T-40FL statistics

Here is the info I have gathered to date on the T-40FL.

Please bear in mind that this is not to be considered gospel as it is nowhere near complete nor confirmed by Peavey.

This info was gathered over the course of the past few years from input from owners and by observation of T-40FLs on auction web sites and in music stores that I have visited. As Mike Frederick at the T-60 Mafia loves to say, "your mileage may vary".

I also track who has the oldest and youngest serial number within each category, but I will not list owners and serial numbers without their permission.

5 total number of serial numbers collected
1 total number of owners identified
1982 (8-digit)
1 serial numbers collected
0 owners identified
color
1 sunburst
0 unknown
1
fingerboard material
1 rosewood
0 unknown
1
pickups
0 toaster
1 blade
0 non-stock
0 unknown
1
switches
0 flat
1 bat
0 non-stock
0 unknown
1
pickguard dots
0 dots
1 no dots
0 unknown
1
top nut material
0 metal
0 black plastic
1 white plastic
0 unknown
1
headstock decal
0 PAF
0 U.S. Patent Number
1 Made in U.S.A.
0 Handcrafted in U.S.A.
0 big Peavey small T-60
0 unknown
1
case
0 Type 1
color black 0 brown 0 unknown 0 0
latches three 0 four 0 unknown 0 0
interior foamed 0 lined 0 unknown 0 0
1 Type 2
color black 1 brown 0 unknown 0 1
latches three 0 four 1 unknown 0 1
interior foamed 0 lined 0 unknown 1 1
0 none or unknown
1
1983 (8-digit)
4 serial numbers collected
1 owners identified
color
4 sunburst
0 unknown
4
fingerboard material
4 rosewood
0 unknown
4
pickups
0 toaster
4 blade
0 non-stock
0 unknown
4
switches
1 flat
3 bat
0 non-stock
0 unknown
4
pickguard dots
0 dots
3 no dots
1 unknown
4
top nut material
0 metal
0 black plastic
4 white plastic
0 unknown
4
headstock decal
0 PAF
0 U.S. Patent Number
4 Made in U.S.A.
0 Handcrafted in U.S.A.
0 big Peavey small T-60
0 unknown
4
case
0 Type 1
color black 0 brown 0 unknown 0 0
latches three 0 four 0 unknown 0 0
interior foamed 0 lined 0 unknown 0 0
3 Type 2
color black 3 brown 0 unknown 0 3
latches three 0 four 3 unknown 0 3
interior foamed 1 lined 2 unknown 0 3
1 none or unknown
4

THIS is my HOLY GRAIL....A T40 Fretless.

I paid my luthier a LOT of money to customize mine, but I want a Sienna FL SO BADLY....but, I can't be picky, I'd even love JUST to find a FL neck!

I keep looking, hopefully IF I find one, I'll have some $$$ in my pocket.

ANY tip where one might be would be GREATLY appreciated!

Still looking for you Tony. Interesting story. I wanted to try fretless so I contacted Chip (this is about 6 yrs ago) and he had a custom ebony T-40FL neck that he sold me. I put it on a body and tried it out for a few months but just couldn't get used to it. I ended up sending it back to him.

I don't think I could deal with a fretless. I have a hard enough time playing a fretted instrument. Rick has a fretless T-60 neck that used to belong to Charley Gressett.

Thanks Scott,

I contacted Chip a few times, he doesn't have any spare T40 necks.
I appreciate the extra eyes out there looking.

LoL, I hear you Tony....many guys feel that way, it just takes time to master...I have a horrible ear, but I put in a lot of time and it improved my ear better than anything else I've tried. Play with a tuner near, it will tell you how far you are off!

I paid my luthier about $360.00 to do the work on my T40. It had broken switches and a few bugs he had work out. LOL, more than I paid for the T40, but I liked the bass enough to invest the money in it. It was my first and I still have it. Just a great bass.

I LOVE the bass, but my mistake was to leave the Rosewood neck natural, without clear coat. I wanted some more ZIP than flats offered, and the round wound strings are digging into the wood. It has a great upright sound, but I'm looking for more ZING if you will. I just ran out of $$$ when the work was being done.

I played upright from the 3rd grade to the 10th grade MANY moons ago. While I don't play fretless as much as I'd like to, I'm just more comfortable on a fretless neck. I eventually hope to make the switch to playing fretless full time.

Tony C,

How about an epoxy finish on the fretboard? I've seen them online and they "look" amazing. I'm not sure how much it would change the sound, if any. Plus, it's friggin' expensive as hell.

http://www.woodwiz.com/epoxy/index.html

I'm curious how removing the frets altered the set-up that had to be done.

Since it came from the factory fretted, did your luthier have to install a different nut? I know nothing about fretless but it would seem to me that would have to be done to get the action nice and low (unless you like high action).

WOW Scott,

That link has necks that look AMAZING!

BUT, ouch....expensive is correct!

Honestly, my luthier did all the setup work. The action is NICE AND LOW, about 1.5 mm at the 12th fret. NOT as low as it can go either. I believe he did file the metal nut, but I'm not sure what else he did.

The neck is dead flat and plays perfectly. My luthier isn't cheap. He does custom work for George Thorogood, Stevie Vai and a bunch of session players in Nashville. So, his time is $$$. The setups he's done are amazing. He did a great job. It plays like a 2K bass. I've got almost $700.00 into this T40, so it will never leave my hands if I have a say in it. BUT, that being said, I REALLY want a stock FL. Just to compare the two, and IF I have my choice, I'd love a Sienna burst...my dream T40.