Peavey bass guitars User manual

Bass Guitars
Owner's Manual

2
1. Volume
2. Tone Control
3. Pickup Blend Control
4. Strap Button
5. Bridge
6. Bridge Pickup
7. Neck Pickup
8. Position Markers
9. Frets
10. Fingerboard
11. Nut
12. Tuning Keys
13. String Retainer
Passive Bass
Guitar
Conguration
11
9
8
7
3
31
12
10
6
5
4
2
13

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1. Volume
2. 3 band active EQ with
+-/10 dB boost or cut
3. Pickup blend control
4. Strap Button
5. Bridge
6. Bridge Pickup
7. Neck Pickup
8. Position Markers
9. Frets
10. Fingerboard
11. Nut
12. Tuning Keys
13. String Retainer
Active Bass
Guitar
Conguration
11
9
8
7
3
31
12
10
6
5
4
2
13

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So, you are the owner of a new Peavey Bass Guitar. Congratulations! Your
purchase proves your taste in musical instruments is superb. Peavey oers 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 set-up and periodic maintenance is required for peak
performance.
To insure proper care of your quality instrument, visit www.peavey.com/accessories
for Peavey recommended accessories, parts and cleaning supplies.
Congratulations

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Cleaning & Care
When properly cared for, your Peavey bass will oer 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 recom-
mends that you use a clean, soft, lint-free, dry cotton or
Peavey Micro Fiber cloth and specially formulated HP's
Axe Wax available at www.peavey.com/accessories.
Use of an inappropriate “rag”or polish may result
in scratching the nish of your instrument.
WARNING: Use of abrasives or solvents
will permanently damage your
instrument's nish.
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 (after
removing strings) using a clean, soft, lint-free, dry cotton cloth. Remove excess oil immediately using a
clean, soft, lint-free, dry cotton cloth. With Lemon Oil, like all oils, a little goes a long way. Make sure to
use only a small amount. How do you know when it is time to replenish your ngerboard? 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 specially formulated guitar
string cleaner available at www.peavey.com/acces-
sories. 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: Use of abrasives or solvents
will permanently damage your nish.
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Storage & Travel
Your bass is a piece of art that must be protect-
ed. When you are traveling with your instru-
ment, loosen the tuning knobs a turn or two to
take pressure o he neck, and protect it with
a gig bag or case. While a gig bag oers some
protection, mainly from dust, a hard case oers
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 when it’s -10° or 110°!
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 oers a full line of safe products available 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 Peavey accessories www.peavey.com/accessories).
REMEMBER: Peavey Care Kits oer the best
value for your money. Visit www.peavey.
com/accessories to place your order.
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Old strings produce dull, buzzing or dead notes, while a new set of strings 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 couple of
weeks. Replace your strings as you notice them becoming dirty or discol-
ored, before you experience a disappointing loss of performance.
See page 12 for detailed instructions on changing strings.
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Strings

Changing Your Strings
12
Unless you are reconditioning your fretboard (see care and
cleaning), 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 are prone to stretch, particularly 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 dierent 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)
4-String Bass Tuning
Open note E A D G
String 4 3 2 1
5-String Standard Low B
Adds one lower pitched string
Open note B E A D G
String 5 4 3 2 1
5-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, 5th, or 4th 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 o the portion of the string previously wound around the tun-
ing peg to make this task easier.)
12 13

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 2-3 inches of string
beyond the post for turning around the machine head post, and cut 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, run-
ning from the fretboard, over the nut, through the string guides (if provided), to the post—without an-
gling o. To avoid slippage, wind strings tightly from top to bottom on each post, completing 2-3 wraps
around each post. Keep a light pressure on the string with the ngers of your other hand while tighten-
ing the string using the tuners. (An inexpensive, optional peg winder makes winding much easier.) Tune
to pitch. Because new strings are prone to stretch when rst installed, you should gently stretch the
string by pulling it away from the neck and retune again.
14

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.
15

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 over-tighten as you may strip the screw.
16

17
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, conditions such as 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 dicult to play.
Before making string action adjustments, make sure your
truss rod is properly adjusted and your bass is in tune. Then,
refer to the chart below, checking each string’s height at the
15th fret using a steel ruler for best accuracy. Measurements
are taken from the top of the fret to the bottom of each string.
String Action

18
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.
Pickup Adjustments

Intonation
A properly intoned bass guitar will sound in tune no matter where you play along
the fretboard. Bass intonation describes the accuracy in relative pitch (of your bass
with itself) as you play the same note or chord. 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. (Harmonics are created by lightly placing a
nger against a string [in this case, at the 12th fret] and striking normally
with your picking hand. You’ve done it correctly 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 oending string using the
adjustment screws to move the saddle location. If the fretted 12th 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 rst before
making saddle adjustments.) Repeat the process until the fretted sound of
the 12th fret matches the open harmonic of the 12th fret.
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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,
truss rod adjustments should always be performed as the rst step in instrument
setup. (Peavey recommends 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 4 mm or 8 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 the 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