Peavey T-60

1978 T-60; serial # 8M244104 ("patents applied for"); ash body (3-piece laminated)- natural finish, maple neck (2-piece laminated), all metal hardware, remaining features as described elsewhere; extremely versatile pickup configuration: single coil, humbucker sounds - it's all there.

Great quality sound (no hum or buzz) and LOTS of variety of sounds. Having said that, I never could get the Strat sound I wanted out of the T-60, so I bought a Strat (two of them). I kept the T-60, though: this is a GOOD sounding guitar - definitely not a throw-away. I can get lots of sounds out of it that I can't get with my Strats.

It's been a while (I bought the guitar in 1978) since the T-60 left the factory, but I remember the guitar being very playable out of the box. It remains that way today and I live in a city (Winnipeg) with extreme temperature and humidity changes). The fit and finish far exceeds my MIJ Strat. It almost rivals the fit and finish of my American Deluxe Strat.

I've used the T-60 for teaching and gigs for years. It's 100% reliable. A MUCH better-built guitar than my MIJ Strat. I replaced 8 small pickup mounting screws in the late 70's (the originals stripped) and had to re-tighten the 1/4" patch cable jack around that time. Otherwise, the T-60 has needed NO work. Two years ago, I sent it for set-up to one of the local (Winnipeg) guitar gurus, and there wasn't much he needed to do: just some fine tuning for a heavier gauge of strings. This fit and finish on this guitar has aged extremely well: no cracking, chipping, oxidation, etc. The (included) hardshell case hasn't held up quite as well: the handle screws always come loose (they have since day 1) and the pocket covers have come unglued - no big deal.

I've never dealt with Peavey directly, but have had excellent rapport with Peavey dealers. I've owned several Peavey amps over the years - rock solid (like the guitars). A lot of Winnipeg musicians turn up their noses at Peavey products, but it's hard to beat Peavey on quality of sound and construction. Excellent product for a very reasonable price.
This guitar hasn't needed any repairs, so I can't comment on how easy/hard it is to get repairs done!

I've been playing guitar for 30 years. I also own a 84-87 MIJ Strat (very decent guitar), a 2004 American Deluxe (amazing guitar), an Ovation electric-acoustic, a Takamine 12-string (lawsuit headstock), amongst others. My latest amp is a Peavey Delta Blues (tube amp). I play a wide range of music, from classic rock to jazz to country. The T-60 (and the Strats) can handle them all. The T-60 was my first electric; it doesn't produce all the sounds I want, but the sounds it does produce are Grade A. Congratulations to Mr. Todd for a great design. I will NOT be selling this guitar.
This guitar has a lot of sentimental value; if it were stolen, I doubt another T-60 could replace it. However, it's worth replacing: I don't think there's anything else out there that gives you the same amount of guitar for as little money.

Purchased new, 1978 (serial #00362735 w/ "patent pending" headstock). Solid ash body, thin rock-maple two-piece neck (bolt-on). Adjustable torsion rod. Natural color with clear urethane finish. 21 nickel frets. String through the body. Substantial bridge with individually adjustable saddles. Metal top nut. Peavey humbucker pickups (described elsewhere). Large plastic pickgaurd (surrounds pickups, volume and tone controls/ switches). With original rectangular hardshell case. All original except for phase and p/u switches.

I'm not a professional, don't play gigs, and am not an expert on sound. But as others have commented, the T-60 seems exceptionally versatile in tone. Good sustain when required. Some noise is apparent in single coil mode. Stays in tune. I typically use the T-60 with a Boss GT-6 effects processor (using headphones or a so-so Peavey Studio Chorus amp).

Was a clean-looking, if somewhat plain guitar in '78. The body now looks dated (I still like the headstock). The T-60 allows for neck and individual string adjustments. No obvious manufacturing flaws on this T-60.

The T-60 isn't a piece of art, but it was made to last. This guitar was hyped as a good value back in 1978- and it's easily the best 200 bucks I ever spent. It was apparently cheaper to manufacture since the body was robot-machined. Nearly everything is solid wood or heavy metal on this baby -only the plastic pickgaurd is showing some cracking near the screw holes. The only design flaw on this 78 model was the choice of flat tapered pickup/ phase switches. These broke off very easily- I had them replaced with a different style selector.
The nickel frets began showing some wear after about 10 years of almost daily use. I still haven't replaced them -not experiencing any fret buzz.

Haven't had to deal with them.

I've been playing since high school (30 years). I finally purchased a second electric this year (a more upscale Ibanez semi-hollow). The Ibanez sounds great but I still prefer the faster neck of the T-60. Friends with Strats and Les Pauls always have good comments on the easy playability of the T-60.

1978 Peavey T-60, natural finish, black 3-layer pickguard.
Materials: northern ash body, hardrock eastern maple neck, Electronics: 2 humbucker pickups (toaster-style covers), each with dedicated numbered vol and tone knobs, and circuitry that enables each pickup to be dialed to single coil operation using the 7-10 setting on either tone knob. 3-way pickup switch, and in/out phase switch for single-coil operation with pickup switch in the middle position (both pickups on).
Hardware: Schaller-type sealed tuners, string tree for E and B strings, individual adjustible string saddles, metal nut, string-thru body hardtail bridge, single truss rod adjustible neck with fine adjustment screw under neck plate, 15" radius fretboard w/ med-jumbo frets on thin back (Gibson-type contour) neck, 2 piece quartersawn neck and body.
BONUS: ALL USA-MADE.

First impression: The T-60 has a very non-typical and extremely versatile tone spectrum. It does not operate like conventional guitar tone curcuits, and so it continuously captures my imagination. I have had the instrument 5 months, and still haven't exhausted it's tone capabilities on my amps (NORMALLY, I figure out tone capabilities in 2-3 days!). That is versatility!

The rather heavy northern ash body yields a sound indicative of it's dense grain - very rich, full, and somewhat compressed. As others have said, it is very Les Paulish sounding in the neck pickup - AMAZING, considering it is also a maple neck guitar!
The bridge pickup is not like a Strat, Tele, Gibson, but perhaps a hybrid of all three; not the twang of a Fender or the depth of a Gibson humb, but still a strong, crisp singing voice.
The in/out phase switch is a real trip! Clean, in phase, it gives you a "honk" in your pick attack, kind of like having a built-in Wah pedal. Distorted, you hear all of that plus the upper mid harmonics are livlier; almost as if there is a slight detuning effect on. That can put "searing" into your lead and it cuts thru with an uncommonly different sound that draws attention.
The cavity is shielded, and is quiet except in high-gain single coil operation, as one could expect.
It is very strong in sound for metal lead especialy, but mellow and rich enough for great jazz chording, twangy enough for country hybrid picking (not as much as a Fender; a little fatter). Vintage rock, rockabilly, and overdriven amps come into full color with the T-60. I'll try to say it again: the versatility is incredible.

I will add this quote from exclusive T-60 artist Brian Henneman (Bottle Rockets), on how the T-60 differs in capability from all coil-tapped guitars: "The T-60 has the only acceptable humbucker AND single coil sound."

The body is slab-style (no arm or belly contouring), and heavy due to the denser northern ash and hardrock maple, and can be discomforting to some.
The wide lower bout of the body disallows you being able to fit the T-60 into a Strat-contoured fitted case (the dealer threw in an unused Rickenbacker case for me!). Not to worry, the T-60 is a good choice to fit in a gig bag, since the knobs and hardware are so durable - no plastic!
The neck shape is unusual (Gibsonish) for the style of guitar (Fenderish), but I have adjusted to in within a couple minutes of playing. I prefer more rounded freboard edges with flatter radiused fretboards, but the T-60 is workable.
I prefer med-jumbo frets on maple fretboards, too (can't stand thin frets), so that was a good move for Peavey.
I would have liked a tremolo option on the T-60, especially since it sings metal leads so well... but the designers chose not to dig trem cavities into the ash body for the sake of tone; something I am sure they researched.

I got the guitar after it was 25 years old, but it appeared like it only had a year or two of wear. The natural urethane finish hides scratches better than anything that is painted, and I have no plated metal on the guitar that is tarnished - not even a screw!
The whole guitar has a solid feel, no place where you feel that you've got to be careful not to break something.

USA-made, dense woods, excellently plated metals, and NO PLASTIC! Will last for centuries, wait and see.

Peavey's customer support is of hallmark quality. Dealers can be flacky, but the company is top notch. Hartley Peavey is the only remaining original founder/president of a major sound equipment company.
Peavey has excelled like no other USA company in making low-cost sound equipment. They've always been affordable, and DURABLE.
Check out your local pawn shop. I'll bet you dollars to donuts it has 3 pieces or more of Peavey equipment that is 25 years old or more that STILL works. Do you see any other brands in there that old, in those quantitys? NO! I guarantee it! Peavet durability speaks for itself - in any state of the union!
Case closed, your Honor.

Like I say, the tone capabilities and durability of the T-60 are in an altogether different category than any conventional guitar. They are dirt cheap versatile instruments that will outlast their contemporaries. Why collectors are not stocking them up is a complete mystery. T-60's are today a sleeping gold mine. If, in a 100 years, my family has 6 of them, they could buy a country.

I have the honor of being a Peavey Forum member, and have come to find out that Peavey owners are some of the most practical and polite folks to be found anywhere. They are dedicated to provide accurate help and support to anyone that posts a question - a true reflection of the company that has served them. It is truly a treasure to see people give back simply because they're thankful.
The original designer of the Peavey T-series guitars, Chip Todd (see his review posted here), is a regular contributor to the forum, and has enriched the knowledge of us all in the areas of guitar manufacturing, development, modification, setup - for free, on his own time, simply because of the gratitude he has had working with Peavey these many years.
I want to be associated with folks like that, and the instruments they play.

Lots of great knobs and stuff, ha....This one is a late 70's early 80's? Well worn at this point. USA made! Pick through the above posts for complete details.
This one is 3 piece Ash body, natural color, but has turned to a golden patina over the years and finish is well slight these days, but looks very cool to me. All original from the headstock to the end strap button.

This guitar does pretty much anything and does it very well. There seems to be almost endless tone possibilites. I like everything about it...Solid and built like a dreadnaught battleship.

This guitar was set up a long time ago by the infamous Randy Hughes of Westrn NC..it still plays like buuutteerrrrrrr.

Like I said it's an extremely reliable beast of a guitar....25 years old and still going strong...it has a soul you can feel!

N/A

This is a GREAT guitar for anyone who likes a non-flashy rock solid versatile take anything. For everything from SRV to Herb Ellis. T-60's seem to be a bit of a rare breed these days. If you find one, try it....you will probably not want to let it go.

I honestly have no clue what year this thing was made... its black though and thats rare as the devil. i've looked everywhere for another black t 60 and have had absolutely no luck. i actually kind of inherited this guitar. my uncle owned it before me and he bought it at a pawn shop in florida somewhere. i borrowed it from him because i loved the way it looked and sounded...then one day my mom said, i bought that guitar off your uncle for you... i about flipped. great day.

this guitar has the most amazing sound setup i've ever encountered. you can get such a wide range: from like, a totally trebbed out brit rock sound to a deep deep humbuckery type sound...its really amazing. my uncle kinda gave me a course on how to handle all the sounds, showed me a ton of different sounds (all that he knew of...but i'm sure there's more). i can get this guitar to do anything i want it too...its beautiful.

this guitar is in great condition...it has a few little scratches just from age and none of them go through the paint. like i said earlier, this guitar has a black body with a black pic guard which is a wonderful color for the guitar (i mean, the wood finish is nice but black is clearly the best color...excuse my bias) never had a problem.

i don't know how old it is but i know its at most an 80's machine. its solid as a rock. its heavey as a rock too... but yeah, i like it. i recently switched out the strap buttons and put on some strap locks (but the old ones were still in perfect working order (in fact i gave them to some friends to replace their crappy ones). as far as playing with no backup...i've done that many times...this guitar doesn't let me down.

beautiful work of art. best guitar i've ever played...will keep if forever (unless someone offers me a darn good deal)

I got this guitar from a pawnshop. And... for the first time I got the best of them. Not sure what year (70's). Solid guitar looks like Oak. Natural wood finish very nice black pickguard, heavy duty knobs and string through back configuration. Two Humbucker pickups with four knobs like Gibson, plus it has two switches to split coils and phase out. This guitar is made in the U.S.A and is built solid! The bridge is heavy duty and doesn't look cheap. The tuners seem pretty stable. My #1 "E" keeps going out of tune, but I think that being from a pawnshop, that the e was replaced and it's just stretching. Usually all the guitars at pawnshops have no e at all. I hate pawnshops. but thanks to Peavey's under rated reputation... I did the fucking this time!!!!! I give this category a 10+!! This guitar has many disguises of other sounding guitars.

Very interesting. For some odd reason, it feels like I am playing a big body jazz guitar with a Fender strat neck with a Les Paul growl! At the pawnshop I played through a little Kustom and cranked the distortion and it was love at first crunch! When I brought it home I plugged it into my Peavy Renown with 4 tens and blasted off to space. I slipped into a time warp and ended up somewhere in the 60's! This baby sounded as great as my 59 Supro with the humbuckers cranked up. Than I split some coils, switched channels and was on a surfing safari with the Beach Boys. I'm not fully aware what other things this guitar can do yet, as I only have played through a few amps and effects but I will find out. It will get a jazzy sound though!

The set up is just fine. This guitar is well built. I mean well built! They still look new after all these years. I have seen these guitars around and could not figure out why? They were like the misfit toys. About three years ago you could pick em up for around 150.00 all day long. I brought mine to a party and people who didn't have a clue about guitars or how to play looked at this guitar with admiration. The topic was how heavy the son of a bitch was. We were watching a scary movie and I figured I could woop the ugly beast with my T-60 with ease! The looks of this baby is champagne!! It gets alot of attention. I love it in my collection. I still love my Alvarez Dana the best, but my new Peavey opens new doors for my writing.

Will this guitar withstand live playing? That's funny. If I were to get drafted I would bring this guitar as weapon and shield of my choice. Also would work great to wack them pesty "can you play metallica again" for the eighth time bugs. This beast is so much heavier than my Fernandes Ravelle, which I thought was a tank. Thank god these guitars are not priced by the pound. So that would be a YES, this guitar will withstand anything!!

Never dealt with them yet

I have been playing and recording for some time now. I am a player and collector and own alot of gear. I'm glad I finally found one of these. They are not as abundant as 3 years ago. I would love to get a white or black one, but that will be a fun mission. Even the pawn shops are getting privy to these baby's now. But if you cant find a T-60 try some other Peavey models before they get gotten up! I have the Predator Ax and it's nice too. If this guitar were stolen I would be pissed. I had a hard time finding it locally. I won't lose it for sure. It takes two roadies to pack it up!

My first ax, a used 1979 t-60, still like new in 2003! Everything was honey oak color in the early 1980's, even the food. This guitar still looks and plays like it's new because it was made to last, with solid oak body and ash and maple neck and fretboard, trimmed in black and chrome controls. It arived in it's double-walled injection molded ABS plastic and velour-lined case, complete with the key and original user's guide. A few scratches, but oak doesn't show! This is a favorite with pros because it is a true professional instrument, not some spray-painted pine and plastic kindling! Sorry, if that's what you play now, but this thing is the Hummer of guitars, complete with HUMbucker/single coils!

Plays anything, any style. No pot-noise, no rattle, nothing. I use it with a Zoom-15 modeling amp (awesome in itself) and a digitech RP200 pedal. I have small hands and this is the only guitar I have ever felt like it fits me, not me trying too become gumby to fit the guitar.

Arrived used and played perfect right out of the case. Stays tuned, sustain is unreal and the thing is made to be around until 3003. I'm not. Forget the rest, and if weight is a big deal, then screw it to a music stand...then everyone will want to play it. This guitar makes you want to play guitar! I am giving up my regular job as an imaging technologist, growing what hair I have left at 46 and will be wearing skin-tight pants to become a world-famous t-60 rocker...maybe next week.

It's Peavey. Here yesterday, today and probably tomorrow. Longer than me. Solid website, easy to get stuff.

I've been playing for 15 years, only well for 15 minutes.

The guitar is solid White Ash, the HEAVIEST wood used for guitars (only solid granite rock would be heavier). 21 fret, blade pickups, solid black, string through body. It has dual volume and tone controls for both pickups,3 way selector switch, and another toggle switch that comes out when both pickups are selected and volume maxed out. The neck is ULTRA- thin.

I play everything (metallica/nirvana/old country/noisey crap/classical) and it does pretty well. Select the neck PU and turn the tone down to around 4 or so, and you get some infinite sustain, also thanks in part to the dense White Ash. My favorite sound is from the neck pickup with the tone on 10. You can get anything from the most muffled bass to the thinnest of the thin minues the super briteness.

Well, the action is adjustable and stuff, but no matter what, when i fretted the 6th string on the 3rd fret (G) it was always a tad sharp, even after setting intonation. That bugged the heck outta me. The is practically no string-bend on the high E, or you risk breaking them. i had to play metallica solos and b/c 21 frets, i had to use a n.harmonic on the 5th high E to create a high E.....don't like like jive. once again, no string no string bend on that string.

This thing is heavey...really heavey....could use it to anchor a boat heavey. as mentioned before, this thing is indestructable. this thing would last, and last, and last..... in the fututre, when scientists are unearthing our remains, they will find these everywhere. a lot of people i know used these as their beginner guitar.

dunno..bought it used....

been playing since 1991. i don't know what came over me, when at the time my 13 year-old body went into a state of shock at the guitar shop, but i instantly walked up to this thing and bought it. if it were stolen, they wouldn't get far....too heavey. i loved the looks and the stoutness (yes, the weight....) but man those poor string bends....broken 10's....everywhere. i widh it had 21 frets and a stop tailpiece. i gotta give it an 8 overall...........eh

USA made with two blade type humbucker pickups. Individual volume and tone controls. 12 deg radius fingerboard.Ash body. Color black with a black rosewood fingerboard and Pearl dots. 3 ply, BWB pick guard. 25.5 scale.A mix of Strat and LesPaul styling.

The wonderful feature of this guitar is the huge variety of sounds that can be acquired from it.It sounds great with a straight amp or loaded up with stomp box effects.The pickups are very balanced. None of the strings have any harsh or unpleasant sounds.On single coil settings, it does not quite have the bell like tone or the crisp twang that a Stratocaster has and it definitely is not as brite as a telecaster.In humbucker mode it comes real close to a LesPaul, but not quite.

This ranks with some of the finest guitars manufactured in its time.
This has the ability to set very low action. The trick is first to adjust the truss rod so the entire length of the neck is straight with just enough relief to fit a pick under the strings at the 8th fret.Next set the saddles at mid height. Then adjust the neck tilt to get action height. If the strings get too close to the pickups, the saddles may need raising and the tilt adjusted again. Fine adjustments and intonation can then be made at the saddles.
This adjustment system was ahead of its time.

This is one tough durable guitar. Mine is one of the later models, but it has been well used and is still in pristine contition. Everything is still original. The only thing I don't like about this, is the body styling tends to place your picking directly over the neck pickup.I have seen several T60's with scuffed up neck pickups. I guess I'm not the only one experiencing this.

Peavey is tops for support. Manuals can be down loaded from their web page and the Peavey staff will answer, next day, any questions you ask in the Peavey forum.

Over the past 30 years, I have accumulated several electric guitars. Mostly Stratocasters and Telecasters. This T60 ranks high with them and it would truely be difficult to pick a favorite. This T60 is the heaviest guitar I own. It could tip the scale on any two of my other guitars.It sure is pretty to look at.I always wondered why Peavey didn't continue a model of this. I can only guess that its weight, the larger body size, no tremolo and the popularity of Fender and Gibson, made Peavey abandon it for other designs.New Fender deluxe Stratocasters have adapted most of the T60's features in to them.Yes this is a fine Vintage instrument with technology and craftmanship ahead of its time. These are worth several thousand dollars. I can't believe they are selling for only a couple hundred dollars

Neck Like a Strat, Body Like the Bastard child of a Les Paul and an ES-335, I found my late-70s vintage t-60 just in time for it to be my own little Christmas present to myself one year. Neck is Maple and comfy, body is Ash, pickups are replaced (mediocre aftermarket stuff..who's Goto? not *Gotoh*, but *goto*)-oh, and did I mention it's heavy? DAMN! My shoulder aches just thinking about it...

Other than that, 4 controls for a standard 2 humbucker arrangement. The famed Phase-reverse switch is present on my guitar, but not hooked up to anything. All in all, pretty standard stuff.

It sounds good, but it doesn't seem to have a niche that it fills on its own. I suppose that this could be remedied by reconnecting the phase switch, but at present it sounds like the somewhat unremarkable middle child in a family full of Honors students.
It doesn't have the midrange-heavy sustain of the Les Paul, nor the snappy bite of a Strat, but falls somewhere in between. It's got a good raucous overdrive sound with a decent and usable clean tone. And the pickups blend well, better than my Les Paul, in fact.
For some reason, it doesn't like my Tweed Princeton, but on most other amps I have it seems to work fine. I wish I could have heard this guitar when it had the original p/u's in it, as this thing needs something somewhere...Maybe if I put some humbucker-sized p-90s in it...

Set up fine, action good, Neck is AWESOME! Intonation needed to be fixed, but that's standard for a used guitar.
Knobs on control pots are kinda torn up, but again, it's 20 years old and it looks like it's lived a hard life.

One little niggling concern: The neck plate has raised lettering instead of stamped lettering-it catches on my shirt when I'm playing standing up. I know it's small, but it makes a difference when deciding what to take to the gig.

When the big one drops, the roaches will all be playing T-60s under the mushroom cloud...Nuff said?

Peavey has Excellent support. I was able to find manuals and schematics online. And before that, Peavey sent me an Owner's manual for a Peavey amp I found used, and they did it free of charge! Peavey Rocks for support!

If it sounds like I've been hard on the t-60 in this review, I suppose it's because I'm still in thrall over the wonderfully mellifluous tones generated by my newly acquired Les Paul. It's Really not a bad guitar. In fact, I liked it so much that I bought this particular guitar twice (Sold it to a friend then bought it back), so that's gotta count for SOMETHING. And for the money, it's tip-top.
The only real concerns at present are the tremendous weight and the lack of a trademark sound. But honestly, I don't think I would have noticed if I hadn't gotten a Les Paul.