USA Peavey Predator

[slowhand84]

So a while ago I got a killer deal on a set of Bareknuckle Cobra single coils...paid $100 for a set that is something like $260 new. The plan was to make sort of a Gilmour project strat out of it when I found the right type of guitar for it. Also grabbed a new set of locking Sperzel tuners for $25 from Craigslist, with the goal of putting it on whatever guitar I find.

Did a bunch of looking, really didn't want to spend much since I know this guitar will inevitably get less play than my Warmoth trio, but was hoping to avoid getting something super cheap like an SX...finally hit the jackpot yesterday with this older USA Peavey Predator for a cool $99, loaded with 2 Fender Noiseless pickups (guessing the neck pup is stock). Alder body, maple neck. Going to sell the 2 Noiseless pups since the Bareknuckles are going in here anyway and then the guitar will almost be free .

Also gotta get rid of this hideous green tortoiseshell pickguard...going to go with a black one so it'll have a real Gilmour vibe at the end of it all.

Anyone have firsthand experience with these? Opinions online seem to be overwhelmingly favorable, minus the tuners which are gettin' swapped anyway.

[Chad]

Picked mine up for $75 and did some upgrades. Still have not finished it, but it plays amazing.

[slowhand84]

Picked mine up for $75 and did some upgrades. Still have not finished it, but it plays amazing.

Looks nice! If all is well with mine I think it should kill after the Sperzels and Bareknuckles get installed. I don’t usually bother putting higher end stuff into cheaper guitars but I have a feeling this could be a real hidden gem. Never played any of these Peaveys and I know country of origin doesn’t necessarily mean anything but it seems they’re pretty well regarded.

[ILuvTeles]

Congrats! Predators are great guitars for the money. And yes, the green pickguard must go!

[fullonshred]

So a while ago I got a killer deal on a set of Bareknuckle Cobra single coils...paid $100 for a set that is something like $260 new. The plan was to make sort of a Gilmour project strat out of it when I found the right type of guitar for it. Also grabbed a new set of locking Sperzel tuners for $25 from Craigslist, with the goal of putting it on whatever guitar I find.

Did a bunch of looking, really didn't want to spend much since I know this guitar will inevitably get less play than my Warmoth trio, but was hoping to avoid getting something super cheap like an SX...finally hit the jackpot yesterday with this older USA Peavey Predator for a cool $99, loaded with 2 Fender Noiseless pickups (guessing the neck pup is stock). Alder body, maple neck. Going to sell the 2 Noiseless pups since the Bareknuckles are going in here anyway and then the guitar will almost be free .

Also gotta get rid of this hideous green tortoiseshell pickguard...going to go with a black one so it'll have a real Gilmour vibe at the end of it all.

Anyone have firsthand experience with these? Opinions online seem to be overwhelmingly favorable, minus the tuners which are gettin' swapped anyway.

You freaking stole that guitar. Now we see who the real Predator is.

I have three of them, white w/black pg, black w/white pg, and a Predator AX in the powder blue w/white pg. Also have a Crafted in USA Reactor AX in a burst, Peavey's take on the Telecaster. I like all of them a lot. Maybe if I find a great deal I will add the Predator in red w/white pg to complete the group. I would like to have a standard Reactor as well (classic Tele pups instead of dual blade buckers like the AX)but they are usually too high for my tastes when I rarely see one for sale.

[toomanycats]

For me the really unique thing about the Peavey Predator is the neck. It's a thin and fast neck, though not like an Ibanez Wizard, or a Jackson, or a Kramer . . . it's just it's own thing. It's a very stable neck made from two pieces of wood running parallel for the entire length. When it comes right down to it the rest of the guitar (despite the fact that it is made in the USA) is pretty lackluster. I'm not sure what the body wood is, the tuners are crappy, and I believe the neck plate and block are some kind of plastic. But there is something about them, which is why I own one. I also have a Peavey Tracer from the same era and the neck is also exceptionally good.

The Peavey Tracer. The guitar hunting pubic doesn't seem to have given as much attention to the Tracer as they have to the Predator, though they should. It's a worthwhile acquisition if you can find one at a good price. Just like the Predator, it has a stellar neck.

[Rollin Hand]

For me the really unique thing about the Peavey Predator is the neck. It's a thin and fast neck, though not like an Ibanez Wizard, or a Jackson, or a Kramer . . . it's just it's own thing. It's a very stable neck made from two pieces of wood running parallel for the entire length. When it comes right down to it the rest of the guitar (despite the fact that it is made in the USA) is pretty lackluster. I'm not sure what the body wood is, the tuners are crappy, and I believe the neck plate and block are some kind of plastic. But there is something about them, which is why I own one. I also have a Peavey Tracer from the same era and the neck is also exceptionally good.

Body wood, if my research is correct, is poplar.

As for the USA thing....not exactly. I have read posts on other forums where known Peavey employees said the bodies are from Taiwan (IIRC). The guy said that he raised the point of the "Crafted in the USA" label, and was told that the neck was made in the USA, and that was most of a guitar anyway. At any rate, the bridge is very clearly an offshore special, and the tuners...eh, they kind of work.

Mine got a set of Guykers from AliExpress, which seem nice (these ones are Jin Hos). Got a Wilkinson (sorta) bridge with a niiiice brass block. I plan on a project thread if I ever have time to get it together and wired up.

[toomanycats]

For me the really unique thing about the Peavey Predator is the neck. It's a thin and fast neck, though not like an Ibanez Wizard, or a Jackson, or a Kramer . . . it's just it's own thing. It's a very stable neck made from two pieces of wood running parallel for the entire length. When it comes right down to it the rest of the guitar (despite the fact that it is made in the USA) is pretty lackluster. I'm not sure what the body wood is, the tuners are crappy, and I believe the neck plate and block are some kind of plastic. But there is something about them, which is why I own one. I also have a Peavey Tracer from the same era and the neck is also exceptionally good.

Body wood, if my research is correct, is poplar.

As for the USA thing....not exactly. I have read posts on other forums where known Peavey employees said the bodies are from Taiwan (IIRC). The guy said that he raised the point of the "Crafted in the USA" label, and was told that the neck was made in the USA, and that was most of a guitar anyway. At any rate, the bridge is very clearly an offshore special, and the tuners...eh, they kind of work.

Mine got a set of Guykers from AliExpress, which seem nice (these ones are Jin Hos). Got a Wilkinson (sorta) bridge with a niiiice brass block. I plan on a project thread if I ever have time to get it together and wired up.

The only thing I've changed on mine are the pickups. I put a Rose Robusta set in it, which were an improvement over the stock pups and significantly improvement my enjoyment of the instrument. Since I don't actually require it to be gig worthy, and a large part of the reason I own it is simply nostalgia, I kept the rest of it stock.

[slowhand84]

For me the really unique thing about the Peavey Predator is the neck. It's a thin and fast neck, though not like an Ibanez Wizard, or a Jackson, or a Kramer . . . it's just it's own thing. It's a very stable neck made from two pieces of wood running parallel for the entire length. When it comes right down to it the rest of the guitar (despite the fact that it is made in the USA) is pretty lackluster. I'm not sure what the body wood is, the tuners are crappy, and I believe the neck plate and block are some kind of plastic. But there is something about them, which is why I own one. I also have a Peavey Tracer from the same era and the neck is also exceptionally good.


fullsizeoutput_285.jpeg


The Peavey Tracer. The guitar hunting pubic doesn't seem to have given as much attention to the Tracer as they have to the Predator, though they should. It's a worthwhile acquisition if you can find one at a good price. Just like the Predator, it has a stellar neck.

fullsizeoutput_377.jpeg

For me the really unique thing about the Peavey Predator is the neck. It's a thin and fast neck, though not like an Ibanez Wizard, or a Jackson, or a Kramer . . . it's just it's own thing. It's a very stable neck made from two pieces of wood running parallel for the entire length. When it comes right down to it the rest of the guitar (despite the fact that it is made in the USA) is pretty lackluster. I'm not sure what the body wood is, the tuners are crappy, and I believe the neck plate and block are some kind of plastic. But there is something about them, which is why I own one. I also have a Peavey Tracer from the same era and the neck is also exceptionally good.

Body wood, if my research is correct, is poplar.

As for the USA thing....not exactly. I have read posts on other forums where known Peavey employees said the bodies are from Taiwan (IIRC). The guy said that he raised the point of the "Crafted in the USA" label, and was told that the neck was made in the USA, and that was most of a guitar anyway. At any rate, the bridge is very clearly an offshore special, and the tuners...eh, they kind of work.

Mine got a set of Guykers from AliExpress, which seem nice (these ones are Jin Hos). Got a Wilkinson (sorta) bridge with a niiiice brass block. I plan on a project thread if I ever have time to get it together and wired up.

The research I'm done seems to indicate that this particular model had an alder body, but I'm not super hung up on alder vs poplar as long as the guitar isn't plywood. I've heard/seen lots of good things written about the neck so that's encouraging.

I have high end parts readily available to upgrade everything that might not be great (even have a spare high quality Wilky bridge I got for free that I think should fit this nicely)...should be able to easily get $60ish for the pair of noiseless pickups so all in all for a grand total of $165 invested including the Bareknuckles and Sperzels and Wilky bridge I think it should be a pretty neat axe

[fullonshred]

Love the necks, the fretwork is decent, the tuners are lower ratio but hold tune, the bodies are fine. The pups sound good enough to me.

That said it is bound to be better after your upgrades. Congrats on the find.

[Rollin Hand]

For me the really unique thing about the Peavey Predator is the neck. It's a thin and fast neck, though not like an Ibanez Wizard, or a Jackson, or a Kramer . . . it's just it's own thing. It's a very stable neck made from two pieces of wood running parallel for the entire length. When it comes right down to it the rest of the guitar (despite the fact that it is made in the USA) is pretty lackluster. I'm not sure what the body wood is, the tuners are crappy, and I believe the neck plate and block are some kind of plastic. But there is something about them, which is why I own one. I also have a Peavey Tracer from the same era and the neck is also exceptionally good.


fullsizeoutput_285.jpeg


The Peavey Tracer. The guitar hunting pubic doesn't seem to have given as much attention to the Tracer as they have to the Predator, though they should. It's a worthwhile acquisition if you can find one at a good price. Just like the Predator, it has a stellar neck.

fullsizeoutput_377.jpeg

For me the really unique thing about the Peavey Predator is the neck. It's a thin and fast neck, though not like an Ibanez Wizard, or a Jackson, or a Kramer . . . it's just it's own thing. It's a very stable neck made from two pieces of wood running parallel for the entire length. When it comes right down to it the rest of the guitar (despite the fact that it is made in the USA) is pretty lackluster. I'm not sure what the body wood is, the tuners are crappy, and I believe the neck plate and block are some kind of plastic. But there is something about them, which is why I own one. I also have a Peavey Tracer from the same era and the neck is also exceptionally good.

Body wood, if my research is correct, is poplar.

As for the USA thing....not exactly. I have read posts on other forums where known Peavey employees said the bodies are from Taiwan (IIRC). The guy said that he raised the point of the "Crafted in the USA" label, and was told that the neck was made in the USA, and that was most of a guitar anyway. At any rate, the bridge is very clearly an offshore special, and the tuners...eh, they kind of work.

Mine got a set of Guykers from AliExpress, which seem nice (these ones are Jin Hos). Got a Wilkinson (sorta) bridge with a niiiice brass block. I plan on a project thread if I ever have time to get it together and wired up.

The research I'm done seems to indicate that this particular model had an alder body, but I'm not super hung up on alder vs poplar as long as the guitar isn't plywood. I've heard/seen lots of good things written about the neck so that's encouraging.

I have high end parts readily available to upgrade everything that might not be great (even have a spare high quality Wilky bridge I got for free that I think should fit this nicely)...should be able to easily get $60ish for the pair of noiseless pickups so all in all for a grand total of $165 invested including the Bareknuckles and Sperzels and Wilky bridge I think it should be a pretty neat axe

For sure. For what these go for, you can't go wrong at all.