nice sound to thick and creamy distortions.

use it through peavey classic 30 or my line6 pod and can get great sounds from it.

the coil tap makes it versatile, without it this guitar wouldn't be the same, even if it is a faux coil tap.

really like the single coil, very usable on its own, has enough highs to prevent it from sounding muddy.

just remember to replace 9v battery every year or sooner as i've found this will greatly affect the presence this guitar has.

this guitar has a sound of its own that is very enjoyable to play, its one of those guitars that inspire you to play and makes it exciting.

this was sitting in a case for years at my now father-in-laws place, and when he showed it to me it had nice action, no buzzing, good neck etc. and still plays extremely well, haven't needed a setup.

I don't think this guitar has seen a lot of playing in its life because the frets are reasonable for its age. a few minor scratches and dings and some slight corrosion to the gold hardware.

reliable guitar, gig with backup though because if you get a bit heavy handed, or too many string bends might lead to a few snapped strings on this bridge, there are probably a few grooves I should file out, though its probably just me

controls are still quiet after all these years, it just needs a new output jack

was given this guitar a few years back, and wanted to find out more info...found orignal manual on peavey website so that was cool.

playing 17 years (since 9 years old), in my teens was playing vai and satch stuff on my ibanez rg's and jems, as i matured so did my style and sound and now own strats mainly.

just wanted to throw my support behind this great guitar, if you find one give it a go.

The S2 was manufactured in Mississippi from 1989 to 1992. Tele-shaped solid mahoganey body with a maple cap similar to a Les Paul or PRS. Weight is comparable to a Paul, yes, they are heavy. 25.5" scale flamed maple neck with ebony fingerboard and abalone fret marker inlays. Schaller die-cast tuners, Kahler Spyder locking tremolo, Peavey Active pickups (humbucker in the bridge, single coil in the neck) designed by Bartolini.

The S2 has one volume and one tone, a three way pickup selector switch, and what seems to be a coil tap switch for the humbucker, but on closer inspection, it turns out to be a "faux coil tap" that introduces a capacitor into the circuit to mimic the tonal qualities of a coil tap, but without sacrificing the quiet operation of the humbucker.

The S2 is a beautiful instrument. MSRP in 1989 was $1300 and they came in a variety of unique finishes. I own three S2 Gennys. My first is a translucent red with a flamed maple top and gold hardware, the second is hot pink (e.g. Pepto Bismol!) with black hardware, and the third is an interesting silver and black metallic swirl pattern that kind of reminds me of a bowling ball... ;-) The "Bowling Ball" has black hardware too. All of the finishes have a solid urenthane clear coat to protect them and resist the aging process, which the S2's do very well. These guitars were over-built in more ways than one, and are equal or superior to high-end custom guitars that cost thousands of dollars today.

One feature that the S2's don't have, but they should, is accurate production numbers from Peavey. Peavey is one of the best companies to deal with in terms of customer service, but at the time they were manufacturing the S1, S2, and S3 Generation Series guitars, they didn't keep accurate records of how many they produced. Or at least that's what they tell me. This lack of accurate production figures limits the desirablility of these instruments to serious collectors, which could be a good thing if you look at what happens to vintage guitar prices once serious collectors get involved...

Collectable or not, the S2 is a great guitar with many desirable features and boutique-level quality. The people I know who own S2 Genny's don't sell them, and for good reason. It would cost over $2000 USD to build a similar guitar today.

My S2's are all keepers.

A lot of standard sounds can be acheived, but the Peavey Active pickups also have a unique thing all their own. Although they do physically resemeble EMGs, they don't sound like EMGs. They sound like Bartolinis. There is almost no magnetic pull on the strings at all, and with the right amp, very convincing "acoustic" clean sounds can be coaxed from the neck pickup. The humbucker sounds reminiscent of a Duncan Custom, but with more transparency. Using the single coil and humbucker in combination with the "faux" coil tap will deliver typical Tele-type sounds, but again, with more transparency. Also, keep in mind that despite the Tele body shape, since the S2 has a free-floating tremolo, it doesn't respond like a guitar with a stoptail piece. The S2 has it's own thing going on. If you like a solid mahoganey guitar with a locking tremolo, you will like the S2. If you don't like locking tremolos or have an aversion to heavy=bodied guitars, then the S2 might not be for you. If you're still reading this, maybe you should just try one...

Can't comment on this since all of mine were purchased used. I have had all of mine professionally set-up, and they all look, sound, and play fantastic.

Rock solid. These guitars still look new. My "Bowling Ball" version will be ready for a fret job soon, but it's been played heavily for 15 years, so that's to be expected. Some of the anodizing on the hardware is showing signs of age too, but it's very minimal for a 15 year old instrument. Like the urethane finish, the anodizing is thick and solid, was designed to last a long time, and it will.

Peavey is my favorite major American manufacturer. How many other companies graciously support their older products that have been out of production for 15 years?

I'm a professional guitarist, so I don't have time to mess around with stuff that doesn't work. The S2's give me a consistently good sound, everytime, without spending a fortune, and without sounding like everyone else. If you can't get a good sound out of an S2, I humbly submit that it's not the guitar's fault.