Peavey Predator

Great little Strat copy! Popular body, maple neck, maple fretboard, 3 single coils, 5-way pickup selector, 1 volume & 2 tone knobs, fully adjustable neck with truss rod. Mine's bright red w/white pickguard. It's really one of the best strat copies that comes real close to the genuine thing in features, dimensions, looks, etc. The only thing, it doesn't have the skunk strip neck like the Fernandes copies. My Predator is made in the U.S.A. (Meridian, MS), and it is one of the original issues (with the old style Peavey logo on the tip of the headstock).

This thing sounds pretty good. You can get some nice strat tones out of this with a tube amp (especially with the neck pickup playing clean. The pickups are a little weaker than a real standard strat, but I plan on changing mine to Texas Specials anyway (along with a 3-ply pickguard.

The thing I love best about this guitar is the neck. It is smooth and fast and just the right size. This is my first strat type guitar (always played a Les Paul), and I just can't get enough of the guitar's body style. The contour fits perfectly, it's not too heavy (6 or 7 lbs. compared to my '76 Les Paul's 12 or 13 lbs.), and it balances itself real well while playing it standing with a strap. I'll have to admit, the Les Paul has it beat on tone, but I really like playing the Predator better.

I think this is going to be a very reliable guitar. It seems to be put together really well. The finish does seem to chip pretty easily though.

Peavey has the best customer support in the business. Just check out their web site.

I bought this guitar off ebay for $82 plus $35 shipping. It came in excellent condition (like new really) with a nice padded gig bag. For what I paid for it, it is a great guitar. I'm going to put a little more money in it (pickups, etc.) and I'll have a guitar approaching Fender American Standard quality with a better neck IMHO!

Early to mid 90's strat style guitar. Mine is off-white with white pickguard. Great strat copy for the price. Made in the USA. 22 frets, three stock single coils (ass), maple fretboard. Hmmm....dunno what else to tell you. Tremolo is not bad, tuners are pretty damn good.

This was my first electric guitar. I love it to death and will never sell it, but I'll be honest. It's no strat. It does a pretty good job though. One piece of advise. Take the stock pickups out and throw them in a river. These things are shit. My sound rating is based on modifications made by me. I put in a Seymour Duncan lil 59 and Fender 57/62 reissue. That was an improvement. I get some fret buzz from the frets wearing down nowadays, but hey, what can you expect. I've played the shit out of this thing.

Action, hmmm...not too shabby. Nice thin neck for speed. I wish the frets wouldn't have worn so much, but like I said, this thing has taken a lickin. Overall, very well put together. The USA gets it done.

Durability? This thing is the shit. Hands down. It has taken a beating from me. It has some nice knicks and charachter scratches. The only internal problem I've ever had was a wire coming loose from the input jack. So, basically no problems.

Never had the need.

I've been playing for about three years now. I also own a Washburn Grover Jackson and Epi Les Paul, but the Peavey is my favorite. Not for ability reasons, but sentimental value. I would recommend one of these if you want a good strat copy for the money. If you've got 300 bucks, go get a fucking standard strat, but for a little over a hundy, you can have one of these gems and be just like me.

don't know what year, poplar body i think, maple neck/fretboard, 22 jumbo frets, three single coils, 1 vol. 2 tone., white pickgaurd, candy apple red finish, no name tuners

for the $120 I paid for it, and considering it has regular stock pickups, they're not to bad, they do buzz quite a bit at high volumes with lots of distortion, but most SC's do, the neck has a good thick, never use the middle, bridge is bright, but not thin, kind of weak when it comes to arrpeggiating clean chords, but still not too muddy, I think then when I get some more dough I'll change the bridge to a JB junior and the neck to a silver lace sensor

I bought it used from my science teacher for $120, it had a set of .009's so old that they were black, I changed to .009-.046's, the gauge I regularly use, the action did pull up a bit, I'll adjust that soon, the frets stick out from the side of the neck, I don't like that, so I'll file them down soon, otherwise, no adjustments needed.

have'nt been real rough on this one yet, but I have a feeling it's pretty solid

never talked to them

I bought this for $120 used, as is, no gigbag or case, I wanted a stratty sound, this is a little thicker, and considering that I was considering spending $300 + S&H for a standard strat with 21 frets, thios was a good deal, I think I'll replace the pickups, the tuners don't hold quite that well under heavy lead playing with lots of bending, I have'nt used the whammy bar yet, never do, anyway if it were lost or stolen I'd probably look for another one, they're just as good as any standard strat

Pretty standard, same as any strat copy. 3 single-coils with volume controls and a switch between them. A basic but solid guitar.

Kind of a weak sound, but then I'm not a fan of single coils unless it's a real sweet strat or tele through an old tube amp. It gets the job done though, and isn't horrible.

Again, very straightforward. Flat fretboard with decent action. Works better with 10 or 11 gauge strings. Finish is very typical too, nothing special. Does have a solid feel to it.

Everything is durable and set up well, the total package is typical peavey, durable, reliable, but not spectacular. This thing will last, though.

never had a reason for customer support

a solid piece of equipment. Has a lot of potential with adding better pickups, though. Very reliable and faithful.

This is one of the old (1984/85) Predators, back when it was actually a good guitar rather than an el-cheapo student model. If you're wondering whether you got a good one or not, look for the telltale signs:

(1) Kahler Flyer bridge (just don't lose any pieces!) and locking nut.
(2) Dual humbuckers that look like they were made out of GI-Joe's plastic gun material.
(3) 23 (!), that's right, 23 (!) frets. Perhaps the strangest feature of an otherwise strange guitar.
(4) Strat-style body with pronounced horns and decent cutaway.

In its prime, it came with all sorts of accessories. When I bought it 15+ years later, it came with itself. Kahler bridge, some Peavey-branded sealed tuners that work well, two humbuckers with monstrous output, a volume knob, and a tone knob. That's it. It is made in the USA, for those of you country of origin snobs.

Peavey, surprising even me, has the manual for this monstrosity up on its web site. Do a search on "predator" in the manual section, and it's the 1984 model.

I expected virtually nothing out of this guitar; I had intended to put it into work as a backup for my backup instrument or to leave at the office as a cheap beater. Uberquiet on all settings, the tone control actually works well, and rolling off the volume knob makes a dramatic change in the character and sound of the guitar. It goes from full-out crunch to near-Strat-like sounds, and I have yet to be disappointed by the thing.

The only problem here is I need a beater for the office now.

I have no idea what condition it originally shipped in; after 15 or so years, it has loads of finish scratches and nicks, the maple fretboard is stained and showing signs of serious playing and the finish has reached that nice orange real vintage appearance, and intonation is still dead-on. The Kahler bridges were built to last, and the pickups are wonderful beasts I haven't had to adjust despite their comical appearance.

I have no idea what 'select hardwood' in the body is, but I do know that it's a near boat anchor for weight. I would gladly duel a late 70s Strat to the death and wonder who would die first from the exertion of carrying it around, but that is part of its charm.

This guitar has survived the worst that previous owners over 15 years could throw at it, and still plays and sounds great. If it was going to break, it would have done so already; in all its years of abuse, the only defect is that part of the pickguard broke off near the input jack. I would depend on this thing to stop bullets and probably remain playable if it wasn't a shot to the neck.

Peavey actually has the owner's manual for this guitar on their web site, available free of charge. That alone is a testament to their support for their pro-grade products.

For the $55 including stand and gig bag it cost me, this guitar is a truly wonderful find. I'd easily pay up to $200 sight-unseen for a good model at this point, having played one and experienced it first hand. It is a shame that Peavey ran the predator name into the ground after such a decent instrument as this established it as something of value.

It coexists nicely with my effects, sounds good with both my Sunn and my Fender amp, and does anything from metal to blues to jazz to noise-freak outs. So you'll get laughed off the stage by vintage snobs, but if you're lucky enough to have a 23-fret monster like this, you'll be able to illustrate the error of their ways.

I've been looking for this guitar for 8 years! I had one in college and it was stolen. This guitar is a Black on Black Dual Humbucking Monster! This guitar has a basswood body, maple neck and rosewood fretboard. It's set up with a Kahler Flyer tremelo, locking nut and it's all chrome. The dual humbuckers are some of the hottest pickups ever made (I would compare them to a Screamin' Demon pickup but there's two of them and their fatter). There is a simple three position switch for singular or dual mode selection. There is also a simple tone and volume knob. This guitar (and this particular "Black on Black" combo) is extremely rare! They only made these from about 1985 to 1987 and shortly thereafter, they changed the Predator to an entry level guitar.

My style of music is "Hard Rock" at it's core. This guitar is probably one of the most unknown greatest rock guitars ever made. I play through a Fender Twin Amp which is the tits so my amp isn't holding back any and that's the way this guitar likes it! Clean or dirty, this guitar can handle anything you send it's way. It'll chew it up and spit it back atcha with a smile. :)

Well, I found this guitar in a pawn shop and it was clear that it had been neglected for some time. I'm having to replace the locking nut due to some pieces missing and I'm having to replace both knobs, a total of about 20 bucks worth of repairs so it's no big deal. There's knicks and scratches and obvious wear but overall, the guitar is in great shape. The action is sweet and fast and the finish resembles a guitar that's spent some time behind bars. Much character...

Before mine was stolen in NC, I played out all the time and never had one problem. All the hardware on this one is excellent! I made a few adjustments and a little tightening here and there and that's it. Think of this guitar as Mighty Joe Young.

Never needed it...Although I am ordering parts from peavey for this guitar as I mentioned earlier...They're super cool at Peavey!

If you ever see one of these, buy it! You won't believe it's a Peavey!
I've heard people say it's the equivalent of a Les Paul. Now I know that sounds crazy but it's true! If you find one, buy it! If this one were stolen from me, I'd hunt them down and then go after their family. So don't get any big ideas! :)

This guitar is awesome. It is my third guitar in 4 years. It has 21 frets. It basicaly is another strat copy. I gig with it all the time. I think it even sounds better than my friends american $800 strat. it has good sized frets and awesome sustain. Harmonics lasst for days. Ive read other reviews that say it goes out of tune bad. They are terribly mistaken. I tune mine about every 2 weeks. And then just barely. It even came with 2 tremomlo bars! what a deal. The only problem ive slightly had was humming, but for this awesome tone who cares!

Like i said this guitar has incredibly good tone. the pickups perfectly suit what i play. I play mostly hard ass metal like korn metallica pantera... and this guitar does the job. ime giving it a 9 but only because the slight humming. i wish they had a 9.8 category.

Seems fine to me. pickups are great and have high output. great finish. only 1 tiny scrath, but im sure the music store did that.

if i was hanging off a moutain cliff , this is what i would use to trust my life with. I can depend on my baby like no other. the only reason i would take a backup is for the unlikely event of a string break. then i would settle for my Less Paul or Mexican Strat.

I called them to tell them how sdatisfied i was and they were very nice.

I really enjoy playing this guitar. it is the best value ive seen and very beginner friendly. This axe is great for the beggining 10 year old or is even worthy to be hely by Jimmy Page himself. The only thing i wish this guitar has is a big blade on one side so that if anybody stole it i could cut their head off!

made in 1997 in taiwan, 21 fret rosewood fretboard, 1 vol 2tone 5way, hss passive pickups, poplar body maple neck, blue finish, strat style body, standard trem, non locking tuners, thin neck medium frets. not the best but not the worst.

single coils- bright and snappy but not as bright as a strat, neck and middle just by themselves are noisy as hell but the 2nd and 4th positions are quiet

humbucker-thick rather dark tone but not excessively dark. not great output but fairly decent.pair it up with a hot amp and youll easily be able to achieve some monster metal tones.

mixed(2nd position)-thick with a slight tinge of brightness. if anyone has heard the solo of queensryche's i dont believe in love, that nails it

pretty versatile. decent sound in all postions. like i said not the best not the worst

very low action out of the factory but i like low action and dont like playing with anything else. pickups were adjusted fine. no flaws really except that the switch seemed to occasionally go dead but a little flick would fix the problem. i foun the switch was very dusty and cleaned it out and that solved the problem

very durable and sturdy. this thing has been dropped by people(mainly little cousins and nephews that snuck in my room while i wasnt looking and started messing with it). hasnt got a scratch, well maybe a few tiny ones but none that are really visible.

havent a clue. probably assholes like all the other people at guitar company but i dont know

bought it cuz it was cheap, very playable, sounded pretty good, and was missing the cheese factor associated with almost all budget strat- copies. i play 80s metal-from megadeth to ratt. if youve heard ratt youve heard imo one of the best metal guitarists of all time. warren demartini is absolutely awesome and has great tone. one of these days ill play half as good as him. but overall a greaty value for a guitar

Bought new in 1996 because of a newspaper misprint. Same basic features as all general predators. Body, neck, and paint still in perfect condition. Paint is scratched in one spot because of my own fault. Great beginner guitar that does not show wear fast at all.

The only pickup worth anything in this guitar is the humbucker. I dont particularly care for it but try playing through 2 Crate 4x12's through a Crate head on stage. WOW! Thats a buzz going there when you are not playing. Seriously invest in volume pedal and dont use the single coils unless you plan to play loud. Perfect for a practice amp. However it puts out perfect crisp bass out of anything from even 4x12's.

HAHAHA! That TriBend 3 tremelo is a waste. You have never heard a guitar go out of tune soi fast after using this. Tuners stat to go bad after a few years and the nuts they use on these guitars tend to be a problem from the get go. Volume and Tone knobs begin to fall off after about 4 years. DECENT AND STABLE ELECTRONICS!!!!

Very reliable and durable. Definately can withstand live playing. Strap buttons are basically cemented in. Never had to use a back up or actually I never even brought a back up to gigs. You can depend on these puppies(as long as you dont use the tremelo).

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1999
poplar I think
SSH pickups config, passive
strat-style, didn't notice what bridge, locking nuts, thinnish neck

I play jazz, blues, rock of all ilk, punk, alternative, most music that is guitar oriented. Used with a Johnson amp, great piece of equipment, and a Marshall Valvestate 50W head/marshall 4x10 cab

Noisier than it should be, incredibly low action, yet sticky, and no tonal character whatsoever. If you play in a top 40 band, and you need an innocuous guitar sound that won't get in the way of Brittany's dancing or Christina's vocals, this is the guitar for you.

it had a good fit and finish overall, the action was ridiculously low, but the cheap frets seemed to stick, throwing out the bending intonation curve.

I couldn't tell if it would last-- I didn't hold onto it long enough to find out.

kids, buy a cheap Fender
buy a Washburn
buy an Ibanez

buy anythingbut Peavey. It is withouth a doubt, the least soulful guitar I have ever played. Poplar is a nice tone wood, but this guitar is all treble, a little mid, and no bottom. Uninspiring to both play and listen.

hell, the Yamaha Pacificas are a far superior budget guitar.