Peavey Spectrum Bass User manual

Bass Guitar
Owner's Manual

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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. String Retainer
11
9
8
7
3
3
1
12
10
6
5
4
2
Bass Guitar Configuration

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Control Configuration
blend bass volume treble bridge volume toneneck volumeneck volumebridge volume tone
treble tone

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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.com/accessories
for Peavey-recommended accessories, parts and cleaning supplies.

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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, ngerboards, strings, tuners, pickups and
bridge. After you nish performing, but before you put your bass away, take a
moment to remove these contaminants.

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/acces-
sories. Use of an inappropriate rag or polish may result in
scratching the nish of your instrument.
WARNING: Peavey recommends that you do not
use abrasives or solvents on your instrument.
Cleaning - Wood

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Cleaning - Fingerboard
Properly caring for your ngerboard requires special attention. Over time, a ngerboard 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 ngerboard (af-
ter removing strings) using a clean, soft, lint-free, dry cotton cloth, taking the care to remove excess oil
immediately. A little goes a long way! How do you know when it is time to reapply? You can watch for a
change in the appearance of your wood, or set a routine calendar date. However, do not allow too much
time to pass as permanent damage may occur. If you allow the wood on the ngerboard to dry out and
shrink, the frets will “stand out” and feel rough to the touch.

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.
Failure to routinely clean and lubricate the
metal parts of your instrument, including
strings, may result in rusting.
WARNING: Peavey recommends that you
do not use abrasives or solvents on your
instrument.
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Storage & Travel
Your bass is a piece of art that must be pro-
tected. When you are traveling with your instru-
ment, 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. As with any piece of art, don’t
throw it in your trunk and leave it in -10° or 110°
weather! Always keep you bass stored at room
temperature, and avoid extreme changes in
temperature or humidity.
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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
nish 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. If you anticipate “above ordinary” use,
Peavey recommends that you use Super Strap Locks to secure your strap to your
bass (see www.peavey.com/accessories).
REMEMBER: Peavey Care Kits offer the best
value for your money. Check them out at
www.peavey.com/accessories!
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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 discol-
ored, before you experience a disappointing loss of performance.
See page 1 for detailed instructions on changing strings.
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Strings
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Changing Your Strings
1
Unless you are reconditioning your fretboard (see Cleaning &
Care, p.), 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 rst tuning, carefully pull each string away from the
fretboard, stretching it gently (too much force will break thinner
strings). Then, retune your guitar.
Peavey recommends that you replace strings in the same
gauges to maintain proper neck and/or bridge tension. If you
wish to change strings with different gauges, Peavey recom-
mends that you enlist the services of a qualied technician to
make the required truss rod and/or bridge adjustments on your
instrument.
Standard Tuning
(thickest string to thinnest)
-String Bass Tuning
Open note E A D G
String 4 3 2 1
-String Standard Low B
Adds one lower-pitched string
Open note B E A D G
String 5 4 3 2 1
-String Alternative High C
Adds one higher-pitched string
Open note E A D G C
String 5 4 3 2 1
6-String Bass Tuning
Open note B E A D G C
String 6 5 4 3 2 1

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.
First, detune the thickest, top string (the 6th, th or th string, depending on your model) using the
machine head tuner—two or three full turns should remove the tension on the string. Remove the string
from the tuning peg; at the other end of the string, pull the ball end of the string and remove the string
from the instrument. (You may wish to cut off the portion of the string previously wound around the tun-
ing peg to make this task easier.)
1 1

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 ngerboard, 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.) At the headstock, allow - inches of string
beyond the post for turning around the machine head post, then cut the excess string. Insert the freshly
cut string end into the hole in the center of the tuning post. Then, bend the string at a right angle at the
edge of the slot and begin winding the string onto the post. Note that the string path should be straight,
running from the fretboard, over the nut, through the string guides (if provided), to the post—without
angling off. To avoid slippage, wind strings tightly from top to bottom on each post, completing -
wraps around each post. Keep light pressure on the string with the ngers of your other hand while
tightening the string using the tuners. (An inexpensive peg winder makes winding much easier.) Tune
to pitch. Because new strings are prone to stretch when rst installed, you should gently stretch each
string by pulling it away from the neck and retune again.
1

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.
1

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 athead 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.
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1
String action refers to the distance between the strings and
the frets on a stringed instrument. Peavey technicians care-
fully 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
specications. Undesirable low action causes buzzing, while
abnormally high action makes your bass difcult to play.
String Action

1
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 out-
put 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.
Pickup Adjustments

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 1th fret to the open harmonic of the 1th fret. (Harmonics
are created by lightly placing a nger against a string—in this case, at the
1th fret—and striking normally with your picking hand. You’ve done it cor-
rectly if you hear a clear, loud, bell-like tone.) If the notes are the same, no
adjustment is required. If they do not match, you will need to ne-tune each
offending string using the adjustment screws to move the saddle location.
If the fretted 1th note is at, adjust the saddle toward the neck. If sharp,
move it away from the neck. Note that on some bass guitars, you will need
to loosen strings before making saddle adjustments. Repeat the process
until the fretted sound of the 1th fret matches the open harmonic of the
1th fret.
1

0
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 rst during instrument setup. (Peavey rec-
ommends that you enlist the services of a qualied technician to make the required
truss rod adjustments on your instrument. Improper adjustment may damage your
neck and void your Peavey warranty.) To gain access to the truss rod, look for a 
mm or  mm allen wrench adjustment screw either at the end of the neck near the
body or at the opposite end near the headstock. Note that some bass guitars may
require neck removal to gain access to the neck pocket truss rod. The goal of truss
rod adjustment is to create the correct amount of bow in your bass guitar’s neck to
facilitate optimal playability.
To check the neck’s bow, hold the guitar in normal playing position and follow
this procedure for both outside strings (highest and lowest strings). Fret and
hold the string at the rst fret, while fretting and holding the same string with
your picking-hand thumb (where the neck and body meet, typically around the
16th fret). Then, stretch your picking hand index nger as far as you can to fret
Neck and Truss Rod