NBD! Peavey USA Forum

[Kosh Naranek]

Just before New Years Eve, I did a trade + cash deal for a USA Peavey Forum. I traded away a nice piece of rack gear that I never used anymore + some cash. I drove down to get the bass the night before New Years Eve.
The bass is in great shape. I cleaned up and oiled the fretboard on New Years Eve. Adjusted the truss rod, and adjusted pickup height, and it was ready to rock. The weekend after New Years Day, I recorded a song with it.

The Forum is on the right. It joins my USA Fury which I've had for a few years.
I think the black guard on white finish look is pretty cool too.

I never thought much of these instruments when I'd see them hanging in guitar shops in the 1980s and 90s. But they play so nice. The Fury nails classic P bass tones. The Forum has its own funky tone thing going on.
I came across this interesting article in Vintage Guitar magazine on Peavey Forum basses. I thought the info on the Forum's active tone circuit was interesting. One tone knob is clearly a bass control, but the other boosts/cuts both midrange and treble.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: NBD! Peavey USA Forum

Congrats! Nice score! Its strange.. PV never seems to get much respect, but they have made solid gig worthy gear for years and years. And for many years, in the US. Good playing axes, solid if not bullet proof amps. One of my "bucket list" guitars would be a top line Vandy.

How do you like that Wiggy amp? So cool looking!

 

[Kosh Naranek]

Re: NBD! Peavey USA Forum

Congrats! Nice score! Its strange.. PV never seems to get much respect, but they have made solid gig worthy gear for years and years. And for many years, in the US. Good playing axes, solid if not bullet proof amps. One of my "bucket list" guitars would be a top line Vandy.

How do you like that Wiggy amp? So cool looking!

In context, in the 1980s and 1990s, Peavey was up against USA bass makers like Ken Smith, Fodera, etc, and in the more working man's price range, Hamer, Fender, etc.
But a lot of serious bassists who wanted a USA bass spent the extra cash and got a Ken Smith, Pedulla, or a Steinberger back then.

Nowadays you don't see as many of those basses, and I wonder if Peavey could make serious USA basses that could compete against the foreign made ones on the market today. But then again, I'm sure Peavey couldn't offer USA basses at the prices they did back in those days.
I give them credit for still making great amps for guitarists playing heavier styles at working man's prices, and still made in USA.
I have a 6505+, a XXX and a Penta, and they're not just solid, they're fantastic.

The Wiggy is a great living room amp. Over last summer (2015), I actually pulled it out of the living room and into my home studio and recorded some songs with it. I didn't use the built in distortion, but the clean channel sounds great, and if you need overdrive, it takes pedals exceptionally well. All the EQ knobs and sliders aren't just gimmick. They dial in a lot of useable and varied tones.
If I ever sold the head, I think I'd still keep the cab, because the cab has a deep, beefy sound. You could play downtuned metal through it, it has such a big deep low end.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: NBD! Peavey USA Forum

So is the Fury medium scale or is the Forum extra-long scale? (Or is it a camera trick?)

 

[BloodRose]

Re: NBD! Peavey USA Forum

I looked long and hard at that too, but I believe neck is the same, the body is smaller so make it look shorter.. Am I correct??

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: NBD! Peavey USA Forum

The photograph makes one neck appear one fret gap longer than the other. An approximate difference of two inches. Aerial perspective is not enough to explain this.

 

[threechordcharlie]

Re: NBD! Peavey USA Forum

Congratulations! Peavey from that era is a great bass. I gigged for years with a Foundation and a Mark IV head with a 18210 cab.
Funny story:
I spilled a drink inside the Mark IV and after drying it out, never had a problem with it!

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: NBD! Peavey USA Forum

Sweet! I really like the white body with black guard–very sharp! Peavey made awesome gear that can take a beating, great for gigging!