Because of the low cost of production, Peavey’s guitars could compete very well against the large manufacturers. By 1978, the first T-60 guitars and T-40 basses rolled off the production line. Peavey invested heavily in the guitar project by buying all the necessary machinery and completely overhauling a plant for guitar production.

It also helped ignite the CNC revolution in the guitar industry.Ĭhip Todd, a guitar builder and engineer who started working at Peavey in 1974, was chosen to lead the guitar division. This method allowed Peavey to build guitars at a high production rate with low cost, yet maintain a high level of quality. By using computers and a machine to create the neck, every one was essentially the same. Peavey had the idea to shape guitar necks on a copy lathe-something no other guitar manufacturer had tried up until then. Hartley Peavey looked for a better way and took note from his gun collection, because mass-production techniques were successfully being used to join wooden rifle stocks to the barrels with precision fits. Manufacturers were struggling to produce more guitars at a lower cost, and quality often suffered. The 1970s were an experimental time for guitar makers. Peavey’s T-15 short-scale guitar represents not only one of the company’s first guitar models, but a design that helped ignite a new way of manufacturing guitars. So Peavey decided to “fight fire with fire” and compete by building guitars too.

But because of his company’s success in the amplifier market-according to Peavey-large guitar manufacturers such as Gibson and Fender were pressuring dealers to buy their proprietary amplifiers if the dealers wanted to carry their guitars. Though Hartley Peavey used to draw sketches of guitars in high school, he never intended to become a guitar builder. Mississippi-based Peavey Electronics, as many of us know, first made its mark as an electronics company that produced amplifiers and PA equipment. I hear a lot more about Peavey’s T-60 guitar and T-40 bass. You’re right-I’m not too familiar with the Peavey T-15, but that’s because it’s one of the less common T-Series guitars produced. It plays nice and sounds fine, but the pickups are terribly microphonic! Can you tell me a little bit about my guitar and what it’s worth today? It came with a case that has a little built-in transistor amp. It’s a Peavey T-15 and I bought it brand new in 1982 or 1983. I have a guitar you might not be too familiar with. I really enjoy your articles and was just looking through some older ones.

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