Members SnoMan97 Posted March 28, 2008 Members Share Posted March 28, 2008 Saw one on craigslist. Looks interesting. Are they any good? How do they stack up to the MIM Fender Teles? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarman_nebr Posted March 28, 2008 Members Share Posted March 28, 2008 better than MIM Fender. they have really thin necks that are fast!! there is a micro tilt adjustment for getting the neck angle just right. all they need is a good set of pickups. the stock ones aren't bad, but with better pickups, they are in line with lots of MIA Teles.the bridge plate is different than a Fender, but i like it. the sides are open which means a little less mass. they are really a good bargain. i have been playing them for years. the fretwork is outstanding as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xtchc1978 Posted March 28, 2008 Members Share Posted March 28, 2008 I have had a few over the years. I wouldn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lowbrow Posted March 28, 2008 Members Share Posted March 28, 2008 Actually, owning a handful of Reactors (and Predators) I can say with certainty the finishes are way thinner than any MIM or MIA Fender you'll find. One of the reasons they're always dinged up. Tuners are sketchy...necks are similar to the Eric Johnson strat...pups aren't great, but the Reactors are better than the Predators, fret work is usually outstanding and they have graphite nuts that are very well cut. They represent a great value and most would agree they fall somewhere in between a MIM and a MIA fender. edit to add: I'm a fan of the Micro-Tilt myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted March 28, 2008 Members Share Posted March 28, 2008 I've owned this one for over a decade. Doesn't get a lot of pay since I'm a gear whore but I have no plans on selling it. The pickups are a good "average" quality. A little edgy and could be a little bit more articulate, but not bad either. Better than on my Squier Affinity Tele plus it has "string thru". I agree with the comments above that the tuners are substandard. Squier tuners used to be crappy like these too, but they've gotten better. A nice set of Sperzels and mine will be good to go someday. I have a set of TS pups I plan to put in it someday, and I'd like to mod the pg. IMO It's one of the better models on entry level MIA guitars that Peavey made. I don't remember it being "poplar" though. I'll double check my old buyers guide when I get home tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xtchc1978 Posted March 28, 2008 Members Share Posted March 28, 2008 Actually, owning a handful of Reactors (and Predators) I can say with certainty the finishes are way thinner than any MIM or MIA Fender you'll find. One of the reasons they're always dinged up. Tuners are sketchy...necks are similar to the Eric Johnson strat...pups aren't great, but the Reactors are better than the Predators, fret work is usually outstanding and they have graphite nuts that are very well cut. They represent a great value and most would agree they fall somewhere in between a MIM and a MIA fender.edit to add: I'm a fan of the Micro-Tilt myself. I agree with most of what you say except where you place the reactor, again not going to get into the micro-tilt debate. I also own a few predators including a predator ax. It is simply not a better guitar then a mexi based on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lowbrow Posted March 28, 2008 Members Share Posted March 28, 2008 I have or have had about everything in your list. I've stripped Fenders and have finished stripping Peavey bodies. I have stripped Fender and Peavey necks. I have a Predator AX that's a three piece body and have seen others that were same (AX or not). Ultimately, what's better is subjective and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but some of your statements are not correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SPONGEBOB Posted March 28, 2008 Members Share Posted March 28, 2008 I had one.. I read all the hype right here.. lol... meh, it was fair... Not good enough to spend any money on.. I think my SX tele was actually a better guitar.. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xtchc1978 Posted March 28, 2008 Members Share Posted March 28, 2008 "but some of your statements are not correct" such as? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lowbrow Posted March 28, 2008 Members Share Posted March 28, 2008 Tell ya what...forget I said anything. It's friday, I don't wanna type and I don't really care about this {censored}ing place anymore. I like my Peaveys and sold my Fenders. Good enough for me, not good enough for others. Buy what you want and play what you care to. So be it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Doctor Morbius Posted March 28, 2008 Members Share Posted March 28, 2008 I happen to own two of Lowbrow's Fenders (a Strat and a Tele) only because he dumped them for Peaveys. Lowbrow had gone through 10 Strats to find his keeper. His Tele was hand picked by a Fender rep. Both of them are here now. If he says Peavey Reactors and Predators are a step or two above MIM Fenders I believe him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarman_nebr Posted March 28, 2008 Members Share Posted March 28, 2008 yea, i guess i should have opened with the statement "i setup and repair my own guitars. i do my own fret work. i am not as picky as some players. all i need is a decent building block to make a nice guitar. Peavey Reactors have been better guitars for me to get what i like than MIM Fenders." oh yea, YMMV ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted March 28, 2008 Members Share Posted March 28, 2008 Count me in as a fan of USA Reactors and Predators. I've been very well served by them though I'm not crazy about their neck profiles. They are solid guitars. Plain and simple. They are classic Peavey. Solid, dependable and cheap... esp used. Pickups are very often microphonic which MIMs aren't so much, but people, esp folks that hang out on this forum, are likely to swap pickups anyway. Questionable tuners as well but again, that's an 2 hour job at absolute worst. Personally, I think that everything other than neck profile, the Reactors are a better guitar than current MIM production, assuming a pickup swap. I've probably played 8 Reactors in the last 3 years and I can't even guess how many Predators and Reactors back int he 80s and 90s and I don't think I've EVER felt a sharp fret end. That's not the be all end all indicator of quality, but it's a decent one. Said another way, I've seen darn near mint Reactors for $125 while MIM Teles are $400. Even if you get a set of BGs for the Reactor, it's only 60% the cost of the MIM and I feel at that point, it would be a radically better guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xtchc1978 Posted March 28, 2008 Members Share Posted March 28, 2008 I happen to own two of Lowbrow's Fenders (a Strat and a Tele) only because he dumped them for Peaveys. Lowbrow had gone through 10 Strats to find his keeper. His Tele was hand picked by a Fender rep. Both of them are here now. If he says Peavey Reactors and Predators are a step or two above MIM Fenders I believe him. If you really believed that then why not dump your Fenders, pocket the difference and buy some Peaveys. I am not knocking the Peavey Reactor or the Predator. I was the one who posted in his More Peaveys added to the stable thred that you also posted inhttp://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1865112I don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Joe Bones Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 Can't help you much with the MIM Tele, I've only played them a bit, but yes I do very much like my Reactor. Simple guitar, pretty unremarkable as far as looks, sounds very much like a Tele should, great neck, very easy to play, got the action on this one lower than on my other guitars, works very well. Who knows which is better? Different people bond with different guitars...me, I've definitely bonded with my own Reactor. Mine probably would benefit from a new nut, but I've never done it and probably never will as I like it enough now that I'm hesitant to mess with it. The overall quality of all these old USA made Peavey guitars is very broadly acknowledged as being consistently good (not great, but consistently good or very good); and the reliability of them is absolutely legendary. I paid USD 150 for mine, in almost mint condition, plain black, no case, dynamite buy at that price. If it came down to having to pick between a Reactor and an MIM Tele, I'd have to say that you couldn't make a broad choice like that, that their close enough that it would be a matter of individual guitar against individual guitar, rather than make vs. make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlackHatHunter Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 better than MIM Fender. agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 I don't remember it being "poplar" though. I'll double check my old buyers guide when I get home tonight. yep, double checked my 95/96 & 96/97 Buying Guides and both say "poplar". And mine does indeed say "CRAFTED IN THE USA" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stackabones Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 Stay away from them. Don't need a bunch of n00bs thinning out the herd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Joe Bones Posted March 29, 2008 Members Share Posted March 29, 2008 One thing about them I don't like is that the wood and the finish are pretty soft...they get "reliced" (which, I suppose is the new term for sratched and dented and dinged) pretty quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frets99 Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 Short answer.... yes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.