Bass Guitar Owner's Manual
Bass Guitar Configuration 4 5 6 3 7 8 9 10 12 3 2 1 1. Volume 2. Tone Controls 3. Strap Button 4. Bridge 5. Bridge Pickup 6. Neck Pickup 7. Position Markers 8. Fret 9. Fingerboard 10. Nut 11. Tuning Keys 12.
Control Configuration blend treble tone bass volume bridge volume treble tone neck volume neck volume bridge volume tone
Congratulations So, you are the owner of a new Peavey Bass Guitar. Congratulations! Your purchase proves your taste in musical instruments is superb. Peavey offers a wide variety of bass guitars for beginners to professionals, each with unique qualities and features. While our professional luthiers have carefully inspected your guitar, every model requires some initial setup, and periodic maintenance is required for peak performance. To ensure proper care of your quality instrument, visit www.peavey.
Cleaning & Care When properly cared for, your Peavey bass will offer you years of pleasure. Playing your bass means that you will need to perform regular, general maintenance, such as cleaning and proper storage, to keep it looking and sounding great. Every time you play your bass, body oils and perspiration are transferred to the body, back of the neck, headstock, fingerboards, strings, tuners, pickups and bridge.
Cleaning - Wood To clean and care for the major wood parts of your bass guitar (body, headstock and the back of the neck), Peavey recommends that you use a clean, soft, lint-free, dry cotton cloth and the specially formulated guitar polish available at www.peavey.com/accessories. Use of an inappropriate rag or polish may result in scratching the finish of your instrument. WARNING: Peavey recommends that you do not use abrasives or solvents on your instrument.
Cleaning - Fingerboard Properly caring for your fingerboard requires special attention. Over time, a fingerboard may lose its natural oils and shrink or exhibit a worn or faded appearance. Peavey recommends that you periodically apply a small amount of Lemon Oil (available at www.peavey.com/accessories) to your fingerboard (after removing strings) using a clean, soft, lint-free, dry cotton cloth, taking the care to remove excess oil immediately.
Cleaning - Metal To clean and lubricate the major metal parts of your bass (strings, pickups, bridge, tuners), Peavey recommends that you use a clean, soft, lint-free, dry cotton cloth and the specially formulated guitar string cleaner available at www.peavey.com/accessories. Don’t just wipe down the tops of your strings. Individually clean strings by wrapping each one in a fold of cloth, running it back and forth along the string’s entire length until the cloth fails to pick up any more residue.
Storage & Travel Your bass is a piece of art that must be protected. When you are traveling with your instrument, loosen the tuning knobs a turn or two to take pressure off the neck, and protect it with a gig bag or case. While a gig bag offers some protection, mainly from dust, a hardshell case offers the best protection. If you plan to store your bass for a long period of time (we don’t know why you would want to), remember to slightly loosen your strings to relieve pressure on the neck.
Accessories Add-on products like stands, hangers and straps that are made of plastic, rubber or man-made materials may chemically or physically react with and damage the finish of your Peavey bass. Peavey offers a full line of safe accessories at www.peavey.com/accessories. Every player needs a strap for peak performance; however, straps and strap buttons are designed for “ordinary” use.
Strings Old strings can produce dull, buzzing or dead notes, but a new set of strings will ring clear and true. If you play often, you will need to change your strings often. A good rule of thumb is that if you play daily, you should change strings every two to three weeks. Replace your strings as you notice them becoming dirty or discolored, before you experience a disappointing loss of performance. See page 12 for detailed instructions on changing strings.
Changing Your Strings Unless you are reconditioning your fretboard (see Cleaning & Care, p.5), strings should be changed one at a time to maintain proper neck tension. New strings should be free of defects (twists, kinks, bends) that can cause sound irregularities or breakage. All strings must be stretched upon installation. After your first tuning, carefully pull each string away from the fretboard, stretching it gently (too much force will break thinner strings). Then, retune your guitar.
Changing Your Strings Changing strings on a Peavey bass guitar is a simple task that will bring new life to your instrument. Tools Needed: Wire cutters Electronic tuner or pitch pipe (optional) Note: Peavey recommends changing one string at a time to maintain proper tension on the neck and bridge. Replace strings with the same gauges or you will need to make truss rod, spring tension and intonation adjustments as described in this manual.
Changing Your Strings Following the path of the string you just removed, insert the plain end of a new string through the hole in the bridge and thread across the string saddle, up the fingerboard, across the nut, through the string guide (if one is provided), and into the small hole in the corresponding machine head tuning post. (The ball end of the string will secure the string to the bridge.
Changing Your Strings Note: Do not make saddle adjustments unless you are changing string gauges, which also requires truss rod and intonation adjustments. Repeat this procedure for the remaining strings, remembering to tune each to pitch before proceeding to the next string. Hint: To prevent detuning from slippage, always tune UP to the correct pitch. Retune each string until strings hold their relative pitch to one another.
Tuning Machine Adjustments Over time, tuners can become loose. Get in the habit of checking the tension with every string change. If you notice a change in the tension of a tuner, use a small flathead or Phillips screwdriver (some require an allen wrench) to tighten it (turn clockwise) or loosen it (turn counterclockwise) accordingly. Warning: While the screw should be snug, do not overtighten, as you may strip the screw.
String Action String action refers to the distance between the strings and the frets on a stringed instrument. Peavey technicians carefully set optimal string action on each bass guitar before it leaves our factory; however, changes in temperature and moisture (humidity), changing string gauges, making neck adjustments or tuning can alter string action enough to require a height adjustment to restore your guitar to factory specifications.
Pickup Adjustments Factory settings place pickups at the same volume level; however, many players change the height of one or more neck or bridge pickups to create their own output levels. To keep your factory warranty intact, Peavey suggests you take your bass to an Authorized Peavey Service Center to have the pickup adjustments made.
Intonation A properly intoned bass guitar will sound in tune no matter where you play along the fretboard. Intonation is determined by the length of each string as controlled by the location of each string’s saddle. To check intonation, complete all adjustments to the truss rod and string action, and tune your guitar. Then, compare the fretted sound of the 12th fret to the open harmonic of the 12th fret.
Neck and Truss Rod Every Peavey bass guitar features an adjustable truss rod inside the neck. Truss rods allow for adjustments in the neck to accommodate changes in string tension caused by humidity, changing string gauges or tuning. As the backbone of your instrument, the truss rod should always be adjusted first during instrument setup. (Peavey recommends that you enlist the services of a qualified technician to make the required truss rod adjustments on your instrument.
Neck and Truss Rod the middle area of the neck, somewhere around frets 7-8-9. The distance your string travels to meet the fret is the bow. Peavey recommends a .3mm to .5 mm (.010" to .020") bow, easily measured and set with a steel rule. Too much bow leads to buzzing in the middle of the neck because the strings are too far away from the frets, while too little bow (backbow) causes excessive buzzing on open notes and notes near the nut.
Warranty Your Peavey Warranty covers defects in material and workmanship in Peavey products purchased and serviced in the U.S.A. and Canada.
Warranty Peavey Service Center. OR (2) Ship the defective item, prepaid, to Peavey Electronics Corporation, International Service Center, 412 Highway 11 & 80 East, Meridian, MS 39301. Include a detailed description of the problem, together with a copy of your sales receipt or other proof of date of purchase as evidence of warranty coverage. Also provide a complete return address.
Peavey Electronics Corporation • 5022 Hartley Peavey Drive • Meridian, MS 39305 (601) 483-5365 • FAX (601) 486-1278 • www.peavey.
