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  • #1

    Is it worth it?

    I just picked up a black '84 USA made Peavey Predator with an alder body (or so says the web), maple neck and power bend bridge. It's a bit scratched and dinged up, but should be really cool if I relic it. Everything is stock on it; the electronics, tuners, pups... with one exception. The previous owner cut out a larger hole in the pickguard and angled mounted a hummer in the bridge position. But it is cheap junk, looks way outta place and has to go.

    Disclaimer, I haven't been able to play it yet, as I got it in unplayable condition. Yet from what I can tell unstrung, I do like the neck. The neck seems straight, there isn't any cracks in the body and I do have the skills to make it a good player myself. And as I said, I could relic it, embracing the stressed look and take it further.

    So, is it worth it on this guitar to buy a new pickguard, put in some good pickups I have been saving, replace the electronics & tuners and upgrading the saddles & nut?
    Or should I just stick a budget pup in the bridge, fix it up enough to play and just play with it for a bit and then dump when I get bored?

    If I go with option 2, I was wondering since it is currently an HSS on 250k pots, would putting a neck hummer in the bridge be a good idea?

    BTW, does anybody know what size trem arm I'd need? My strat arms don't fit, they're too fat.

    Thanks yall
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  • #2
    Pickguards and pickups are relatively cheap upgrades to do, if the guitar feels good in hand and you like it, I dont see a reason not to do the upgrades.
    1994 Ibanez IC500 Iceman reissue
    Jackson Soloist 7 string
    ESP LTD M-400
    Original Marshall Silver Jubilee 2553
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    • #3
      Peavey stuff has cooties.
      aka Chris Pile, formerly of Six String Fever
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      • #4
        Worth it to fix up and then try to sell? Probably not. I doubt you'll get the money you put into it back out.

        Worth it to fix up the way you like and play for year and years? Sure, no reason not to if you like how the guitar sounds and feels.
        Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!

        Originally posted by Douglas Adams
        This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

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        • #5
          This sounds like a fun, long-term project. The trem arm might be propriatery, so you might have to locate an exact replacement. It is worth working on for a fun project, as long as you set realistic goals. It isn't an expensive guitar to begin with, so it probably won't play or sound like one. But it can be a fun 'treasure hunt' to restore over time.
          Administrator of the SDUGF
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          • #6
            Definitely worth it if you plan on fixing it up for your own player...not to sell.

            That said, get a good pup. It doesn't make sense to put a cheap sounding one in it. Try it in with all the existing components just to see if it is going to sound the way you want. Then, if so, you can upgrade everything else.

            The project is definitely doable. The Predator is a good foundation guitar. I've taken $70 guitars and turned them into players as good as any $1500-3000 guitar.
            Originally Posted by IanBallard
            Rule of thumb... the more pot you have, the better your tone.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by GuitarDoc View Post
              Definitely worth it if you plan on fixing it up for your own player...not to sell.

              That said, get a good pup. It doesn't make sense to put a cheap sounding one in it. Try it in with all the existing components just to see if it is going to sound the way you want. Then, if so, you can upgrade everything else.

              The project is definitely doable. The Predator is a good foundation guitar. I've taken $70 guitars and turned them into players as good as any $1500-3000 guitar.
              I appreciate the replies fellas.
              Was I fixing it up to sell? That wasn't the plan. Really I was trying to determine if this guitar was worth the time and cost to do all necessary to make it something worth keeping. If not, then I'd just do what I had to, so that it was playable and dump it. Well, I think I got my answer here. I'll go for it and try my hand at a relic job too.

              I've never seen a four point trem before and would like to keep it. But I sure hope I can find an arm that will fit. If not, maybe I can swap out the block with one that will accept a standard arm.

              BTW, has anybody tried putting a metal plate under a single coil with alnico poles? If you have, does it really increase the output noticeably and beef up the low end as promised?

              Thanks agian

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