Peavey T-60 Guitar - Tell Me About Them...

[DrewB]

I'm gonna go against the grain on the pickups sounding good. They sound shrill to me. They're brutal in the ash-bodied T-60s, but less so in the bodies made out of whatever else they used. The neck size doesn't bother me, but I don't care for the frets; I haven't bothered to analyze why I don't like them. The rosewood-fretboard necks play better, IME. If I had to choose between a T-60 and a Jay Turser anything, I'd go with the Turser.

 

[jwalin]

My first guitar was a Natural Ash T-60. I was 15, and it wasn't cool enough. It had a great clean sound, and I wanted solid state distortion....how times have changed! I wish I had it back. I remember it being extremely heavy, but then I started playing bass....and it wasn't that bad compared to my bass....a solid maple Gibson Ripper. Now that is heavy. I remember the neck being very thin, and I never understood what all the knobs and switches do....I will likely get another one, before they go through the roof. Maybe buy a paddle headstock Warmoth or USA Custom replacement neck and finish it like the stock neck. Thicker profile, more to my preference today....

In hindsight, I think it is a great guitar, if a little heavy. I would like to really hear the switching options now that I know what good tone is!!

 

[Wild Turkey]

I have a 1980 peavey t60 natural ash finish ,maple neck
Its my favourite of all my guitars
It has roll on/off ciol tapping on the tone pots & a phase switch
You can get any sound out of it from shimmering tele to p-90 all out rock,
Pickups sound amazing (Blows the sh*t out of my Gibsons for rock)

The neck is thin but it needed a fret job so it got jumbo frets which makes it feel fatter & doesnt bother me at all as most of my guitars have fat necks
I wouldnt part with it for anything

http://t60mafia.com/
Have a look here

 

[jtees4]

Had one years ago....HEAVY...as others have said, but can't be said enough. Nice guitars though.

 

[A.B.Negative]

Cool guitars, great sound, slim necks and HEAVY.

 

[e-merlin]

One thing about the body shape, to this day, Chip Todd's custom builds still use that general shape. At least the ones I've seen.

 

[lonewolf]

Some folks think they're ugly, and yes they are heavy, but they are great, well made guitars. The electronics do some neat things, for instance check out the difference between 8 and 10 on the volume settings, kinda works like a coil tap. Cool huh?

These guitars come very close to holding the record for the most screws used to hold down the pick-gaurd (remember you have to count the pickup ring screws too), so be forewarned if you need to remove the pick-guard for some reason. The repair I've seen needed most often, is broken mini toggle switches. The big paddle shaped lever on the switch, is easily broken.
Gene Warner
repairman

 

[onenotetom]

The T-60 is certainly not a clone or a copy. It is certainly a big part of guitar history. Some can not get past the shape, or the weight, or the thin neck, or the fact that it says Peavey on the headstock.

The earlier ones have what are called Toaster pickups, the later Blades. Seperate volume and tone. Tone @ 7 splits the humbucker to single coil (or other way around). A pickup selector switch and a phase switch to put the pickups out of phase when both pickups are selected. Kind of like an amp with a bunch of knobs. Very versatile if you can figure out how to dial it the way you like it.

All I can say is that if I play any of my guitars for people that know nothing about guitars they almost always like the T-60's tone the best. Maybe I am not giving a fair demo. Do some more research then try one for yourself. You might just like it!

 

[Brian Krashpad]

The T-60 is certainly not a clone or a copy. It is certainly a big part of guitar history. Some can not get past the shape, or the weight, or the thin neck, or the fact that it says Peavey on the headstock.

The earlier ones have what are called Toaster pickups, the later Blades. Separate volume and tone. Tone @ 7 splits the humbucker to single coil (or other way around). A pickup selector switch and a phase switch to put the pickups out of phase when both pickups are selected. Kind of like an amp with a bunch of knobs. Very versatile if you can figure out how to dial it the way you like it.

All I can say is that if I play any of my guitars for people that know nothing about guitars they almost always like the T-60's tone the best. Maybe I am not giving a fair demo. Do some more research then try one for yourself. You might just like it!

I was going to note the unique tone circuit, as it appears to mainly have been mentioned only in passing, but you nailed it.

From all reports I've seen, the non-Northern Ash T-60's (typically solid-color ones) are poplar. I believe my black T-60 probably is. It's not nearly as heavy as some of the natural-finish ones I've played.

I have both a T-60 and it's bass sister, the T-40, and am quite happy with them. In fact, the lead singer in one of my side bands, despite an initial prejudice against Peavey, now has seen the light and insists I use my T-40 as my bass (I have several other basses, including a Precision and a Jazz) in that band.

Btw, for any questions about the T-series (Chip Todd sometimes posts!) and just good conversation in general, check out:

http://www.t60mafia.com

Here's some pics of my T-60 and T-40 (which has the same coil-split circuit):

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Btw, I also have a Fury (I) bass, which is essentially the same as another T-series bass guitar, the T-20 bass, which is also nice (and was cheap--$125 USD):

image removed

 

[Chad T]

Chip Todd recently posted on a T-60 forum that if he had it to do over again, he would not have used the Northern Ash for the body wood. Funny thing though, if this were the Les Paul forum, we wouldn't be talking about the weight. The later bodies were much more contoured thus helping to lighten them up a bit and as stated above, the wood was changed from Ash to Alder or possibly Poplar on the painted ones.

I haven't been on the Les Paul forum in a long time, but used to hang out there quite a bit. They were more concerned with the weight of guitars than probably any other forum I've been a member of.

 

[nadzab]

The T-60 is certainly not a clone or a copy. It is certainly a big part of guitar history. Some can not get past the shape, or the weight, or the thin neck, or the fact that it says Peavey on the headstock.

The earlier ones have what are called Toaster pickups, the later Blades. Seperate volume and tone. Tone @ 7 splits the humbucker to single coil (or other way around). A pickup selector switch and a phase switch to put the pickups out of phase when both pickups are selected. Kind of like an amp with a bunch of knobs. Very versatile if you can figure out how to dial it the way you like it.

All I can say is that if I play any of my guitars for people that know nothing about guitars they almost always like the T-60's tone the best. Maybe I am not giving a fair demo. Do some more research then try one for yourself. You might just like it!

Good post, says it all.

 

[JoeNeri]

After jonesing for a Peavey T-60 for the past few months, and this thread certainly fueled the fire, I was in my local (sort of) guitar tech shop last week, and lo and behold, there was a 1981 natural ash T-60 hanging from the wall.

I played it through a '56 Bassman (pretty cool shop, eh?) and bought it right then and there.

What a cool and tonally versatile axe (even through my '70 Bassman)! Not very heavy, either. The electronics make every position usable, but the neck, oh the neck!!!

I'm lovin' every bit of it.

 

[bo]

I was in a band with a guy ages ago that had one. We used to trade guitars just to try each others guitars out. I remember his red one as being a: a fairly hideous dull red, b: heavy c: very easy to play, d: tonally very flexible due to the single coil/humbucker layout on the volume controls yet somehow very generic sounding. This is a guitar I really recommend trying before buying. It's an odd (yet understandably likeable) duck.

 

[e-merlin]

After jonesing for a Peavey T-60 for the past few months, and this thread certainly fueled the fire, I was in my local (sort of) guitar tech shop last week, and lo and behold, there was a 1981 natural ash T-60 hanging from the wall.

I played it through a '56 Bassman (pretty cool shop, eh?) and bought it right then and there.

What a cool and tonally versatile axe (even through my '70 Bassman)! Not very heavy, either. The electronics make every position usable, but the neck, oh the neck!!!

I'm lovin' every bit of it.

Very cool. How about some pics. In a new NGD thread, of course!

 

[Dan German]

A Tele neck is a direct replacement for the T-60 neck.

I've often considered getting another T-60 and swapping out the neck with a nice full Tele neck.

Aren't they a different scale length?? Or was that only the T-15 that was short-scale?

 

[JoeNeri]

Very cool. How about some pics. In a new NGD thread, of course!

That's tonight's project!

 

[Ringo]

T60

I got one new in the late 70s, mine was natural, pretty heavy, thin neck, at the time it felt fine but over the years I've gotten to where I really prefer a fatter neck, thin ones make my left hand cramp up.

I got some great tones from my T60 , it was the earlier non exposed blade type pickup. Never thought it sounded thin, at the time I had a 135 watt MV Twin , maybe that was why?

My brother got one later that was sunburst not as heavy with the later style pickups. A friend of mine still has that guitar.

I got another one years later, modded it , changed the pickups out with a set of Duncan 59 neck and JB bridge, painted it black , played that for a few years. When I went to sell it I put the Peavey buckers back in and to my surprise they sounded better than the Duncans to my ears.

They are still a bargain for vintage USA made guitars, if you can handle the thin neck and a heavy axe.

The T60 has the same scale as a Fender, the T15 is a short scale guitar.

 

[Newbie Brad]