THE PEAVEY T-40 BASS ENTHUSIASTS FORUM
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THE PEAVEY T-40 BASS ENTHUSIASTS FORUM

A FORUM FOR PEAVEY T-40 BASS ENTHUSIASTS
 
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 FACTORY FINISH QUESTION....

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eldoryder1

eldoryder1


Posts : 18
Join date : 2013-08-22
Age : 69
Location : Nacogdoches, Texas USA

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PostSubject: FACTORY FINISH QUESTION....   FACTORY FINISH QUESTION.... I_icon_minitimeWed Oct 23, 2013 5:26 pm

Hi all-

I finally bit the bullet and started taking my '78 (8M-series) T-40 apart.  I had been on the fence about letting the natural "mojo" be, but almost ALL the clear finish on my "natural" body was gone from the front.  The only way you could tell there had been a finish was where some old stickers had been, and it was very faint there.

Well, lo and behold...when I took the pickguard off, ALL the area underneath was raw wood!  It was the same story underneath the bridge.  I started thinking, did Peavey actually assemble these and THEN stain or apply stained clear finish with the pickguard and bridge already installed?  That really didn't make any sense to me.

Also, someone in the past had put a thumbrest on, and under it was also raw wood.  I am assuming, for the moment, that this bass has been stripped and refinished since it left the factory.

My question is this...has anyone else stripped off the guard and found raw, unfinished wood underneath on the body?

Any and all responses cheerfully solicited!

Mike Selvey
Nacogdoches, TX
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Frank N. Peavey

Frank N. Peavey


Posts : 699
Join date : 2007-11-27
Age : 58
Location : Home of the Choo Choo

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PostSubject: Re: FACTORY FINISH QUESTION....   FACTORY FINISH QUESTION.... I_icon_minitimeFri Oct 25, 2013 11:15 pm

While I haven't stripped a T-40, I have stripped several natural finish T-60s. I have never encountered one that had raw wood underneath the bridge or pickguard area. I seriously doubt any T's ever received any stain or finishing work once assembly was complete. Doing such would be labor intensive and Hartley was (and still is) a very frugal man. He wouldn't tolerate a waste of time like that when multiple bodies could be stained, painted or finished in the time it would take to do one that has been assembled.
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eldoryder1

eldoryder1


Posts : 18
Join date : 2013-08-22
Age : 69
Location : Nacogdoches, Texas USA

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PostSubject: Re: FACTORY FINISH QUESTION....   FACTORY FINISH QUESTION.... I_icon_minitimeSat Oct 26, 2013 5:58 am

Frank-

Thanks for your input. If the Peavey factory would never allow that, then I wonder if they ever shipped replacement bodies to their dealers without finishes, so that any color T-40 could be resprayed locally?

If that is not the case, then I can only assume that this one had been stripped down to bare wood by a previous owner.  That's not hard to believe, actually because there is evidence of rough sandpapering in some small areas.  Lots of scratches, as well, but some look as though they had been part of a mechanical stripping process.

Once again, I'm actually relieved.  I was really unhappy with going forward with a complete electronics restoration, full setup and new pickguard and new strings and putting it on this existing body, with nearly all the finish gone from the front, and massive checking and belt rash on the back.  I just wasn't happy with the overall appearance, but was afraid to mess with its "originality".

Now I can go ahead and sand it smooth and get it properly refinished in a matte (tinted?) polyurethane and it will look good as new, as well as being electronically restored.  It's nice to own a vintage instrument, but even nicer to be able to USE and PLAY the same instrument with pride!
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Frank N. Peavey

Frank N. Peavey


Posts : 699
Join date : 2007-11-27
Age : 58
Location : Home of the Choo Choo

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PostSubject: Re: FACTORY FINISH QUESTION....   FACTORY FINISH QUESTION.... I_icon_minitimeSun Oct 27, 2013 12:50 am

Good question. I don't know if replacement bodies were generally available.

I've seen a lot of T's the past few years that have been refinished. Some very well done, others look like they had been prepped with a cinder block and painted with a roller brush.

If you want/need the wiring diagram and Peavey setup sheet shoot me an email at franknpeaveyatyahoo and I'll get it to you ASAP.
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eldoryder1

eldoryder1


Posts : 18
Join date : 2013-08-22
Age : 69
Location : Nacogdoches, Texas USA

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PostSubject: Re: FACTORY FINISH QUESTION....   FACTORY FINISH QUESTION.... I_icon_minitimeSun Oct 27, 2013 5:42 am

Thanks, Frank!

I already have both the wiring diagram and the owner's manual, but I still need your opinion on the finish.  I notice that the difference between the raw wood and the finish is not only the clear topcoat, but it also seems to be slightly tinted (perhaps to meet the neck color?).  Can you confirm that Peavey used a "tinted" clear finish, or is this just the result of years slightly discoloring the clear coat?

My thought is that I might want to take the neck to my painter, and see if he can "tint" the matte clear coat polyurethane to match the color of the neck.  I'm also thinking that I may have him shoot the bodies on both my T-40 and my T-20 with the same clear coat.  Since Peavey was making T-40s and T-20s in 1982, is it a safe bet to assume that any clear coat (tinted or otherwise) used on a T-40 would also have been used on a T-20 (making business sense to use one clear coat for all "natural" body basses/guitars)?

Thanks again!

Mike in Texas
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Frank N. Peavey

Frank N. Peavey


Posts : 699
Join date : 2007-11-27
Age : 58
Location : Home of the Choo Choo

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PostSubject: Re: FACTORY FINISH QUESTION....   FACTORY FINISH QUESTION.... I_icon_minitimeWed Oct 30, 2013 9:25 pm

I've never thought about that before. It would make sense to have only one clear coat.

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PostSubject: Re: FACTORY FINISH QUESTION....   FACTORY FINISH QUESTION.... I_icon_minitime

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