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Very old video of Peavy. I use to be a big supporter of them until they went overseas. Many USA made guitars and amps were great. I miss my beginner guitar. It was a Tele copy that was partly made overseas and finished in USA then assembled and setup. It was as good as the American version. Missed some of the amps too. Rugged and took a beating but still got the job done. I can’t support them after this video aired. You can’t find them anywhere because many music stores felt betrayed and service went downhill. Anyone with a original version keeps them and won’t sell it. Same with Crate Amps. Those early tube amps were phenomenal and the early solid state amps with tone shaping were awesome at the time then they just went downhill. I don’t understand why it happens. Edit: I should clarify that I don’t understand how they didn’t see the changes before and make adjustments. They could have kept making American versions and made inexpensive versions overseas while updating the manufacturing equipment to lower costs in both USA and overseas but they didn’t. And the Tele copy I mentioned that was partially made overseas and in USA. Brand new was $150 USD in 1996. I’m sure today it would probably be $500 USD and above because of the quality. I think the issues stemmed from this video and customer service going down. Like I mentioned the music stores lost respect for them and that effects sales when a store no longer wants to sell your product.
Peavey's COO: "I'm just upset she doesn't see the big picture." Right, because your assembly line worker gets paid like the COO of your company, dude. Knowing the big picture is YOUR job.
Poor girl and her husband are just trying to provide for their kids... and I can't blame him for knocking her up five times, she's gorgeous (especially considering she's over forty and has lived with that much strain!) and sweet... and she deserves better than that employer. They just decided to pay her off, but they don't even try to fix the long term problem... and the guy who had a better offer elsewhere turned it down just for Peavey to turn round and fire him. Massive dick move.
God, I hate that sort of "boss" mentality. "The big picture" is only interresting to the owner, it's his company. The employee owns ZERO of that big picture. They all try to make you care for the company but as soon as they don't want you anymore you can go die in a ditch for "their big picture". I fell for that once, never again. You want your emplyees to care for your company? Give them shares in it.
The CEO of a language school I worked for years ago (son of the first CEO, silver spoon in his mouth) came by our branch to explain why we had to quit our previous contract and be rehired under worse conditions. I'm paraphrasing, "we all have to make sacrifices, including me... Never mind I drive a luxury Audi, we all make sacrifices." SOB. made us miss our lunch that day, too.
@@joetowers4804 That CEO and every other member of the ruling class ultimately doesn't sacrifice anything, except maybe the potential of making billions instead of millions, or millions instead hundreds of thousands, ultimately it's workers who sacrifice a life of dignity in order to maintain the ruling class's ability to exploit us. Fuck that CEO and fuck every other rich piece of shirt living off of other people's labour.
@@keesketsers5866 Same deal during the first time the pandemic lockdown hit in my old job. CEO came in and put everyone on furlough but we found out there was a video a week prior around the office level that they were gonna shut down, we knew there was a chance of it happening but we never got any notice or info prior to it and they even told us they didn't feel the need to shutdown so everyone assumed we'd still operate.
The entire band plays to click and automated midi switching. It seems unreasonable to use anything but the axe fx. Unfortunately the invective just came out a few years too late. The added features are rad, especially for guys looking to get a lot of versatility. With that being said, played one for a couple of hours and it just didn’t sound interesting enough to me. I’ve since sold my 5150, 5150ii and 6505+. My kemper and power amp function as any bass or guitar head I want. And peavey just won’t get my money ever again.
Anybody who has one that complains about the sound just doesn't know how to set them up. I got one, and it's honestly the best sounding amp I've ever had. I've got a Marshall JVM410H that's about to be sold - primarily because the Invective makes it sound like ass-spatter. I also have a Bookie MKIIC+ - and have gotten the Invective sounding better than even it does (which I never thought was possible). Whether Peavey tanks or not, the Invective is staying!
I had a behringer bass amp it blew when I tried to play Stoner Metal so I threw it away I'm hoping I save up to buy a Mesa Boogie Subway bass amp because I will never buy cheap China shit again after buying a Mesa Boogie.
It should be remembered that whilst the companies shown on this programme reward the specific people that are featured in the episode, the problems that exist within the given company are being endured by ALL the employees.
not to mention its a tv show, peavey 100% got paid for being on it, and i wouldnt be surprised if the awards werent actually paid by production. @@dasmuss6174
I’Ve been in this situation a couple of times and not to excuse companies but they cannot be totally honest with employees in these situations. The real shame is the employee who had a job lined up elsewhere but stayed. Also note, if a company goes bankrupt and owe employees back pay, youare on the bottom of the list to receive moneys due. Creditors and attorneys come first. Whatever is left goes to you.
I heard through the grapevine, that Hartley’s own son left the company, after doing all the design and programming for Peaveys Media Matrix line. The son asked to be treated as a partner on that project instead of an hourly employee, Heartly said nope. So the son left, went work for QSC and created QSys and is now dominating the industry.
There's a little bit more to it. Joe had long been annoyed by how Peavey had stopped innovating. He had a lot of ideas that the industry is just now catching up to, so after getting stifled for years he said fuck it and went and took his ideas somewhere else. Getting treated like shit was just part of it.
But in an interview Hartland said he refused to be like other companies and reissue old gear hes only interested in making new innovative ideas and his stuff now is better than ever lol😂 @JAKECUB100
I worked at Peaveys for 9 years in a variety of capacities. I tested everything from recording equipment to keyboards. The pay truly was awful but back then ( 1985 - 1994) man were those some good times. It was not always like it is now. I drove from Tampa through Meridian this past weekend, Meridian is now basically an open air prison for people living in poverty. I asked my nephew who lives outside of Meridian about what there is to do in Meridian. His response was “ the only thing left to do in Meridian MS is LEAVE. There was a golden age at one time. Glad I was there during that time. There is a season for everyone and everything. I think Hartley and company did not see the big picture either.
As a person from Mississippi. 30k here goes a long way. Things are a lot cheaper here compared to rest of the US. Granted the circumstances of the show are bad and I hope they got better opportunities. The price of houses here are near 100k to 200k for a 3 bedroom 2 bath house, gas is below 3$ a gallon, and taxes are significantly lower. So 30k will probably help the families in the episode a lot in the long run if spent correctly.
In Mexico our currency went downhill, here the average worker makes $3,600 USD per YEAR, which is slightly less than 10% of that, with today currency the 30k it's equal to the amount you get for working aorund 8 years here, that amount here is rich status, in fact in mexican pesos it's equal to $600,000 more than half of a million pesos
All too often, this story accurately depicts what is wrong with “magnanimous” American companies! They attempt to maintain a benevolent public image, while actually treating their employees with indifference and contempt.
I collect old Peavey amps and equipment, I love all of it. But I would never buy anything new from them anymore, I can't support the direction they're going in nowadays
The brand doesn’t make any in America anymore, and barely produces anything anymore. They also lied about the Invective, mainly about being made in America and putting stickers saying such over the amp saying made in China. I think KDH should cover that.
@@ColbyJohnson303 What direction? It seems to me that they've been in free-fall for quite some time. Unfortunately I think the company has been so horribly mismanaged that it will be nearly impossible to regain their former success. They don't make instruments any longer, they kinda sorta have embraced modeling amplifiers, they release the exact same tube amplifier line for 10+ years, no improvements or new features...they even keep the same cosmetics. I think they could possibly follow Kiesel's lead and rebrand and rebuild...but what do I know
This is my hometown. People used to make a big deal of working for Peavey, and everyone I knew that worked there said they were good people, and that after Hartley's wife died things just started going down hill for the company. She was the president of the company. It's still sad seeing what they have become.
If he was a valued employee like it seems all that worked there were they should have paid them we make nothing in the U S A anymore it’s sad it’s all about money for the corporate big wigs and how much they make let it trickle down to the workers
It happens alllllll the time, especially when the founder(s) die or sell it off. The new management immediately just starts cost-cutting to make the quarterly numbers look good so they can give themselves big bonuses. And the fastest easiest way to cut costs is to simply lay people off and switch to imported crap.
I grew up near there. I remember when they were a huge company with dealers in every town. Their products were top notch. EVERYTHING was American made. I still have a couple of their US-made amps.
My first bass was a Peavey t 40 it was so well made sounded awesome with the tnt bass amp very well made also right here in the U S A those where the days
As a music store employee that was a Peavey dealer, I was sent to Meridian for a one-week training session way back in the 80's. It was quite impressive and Peavey had a large market share at that time because their equipment was, frankly, cheap. They made a lot of things that were NOT very exciting. Their guitars looked pretty boring and they didn't sell. While there, all the other guys (it was all guys) from around the country were in a room with a PA system. A guy was trying to turn it on and play a CD through it; but nothing came out of the speakers. He turned up the channel, the the mains, then realized...."Oh, the power isn't on. But he DIDN'T lower the faders he had raised. I was on the front row when he turned on the power amps...the VP of Peavey was there and tried to stop him..."NO!" Too late, the sound came on like a cannon shot and I actually fell out of my chair. LOL. They got it turned down but my ears were ringing the rest of the week. Then that guy said to the VP, just feet from me. "I wouldn't be surprised if that guy sues us!" The VP gave me a dirty look like, "Don't even think about it," but he was also really mad at his "sound tech." I was hoping they would win me over (since I was not a fan of Peavey and was a keyboardist; and they don't make keyboards), but...no!
Thanks Lee, that's news to me. If I think about it, there's a slight hint of a memory of that. Obviously, their keyboard line didn't last. I was out of the music business for a few years...including 1989.
When I was a young teenager in the 80's, I made the mistake of trading "up" for a Peavy Razer guitar, in a pawnshop. Took it to a guitar shop in Panama City in FL to see what I could get in trade in, and they openly mocked me, saying Fred Flintstone probably played that guitar. It was worthless.
Oh man! But I think all of us have made similar mistakes. Live and learn, right? Sometimes awful guitars serve a purpose. In one music store where I worked, we were burglarized and they got lots of stuff. The ugliest guitar we lost broke the case. The guy who bought it from the thieves came in to try and trade it in (he obviously got it cheap). We called the police and they found out who he bought it from. Of course, they were caught. Thank you ugly guitar! lol
@@moustachio334 I don't think so. You're helping the owners. They'll continue laying off workers with whom they don't share profits, building overseas, and directing as much money as they can upwards and to shareholders.
Both my parents worked for Peavey for over 2 decades and it literally sucked the life out of them. They are literally a dismally managed company that doesn't know how to continue managing a brand through tough times.
@@ozskipper Why should they say thanks. Peavey received their manual-labour for the payments they got. A company isn't a charity employees have to thank. There should be either a thanks from both sides or none.
@@RockmannMusic My point is that low grade employees always think that companies owe them something just for showing up.. Well, thats what the pay is for..
@@ozskipper I don't think that this is the point the OP is making. I also don't think that "low grade employees" ALWAYS think that companies owe them something. I am also convinced that most "low grade employees"do valuable work and not just only showing up. If the damage a job is doing to an employee has more weight than the payment, yes, the companies owe them something [workers processing asbestos back in the days might be one example]
@@RockmannMusic Sure,, they generally do the unskilled work.. The repetitive work and the dirty work. Thats the choice of the employee. Anyone can choose to be a boilermaker, nurse or a soldier.. people make those choices.. Its a bit rich to blame the boss at the end if you didnt like it.
When Hartley's wife Melia was in charge of the company, they always said they would NEVER enter the mail order market. After she passed away, Hartley Peavey started selling to all the catalog companies, and when that happened, the mom and pop dealers (that had MADE that company the giant that it was) started losing faith/interest in the line because it was no longer the profit machine for them that it had once been. Peavey did this to themselves. Some of their product is still very solid, but much of it today is not made as well as their stuff used to be. The trying to compete with the companies selling through mail order game is nothing more than a race to the bottom of the barrel.
I remember. When the mail-order rags started becoming popular in the mid 90s, the Peavey rep told our small store, "Will never happen. You will never see Peavey in these.".
It should be said that pretty much all brands sell to the mail order market because retail is and continues to die on the vine. Mom and pop may have been the backbone before the internet but that is no longer the case. You have to place your product where it will be seen by the greatest number of potential clients.
@@BillSeipel 90's and mail order? While others already declared catalog sales for dead and moved into the internet? Wow. Peavy must have been really behind the times even 30 years ago.
Good video. - there’s nothing more sickening than hearing a CEO complain that the workers ‘don’t get the big picture' when a) they aren’t told the big picture and b) the big picture is that they will be thrown out on the street, in order to preserve the income and lifestyle of the bosses. Peaveys problem was lack of imagination and innovation. There was nothing wrong with their products. They were great for what they were. But what they were didn’t really inspire anyone. Rock solid and reliable Peavey Amps were used backstage for warming up and tuning, guitar techs quite liked them. But they were rarely used on stage. There was a time when many small pubs and clubs would have a peavey bass amp as part of their back line, uninspiring amps, but solid and reliable and it saved the bass player from having to bring one along. Successful amp manufacturers need either heritage/innovation or huge innovation. Peavey had neither
As a southerner who grew up rockin' I felt pride that Peavey was growing up in that same era gaining in popularity throughout my youth (I'm 62 now). They made solid gear that delivered value and was reliable. In the eighties they hit some home runs like the CS400 power amp and the Black Widow range of speakers. These were affordable yet world-class in performance. Perhaps this reached a even greater level when the 5150 head and BW cabs took on the Marshall/Celestion supremacy. Now the trick is to remain favored at that level. The music business is one fickle mistress and technology moves ever faster. Add in the threat of ever better Chinese sourced builds from all of the heavies and the market was being sliced and diced in every direction. The "soup to nuts" we make it all from mics, cables, instruments, stage/studio amps, to touring PAs whole systems was becoming a albatross. It's impossible to be uniformly profitable and even desirable in everything on levels from beginners to professionals. Time to focus on the core again. Do that core really good and offer it at decent (i.e. fair, not firesale or obviously unsustainable) pricing for the no non-sense builds. Bring it back to American-Made so users can have pride of ownership and passion about the brand. It will be be a smaller company but one that can get back to profitability and quality in equal measures. I know...easier said than done. But I always root for the embattled iconic American underdog to rise.
Peavey is not an underdog. They once controlled the market by offering quality, US-made products for the same price as dodgy Asian imports. They did this by paying minimum wage in the deep south, in areas with high unemployment and poverty, while Hartley Peavey bought mansions and yachts. By the time the Asian import market shifted to China, Peavey could've gone upmarket and continued making innovative, US-built products, but he instead decided to save labor costs by outsourcing US jobs to China, like almost every manufacturing company did in the 1990s. The money was great until it wasn't. Greed and hubris are what killed Peavey. Had Hartley just been willing to take a tiny pay cut and double down on the "Made in the USA" label, they would have lost probably the ultra-low cost market, but not the mid- and high-end range. Instead, they lost everything.
@@RockandrollNegro I did not know about H. Peavey's penchant for luxury living, but growing up in the south I'm very aware of the network of a smaller town's industries seeking to steer any new coming employer to not upset the low-wage per hour unspoken agreement between an area's various employers. Not fair, or legal, when there's a collusion against the worker rising financially. In fact, greed among owners and even more so, stock-holders, has ushered in our current era where I hear the excuse in my retail boot industry that the manufacturers can't find a steady skilled workforce. That's BS, you develop a skilled workforce and treat them with respect and fair wages which keeps them loyal. It's all about greed. No ten-year plans...just how much can we "steal" in the next 10-minutes.
At the time the episode aired,I was working at a full line Peavey dealer. Shit had already been going downhill with them for years,but that episode of UB really was a knockout blow.
The show never covered what Peavy's greatest issue was. I don't think it's "no one cares if it is made in the USA" issue as much as it's a very slim market now for the working musician who wants quality without paying for the brand name. And too much competition in the mid-tier market. When Peavy built the company, it was about quality USA-made equipment for the working musician. It wasn't a status brand like Fender or Marshall, but it didn't have the price either. And it wasn't total garbage like lower-end starter brands. Many popular musicians used Peavy because it had that blue-collar vibe to it. As the video said they tried going high-end with Eddie Van Halen. While that was good for awhile it was a nitch market. And that fell apart when they signed Joe Satriani. Ed got pissed and left and Joe's partnership with the company only lasted 3 or so years before he went back to Marshall. So unlike their competition, they had no impact on musicians on their roster and were still trying to compete with Ed's EVH line. Then they tried to compete on the low end against Line 6, which you couldn't do as a domestic company and wasn't their swim lane. They also tried to challenge IK Multimedia in the home amp sim market. Peavy was never about chasing someone else's tone and feel, it was about capturing yours while not emptying your wallet. Of course when imports became better quality that really was where the ship started to sink. Specifically, Behringer's mixing boards cut into their market share. When companies started making lower-end amps to so anyone could play a Fender or Marshall it was a hard blow. Quality guitars flooded the mid-tier market all with celebrity endorsers. When you can get Eddie's guitar for $650.00 why wouldn't you? Peavy never grew and enhanced on what they did best. They neglected that part of the business and allowed the competition just to walk in and steal that market. They tried competing in new categories and failed. And lord knows they couldn't market themselves going in so many directions. That is why they are barely a blip on the radar these days.
I grew up seeing Peavey used by my guitar playing friends because the quality was so good at a low price. I was surprised when I went to see Journey in 1980 and saw these huge speakers with the Peavey logo staring at me. They were using Peavey amps too that I think were PA amps. I can’t remember. No matter who used them, no matter the quality, they kept being seen as a brand you only use when you’re at the bottom. It hurt their sales bad. Peavey worked hard d to provide quality for the money and were paid back by being abandoned as soon as a band started making big money. Teens were doing everything they could to avoid being seen with the Peavey logo since they were known to be low price. They made guitars that showed MADE IN USA and were made well but few would pay the price for the more it cost to make them here. This scar would continue for Peavey forever. Eventually their quality suffered trying to keep up. I could get a made in USA Peavey guitar on the used market for peanuts and was way better than other foreign stuff out there. The stigma would never leave and caused what you see today. Mr Pescey tried his best to make quality at an affordable price and did not get the recognition he deserved.
When I started playing guitar in the 80s Peavey was like the main everywhere, everyone had one, amp. And their stuff was super solid and never broke down. I have an small amp that was from one of the last years manufactured in the USA. I feel like they could've kept their jobs in the US and still competed. I think people DO care about where stuff is made, but nowadays it's either affordable from overseas or super expensive boutique gear if it's made in the US.
You are totally right man. I’d love to buy more “made in USA” stuff but I can’t afford it. I can’t pay 3K or more for a Gibson LP or $400 for a boutique pedal. When I see a Squire from China that’s under $400 for a decently made guitar, sheesh, it’s a no brainer.
Then they should've made products that are more expensive with the Made in the USA branding. I mean shit if mesa boogie could survive doing that for so long wtf is peavey doing? Sounds like bad business management to me.
You both just hit the main problem why making things in the US can become a problem. We often make things to such a high quality that we never get to sell a product again. Basically you’re saying much like myself. That I bought a guitar or amp from them years ago. Was satisfied. But as a result I never had to buy anything from them again. It’s ok for them to run a smaller profit margin if they’re regularly selling product. But since they sell once and then it can take years or decades for their customers to make a purchase again. They did the same thing with lightbulbs back in the early 1900s. The manufacturers were making light bulbs with thick filaments that would burn for years without needing to be replaced. The lightbulb companies like GE and Philips realized that this was a way for them to go bankrupt. You can’t just sell a product one time on a low profit margin and expect to be in business. Eventually the money will run out when all of your customers have been satisfied. So they made lightbulbs that would last for 1000 hours. Peavey and other manufacturers were faced with the same problem when they had other companies making inferior products in China and selling it knowing it would break down after a few years.
Every few years, I'm surprised to find out Peavey is still around. When I hear stories like this, I wanna know if the owner and top brass took a cut in pay during the downsizing. If not, your company deserves to fail.
We had to actually stop selling the Chinese Peavey amps at the music shop I worked at due to customers bringing them back the next day, hardly one worked as it should have, it cost us a lot of business and customers.
Yep, I have a friend who owns a chinese 6505+ and he has sent it in for repair maybe 4 or 5 times now. Every time after a few weeks the preamp just starts sounding like a storm cloud. Nowadays I am the one using it only as a power amp in our session room.
@@creamwobbly I wouldn't say that it's evil. It's normal conduct by companies, unfortunately. The difference is that Peavy made a spectacle out of it. Although, the guy that had found a better job and was basically tricked into staying (because it's good PR?), that's pretty shitty, but I wouldn't call it evil. I just have different standards drawn from personal experiences about what evil is. This isn't it. This is just capitalism.
This reminds me of Commodore International - here was a company that had a very affordable, great computer to sell, which was the best-selling personal computer in the world, but bad decisions, bad management and terrible interactions with resellers absolutely buried them.
Baffles me to this day. Well, frustrates me is a better term. They had the country, and half the world by the balls with the C64 and subsequent releases. Only to f it all up.
I regret getting rid of the XXX I bought in 2003, one of the best amps I've ever owned. I won't buy anything from them these days. In the 80's and 90's I had Peavey practice amps and rack mounted tube power amps, it was all so reliable.
@@Cautionary_Tale_Harris I’d find a local independent music shop. They can usually fix this stuff. If you’ve ever done any electronic repair, older Peavey gear is pretty easy to fix.
Peavey was innovative and quality in the 80's and into the 90's. Then, they seemed to have stopped innovating. Black Widow speakers were the bomb... then, everyone else caught up. Their amps had a sound... then everyone else created a new sound that was more desirable - but Peavey didn't change. Peavey was known for quality... then they started moving everything to China, so the overall brand's reputation changed on the quality and the stuff still made in the US was considered suspect quality, too. At least, that's what I've felt and heard other musicians in the area express.
Did Fender or Gibson change? (when Gibson tries is always a disaster). Fender still reissues the classics without any modification. Why? because they have a solid narrative. You don't buy just a Fender deluxe reverb, you buy a story and a feeling. Nobody complains if they did't ad a parallel loop or a power soak or a DI. Peavey hasn't that. They had a moment with Eddie e Satriani but lost it. They never supported that the 5150 became a classic for metal nor the classic 50
I still use my Peavey Bass Amp I bought it used in the early 90s TNT 115 I’ve had this thing like over 30 years and still sounds as great as it did when I bought it. A few years ago I was getting a pop every time I tried to mess with dials took it in to my local guitar shop all they did was clean all the pod and knobs real good and this thing is good as new. I had a Peavey guitar amp in mid 90s it was a 80s model that thing was sweet as well but traded it back in the 90s for a Epiphone Les Paul. Don’t have either any more. I’ll never use another bass amp. My Buddy plays shows at bars and shit and he borrows this amp all the time. Peavey was the best of the best back in the days.
Peavey had great amp designers and guitar lines. They didn't have the sense to keep their builds consistent or to market things correctly. They seemed to dive in head first for the beginner market and race to the bottom proffit margins. The industry gets less popular, digital gets cheaper and better, and Peavey makes no products that command respect from the high end hobbyist or professional crowd.
My very first guitar was a Peavy T-60. My parents bought it for me for Christmas when I was 15. I still have it (37 years later), and while I rarely play it anymore, I have a deep emotional attachment to it. Mainly because it was a gift from my parents who always supported my love for music, but also the fact that it opened me up to the world of guitar, and playing music in general. Years later I bought some big Peavey speakers for my PA and my band powered them with a 7,000 watt Peavey amp that never let us down. I'll always have a soft spot for Peavey, just because of my history with their products, but it did break my heart a bit when I watched this episode of Undercover Boss. Great coverage of the story, great video.
I purchased my first Sound System in the late 70's when I started my first small band. It is a PA-100, (100 watt high impedance with 2 speakers. I still have it and it works, it never broke. Fast forward to present day, I was trained by the biggest and best live sound companies here in Hawaii. The repair people is shrinking here and the last best guy mentioned of all the different manufacturers that came after Peavey, Peavey was the best, (I agree). I also play guitar and I am a firm believer in Vacuum Tubes. I do like the Fender sound, but own 1940's Gibson and Rickenbaucher Point to Point wires amps, (yes they still work). The amp I gig with is a point to point all tube custom made head, (made by a good friend). I would like to get a Tweed, Peavey Classic 30 amp one day. Currently I am in a Roots Reggae Band for the past 16 years.
This is really unfortunate. I own several Peavey products, and they’re all great. I really want them to succeed, and I want to know that they’re doing right by the people who work for them.
I met Hartley in 2001 and he told a room full of people "Peavey will NEVER outsource and never sell to Guitar Center". Guess what he did a short time later. I was almost an artist endorser for Peavey in 2005 and am glad I turned them down.
I work in IT for a manufacturing company (non guitar) based in the US South that is doing quite well. Peavey could have been competitive if they hadn't been so set in their ways. I guess it works out for other manufacturers in the area because we can hire the great employees that Peavey discarded.
That is great to hear. I mean it. I hope the folks at the company you are referring to are really interested in hiring some of the Peavy employee's. That would put a positive spin on things.( I for one want more positive in the world)
For decades, Peavey's strategic advantage was being located in MS, where business regulations and employee protections are among the weakest in the US, and at the same time, Hartley would go on and on about how government was hobbling his ability to thrive. Along come Asian manufacturers undercutting that Peavey advantage the same way he did with US competitors back in the day, and he got caught with his ass blowing in the wind. Now all he's got left is trying to develop products that can be manufactured in Asia cheaply, like Incredible Hulk crap guitars that bring money in mostly for aftermarket comic collectors.
I’ve been a Peavey fan for years, and I was fortunate to have toured the plant and taken seminars there in ‘84.I got to meet both Hartley and Melia on the last day. Hartley always seemed larger than life but back then he did speak a lot of common sense about the industry, particularly from a legal standpoint. How the mighty have fallen. I still have some Peavey gear at home - a 90s Classic 50 which has the nicest cleans and British distortions, an ‘89 Falcon which is one of the best constructed guitars I have in my collection, and a Powerslide lap steel. Peavey still does offer instruments via mail order on their website, but these are cheap, lower end stuff I wasn’t very impressed with - and much of it isn’t even in stock, just COMING SOON. Perhaps someone could finally buy the company, then re-introduce some of their classic guitars and basses, built by a reliable third party like the company that supplied Brian May’s company. I mean, Harley Benton, Thomann’s brand, just released a copy of the Cirrus bass, so you know people are looking for that…..
I used to be around PR staff for instrument manufacturers because I dealt in PR with musicians (among other things). I can guarantee you that there are plenty of instrument companies that would make for some fun reality TV. Depending on your definition of fun.
Glad to see this brought back into the light again after all these years. This is the sort of horror story that deserves to follow them until the day they shut shop...
Fender and Gibson are as bad if not worse. Atleast Peavey had nativity to air it publicly but this was happening in all of the guitar companies of the time. Don’t put the finger at Peavey. Point the finger at the music trend shifting away from instruments.
I'm from Mississippi and am very familiar with peavey. The reason peavey got in the shape they are in is because their quality has steadily declined since the 80's. You never see musicians, even here 60 miles from peavey headquarters, using their equipment. The only way peavey lasted this long is because they became a huge supplier for church P.A. systems.
I used to work as an intern at the Peavey Hollywood showroom from October 2013 till February 2014. That store was awesome and they had the entire Budda, Trace Elliott and Composite Acoustics line alongside Peavey. I also remember Peavey at the time had the Devin Townsend signature guitar, which was a very good model.
One of your videos popped up in my feed. I've now watched 4 in the last couple of days. Great, no bullshit analysis. Very astute observations, too. Keep up the great work!
Peavey is a sad story. They died largely because they tried to stay in the US past when it was feasible. They were one of the last to outsource and paid the price for it. I wish Made in the USA was more viable than it is.
Mesa boogie is still built in the US and they haven’t failed I think peavey failed because they were unable to get enough artists using their stuff because it wasn’t all that good I had a triple xxx and 6505 and the Dual recto and roadking I had put them to shame If they had sold them cheaper I’m sure more people would have given them a go but for what they were they were over priced
Even overseas amps are going to run into problems soon. Amp sims can produce sounds that rival most $2000+ heads, and slaughter the old cheap stuff. Why buy a $600 amp you'll never be happy with when you can get a decent ethernet Audio Interface along with a copy of Reaper.
Boss: Hi, I'm the new worker and definitely not your boss in a cheap disguise Peavey employee: Run. Run as fast as you can. Do not turn back. Forget you were ever here.
I owned an American-made Peavey Bandit until recently. I traveled with it, gigged it, and otherwise abused it for 8 years… Never had an issue with it. They’re built like tanks, and sell for crazy cheap on the used market! Imo if the company ditched their dated 80’s image and marketed themselves as a uniquely American-made, budget-friendly, high-quality brand, they would still be relevant today. Their mistake was trying to fix their declining market share by entering direct competition with everyone else in the import product market, when they should have just accepted their smaller role in the industry.
Bingo. I've bought quite a bit of vintage Peavey gear because it's so cheap, reliable and has a particular sound. If they had been able to pivot into a "proudly made in the USA" brand, I would still be supporting their current products.
I managed a store that was a big peavey dealer in the 90s. The decline started right Melia Peavey passed away in 1998. Hartley couldn’t supply. USA products, threaten dealers with selling to GC, told stores we weren’t doing enough. When we toured t he factory we could tell he treated his employees poorly.
I always wondered how the cirrus basses just kinda disappeared. Those were amazing. But it had to be shortly after that when they kinda peaked and just disappeared. Makes sense now.
Love the investigative nature of some of your videos. It sets your channel apart and makes the content interesting as hell. Can’t wait for the next audit, whenever that may be. Stay cool my Irish brother.
Im from Meridian, Ms. Ive known many people that have worked at Peaveys over the years. Believe me shitty management practices are nothing new. Its always been like that. If I had a nickel for everytime someone was "fired" right before their retirement, well.....
Most of the ex Peavey workers I know trusted Melia but not Hartley. "Spent a little too much time in Hollywood in the 80s" was the common opinion of him in the 90s. Belts had gotten tight by that point and suddenly the "ideas man" had no good ideas except to tighten everybody's belt. He didn't handle it well or communicate it well, because he never has. Once Melia died in 98, nobody had any faith things would turn out okay. One guy I know said it was like working in a Walmart warehouse after that, Hartley pretending business and morale was great while everybody silently plotted their escape.
@@BackToTheBlues You will be blown away by the tonal possibilities of the T-60. The pickups are wired in such a way that the volume knobs radically change the tone like no other guitar out there.
When Peavey was booming (back in the day) you could take a peavey head launch in out of the back of a pick up in the dead of winter in nowhere Kansas, turn around and pick it up, then plug it in at the next gig and it would keep going. I know this to be factual because it happened to me. It was not intentionally tossed and it was 8 degrees outside and we had no room for our equipment. Point is, I recall a time when you could not destroy a Peavy. Peavy Mace for example, sure it was a boat anchor but those damn things, if you can find one today, are still playing. Today, I wouldn’t give a bucket of piss for one Peavy product. It’s sad, since they really had the market mastered because they built a product that lasted and lasted. I still have an old solid state made in Mississippi and it’s loud tough and when I see the back of that speaker and knowing these folks probably had something to do with the manufacturing of it, I’ll hold onto it forever. It will outlive me. Dear Peavy, be the different company. Let go of the whole market, price competitiveness for now, make a product in the US that proves who you were. The price point will be high but make the quality higher. Be the better company. Pull out the old drawing board and go back to it. Until then, no Peavy products for me.
Extremely sad situation ! Meridian Mississippi (home of Jimmie Rodgers) is a depressed area to begin with. My son and I went to they're factory about two years now. I must say it WAS very depressing. There is NOT a lot of jobs or anything big time going on for those folks in Meridian. And they are super nice people. Hartley is Heartless ! That WAS once a "career" for folks, but I don't think Hartley looked at them as family, just "workers" :-(
The irony of all these USA factory closures and moving to China is that they might have done better staying in the US. Phillip McKnight briefly touched on this, but there’s a million made in China budget amps. Peavey selling themselves as a rock solid, USA made, quality working man’s amp would have really helped differentiate them from their competitors. Now they’re no different from any other amp brand, and their name alone can’t carry them.
@@j_c_93 That’s too bad. I had an old Classic 50 that I really liked. Maybe they’ll find their old glory again, but will need to make a lot of changes,
@@rocktorrocks honestly, the government needs to do something to make manufacturing in the US viable again. I'm not a politician so I don't know what but there needs to be more of an incentive for US manufacturing
@@j_c_93 ya it's called THE END THE FED, inflation rises as debt backed "money" is printed and borrowed, causing quality and value to go down and prices go up, it's the banksters ultimate scheme and we should all be up in arms about it
I watched that episode of UB, it made me ill. I bought a Peavey amp in the ‘80’s (Renown - solid state w/2x12”) and it was junk. Because of the way Peavey treated their employees, I wouldn’t touch their products ever again. Carvin/Keisel guitars are still made in the USA, with quite a lead time, guess they know something Peavey doesn’t. Btw: don’t feel sorry for Peavey, piss poor management did this, not the employees! 😎🎼🎸
I spent 5 years in a road band in the late 70's and we used 5 peavey stereo power amps for our pa sys. These things were bricks, 2 or 3 setup/teardown per week 45 weeks per year, bouncing around in the cargo hold of a bus on bad roads great price at the time.I have my 12v decade which I used on the bus still works great. The quest for the almighty dollar has ruined many good things.
"Hi, Hello!" - the most polite and wholesome youtube intro I've ever seen. You remind me of a James May (car journalist and tv presenter) of the guitar world.
I use to only use peavey amps. My valve king, 5150 etc. some hard cash in the amps but when I saw this undercover boss episode when it released I sold all my peavey amps and took my business elsewhere without looking back. I believe in companies taking care of their workers I feel that my money could be better spent elsewhere. Many peavey loyal customers saw this episode and were angered to the point that they stopped doing business with the company as well. I know the episode caused further financial issues with the company, but they took it upon themselves to go on a undercover boss and the world found out just how shitty and how disconnected they were with employees.
My first rig (back in the 80’s) was Peavey T-15 guitar and a Decade amp...Peavey stuff was everywhere and affordable to us youngsters but over the years things have changed...great vid as always KDH... rock on bro!!!!!
I remember the furore when this Undercover Boss episode came out. Peavey were trying to continue with manufacturing in the US, but they were not perceived as a high end brand and therefore their margins were getting smaller as they tried to compete with imported gear. A shame, as their gear was super reliable despite being considered a bit boring and it was popular with a lot of professional acts back in the 80s and early 90s (I even bought a Peavey 1820 cabinet because Peter Steele of Type O Negative used them).
Rock solid PA gear over the decades, no doubt. The guitar amps.... not so much. Until the 5150, if you showed up at a gig or audition with a Peavey guitar amp everyone just assumed you were either broke as hell or just didn't know diddly about amps or tone.
@@dogslobbergardens6606 I guess that may have depended on genre - their lead guitar amps were really popular in non-metal bands. Their bass amps were really popular as well, and pretty much standard in decent rehearsal studios here in the UK for much of the 1990s.
@@chriswareham Their products were very common in country music, too. I think the Grand Ole Opry had an endorsement deal with them for decades. Almost everything on their stage was Peavey at one time.
I'm from Hattiesburg MS. Just an hour south of Meridian. 80% of the active bands in there area are armed to the teeth with Peavey gear. Hard to find and collectable stuff too. I've played with two different guys with Peavey branded EVH Wolfgang's (which can sell used now for upwards of $3k). Block letter 5150's are very common here too. I just sold my 2nd ultra head on reverb, and have played through 3 different JSX heads. MS is all in all, a shit hole. Peavey revolutionized so much in the music industry. I was always so proud of them. Seeing practices like this as someone who's been laid off before, and seeing them happen in my home state famous for economic despair is like a knife in the gut. I'd honestly always heard Hartley was a cunt. I just hope the employees landed on their feet.
I was a big Peavey 5150/6505 fan, used them for years. I always had one around since 1998 or so. After I watched this episode when it aired everything Peavey was sold/traded. How they handle this whole situation was disrespectful to is employees. I did not want support a brand that acted this way. If want that 5150/6505 sound I’ll play an EVH, better quality, and more versatile.
I grew up in Meridian Mississippi and have had many interactions with the Peavey family in a public setting. This show is an exact representation of who they are. I had many friends let go and lost everything they had after they closed several of there local plants. It sad they deserve to lose every inch of there market share in the music industry. Wouldn’t own anything with that name associated with it.
I got me a cheap peavy bass amp to learn. I’ve been needing to try a real amp so I think I might practice today next to a fire after I pick up a new amp.
In the day, I knew I could pick up a Peavey bass and know it would play and sound fantastic. I recently played a Chinese Peavey bass at GC, and it was horrible crap. Back in the day, I lusted over the Combo 300 bass amp, but I unfortunately tried to buy when they had the QC issues and had many returns. 2 different authorized Peavey dealers refused to sell me one because they had walls of returns. In my mind, that was the start of their decline. Too bad. I still love their older gear.
Really great video! My first electric guitar was a Peavey. Sad to see them fall from grace this far. Even sadder to see what these dedicated employees went through. Hopefully they all have better jobs with better companies.
I am Peavey CVLT to the core. Always have been. But this,... was a Sad day. I am old,.. and was a Teenage Kid, in the Heart of the 80's, when every Kid on the Block, owned a Bandit, or Backstage. They were inexpensive, Loud, and made in Abundance! The old ad's, in the Guitar, and Rock mags, were the first ever, Directed at US,... the kids that wanted to be Rock Stars. This made HP an Icon to us. Our Champion. We couldnt afford Marshalls, or Gibsons,.. But Hatley Made us comparible gear, at prices we could afford,.. Then EVH starts playing them (among others) and we could actually own the same amps our idols played! I still play old Peaveys, 70's and 80's stuff is still alive, because it was all Bulletproof. When you open one up, you can immediately tell the build quality was exceptional. Big potentiometers, Giant transformers, Huge Speaker Magnets,. ect,ect,ect. Its unfortunate that such a Huge part of our memories, Youth, and Music history went So Far wrong,... But its everywhere you look now. Its all overseas, Cheap components, and built to Fail. ALL of that said,.. Theres STILL nothing like that Original, Vintage PEAVEY Gear! And the resurgence, and insane prices, have made my old, modest collection worth a fortune! I still love what ol' HP did for us,.... But Im saddened at the road this Iconic Brand has traveled down.....
At a time, Peavey were making some EXCELLENT guitars and Amps. Jim Dicola (now head of R&D at Gibson) designed the EVH guitar and brought some serious updating to the guitar line in general. James Brown designed and engineered the EVH 5150 amp as well as their Tweed/Vintage line of Amps. Those late 90s/2000s guitars and Amps are excellent values. Now their stuff is garbage
Holy f .. as someone who also feels like I've spent a lot of years doing a job that hasn't offered me any of the opportunities I thought it would, while I watch newer employees climb up in front of me, I really sympathize with these workers .. and giving them monetary gifts for their hardships isn't what people with integrity want or need .. they want to be treated fairly and valued for their skills
Seeing the writing on the walls with cutbacks like this is hard. I spent a couple months living paycheck to paycheck on a partial furlough before being let go just before COVID closed the world.
Pretty sad story. I vaguely remember when it all went down. Their mistreatment of their staff is pretty horrifying to watch. I’m a little unsure of the point of revisiting old controversies without an update of where they are now. Most players have fond memories of Peavey or at least one of their products (I still have a Classic 50 i use almost every day!) and would definitely consider Peavey when buying gear, but not without taking into account their unethical workplace practices. Did they get their shit together or are they still a mess? 6 years is a long time.
The sound guy at the showroom was one of the rockstar employees for Peavey in the 90s, one of the sales managers as I recall. They’re a far cry now from when I worked for a dealer, and there was a ton of support and a real sense of family. You could write to Hartley and he’d respond to every single letter by hand.
I've been playing a Peavy keyboard amp as my primary guitar amp for 30 years, and it's been rock solid and sounds great after many gigs and only one replacement pot. They have made some great products and brought out some great music from people. It's a shame to see another American company going this way.
Thank you. You did a great job on this. I remember being broken hearted about this when it happened. It’s a shame. At one time, Peavey was a great American company that built unbelievably solid amps and guitars. My Peavey Wolfgang is the most solidly built guitar that I own to this day. Cheers
My best friend passed, and his parents gave him his peavey bass, I’ve been playing it for years whenever I would visit him, and I love it, it’s at least 20 years old, Indonesian made I believe, and it has a sound that punches way up above it’s looks and brand name, I was playing it last night. Peavey was the first Bass Amp I ever had also, back in 98, I remember the plug had the ground prong broken off of it, and it plugged in to the old 2 prong outlets in the house I rented when I first moved out of my parents. Lot of fond memories and I will keep the bass forever. Man is it disheartening to see, how shitty the ownership was/is and what they did to their salt of the earth blue collar workers that gave their lives to them, 24 years!? She should have been the CEO I guarantee she’s been there longer than he has. Maybe she would have encouraged them to innovate a little bit like, all the amazing brands and products that have come up in the last 20-25 years that were start-ups that could have been acquired to diversify their offerings; They are “Peavey Electronics” where are their cool pedals, multi-effects pedals, line 6/black star built in effects and amp modeling solid state amps? Get 2 decent items in Guitar Center and you’re set for life. Very sad, an American Guitar company that just sent all their work to china when people are willing to pay more for American products, I don’t remember seeing an American Series Peavy Guitar advertised, not in recent memory, or American Made Amplifiers. Could have targeted the blues/southern rock market with Mississippi Built Blues Amps etc. What did they even try besides closing all their factories and saying “don’t spend any money”. Probably that Old Man refusing to change or adapt. That’s one of those situations where you get a board of directors, put him in a Seat, but let the decisions be made by Professional business people. I would have preferred my tax dollars bail out the American Guitar industry before they bailed out Ford FFS, Ford/GM still can’t make more than one vehicle model without them all being a train wreck of repair nightmares. That’s why you see more Pre-Bailout 15-20 year old trucks still going at high miles than 5-10 year old ones. Rant over.
I remember seeing this episode when I was younger, and I got rid of my little Peavey amp the next day. Even as a pre teen with little experience on the fretboard, I was disgusted by the guy selling out his entire company.
I saw the undercover boss episode, and was saddened by Peavey's ending. I have to say that "Weak 30 & 40-something Executives" and their poor decision making, greased the wheels of American Industry's decline long before Peavey closed its doors. Our Nation is seeing the results in Washinton in 2021.
4 months later?! He absolutely knew that factory was going down. He put on his stupid wig, walked that floor, pretended to commiserate while his employees poured their hearts out to him. For the goddamn publicity, for the slight bump in brand recognition while he was signing the papers to shut it down. Looking that man in the eyes, knowing he was suffering and had a better offer and a chance to actually improve his situation, the bastard practically winks for the cameras while waving some cash under the guy's nose enticing him to go down in flames with his shitty excuse for a business. I'm sorry. That's just appalling.
in the 90’s id say 50% of kids starting out guitar bought a peavey either a rage 158 or a studio 112 or bandit Then to move on a get a bigger amp for gigging they would go to Marshall cause they were cheaper If peavey had been more competitive they would have converted those practice amp sales into big gigging amp sales, but I don’t think they had enough artists using and promoting them to peak peoples interest A lot of the bands using 5150’s in the late 90’s early 2000’s weren’t signed endorsers they were buying the amps with their own money so why promote something you have to pay for
I happen to think along the same lines. Like you say, everyone had a small to mid sized Peavey Combo in the 90's. They were instant metal. No good for gigging though, even when mic'd up. You needed the big stuff for playing live and it just didn't sell (or was available) like big Marshalls, Fenders and Hughes & Kettners which gave you huge bang for your buck. In later years every other company was able to deliver that same "instant metal", either through an amp or by one of the millions of pedals or DAW type solutions for pennies (or free). While the rest of the music world developed at a lightning pace, Peavey seemed to stay mostly still and if anything made their product line-up shakier and shakier with each new development of their products, finding favour in odd corners of the musical market by fluke because a piece of their kit did something it probably wasn't meant to and unexpectedly performed well for Bluegrass Banjo players whereas the target audience was intended to be metal bass players or something equally odd.
The Peavey Valveking 100 was the cheapest all-tube head you could get for awhile. Bought mine $150 used. I didn't care for the Fender voice on it but I still have it.
I have no connection or even knowledge or interest in amp manufacturers but randomly ended up on this video and watched the whole thing. What a baffling move by this company, to even go on this show to begin with. Sad state of affairs, and such a common story with once proud American businesses. (all that stated I did enjoy how the video was presented and how things were explained, well done!)
I don't know how anyone could still support or even play peavey gear after this episode aired. In most of the guitar gear related online groups seems like no one saw this episode and people still praise peavey. Shame
On THAT subject;I have a couple of friends that own/operate very succesful music based businesses(multi million$),with no wife or kids/heirs!😳I'm concerned.
Interesting video. I had no idea about what had happened to this once great company, and feel sorry for the employees. These guys made super equipment, and should be very proud of their work. Thank you for posting this.
Peavey was awesome back in the day. I wish they’d make their line of tweed amps again. According to some of the guys on here, tube amps are hot right now.
I owned a T 60 it was built like a tank and weighed in like one! I was really impressed with the hardware's excellent plating. Might seem a minor detail but having had to replace parts on various guitars over the years quality parts can be hard to come by. They don't build guitars like that nowadays at that price point. Peavey amps were good as well. I recall seeing Les Paul's rhythm guitar playing through one sounding fantastic. Of course I'm not surprised they quit manufacturing here. Job loses and lay offs are an all too familiar theme.
Man I have a Peavey bass amp 115 TNT that I’ve used for over 30 years I bought in used in early 90s I still jam this amp!!!! I don’t think I’d ever use another amp I’ll play this amp till I die!!! My Buddy has a old Ampeg bass amp and my Peavey smokes his. He plays a lot of shows and he borrows my amp all the time. Wish I still had my old Peavey guitar amp I had when I was a kid. I loved that thing to but traded it for a epiphone Les Paul back in mid 90s. Don’t have amp or guitar anymore.
Hmm this will be interesting. I always wondered why peavey just kind of faded away. Either way, I love my 6505+, that thing is a monster. I run it through a Friedman BE412 (2xV30 + 2xGreenbacks). It’s magnificent. Edit: i never saw that episode… that is seriously messed up. It appears their financial hardships are brought on by their own actions. Then they just go into a spiral and take more stupid actions to fix the stuff they screwed up, and on and on. At this rate, peavey won’t be around much longer and it will be mostly their fault. Have to say I probably won’t be buying much from them until they bring back the jobs and get a new plan. Bring back our JERBS!!!
@@warpath6666 lol, right? They are so fkn loud, and so mean. And not only do they chug, but they have this distinct midrange “crack!” when you lay into your strings. I really want to get my hands on one of those 6505 cabs just to compare it to my Friedman. I’m curious because they’re not that expensive compared to a mesa cab or a friedman, and I’m curious as to what peavey intended it to sound like. But yeah, the 6505+ is just a monster of an amp. So is the Invective, but I’m sure it’s easier for Misha Mansoor to just use the axe fx given all the different effects he uses, a pedal board would be a pain in the ass.
@@IndependenceGuitar I purchased mine years ago as a package deal. Head and cab (straight or angled) for $2000. From there I pieced together a 6 space rack unit, just to be cool 😄, but I found that when shit like that goes down, it's a pain trying to figure out which cable is bad. So currently I don't use my rack unit. Instead I go directly in the front with an Ibanez TS-9, a Wylde Wah, and an MXR Phase 90. Oh and it used to drive me bananas when I'd watch demo videos of this amp "And this is what it sounds like on the clean channel" ... *BOOLSHEET!!! WE WANNA HEAR THIS THING RATTLE THE HOUSE OFF OF THE FOUNDATION!!!* LOL!!! 😄🤣😝🤪
The raw expense to "expand" to another country, build a plant, staff it and maintain it has to be huge on a comparative level. Peavey's USA plants, you know, have paid for themselves a hundred times over. These Chinese made items have to be shipped and that too is going to generate additional COST. China wins on this. If they had engaged in a USA made blitz and failed to join the millions of other worldwide mail order businesses, they could have done so much better. They could have been a component supplier (still can) to other manufacturers. Peavey has always been known for quality - that sells, period! Match quality with an affordable price and you will come out on top.
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Sorry for the angled and flipped clips. While this video uses these clips for commentary purposes and is classified as fair use, the automated bots register the clips used and block the video in certain areas around the world. To avoid this, the clips have to be altered in this way. My apologies.
All the best chief from Canada 🇨🇦!
it's ok, just watch it on the toilet and use your mirror to see it the right way!
Very old video of Peavy. I use to be a big supporter of them until they went overseas. Many USA made guitars and amps were great. I miss my beginner guitar. It was a Tele copy that was partly made overseas and finished in USA then assembled and setup. It was as good as the American version. Missed some of the amps too. Rugged and took a beating but still got the job done. I can’t support them after this video aired. You can’t find them anywhere because many music stores felt betrayed and service went downhill. Anyone with a original version keeps them and won’t sell it.
Same with Crate Amps. Those early tube amps were phenomenal and the early solid state amps with tone shaping were awesome at the time then they just went downhill.
I don’t understand why it happens.
Edit: I should clarify that I don’t understand how they didn’t see the changes before and make adjustments. They could have kept making American versions and made inexpensive versions overseas while updating the manufacturing equipment to lower costs in both USA and overseas but they didn’t.
And the Tele copy I mentioned that was partially made overseas and in USA. Brand new was $150 USD in 1996. I’m sure today it would probably be $500 USD and above because of the quality. I think the issues stemmed from this video and customer service going down. Like I mentioned the music stores lost respect for them and that effects sales when a store no longer wants to sell your product.
I was wondering what is this company and all these left handed people
You gotta do what you gotta do in the days of TH-cam nowa days. Thank you for the coverage and and the insight of this episode.
"I'm upset she doesn't see the big picture". For her, the big picture is making sure her family doesn't die, dude.
Why aren't the peasants considerate of my problems???
Truly a perfect example of the ignorance of executives.
Couldn't have said it better.
Peavey's COO: "I'm just upset she doesn't see the big picture."
Right, because your assembly line worker gets paid like the COO of your company, dude. Knowing the big picture is YOUR job.
Poor girl and her husband are just trying to provide for their kids... and I can't blame him for knocking her up five times, she's gorgeous (especially considering she's over forty and has lived with that much strain!) and sweet... and she deserves better than that employer. They just decided to pay her off, but they don't even try to fix the long term problem... and the guy who had a better offer elsewhere turned it down just for Peavey to turn round and fire him. Massive dick move.
God, I hate that sort of "boss" mentality. "The big picture" is only interresting to the owner, it's his company. The employee owns ZERO of that big picture. They all try to make you care for the company but as soon as they don't want you anymore you can go die in a ditch for "their big picture". I fell for that once, never again. You want your emplyees to care for your company? Give them shares in it.
The CEO of a language school I worked for years ago (son of the first CEO, silver spoon in his mouth) came by our branch to explain why we had to quit our previous contract and be rehired under worse conditions. I'm paraphrasing, "we all have to make sacrifices, including me... Never mind I drive a luxury Audi, we all make sacrifices." SOB. made us miss our lunch that day, too.
@@joetowers4804 That CEO and every other member of the ruling class ultimately doesn't sacrifice anything, except maybe the potential of making billions instead of millions, or millions instead hundreds of thousands, ultimately it's workers who sacrifice a life of dignity in order to maintain the ruling class's ability to exploit us. Fuck that CEO and fuck every other rich piece of shirt living off of other people's labour.
@@keesketsers5866 Same deal during the first time the pandemic lockdown hit in my old job. CEO came in and put everyone on furlough but we found out there was a video a week prior around the office level that they were gonna shut down, we knew there was a chance of it happening but we never got any notice or info prior to it and they even told us they didn't feel the need to shutdown so everyone assumed we'd still operate.
I'm sorry but the fact that Misha uses his literal signature amplifier as a power amp for a Fractal will never not be hilarious to me.
For the stage only no less
Bahaha same.... Like bro! Like how can you even admit to that?
The entire band plays to click and automated midi switching. It seems unreasonable to use anything but the axe fx. Unfortunately the invective just came out a few years too late. The added features are rad, especially for guys looking to get a lot of versatility. With that being said, played one for a couple of hours and it just didn’t sound interesting enough to me. I’ve since sold my 5150, 5150ii and 6505+. My kemper and power amp function as any bass or guitar head I want. And peavey just won’t get my money ever again.
Anybody who has one that complains about the sound just doesn't know how to set them up.
I got one, and it's honestly the best sounding amp I've ever had. I've got a Marshall JVM410H that's about to be sold - primarily because the Invective makes it sound like ass-spatter. I also have a Bookie MKIIC+ - and have gotten the Invective sounding better than even it does (which I never thought was possible).
Whether Peavey tanks or not, the Invective is staying!
Amp sims and it’s consequences are a curse to the human race
"Peavey mic."
I'm dead 😂😂
I want to see an undercover boss for Behringer.
They can dress the boss up like a robot and see if he can speak binary to the other robots.
HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What do u mean? I have Behringer Equipment and like it, are they treating their employees bad?
@@XxXBattleStarXxX o its just robot built in China. Its good gear.
Behringer has come a long way. I would take Berhinger PA gear over Peavey anyday
I had a behringer bass amp it blew when I tried to play Stoner Metal so I threw it away I'm hoping I save up to buy a Mesa Boogie Subway bass amp because I will never buy cheap China shit again after buying a Mesa Boogie.
It should be remembered that whilst the companies shown on this programme reward the specific people that are featured in the episode, the problems that exist within the given company are being endured by ALL the employees.
Exactly. I don't have faith that these episodes are actually 'real'.
And spending $60k on 2 employees when there’s a chance you have to sack a heap of others is a fuckin dogs act
LOL! No.
not to mention its a tv show, peavey 100% got paid for being on it, and i wouldnt be surprised if the awards werent actually paid by production. @@dasmuss6174
I’Ve been in this situation a couple of times and not to excuse companies but they cannot be totally honest with employees in these situations. The real shame is the employee who had a job lined up elsewhere but stayed.
Also note, if a company goes bankrupt and owe employees back pay, youare on the bottom of the list to receive moneys due. Creditors and attorneys come first. Whatever is left goes to you.
I heard through the grapevine, that Hartley’s own son left the company, after doing all the design and programming for Peaveys Media Matrix line. The son asked to be treated as a partner on that project instead of an hourly employee, Heartly said nope. So the son left, went work for QSC and created QSys and is now dominating the industry.
There's a little bit more to it. Joe had long been annoyed by how Peavey had stopped innovating. He had a lot of ideas that the industry is just now catching up to, so after getting stifled for years he said fuck it and went and took his ideas somewhere else. Getting treated like shit was just part of it.
Family businesses always fail😂
But in an interview Hartland said he refused to be like other companies and reissue old gear hes only interested in making new innovative ideas and his stuff now is better than ever lol😂 @JAKECUB100
I worked at Peaveys for 9 years in a variety of capacities. I tested everything from recording equipment to keyboards. The pay truly was awful but back then ( 1985 - 1994) man were those some good times. It was not always like it is now. I drove from Tampa through Meridian this past weekend, Meridian is now basically an open air prison for people living in poverty. I asked my nephew who lives outside of Meridian about what there is to do in Meridian. His response was “ the only thing left to do in Meridian MS is LEAVE. There was a golden age at one time. Glad I was there during that time. There is a season for everyone and everything. I think Hartley and company did not see the big picture either.
Were you involved with the Peavey Duel Two Twelve at all?
The fact that 30k gets taked about as "life changing" really shows how little people are paid, and then they screw him over copletely.
As a person from Mississippi. 30k here goes a long way. Things are a lot cheaper here compared to rest of the US. Granted the circumstances of the show are bad and I hope they got better opportunities. The price of houses here are near 100k to 200k for a 3 bedroom 2 bath house, gas is below 3$ a gallon, and taxes are significantly lower. So 30k will probably help the families in the episode a lot in the long run if spent correctly.
In Mexico our currency went downhill, here the average worker makes $3,600 USD per YEAR, which is slightly less than 10% of that, with today currency the 30k it's equal to the amount you get for working aorund 8 years here, that amount here is rich status, in fact in mexican pesos it's equal to $600,000 more than half of a million pesos
@@sonnic1995 Well Mexico IS a tinpot country!
@@DMSProduktions wtf????
@@denislitisha7136 It's not????
All too often, this story accurately depicts what is wrong with “magnanimous” American companies! They attempt to maintain a benevolent public image, while actually treating their employees with indifference and contempt.
Fender and Gibson
It's sad how far Peavey has fallen. They used to be super solid.
I collect old Peavey amps and equipment, I love all of it. But I would never buy anything new from them anymore, I can't support the direction they're going in nowadays
@@ColbyJohnson303 Yep, it is all great stuff, some of the most reliable old stuff you can find.
@@ColbyJohnson303 for real. My first tube amp was a valve king. That thing still sounds amazing. My first bass was also a peavey 5 string.
The brand doesn’t make any in America anymore, and barely produces anything anymore. They also lied about the Invective, mainly about being made in America and putting stickers saying such over the amp saying made in China. I think KDH should cover that.
@@ColbyJohnson303 What direction? It seems to me that they've been in free-fall for quite some time.
Unfortunately I think the company has been so horribly mismanaged that it will be nearly impossible to regain their former success.
They don't make instruments any longer, they kinda sorta have embraced modeling amplifiers, they release the exact same tube amplifier line for 10+ years, no improvements or new features...they even keep the same cosmetics.
I think they could possibly follow Kiesel's lead and rebrand and rebuild...but what do I know
This is my hometown. People used to make a big deal of working for Peavey, and everyone I knew that worked there said they were good people, and that after Hartley's wife died things just started going down hill for the company. She was the president of the company. It's still sad seeing what they have become.
I was stationed in Meridian for awhile.
If he was a valued employee like it seems all that worked there were they should have paid them we make nothing in the U S A anymore it’s sad it’s all about money for the corporate big wigs and how much they make let it trickle down to the workers
It happens alllllll the time, especially when the founder(s) die or sell it off. The new management immediately just starts cost-cutting to make the quarterly numbers look good so they can give themselves big bonuses. And the fastest easiest way to cut costs is to simply lay people off and switch to imported crap.
I grew up near there. I remember when they were a huge company with dealers in every town. Their products were top notch. EVERYTHING was American made. I still have a couple of their US-made amps.
My first bass was a Peavey t 40 it was so well made sounded awesome with the tnt bass amp very well made also right here in the U S A those where the days
As a music store employee that was a Peavey dealer, I was sent to Meridian for a one-week training session way back in the 80's. It was quite impressive and Peavey had a large market share at that time because their equipment was, frankly, cheap. They made a lot of things that were NOT very exciting. Their guitars looked pretty boring and they didn't sell. While there, all the other guys (it was all guys) from around the country were in a room with a PA system. A guy was trying to turn it on and play a CD through it; but nothing came out of the speakers. He turned up the channel, the the mains, then realized...."Oh, the power isn't on. But he DIDN'T lower the faders he had raised. I was on the front row when he turned on the power amps...the VP of Peavey was there and tried to stop him..."NO!" Too late, the sound came on like a cannon shot and I actually fell out of my chair. LOL. They got it turned down but my ears were ringing the rest of the week. Then that guy said to the VP, just feet from me. "I wouldn't be surprised if that guy sues us!" The VP gave me a dirty look like, "Don't even think about it," but he was also really mad at his "sound tech." I was hoping they would win me over (since I was not a fan of Peavey and was a keyboardist; and they don't make keyboards), but...no!
They started making the dpm line of keyboards in 1989. By most reports a pretty good keyboard.
Thanks Lee, that's news to me. If I think about it, there's a slight hint of a memory of that. Obviously, their keyboard line didn't last. I was out of the music business for a few years...including 1989.
When I was a young teenager in the 80's, I made the mistake of trading "up" for a Peavy Razer guitar, in a pawnshop. Took it to a guitar shop in Panama City in FL to see what I could get in trade in, and they openly mocked me, saying Fred Flintstone probably played that guitar. It was worthless.
Oh man! But I think all of us have made similar mistakes. Live and learn, right? Sometimes awful guitars serve a purpose. In one music store where I worked, we were burglarized and they got lots of stuff. The ugliest guitar we lost broke the case. The guy who bought it from the thieves came in to try and trade it in (he obviously got it cheap). We called the police and they found out who he bought it from. Of course, they were caught. Thank you ugly guitar! lol
Thanks for doing this. Too many people are NOT talking about this in our "Guitar Community" and it's a BIG deal! It's Peavey!
Funny enough when you buy Peavey you are indirectly helping these employees. Imagine that
@@moustachio334 I don't think so. You're helping the owners. They'll continue laying off workers with whom they don't share profits, building overseas, and directing as much money as they can upwards and to shareholders.
Both my parents worked for Peavey for over 2 decades and it literally sucked the life out of them. They are literally a dismally managed company that doesn't know how to continue managing a brand through tough times.
Did your parents say " hey thanks for all the years of money our wallets" or, did they just show resentment when the company got into trouble?
@@ozskipper Why should they say thanks. Peavey received their manual-labour for the payments they got. A company isn't a charity employees have to thank. There should be either a thanks from both sides or none.
@@RockmannMusic My point is that low grade employees always think that companies owe them something just for showing up.. Well, thats what the pay is for..
@@ozskipper I don't think that this is the point the OP is making. I also don't think that "low grade employees" ALWAYS think that companies owe them something. I am also convinced that most "low grade employees"do valuable work and not just only showing up. If the damage a job is doing to an employee has more weight than the payment, yes, the companies owe them something [workers processing asbestos back in the days might be one example]
@@RockmannMusic Sure,, they generally do the unskilled work.. The repetitive work and the dirty work. Thats the choice of the employee. Anyone can choose to be a boilermaker, nurse or a soldier.. people make those choices.. Its a bit rich to blame the boss at the end if you didnt like it.
When Hartley's wife Melia was in charge of the company, they always said they would NEVER enter the mail order market. After she passed away, Hartley Peavey started selling to all the catalog companies, and when that happened, the mom and pop dealers (that had MADE that company the giant that it was) started losing faith/interest in the line because it was no longer the profit machine for them that it had once been. Peavey did this to themselves. Some of their product is still very solid, but much of it today is not made as well as their stuff used to be. The trying to compete with the companies selling through mail order game is nothing more than a race to the bottom of the barrel.
I remember. When the mail-order rags started becoming popular in the mid 90s, the Peavey rep told our small store, "Will never happen. You will never see Peavey in these.".
It should be said that pretty much all brands sell to the mail order market because retail is and continues to die on the vine. Mom and pop may have been the backbone before the internet but that is no longer the case. You have to place your product where it will be seen by the greatest number of potential clients.
We have all moved to the intwebs anyways.
@@BillSeipel 90's and mail order? While others already declared catalog sales for dead and moved into the internet? Wow. Peavy must have been really behind the times even 30 years ago.
PR department must have been housed in one of those closed factories.
PR probably got paid like the factory workers
Good video. - there’s nothing more sickening than hearing a CEO complain that the workers ‘don’t get the big picture' when a) they aren’t told the big picture and b) the big picture is that they will be thrown out on the street, in order to preserve the income and lifestyle of the bosses.
Peaveys problem was lack of imagination and innovation. There was nothing wrong with their products. They were great for what they were. But what they were didn’t really inspire anyone. Rock solid and reliable Peavey Amps were used backstage for warming up and tuning, guitar techs quite liked them. But they were rarely used on stage. There was a time when many small pubs and clubs would have a peavey bass amp as part of their back line, uninspiring amps, but solid and reliable and it saved the bass player from having to bring one along.
Successful amp manufacturers need either heritage/innovation or huge innovation. Peavey had neither
As a southerner who grew up rockin' I felt pride that Peavey was growing up in that same era gaining in popularity throughout my youth (I'm 62 now). They made solid gear that delivered value and was reliable. In the eighties they hit some home runs like the CS400 power amp and the Black Widow range of speakers. These were affordable yet world-class in performance. Perhaps this reached a even greater level when the 5150 head and BW cabs took on the Marshall/Celestion supremacy. Now the trick is to remain favored at that level. The music business is one fickle mistress and technology moves ever faster. Add in the threat of ever better Chinese sourced builds from all of the heavies and the market was being sliced and diced in every direction. The "soup to nuts" we make it all from mics, cables, instruments, stage/studio amps, to touring PAs whole systems was becoming a albatross. It's impossible to be uniformly profitable and even desirable in everything on levels from beginners to professionals. Time to focus on the core again. Do that core really good and offer it at decent (i.e. fair, not firesale or obviously unsustainable) pricing for the no non-sense builds. Bring it back to American-Made so users can have pride of ownership and passion about the brand. It will be be a smaller company but one that can get back to profitability and quality in equal measures. I know...easier said than done. But I always root for the embattled iconic American underdog to rise.
Peavey is not an underdog. They once controlled the market by offering quality, US-made products for the same price as dodgy Asian imports. They did this by paying minimum wage in the deep south, in areas with high unemployment and poverty, while Hartley Peavey bought mansions and yachts. By the time the Asian import market shifted to China, Peavey could've gone upmarket and continued making innovative, US-built products, but he instead decided to save labor costs by outsourcing US jobs to China, like almost every manufacturing company did in the 1990s. The money was great until it wasn't.
Greed and hubris are what killed Peavey. Had Hartley just been willing to take a tiny pay cut and double down on the "Made in the USA" label, they would have lost probably the ultra-low cost market, but not the mid- and high-end range. Instead, they lost everything.
@@RockandrollNegro I did not know about H. Peavey's penchant for luxury living, but growing up in the south I'm very aware of the network of a smaller town's industries seeking to steer any new coming employer to not upset the low-wage per hour unspoken agreement between an area's various employers. Not fair, or legal, when there's a collusion against the worker rising financially. In fact, greed among owners and even more so, stock-holders, has ushered in our current era where I hear the excuse in my retail boot industry that the manufacturers can't find a steady skilled workforce. That's BS, you develop a skilled workforce and treat them with respect and fair wages which keeps them loyal. It's all about greed. No ten-year plans...just how much can we "steal" in the next 10-minutes.
At the time the episode aired,I was working at a full line Peavey dealer. Shit had already been going downhill with them for years,but that episode of UB really was a knockout blow.
The show never covered what Peavy's greatest issue was. I don't think it's "no one cares if it is made in the USA" issue as much as it's a very slim market now for the working musician who wants quality without paying for the brand name. And too much competition in the mid-tier market.
When Peavy built the company, it was about quality USA-made equipment for the working musician. It wasn't a status brand like Fender or Marshall, but it didn't have the price either. And it wasn't total garbage like lower-end starter brands. Many popular musicians used Peavy because it had that blue-collar vibe to it.
As the video said they tried going high-end with Eddie Van Halen. While that was good for awhile it was a nitch market. And that fell apart when they signed Joe Satriani. Ed got pissed and left and Joe's partnership with the company only lasted 3 or so years before he went back to Marshall. So unlike their competition, they had no impact on musicians on their roster and were still trying to compete with Ed's EVH line.
Then they tried to compete on the low end against Line 6, which you couldn't do as a domestic company and wasn't their swim lane. They also tried to challenge IK Multimedia in the home amp sim market. Peavy was never about chasing someone else's tone and feel, it was about capturing yours while not emptying your wallet.
Of course when imports became better quality that really was where the ship started to sink. Specifically, Behringer's mixing boards cut into their market share. When companies started making lower-end amps to so anyone could play a Fender or Marshall it was a hard blow. Quality guitars flooded the mid-tier market all with celebrity endorsers. When you can get Eddie's guitar for $650.00 why wouldn't you?
Peavy never grew and enhanced on what they did best. They neglected that part of the business and allowed the competition just to walk in and steal that market. They tried competing in new categories and failed. And lord knows they couldn't market themselves going in so many directions. That is why they are barely a blip on the radar these days.
Maybe people just don't like the Peavey brand,they associate it with Cheap/Budget?Like Epiphone,Ltd,Schecter....
I grew up seeing Peavey used by my guitar playing friends because the quality was so good at a low price. I was surprised when I went to see Journey in 1980 and saw these huge speakers with the Peavey logo staring at me. They were using Peavey amps too that I think were PA amps. I can’t remember. No matter who used them, no matter the quality, they kept being seen as a brand you only use when you’re at the bottom. It hurt their sales bad.
Peavey worked hard d to provide quality for the money and were paid back by being abandoned as soon as a band started making big money. Teens were doing everything they could to avoid being seen with the Peavey logo since they were known to be low price.
They made guitars that showed MADE IN USA and were made well but few would pay the price for the more it cost to make them here. This scar would continue for Peavey forever. Eventually their quality suffered trying to keep up. I could get a made in USA Peavey guitar on the used market for peanuts and was way better than other foreign stuff out there. The stigma would never leave and caused what you see today. Mr Pescey tried his best to make quality at an affordable price and did not get the recognition he deserved.
When I started playing guitar in the 80s Peavey was like the main everywhere, everyone had one, amp. And their stuff was super solid and never broke down. I have an small amp that was from one of the last years manufactured in the USA. I feel like they could've kept their jobs in the US and still competed. I think people DO care about where stuff is made, but nowadays it's either affordable from overseas or super expensive boutique gear if it's made in the US.
I've had my Peavey XM4 amp 26 years now . Still a great PA
You are totally right man. I’d love to buy more “made in USA” stuff but I can’t afford it. I can’t pay 3K or more for a Gibson LP or $400 for a boutique pedal. When I see a Squire from China that’s under $400 for a decently made guitar, sheesh, it’s a no brainer.
Then they should've made products that are more expensive with the Made in the USA branding. I mean shit if mesa boogie could survive doing that for so long wtf is peavey doing? Sounds like bad business management to me.
I never liked their product. I had a Crate when I first started playing that I thought was a better amp than the Peavey my friend had.
You both just hit the main problem why making things in the US can become a problem. We often make things to such a high quality that we never get to sell a product again. Basically you’re saying much like myself. That I bought a guitar or amp from them years ago. Was satisfied. But as a result I never had to buy anything from them again. It’s ok for them to run a smaller profit margin if they’re regularly selling product. But since they sell once and then it can take years or decades for their customers to make a purchase again.
They did the same thing with lightbulbs back in the early 1900s. The manufacturers were making light bulbs with thick filaments that would burn for years without needing to be replaced. The lightbulb companies like GE and Philips realized that this was a way for them to go bankrupt. You can’t just sell a product one time on a low profit margin and expect to be in business. Eventually the money will run out when all of your customers have been satisfied. So they made lightbulbs that would last for 1000 hours. Peavey and other manufacturers were faced with the same problem when they had other companies making inferior products in China and selling it knowing it would break down after a few years.
Every few years, I'm surprised to find out Peavey is still around. When I hear stories like this, I wanna know if the owner and top brass took a cut in pay during the downsizing. If not, your company deserves to fail.
@Tenebrae Good movie.
We had to actually stop selling the Chinese Peavey amps at the music shop I worked at due to customers bringing them back the next day, hardly one worked as it should have, it cost us a lot of business and customers.
No way... So you're trying to tell me the Chinese-made Peavey amps have been markedly less reliable than prior models?
Yep, I have a friend who owns a chinese 6505+ and he has sent it in for repair maybe 4 or 5 times now. Every time after a few weeks the preamp just starts sounding like a storm cloud. Nowadays I am the one using it only as a power amp in our session room.
Hartley screwed his local dealers. I know. I was there. Zero sympathy.
God I feel for those employees. Maybe peavey's top brass should make a tigerking-like documentary, and promote it on disneyplus
:'D
The problem is that Peavy wasn't an evil company, but they just failed economically. Companies fail, but Peavy were crazy to put their shit on TV.
*sings* ‘I saw a Peavey, and a Peavey saw a cab’
@@nedim_guitar yeah, I was only half joking. I hate that they cant compete with companies that outsource cheap labors in asia.
@@creamwobbly I wouldn't say that it's evil. It's normal conduct by companies, unfortunately. The difference is that Peavy made a spectacle out of it. Although, the guy that had found a better job and was basically tricked into staying (because it's good PR?), that's pretty shitty, but I wouldn't call it evil. I just have different standards drawn from personal experiences about what evil is. This isn't it. This is just capitalism.
This reminds me of Commodore International - here was a company that had a very affordable, great computer to sell, which was the best-selling personal computer in the world, but bad decisions, bad management and terrible interactions with resellers absolutely buried them.
Baffles me to this day. Well, frustrates me is a better term. They had the country, and half the world by the balls with the C64 and subsequent releases. Only to f it all up.
I had a C64 and spent countless hours on it. Good times.
Up to the early 90's, their amps were very solid. I still seek out their US Made stuff, because it's easy to fix, and works well.
Yep. I have a 5150 combo and a Basic bass amp, and they still work perfectly.
I regret getting rid of the XXX I bought in 2003, one of the best amps I've ever owned. I won't buy anything from them these days. In the 80's and 90's I had Peavey practice amps and rack mounted tube power amps, it was all so reliable.
I have a MAX 800 bass amp that I popped smoke in a few weeks ago.
Are there still places around that repair these amps or am I on my own?
@@Cautionary_Tale_Harris I’d find a local independent music shop. They can usually fix this stuff. If you’ve ever done any electronic repair, older Peavey gear is pretty easy to fix.
@@5roundsrapid263 I think I'll at least pull the cover off and take a gander. It might not be anything too difficult to fix.
Thanks!
I wish Peavey still made guitars, basses, and synths in the USA.
Since Peavey makes their stuff in China anyway, I might as well buy Bugera.
Peavey was innovative and quality in the 80's and into the 90's. Then, they seemed to have stopped innovating. Black Widow speakers were the bomb... then, everyone else caught up. Their amps had a sound... then everyone else created a new sound that was more desirable - but Peavey didn't change. Peavey was known for quality... then they started moving everything to China, so the overall brand's reputation changed on the quality and the stuff still made in the US was considered suspect quality, too. At least, that's what I've felt and heard other musicians in the area express.
Did Fender or Gibson change? (when Gibson tries is always a disaster). Fender still reissues the classics without any modification. Why? because they have a solid narrative. You don't buy just a Fender deluxe reverb, you buy a story and a feeling. Nobody complains if they did't ad a parallel loop or a power soak or a DI. Peavey hasn't that. They had a moment with Eddie e Satriani but lost it. They never supported that the 5150 became a classic for metal nor the classic 50
I still use my Peavey Bass Amp I bought it used in the early 90s TNT 115 I’ve had this thing like over 30 years and still sounds as great as it did when I bought it. A few years ago I was getting a pop every time I tried to mess with dials took it in to my local guitar shop all they did was clean all the pod and knobs real good and this thing is good as new. I had a Peavey guitar amp in mid 90s it was a 80s model that thing was sweet as well but traded it back in the 90s for a Epiphone Les Paul. Don’t have either any more. I’ll never use another bass amp. My Buddy plays shows at bars and shit and he borrows this amp all the time. Peavey was the best of the best back in the days.
Peavey had great amp designers and guitar lines. They didn't have the sense to keep their builds consistent or to market things correctly. They seemed to dive in head first for the beginner market and race to the bottom proffit margins. The industry gets less popular, digital gets cheaper and better, and Peavey makes no products that command respect from the high end hobbyist or professional crowd.
@@lorenzo_bo fender makes most of their stuff in Mexico and has the whole squier line.
Only a small percentage is usa made.
My very first guitar was a Peavy T-60. My parents bought it for me for Christmas when I was 15. I still have it (37 years later), and while I rarely play it anymore, I have a deep emotional attachment to it. Mainly because it was a gift from my parents who always supported my love for music, but also the fact that it opened me up to the world of guitar, and playing music in general. Years later I bought some big Peavey speakers for my PA and my band powered them with a 7,000 watt Peavey amp that never let us down. I'll always have a soft spot for Peavey, just because of my history with their products, but it did break my heart a bit when I watched this episode of Undercover Boss. Great coverage of the story, great video.
I used to own one as well.Damn that thing was heavy.I joke that it could have
a duel purpose as both a guitar and and anti perp device.
I remember seeing nothing but Peavey amps & cabs when I was a kid in the 80s & 90s
I purchased my first Sound System in the late 70's when I started my first small band. It is a PA-100, (100 watt high impedance with 2 speakers. I still have it and it works, it never broke. Fast forward to present day, I was trained by the biggest and best live sound companies here in Hawaii. The repair people is shrinking here and the last best guy mentioned of all the different manufacturers that came after Peavey, Peavey was the best, (I agree). I also play guitar and I am a firm believer in Vacuum Tubes. I do like the Fender sound, but own 1940's Gibson and Rickenbaucher Point to Point wires amps, (yes they still work). The amp I gig with is a point to point all tube custom made head, (made by a good friend). I would like to get a Tweed, Peavey Classic 30 amp one day. Currently I am in a Roots Reggae Band for the past 16 years.
This is really unfortunate. I own several Peavey products, and they’re all great. I really want them to succeed, and I want to know that they’re doing right by the people who work for them.
I met Hartley in 2001 and he told a room full of people "Peavey will NEVER outsource and never sell to Guitar Center". Guess what he did a short time later. I was almost an artist endorser for Peavey in 2005 and am glad I turned them down.
I work in IT for a manufacturing company (non guitar) based in the US South that is doing quite well. Peavey could have been competitive if they hadn't been so set in their ways. I guess it works out for other manufacturers in the area because we can hire the great employees that Peavey discarded.
That is great to hear. I mean it. I hope the folks at the company you are referring to are really interested in hiring some of the Peavy employee's. That would put a positive spin on things.( I for one want more positive in the world)
For decades, Peavey's strategic advantage was being located in MS, where business regulations and employee protections are among the weakest in the US, and at the same time, Hartley would go on and on about how government was hobbling his ability to thrive. Along come Asian manufacturers undercutting that Peavey advantage the same way he did with US competitors back in the day, and he got caught with his ass blowing in the wind. Now all he's got left is trying to develop products that can be manufactured in Asia cheaply, like Incredible Hulk crap guitars that bring money in mostly for aftermarket comic collectors.
I’ve been a Peavey fan for years, and I was fortunate to have toured the plant and taken seminars there in ‘84.I got to meet both Hartley and Melia on the last day. Hartley always seemed larger than life but back then he did speak a lot of common sense about the industry, particularly from a legal standpoint. How the mighty have fallen.
I still have some Peavey gear at home - a 90s Classic 50 which has the nicest cleans and British distortions, an ‘89 Falcon which is one of the best constructed guitars I have in my collection, and a Powerslide lap steel.
Peavey still does offer instruments via mail order on their website, but these are cheap, lower end stuff I wasn’t very impressed with - and much of it isn’t even in stock, just COMING SOON.
Perhaps someone could finally buy the company, then re-introduce some of their classic guitars and basses, built by a reliable third party like the company that supplied Brian May’s company. I mean, Harley Benton, Thomann’s brand, just released a copy of the Cirrus bass, so you know people are looking for that…..
I used to be around PR staff for instrument manufacturers because I dealt in PR with musicians (among other things). I can guarantee you that there are plenty of instrument companies that would make for some fun reality TV. Depending on your definition of fun.
Glad to see this brought back into the light again after all these years. This is the sort of horror story that deserves to follow them until the day they shut shop...
Fender and Gibson are as bad if not worse. Atleast Peavey had nativity to air it publicly but this was happening in all of the guitar companies of the time. Don’t put the finger at Peavey. Point the finger at the music trend shifting away from instruments.
I'm from Mississippi and am very familiar with peavey. The reason peavey got in the shape they are in is because their quality has steadily declined since the 80's. You never see musicians, even here 60 miles from peavey headquarters, using their equipment. The only way peavey lasted this long is because they became a huge supplier for church P.A. systems.
Exactly. I was just saying in another comment that every church I ever visited in the south had a Peavy PA and big speakers. Every one.
I used to work as an intern at the Peavey Hollywood showroom from October 2013 till February 2014.
That store was awesome and they had the entire Budda, Trace Elliott and Composite Acoustics line alongside Peavey. I also remember Peavey at the time had the Devin Townsend signature guitar, which was a very good model.
Why does this have so many likes? Peavey was already terrible by 2013.
One of your videos popped up in my feed. I've now watched 4 in the last couple of days. Great, no bullshit analysis. Very astute observations, too. Keep up the great work!
Such a disaster. When I first heard about it I just felt bad. Though I still love peavey amps, but this was just unforgiveable.
Peavey is a sad story. They died largely because they tried to stay in the US past when it was feasible. They were one of the last to outsource and paid the price for it. I wish Made in the USA was more viable than it is.
nah fuck them, they died because they are a shitty greedy "family-owned" company. Sure, they'll be around forever but their legacy is dead.
Mesa boogie is still built in the US and they haven’t failed
I think peavey failed because they were unable to get enough artists using their stuff because it wasn’t all that good
I had a triple xxx and 6505 and the Dual recto and roadking I had put them to shame
If they had sold them cheaper I’m sure more people would have given them a go but for what they were they were over priced
Even overseas amps are going to run into problems soon. Amp sims can produce sounds that rival most $2000+ heads, and slaughter the old cheap stuff. Why buy a $600 amp you'll never be happy with when you can get a decent ethernet Audio Interface along with a copy of Reaper.
@@London_Mule sims…lol. Sims. Pretend amps
@@London_Mule It hurts me to the core to know you kids would rather plug your guitar into software than tubes. Ouch.
Boss: Hi, I'm the new worker and definitely not your boss in a cheap disguise
Peavey employee: Run. Run as fast as you can. Do not turn back. Forget you were ever here.
I owned an American-made Peavey Bandit until recently. I traveled with it, gigged it, and otherwise abused it for 8 years… Never had an issue with it. They’re built like tanks, and sell for crazy cheap on the used market!
Imo if the company ditched their dated 80’s image and marketed themselves as a uniquely American-made, budget-friendly, high-quality brand, they would still be relevant today. Their mistake was trying to fix their declining market share by entering direct competition with everyone else in the import product market, when they should have just accepted their smaller role in the industry.
exactly! they have been blinded by eastern competition trying to be the american Behringer misleading the overall image.
Bingo. I've bought quite a bit of vintage Peavey gear because it's so cheap, reliable and has a particular sound. If they had been able to pivot into a "proudly made in the USA" brand, I would still be supporting their current products.
I managed a store that was a big peavey dealer in the 90s. The decline started right Melia Peavey passed away in 1998. Hartley couldn’t supply. USA products, threaten dealers with selling to GC, told stores we weren’t doing enough. When we toured t he factory we could tell he treated his employees poorly.
I always wondered how the cirrus basses just kinda disappeared. Those were amazing. But it had to be shortly after that when they kinda peaked and just disappeared. Makes sense now.
Love the investigative nature of some of your videos. It sets your channel apart and makes the content interesting as hell. Can’t wait for the next audit, whenever that may be. Stay cool my Irish brother.
Yes, simply describing a TV show while showing clips of it is truly investigative. He's a regular Bob Woodward.
Im from Meridian, Ms. Ive known many people that have worked at Peaveys over the years. Believe me shitty management practices are nothing new. Its always been like that. If I had a nickel for everytime someone was "fired" right before their retirement, well.....
That shits super scummy
Most of the ex Peavey workers I know trusted Melia but not Hartley. "Spent a little too much time in Hollywood in the 80s" was the common opinion of him in the 90s. Belts had gotten tight by that point and suddenly the "ideas man" had no good ideas except to tighten everybody's belt. He didn't handle it well or communicate it well, because he never has.
Once Melia died in 98, nobody had any faith things would turn out okay. One guy I know said it was like working in a Walmart warehouse after that, Hartley pretending business and morale was great while everybody silently plotted their escape.
I still have my '84 T-60, I love it! super well made Guitar, versatile sounds, plays great. Sadly almost every Peavey amp I've ever had has died.
The T-60 is one of the most amazing, most versatile-sounding guitars ever made. I also have a T-40 bass that sounds equally incredible.
@@ace1usmc I don't like Strats, but I love the look of the T-60, I'd love to have one someday!
@@BackToTheBlues You will be blown away by the tonal possibilities of the T-60. The pickups are wired in such a way that the volume knobs radically change the tone like no other guitar out there.
When Peavey was booming (back in the day) you could take a peavey head launch in out of the back of a pick up in the dead of winter in nowhere Kansas, turn around and pick it up, then plug it in at the next gig and it would keep going. I know this to be factual because it happened to me. It was not intentionally tossed and it was 8 degrees outside and we had no room for our equipment.
Point is, I recall a time when you could not destroy a Peavy. Peavy Mace for example, sure it was a boat anchor but those damn things, if you can find one today, are still playing.
Today, I wouldn’t give a bucket of piss for one Peavy product.
It’s sad, since they really had the market mastered because they built a product that lasted and lasted. I still have an old solid state made in Mississippi and it’s loud tough and when I see the back of that speaker and knowing these folks probably had something to do with the manufacturing of it, I’ll hold onto it forever. It will outlive me.
Dear Peavy, be the different company. Let go of the whole market, price competitiveness for now, make a product in the US that proves who you were. The price point will be high but make the quality higher. Be the better company. Pull out the old drawing board and go back to it. Until then, no Peavy products for me.
Extremely sad situation ! Meridian Mississippi (home of Jimmie Rodgers) is a depressed area to begin with. My son and I went to they're factory about two years now. I must say it WAS very depressing. There is NOT a lot of jobs or anything big time going on for those folks in Meridian. And they are super nice people. Hartley is Heartless ! That WAS once a "career" for folks, but I don't think Hartley looked at them as family, just "workers" :-(
The irony of all these USA factory closures and moving to China is that they might have done better staying in the US. Phillip McKnight briefly touched on this, but there’s a million made in China budget amps. Peavey selling themselves as a rock solid, USA made, quality working man’s amp would have really helped differentiate them from their competitors. Now they’re no different from any other amp brand, and their name alone can’t carry them.
They tried to stay in the US for as long as possible. Unfortunately, this probably only hurt them in the long run.
@@j_c_93 That’s too bad. I had an old Classic 50 that I really liked. Maybe they’ll find their old glory again, but will need to make a lot of changes,
@@rocktorrocks honestly, the government needs to do something to make manufacturing in the US viable again. I'm not a politician so I don't know what but there needs to be more of an incentive for US manufacturing
Their Butcher series 2 amps are still made in the USA but yeah they should have made their other amps in the USA too.
@@j_c_93 ya it's called THE END THE FED, inflation rises as debt backed "money" is printed and borrowed, causing quality and value to go down and prices go up, it's the banksters ultimate scheme and we should all be up in arms about it
I watched that episode of UB, it made me ill. I bought a Peavey amp in the ‘80’s (Renown - solid state w/2x12”) and it was junk. Because of the way Peavey treated their employees, I wouldn’t touch their products ever again. Carvin/Keisel guitars are still made in the USA, with quite a lead time, guess they know something Peavey doesn’t. Btw: don’t feel sorry for Peavey, piss poor management did this, not the employees! 😎🎼🎸
lmao watch this dude's video on Jeff Kiesel
I spent 5 years in a road band in the late 70's and we used 5 peavey stereo power amps for our pa sys. These things were bricks, 2 or 3 setup/teardown per week 45 weeks per year, bouncing around in the cargo hold of a bus on bad roads great price at the time.I have my 12v decade which I used on the bus still works great. The quest for the almighty dollar has ruined many good things.
I have a 90s peavey studio pro and its one of the best solid state amps i've used. it's a damn shame that peavey fell like that.
I have a 90's Studio Pro112, I loves it.
I have one too. I love it as well.
Haven't touched Peavey for over a decade since an incident with what used to be one of biggest music forums.
What was the incident?
Yes, spill the juice, man.
Care to elaborate?
.
Was this the Krank amps debacle?
Man needed a disguise so he went as Dave Grohl
I feel if they made a 60 watt version of their 6505 series at a cheaper price than the EVH 5150 50 watt amp, they would make a killing in the market.
Way to many amp manufacturers including small time boutique builders. The markets are flooded with used gear and fewer buyers every year.
they reissued the 6505 and 6505+ and a lot of hardcore dudes are flocking to them, peavey does have the ability to make a comeback
"Hi, Hello!" - the most polite and wholesome youtube intro I've ever seen. You remind me of a James May (car journalist and tv presenter) of the guitar world.
I use to only use peavey amps. My valve king, 5150 etc. some hard cash in the amps but when I saw this undercover boss episode when it released I sold all my peavey amps and took my business elsewhere without looking back. I believe in companies taking care of their workers I feel that my money could be better spent elsewhere. Many peavey loyal customers saw this episode and were angered to the point that they stopped doing business with the company as well. I know the episode caused further financial issues with the company, but they took it upon themselves to go on a undercover boss and the world found out just how shitty and how disconnected they were with employees.
My first rig (back in the 80’s) was Peavey T-15 guitar and a Decade amp...Peavey stuff was everywhere and affordable to us youngsters but over the years things have changed...great vid as always KDH... rock on bro!!!!!
My first guitar was also a T-15 and Peavy stuff was everywhere. It's what we used till we could afford better gear in these parts.
I remember the furore when this Undercover Boss episode came out. Peavey were trying to continue with manufacturing in the US, but they were not perceived as a high end brand and therefore their margins were getting smaller as they tried to compete with imported gear. A shame, as their gear was super reliable despite being considered a bit boring and it was popular with a lot of professional acts back in the 80s and early 90s (I even bought a Peavey 1820 cabinet because Peter Steele of Type O Negative used them).
Rock solid PA gear over the decades, no doubt. The guitar amps.... not so much. Until the 5150, if you showed up at a gig or audition with a Peavey guitar amp everyone just assumed you were either broke as hell or just didn't know diddly about amps or tone.
@@dogslobbergardens6606 I guess that may have depended on genre - their lead guitar amps were really popular in non-metal bands. Their bass amps were really popular as well, and pretty much standard in decent rehearsal studios here in the UK for much of the 1990s.
@@chriswareham Peavey bass amps are shockingly good. It blows my mind that they can't seem to do the same with guitar amps.
@@chriswareham Their products were very common in country music, too. I think the Grand Ole Opry had an endorsement deal with them for decades. Almost everything on their stage was Peavey at one time.
@@Chaps_Jr The 90s bandits were good SS amps
I'm from Hattiesburg MS. Just an hour south of Meridian. 80% of the active bands in there area are armed to the teeth with Peavey gear. Hard to find and collectable stuff too. I've played with two different guys with Peavey branded EVH Wolfgang's (which can sell used now for upwards of $3k). Block letter 5150's are very common here too. I just sold my 2nd ultra head on reverb, and have played through 3 different JSX heads. MS is all in all, a shit hole. Peavey revolutionized so much in the music industry. I was always so proud of them. Seeing practices like this as someone who's been laid off before, and seeing them happen in my home state famous for economic despair is like a knife in the gut. I'd honestly always heard Hartley was a cunt. I just hope the employees landed on their feet.
I heard a song "Hattiesburg shuffle" by Warren Haynes. Great tune.
My first guitar back in the 80's when I was 14 was a Peavey with a hard shell case and built in amp. It was a great beginner set up.
I was a big Peavey 5150/6505 fan, used them for years. I always had one around since 1998 or so. After I watched this episode when it aired everything Peavey was sold/traded. How they handle this whole situation was disrespectful to is employees. I did not want support a brand that acted this way. If want that 5150/6505 sound I’ll play an EVH, better quality, and more versatile.
I have heard references to this episode before, but I could never find a copy of it anywhere. Thanks for the breakdown!
"...deeply committed to our customers..."
They needed to be deeply committed to their employees. Smdh.
I grew up in Meridian Mississippi and have had many interactions with the Peavey family in a public setting. This show is an exact representation of who they are. I had many friends let go and lost everything they had after they closed several of there local plants. It sad they deserve to lose every inch of there market share in the music industry. Wouldn’t own anything with that name associated with it.
I got me a cheap peavy bass amp to learn. I’ve been needing to try a real amp so I think I might practice today next to a fire after I pick up a new amp.
@@damantx1 anything Peavey pre under cover boss is great !
And made in the USA !
@@auntjenifer7774 yeah their older products are still great. And once peavey does shut shop I think they’ll be collectibles like sunn products
One of the big probs they had around ‘98 was their ERP system they bought. They threw millions into the system... they got screwed on that deal.
In the day, I knew I could pick up a Peavey bass and know it would play and sound fantastic. I recently played a Chinese Peavey bass at GC, and it was horrible crap.
Back in the day, I lusted over the Combo 300 bass amp, but I unfortunately tried to buy when they had the QC issues and had many returns. 2 different authorized Peavey dealers refused to sell me one because they had walls of returns. In my mind, that was the start of their decline. Too bad. I still love their older gear.
Holy hell you make some great videos that amount of research and editing that goes into these videos the views don’t do it justice
Really great video! My first electric guitar was a Peavey. Sad to see them fall from grace this far. Even sadder to see what these dedicated employees went through. Hopefully they all have better jobs with better companies.
I am Peavey CVLT to the core. Always have been. But this,... was a Sad day. I am old,.. and was a Teenage Kid, in the Heart of the 80's, when every Kid on the Block, owned a Bandit, or Backstage. They were inexpensive, Loud, and made in Abundance! The old ad's, in the Guitar, and Rock mags, were the first ever, Directed at US,... the kids that wanted to be Rock Stars. This made HP an Icon to us. Our Champion. We couldnt afford Marshalls, or Gibsons,.. But Hatley Made us comparible gear, at prices we could afford,.. Then EVH starts playing them (among others) and we could actually own the same amps our idols played! I still play old Peaveys, 70's and 80's stuff is still alive, because it was all Bulletproof. When you open one up, you can immediately tell the build quality was exceptional. Big potentiometers, Giant transformers, Huge Speaker Magnets,. ect,ect,ect. Its unfortunate that such a Huge part of our memories, Youth, and Music history went So Far wrong,... But its everywhere you look now. Its all overseas, Cheap components, and built to Fail. ALL of that said,.. Theres STILL nothing like that Original, Vintage PEAVEY Gear! And the resurgence, and insane prices, have made my old, modest collection worth a fortune! I still love what ol' HP did for us,.... But Im saddened at the road this Iconic Brand has traveled down.....
Sad KDH Peavey was such a good company back in the day.
At a time, Peavey were making some EXCELLENT guitars and Amps. Jim Dicola (now head of R&D at Gibson) designed the EVH guitar and brought some serious updating to the guitar line in general. James Brown designed and engineered the EVH 5150 amp as well as their Tweed/Vintage line of Amps. Those late 90s/2000s guitars and Amps are excellent values.
Now their stuff is garbage
Holy f .. as someone who also feels like I've spent a lot of years doing a job that hasn't offered me any of the opportunities I thought it would, while I watch newer employees climb up in front of me, I really sympathize with these workers .. and giving them monetary gifts for their hardships isn't what people with integrity want or need .. they want to be treated fairly and valued for their skills
Seeing the writing on the walls with cutbacks like this is hard. I spent a couple months living paycheck to paycheck on a partial furlough before being let go just before COVID closed the world.
Pretty sad story. I vaguely remember when it all went down. Their mistreatment of their staff is pretty horrifying to watch. I’m a little unsure of the point of revisiting old controversies without an update of where they are now. Most players have fond memories of Peavey or at least one of their products (I still have a Classic 50 i use almost every day!) and would definitely consider Peavey when buying gear, but not without taking into account their unethical workplace practices.
Did they get their shit together or are they still a mess? 6 years is a long time.
They closed the factory all the way and moved to China
There's your update
The sound guy at the showroom was one of the rockstar employees for Peavey in the 90s, one of the sales managers as I recall. They’re a far cry now from when I worked for a dealer, and there was a ton of support and a real sense of family. You could write to Hartley and he’d respond to every single letter by hand.
I've been playing a Peavy keyboard amp as my primary guitar amp for 30 years, and it's been rock solid and sounds great after many gigs and only one replacement pot. They have made some great products and brought out some great music from people. It's a shame to see another American company going this way.
Thank you. You did a great job on this. I remember being broken hearted about this when it happened. It’s a shame. At one time, Peavey was a great American company that built unbelievably solid amps and guitars. My Peavey Wolfgang is the most solidly built guitar that I own to this day. Cheers
Literally just needs the curb your enthusiasm theme
My best friend passed, and his parents gave him his peavey bass, I’ve been playing it for years whenever I would visit him, and I love it, it’s at least 20 years old, Indonesian made I believe, and it has a sound that punches way up above it’s looks and brand name, I was playing it last night. Peavey was the first Bass Amp I ever had also, back in 98, I remember the plug had the ground prong broken off of it, and it plugged in to the old 2 prong outlets in the house I rented when I first moved out of my parents. Lot of fond memories and I will keep the bass forever. Man is it disheartening to see, how shitty the ownership was/is and what they did to their salt of the earth blue collar workers that gave their lives to them, 24 years!? She should have been the CEO I guarantee she’s been there longer than he has. Maybe she would have encouraged them to innovate a little bit like, all the amazing brands and products that have come up in the last 20-25 years that were start-ups that could have been acquired to diversify their offerings; They are “Peavey Electronics” where are their cool pedals, multi-effects pedals, line 6/black star built in effects and amp modeling solid state amps? Get 2 decent items in Guitar Center and you’re set for life. Very sad, an American Guitar company that just sent all their work to china when people are willing to pay more for American products, I don’t remember seeing an American Series Peavy Guitar advertised, not in recent memory, or American Made Amplifiers. Could have targeted the blues/southern rock market with Mississippi Built Blues Amps etc. What did they even try besides closing all their factories and saying “don’t spend any money”. Probably that Old Man refusing to change or adapt. That’s one of those situations where you get a board of directors, put him in a Seat, but let the decisions be made by Professional business people. I would have preferred my tax dollars bail out the American Guitar industry before they bailed out Ford FFS, Ford/GM still can’t make more than one vehicle model without them all being a train wreck of repair nightmares. That’s why you see more Pre-Bailout 15-20 year old trucks still going at high miles than 5-10 year old ones. Rant over.
I remember seeing this episode when I was younger, and I got rid of my little Peavey amp the next day. Even as a pre teen with little experience on the fretboard, I was disgusted by the guy selling out his entire company.
I saw the undercover boss episode, and was saddened by Peavey's ending. I have to say that "Weak 30 & 40-something Executives" and their poor decision making, greased the wheels of American Industry's decline long before Peavey closed its doors. Our Nation is seeing the results in Washinton in 2021.
4 months later?! He absolutely knew that factory was going down. He put on his stupid wig, walked that floor, pretended to commiserate while his employees poured their hearts out to him. For the goddamn publicity, for the slight bump in brand recognition while he was signing the papers to shut it down. Looking that man in the eyes, knowing he was suffering and had a better offer and a chance to actually improve his situation, the bastard practically winks for the cameras while waving some cash under the guy's nose enticing him to go down in flames with his shitty excuse for a business. I'm sorry. That's just appalling.
in the 90’s id say 50% of kids starting out guitar bought a peavey either a rage 158 or a studio 112 or bandit
Then to move on a get a bigger amp for gigging they would go to Marshall cause they were cheaper
If peavey had been more competitive they would have converted those practice amp sales into big gigging amp sales, but I don’t think they had enough artists using and promoting them to peak peoples interest
A lot of the bands using 5150’s in the late 90’s early 2000’s weren’t signed endorsers they were buying the amps with their own money so why promote something you have to pay for
I still have a studio 112
I happen to think along the same lines. Like you say, everyone had a small to mid sized Peavey Combo in the 90's. They were instant metal. No good for gigging though, even when mic'd up. You needed the big stuff for playing live and it just didn't sell (or was available) like big Marshalls, Fenders and Hughes & Kettners which gave you huge bang for your buck.
In later years every other company was able to deliver that same "instant metal", either through an amp or by one of the millions of pedals or DAW type solutions for pennies (or free).
While the rest of the music world developed at a lightning pace, Peavey seemed to stay mostly still and if anything made their product line-up shakier and shakier with each new development of their products, finding favour in odd corners of the musical market by fluke because a piece of their kit did something it probably wasn't meant to and unexpectedly performed well for Bluegrass Banjo players whereas the target audience was intended to be metal bass players or something equally odd.
The Peavey Valveking 100 was the cheapest all-tube head you could get for awhile. Bought mine $150 used. I didn't care for the Fender voice on it but I still have it.
I have no connection or even knowledge or interest in amp manufacturers but randomly ended up on this video and watched the whole thing. What a baffling move by this company, to even go on this show to begin with. Sad state of affairs, and such a common story with once proud American businesses.
(all that stated I did enjoy how the video was presented and how things were explained, well done!)
Peavey used to be the shit back when I first started guitar in 2004 or so
I don't know how anyone could still support or even play peavey gear after this episode aired. In most of the guitar gear related online groups seems like no one saw this episode and people still praise peavey. Shame
Don’t let step kids take over the family business. That’s the moral of this story . Dude ran peavey into the ground. Everybody knows it to.
On THAT subject;I have a couple of friends that own/operate very succesful music based businesses(multi million$),with no wife or kids/heirs!😳I'm concerned.
Interesting video. I had no idea about what had happened to this once great company, and feel sorry for the employees.
These guys made super equipment, and should be very proud of their work. Thank you for posting this.
Peavey was awesome back in the day. I wish they’d make their line of tweed amps again. According to some of the guys on here, tube amps are hot right now.
Yep. Digital is everywhere. And there's a tube amp counterrevolution.
Bought the Invective 6 months ago, and it is the best sounding amp I've ever heard...
Tube amps are always hot.....to the touch and popularity....
My Bandit 75 is over 30 years old and I still use it almost every day. That's a testament to the craftsmen and women who built it back then.
I owned a T 60 it was built like a tank and weighed in like one! I was really impressed with the hardware's excellent plating. Might seem a minor detail but having had to replace parts on various guitars over the years quality parts can be hard to come by. They don't build guitars like that nowadays at that price point. Peavey amps were good as well. I recall seeing Les Paul's rhythm guitar playing through one sounding fantastic. Of course I'm not surprised they quit manufacturing here. Job loses and lay offs are an all too familiar theme.
Man I have a Peavey bass amp 115 TNT that I’ve used for over 30 years I bought in used in early 90s I still jam this amp!!!! I don’t think I’d ever use another amp I’ll play this amp till I die!!! My Buddy has a old Ampeg bass amp and my Peavey smokes his. He plays a lot of shows and he borrows my amp all the time. Wish I still had my old Peavey guitar amp I had when I was a kid. I loved that thing to but traded it for a epiphone Les Paul back in mid 90s. Don’t have amp or guitar anymore.
Hmm this will be interesting. I always wondered why peavey just kind of faded away. Either way, I love my 6505+, that thing is a monster. I run it through a Friedman BE412 (2xV30 + 2xGreenbacks). It’s magnificent. Edit: i never saw that episode… that is seriously messed up. It appears their financial hardships are brought on by their own actions. Then they just go into a spiral and take more stupid actions to fix the stuff they screwed up, and on and on. At this rate, peavey won’t be around much longer and it will be mostly their fault. Have to say I probably won’t be buying much from them until they bring back the jobs and get a new plan. Bring back our JERBS!!!
Love my 6505+ and Peavey straight 4x12. Man, that beast is loud as hell 😄
@@warpath6666 lol, right? They are so fkn loud, and so mean. And not only do they chug, but they have this distinct midrange “crack!” when you lay into your strings. I really want to get my hands on one of those 6505 cabs just to compare it to my Friedman. I’m curious because they’re not that expensive compared to a mesa cab or a friedman, and I’m curious as to what peavey intended it to sound like. But yeah, the 6505+ is just a monster of an amp. So is the Invective, but I’m sure it’s easier for Misha Mansoor to just use the axe fx given all the different effects he uses, a pedal board would be a pain in the ass.
@@IndependenceGuitar I purchased mine years ago as a package deal. Head and cab (straight or angled) for $2000. From there I pieced together a 6 space rack unit, just to be cool 😄, but I found that when shit like that goes down, it's a pain trying to figure out which cable is bad. So currently I don't use my rack unit. Instead I go directly in the front with an Ibanez TS-9, a Wylde Wah, and an MXR Phase 90. Oh and it used to drive me bananas when I'd watch demo videos of this amp "And this is what it sounds like on the clean channel" ... *BOOLSHEET!!! WE WANNA HEAR THIS THING RATTLE THE HOUSE OFF OF THE FOUNDATION!!!* LOL!!! 😄🤣😝🤪
THEY TOOK ERR JEEEEERRRRBHBBBSSS!!!! 🤣
The raw expense to "expand" to another country, build a plant, staff it and maintain it has to be huge on a comparative level. Peavey's USA plants, you know, have paid for themselves a hundred times over. These Chinese made items have to be shipped and that too is going to generate additional COST. China wins on this. If they had engaged in a USA made blitz and failed to join the millions of other worldwide mail order businesses, they could have done so much better. They could have been a component supplier (still can) to other manufacturers. Peavey has always been known for quality - that sells, period! Match quality with an affordable price and you will come out on top.