| Reviewer
| Simon Rees
|
| Experience
| 8
|
| Review date
| March 17 2002
|
| Manufacturer
| Peavey
|
| Model
| Forum 5
|
| Price
| £500 sterling
|
| Item owned for
| 2-5 years
|
| |
|
| Bass type
| 5 string fretted
|
| Neck join
| Bolt-On
|
| Neck construction
| maple, one piece neck
|
| Fingerboard
| Rosewood
|
| Body
| swamp ash?
|
| Finish
| 2-tone sunburst
|
| Pickups
| 2 peavey active soapbars
|
| Hardware
| chinky bridge and fat tuners - all furniture chome
|
| Electronics
| active 2 band eq, volume and pickup knobs
|
| |
|
This bass replaced a Korean Spector 5, which I had been very happy with,
but just blew it away for sound! I bought it after seeing one in a Peavey
brochure - I live too far from any good dealers down here in West Wales,
but fell in love with it when I got it in my hands. I have played it
through Trace gear and found it suits my Trace AH350 head with Peavey 410TX
cab well, or my Trace Commando 15 100 watt combo. It didn't get on so
well with my Trace 18"+10" cab however - maybe for want of proper eq
set up on my part. The bass is powerful and cutting with the active eq
rolled up on bass and treble and with both pickups selected.
As an ex-demo instrument I saved nearly £200 off retail price, and I found
construction and finish to be very good, although the neck joint could be
more solid. This bass is very HEAVY, but as a muso friend and ex bass
player pointed out to me, that may have something to do with the meaty
sound, so I bought a wide strap and I live with it. It is strongly built,
it's been dropped a couple of times and has come away unscathed but for
a rattle in one of the tuner ears.
Wherever I play this bass it is admired, it has the look of a much more
expensive instrument - plus a quality hardshell case was included. The
sunburst finish is good, although lacking in that warm red hue you get with
Fender and Musicman 3-tone sunbursts.
I have been very happy with this bass and have searched in vain for
another. Unfortunately, Peavey discontinued this model soon after and now,
with the demise of the Foundation 5, they have ditched the traditional 4+1
fat-tuner look on five strings in favour of the same-old pointy horn-skinny
tuner look that could be one of a thousand far-eastern thru-neck wannabes.
I'm sure some of these new Peaveys sound great, but they look all wrong
for the UK alternative rock scene - and would you want to drop one off
its strap after paying $600 or more?.
If you see one of these beauties going second-hand, snap it up: it's a
bargain and you won't be disappointed. The lack of second hand Forum 5s
probably speaks for itself, people just won't give them up. So there it
is, I'm saving up for a Stingray 5 because it's the only other bass
with the combination of looks and balls that my Forum delivers. My parting
shot to Peavey - find some new designers, or re-employ the guy that
conceived the Forum 5!
| Construction
| 85% | 
|
| (not a perfect neck joint, needs 6 not 4 bolt, otherwise good)
|
| Appearance
| 95% |
|
| (fantastic - why have peavey dumped this 4+1 fat tuner look?)
|
| Playability
| 90% |
|
| (good action and string spacing)
|
| Sound
| 95% |
|
| (ballsy + satisfying!)
|
| Customer Service
| 50% |
|
| (Dealer slow to fix a broken eq stacked knob.)
|
| Value
| 100% |
|
| (crazy price for stingray looks and great sounds!)
|
| Overall
| 95% |
|
| (I'd buy another if I could find one.)
|
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