Old USA Peaveys: Is the secret out?

[golias]

Peavey guitars used to THE guitars I would lie in the weeds and watch for on Craigslist. Everybody seems to think the old Squier Affinity Strat they found in the back of their closet is worth $100 - $150 just because it has the name "Fender" on it, but those late-80s & early-90s USA Peaveys (Predator, Reactor, Patriot, etc.) were at least as nice (and some would argue slightly better) as their Squier counterparts but rarely commanded more than about $50.

 

They were great. A little TLC and you could have a guitar that rivals the Mexican "standard" Fenders.

 

But lately, perhaps due to the widespread practice of overseas manufacturing, the little stamp that says "Made in the USA" (or in a couple cases, "Crafted in the USA") has started to command more of a premium.

 

People forget that, prior to China's economic reforms, it was quite commonplace for cheaply-made goods to come from US factories. (Peavey's low-end guitars generally IMPROVED in quality when they moved to overseas factories to cut labor costs.)

 

It's been over a year since I've seen a US Predator go for less than $120 on my local Craigslist ads, in spite of the fact that you can snag a brand-new guitar of similar quality for about the same money from many different sources.

 

Currently on CL, somebody in MN is trying to get $300 for an old Reactor (the Peavey Tele clone), and I bet he'll eventually get it.

 

Sadly, my favorite thing about the old Peaveys was that they could be found for so cheap. Kind of how it was with the better Yamaha Pacificas a couple years ago. Once the perception of them as "junk" guitars went away and the price creeped up, a lot of the appeal was gone (at least for me.)

 

I like those USA Peaveys a lot, but they are simply no longer the most bang-for-the-buck on the used market. Especially with Chinese manufacturing getting so good lately, meaning there are lots of very playable NEW guitars for under $200 from the likes of Squier, SX, Xaviere, S-101, and even (in some cases) First-Act.

 

Anyone else noticing the price of USA Peaveys creeping up in your town? To the point where they are no longer much of a bargain?

[D Carroll]

Yeah, I knew it was going downhill whenI saw that t-15's were going for $300.

[lowbrow]

They've disappeared from the pawn shops around here....and prices are jumping higher on ebay overall. Not uncommon to see a decent Predator fetch upwards of $170 now...

[DonP]

I've just recently discovered US Peaveys.

I've scored a Predator and two Nitros on the cheap.

Both nitros are identical - serial numbers off by 10.
Both have the Killer 2700, single hum, black, rosewood FB, pointy / fanned headstock. One has a flamed maple neck.

Sweet. I've been watching them.

[fjs1229]

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/msg/1662464428.html

 

t-60 for $500?

[RufusFussbuster]

Wait, what? I should go grab the Predator on CL for $100?

[fjs1229]

Wait, what? I should go grab the Predator on CL for $100?

 

 

I dont see why not

[RufusFussbuster]

I dont see why not

 

 

My wife is going to be pissed at you people.

 

But don't worry, I'll handle this.

[bsman]

Wait, what? I should go grab the Predator on CL for $100?

 

 

Make sure it's a USA pred. A lot of the predators are MIK or MIC...

[RufusFussbuster]

Will check. It's billed as a USA. Thanks!

[sbeirnes]

Don't go after the low end Peavey's, go after their better stuff. It's still a great bargin. Check out any of these US built models.

Falcon, Falcon Custom, Generation, Impact, Firenza, Odyssey, T-60, T-26, T-27 Limited, Vandenberg, Nitro, Destiny, Impact Milano, Axecellerator etc etc.

All great guitars and cheap as hell used.

I own 10 USA Peaveys and couldn't be happier with them.

[Ralph onion]

Peavey T series guitars made in the USA are still a bargain. You play a gig with them then go play baseball and use them as a ball bat. If i were 30 years younger I would buy a ton of them and just put them away. Someday they will be rediscoverd for the guitar that they are. Hartley Peavey, who I knew, was serious as {censored} about making good guitars and selling them for a reasonable price. The wood bodies are made out of real old Mississippi old growth wood. I am hopeful that they are now catching on. If you are a young collector buy all you can in real good condition. They will appreciate more than your 401 K.

[tlbonehead]

I have 4 Odysseys. Just simply a stunning guitar overall.

[germs]

i passed on a USA Peavey Nashville T style in a pawn shop for $125. sort of regret it. probably could have had it for $100 or so. guess i'll check back after the b-day in a few months and see if it's still there or "appreciated" in value...

[Mike Fiasco]

Did Peavey Reactors and Predators have a crap reputation when they were making them here? People here call them Fender-killers now.

I was always tempted but I never pounced on one. Too late now, anyhow.

[docrock55]

Yeah, I knew it was going downhill whenI saw that t-15's were going for $300.

Wow, that's a chunk a change, but a mint one with the original amp in case would be well worth it. The "Mississippi Mustang" is one of the best kept secrets in guitarland. The super ferrite pickups, (a P 90 on steroids) is one of my all time favorites.

[aliensporebomb]

Interesting thread. In some ways these were below the radar instruments since most "joe or josephine average" players were looking for the "usual" instruments of the day but people who wanted something that was affordable but actually was of a quality that allowed to use it as a gigging instrument. These guitars had this in spades and people are starting to find that out now. It's kind of like when the Japanese Ibanez instruments by Fujigen got found out - they're very expensive now.

[Alex W]

My wife is going to be pissed at you people. But don't worry, I'll handle this.

 

 

You amuse me. Carry on.

[Catfish-Killa]

I have a patriot with superferrites

[Catfish-Killa]

A patriot with a P-90(aftermarket), a reactor, a Impact 2, and a wicked T-60

[Catfish-Killa]

My son is 10 and last year I bought him a t-15 with amp in case

All of these were bought cheap and the prices are climbing. The superferrite patriot was an ebay bid for 62 bucks that won. The guy was too honest in the description in regards to fretwear. After a fret dressing it is my favorite guitar to play. Now I know why the first 10 frets were worn

[Fork Man]

I recently bought a "Handcrafted in the U.S.A. by Peavey" Patriot at a pawn shop for $89 + tax. Black, 2 piece maple neck, maple body(or so I have read), 23 frets, one humbucker, one volume, and a regular strat style vibrato.

 

It had only 5 strings on it and they were acoustic strings, the bridge was tilted all the way forward from the tension of the strings, there is a small crack on the fretboard at the highest few frets where the 2 pieces of wood making up the neck are starting to come apart, and it looks to have once been painted white, which was taken off. I can tell, as there is still some white paint in a few nooks and crannies. A previous owner also took the liberty of writing/scratching EADGBE next to their respective tuning key on the headstock.

 

Quite a bit of character in this one. I did all I could to set it up and it's very playable now. The springs would not hold against the tension of the strings, even when screwed down all the way. So, I took a piece of wood and some cardboard and made it a hardtail. I never use trem arms anyway.

 

The action has to be set pretty high to dampen(not even completely eliminate) string buzz on the high frets, but not uncomfortably high. I had a set of 9's laying around that I restrung it with and they feel like 11's. Despite this, I seemed to get used to it easily. The neck is pretty beefy, which I like. The single bridge pickup is also right up my alley. I find myself rarely using the other pickups on guitars and find them more in the way than anything.

 

I was also Very surprised with how much I liked the tone. The humbucker is not nearly as hot and "80's" as I thought it would be. It has decent clarity and the dynamic qualities aren't bad either. The maple body and neck give the guitar a very clear snap and bite, with the punch and power of a humbucker. Whereas my all mahogany, single coil '61 Gretsch Corvette gives a very creamy, mellow tone that still has that single coil clarity and chime. Therefore, I consider this guitar a good counterpoint to my trusty Gretsch. Yet another tone to use. A good one at that.

 

Very pleased overall. Definitely not a masterpiece of lutherian wonder, but it is a solid no bull{censored} guitar that can be jammed upon. Isn't that all any guitar needs to be able to do?

 

Besides...you can't really go wrong with a $89 guitar...

[epipsychidion]

I had a T-15 that i picked up for cheap once upon a time. It was a nice guitar...really short scale. Alas, it was sold some time ago.

[FarToMany]

I had a USA predator a couple years ago. Bought it off CL for $100 with OHSC and a small amp. Sold it a few months later for $160 without the case, and sold the amp for $40----doubled my money and kept the case. Its was a decent axe, but it just didnt bond with me.

[golias]

One stealth-bargain guitar I like to watch for now are the end-of-the-90s Peaveys from South Korea.

 

The perfect storm of several events:

 

1. Korea was getting VERY good at making guitars. Good enough to rival the best Japanese factories, in fact.

2. Peavey was JUST STARTING to dabble in overseas manufacturing, and they were extremely picky about keeping standards high.

3. Korea's reputation had not yet pushed up the cost of getting a "MIK" guitar. In another year or two, Peavey and everybody else started looking at Indoneisa, Vietnam, and eventually China for their "cheap" lines of guitars.

 

I have a South Korean Predator Plus (which I bought as NOS around 2002 for $120) that I will never, ever, ever, ever sell. It's not worth much on the open market, but it's made at least as well as most USA Fenders that I've picked up, never mind the old USA Peaveys.

 

You don't see them come up on the used market very often, because most people that have them feel the same way as I do.