Peavey T-60 Six String Guitar

Cliff Kane · Post by **Cliff Kane** » 27 Jul 2008 10:42 pm

Hi,
what can you all tell me about the Peavey T-60 six string guitars? I know that people like them, do you know what the difference is between the different years? I think the pickups changed over the years?
I need an electric six string to play while I finish my Stratocaster project, and I've heard that these are decent guitars and can be bought for not too much money (that's good for me with my current budget). BTW, if any one has one they'd like to part with, please let me know.

Thank you,
Cliff

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 27 Jul 2008 10:49 pm

Cliff,years ago when the T-60 came out bought one of the first around,I loved it,I have short fingers and the neck on it was wonderful.Great guitar[of course this is just MY opinion.]DYKBC.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 28 Jul 2008 9:20 am

Peavey T-60 - good, solid guitar for a reasonable price. One of the first guitars made on CNC machines, much ballyhooed at the time.

Generally, they have fairly heavy ash bodies, two-piece maple neck (to my recollection), and an innovative pickup and control system which blends the humbucking coil in and out as the tone controls are lowered and raised. Good-sounding pickups, to my tastes. I don't recall anything about the pickups changing - all the ones I've played had that same system.

Disadvantages to me - Charlie's correct, the necks I've played had a small profile, to my tastes, and as I said before, they're pretty heavy.

I had an 80s Peavey Patriot for a long time - it was lighter and the neck was larger, with blade ferrite pickups that reminded me of a P-90 - a great rock and roll and blues guitar. They can also be had very inexpensively if you can find one.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 28 Jul 2008 10:18 am

Phil Baugh played one for years, so that's certainly a good endorsement for them.

Greg Vincent · Post by **Greg Vincent** » 28 Jul 2008 11:02 am

Jerry Reed also used a T-60 for awhile --another good endorsement.

I bought one in 1979 when they first came out --my first electric geetar!

Still have it!

Great guitar. Big giant heavy ash body though --almost the size & shape of a Gibson 335, BUT SOLID!

So buy a comfortable guitar strap.

-GV

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 28 Jul 2008 3:13 pm

I got interested in them several years ago, and bought several. I think I have one of every color that was available from the factory. I also have T40 basses to match some of them.

Interestingly, the designer of the T60 lives only a few miles from me, and I still haven't gotten over to see him. According to the book about Peavey, he has T60 #2. Of course Hartley has #1. There is an interesting story behind these two guitars also, but you'll have to buy the book, I ain't tellin' (only because I can't remember all of it LOL).

Ben Elder · Post by **Ben Elder** » 28 Jul 2008 5:58 pm

Red Rhodes, no less, designed the pickup system which has a feature, if memory serves, that with the turn of a knob, gradually changes from a single- to double-coil tap and vice-versa(?) My T-60 has been in storage a while, so I'm a little fuzzy. Great guitar, as others have said; heavy ash body as others have said (occasionally you see a color paint job and/or a rosewood fingerboard). The neck is a little skinnier than I prefer.

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 28 Jul 2008 6:09 pm

Here's one from my collection, it has a pedal unit similar to the one Phil Baugh used, but evidently wasn't made by MSA. No one seems to know who made it. It's kind of fun to play with, but doesn't take the place of a pedal steel.

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 28 Jul 2008 6:11 pm

Here's a website you may be interested in.

http://www.peaveyt60.com/

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 30 Jul 2008 7:52 pm

They're well made guitars with an extensive tonal pallet.
The tone controls are wired to fade from single coil to humbucking, there's a phase switch and pickup switch.
They're the most underrated guitar on the planet, and you can still bag them for $300 or so on eBay.

The earlier models with the toaster pickups have a crunchier tone than the rails.

These are my T's:

more pics - and videos here.

and the T-60 Forum is run by Chip Todd who originally designed them with Hartley Peavey.
Good bunch of guys on that forum . .

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 30 Jul 2008 8:11 pm

I stand corrected on the pickups. I've seen and played a bunch of these, but only saw the earlier toaster pickups.

The later blade pickup looks like a humbucking version of the ferrite single-coil pickup on my Patriot. The single-coil version was a great-sounding pickup, a lot like a P-90 but a little less ratty.

If I could find a neck I liked on one of these, I'd grab it in a second.

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 30 Jul 2008 8:24 pm

You can spot the rails easily, they look like this:

The toasters look about the same, except there are no rails:
(they changed to the rails around 1981)

Notice the white truss rod cover.
Rene from http://vintagegitaar.nl makes those, and many other T-60 parts.
A handy guy to know . .

Incidentally, some Ts are considerably lighter than others. My burst T is nice and light and the natural is quite heavy. The black and white are in between.
The earlier ones with the toasters are lighter - I don't know if that's how they all are, but that's my experience.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 30 Jul 2008 8:35 pm

BTW - besides Phil Baugh, another very notable player who used a T-60 for some time was Phil Upchurch. I saw him using one in New Haven in the 80s, he just sounded great. That's what got me checking them out, but I just couldn't get comfortable with the necks I tried.

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 30 Jul 2008 8:35 pm

I believe Carl Perkins played one for a while.

Cliff Kane · Post by **Cliff Kane** » 30 Jul 2008 10:53 pm

It sounds like a brilliant guitar. Thanks for all the great info.

Cliff

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 30 Jul 2008 11:46 pm

Cliff if you really want one, eBay is where to find them.
There are usually several there in the $300-$400 range.
A couple of real nice ones right now in fact-
eBay Auction 1
Here's a goodie with a BIN of $429 eBay Auction 2

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 31 Jul 2008 3:30 am

Hey Darvin---will your Peaveycaster do this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX6J0mgX4bc

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 31 Jul 2008 5:36 am

I saw Thumbs play one a few times - another testimomial. I have a swamp ash natural finish T40 bass - same deal,same pickups(toasters). I used it recently on some gigs with Tex Beaumont. Heavy as hell but it sounds great.

Bo Legg · Post by **Bo Legg** » 1 Aug 2008 7:37 am

I like my T-27 better than my T-60 pat. apl. for.

Bob Ritter · Post by **Bob Ritter** » 1 Aug 2008 10:09 pm

All parts or Warmouth or USA Custom might have a replacement neck that would bolt right in there...Maybe even a mighty mite..I did not like the tuners on the ones I have seen in the past on either the t-60 or the t-50 ...It would be cool to hot rod one out though...I have heard some folks mention that the t-50 is good to convert into a baritone guitar...you guys own some nice ones in the pictures here.

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 2 Aug 2008 7:51 am

Stephen, my guitar will do that, but I can't.

BTW, "Shadow" is probably my favorite song ever. I have about 20 different recordings of it. From Phil Baugh to Eva Cassidy, by way of a passel of Jazz guitar players.

Bob, what is a T-50?

One of my T-60's came with a Warmouth neck, but I didn't care for it, it was too fat for me. I found an original neck and converted it back.

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 2 Aug 2008 7:55 am

Remove.

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 2 Aug 2008 7:55 am

Remove.

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 2 Aug 2008 7:57 am

Remove.

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 2 Aug 2008 8:00 am

Remove.