Peavey Patriot/Predator hybrid 1987

Vintage Peavey Patriot/Predator Hybrid — USA Made — 24.75” Scale — Kahler Tremolo

If you’re looking at this listing, you probably already know how special these early Peavey USA-made instruments are.

This is a circa-1987 Peavey Patriot/Predator hybrid, assembled from a collection of genuine Peavey USA parts sourced over the past year. It is not an all-original example, and I want to be very clear about that. Instead, this is a carefully assembled instrument that brings together some of the best and most interesting features of Peavey’s early USA-made guitars.

One of the things that makes these guitars so distinctive is the Naturalite body shape and the relatively compact 24.75” scale length. That scale is sometimes described as the “Goldilocks” size—shorter than a Fender 25.5” scale but longer than a typical short-scale design, while sharing the same 24.75” scale used by Gibson. The result is a familiar but slightly different feel: comfortable, quick under the fingers, and very playable.

The body is solid wood, bi-laminated hard rock maple, with classic bolt-on construction.

The Body

This instrument started life as a Peavey Predator body. Over the course of this project, I’ve brought it back to a very usable configuration using genuine Peavey USA components wherever practical.

The body has honest vintage wear, as shown in the photographs. I’ve cleaned it up, but intentionally did not refinish it. The goal was to preserve the character and vibe that comes with a nearly 40-year-old instrument rather than make it look new.

I also made a new, hand-made pickguard. It is by no means perfect, but it is relatively scratch-free, completely serviceable, and fits the guitar well.

Electronics

The electronics are genuine Peavey USA components, including the very cool Peavey Super Ferrite single-coil pickups and a matching Peavey wiring harness sourced from a Peavey Patriot.

The harness includes:

• Solid-shaft 250K pots
• Original Peavey tone capacitor
• Original Peavey treble bleed circuit
• Original Peavey control knobs

Neck

The neck was changed to a same-year Peavey Patriot neck.

It has the same:

• 24.75” scale length
• Micro-Tilt heel adjustment
• Bi-laminate hard rock maple construction
• General early-USA Peavey construction and feel

This neck does not have the provision for a locking nut.

New locking tuners were installed to support the functionality of the Kahler locking tremolo.

Important: While installing the low-E tuner, one of the tuner mounting screws sheared off. Removing it required a small repair to the headstock area. I’ve photographed the repair so you can see exactly what you’re getting.

Kahler Tremolo

The guitar is fitted with a Kahler locking tremolo.

The low-E saddle appears to have been replaced at some point. The rollers have been lubricated, and the tremolo currently operates smoothly.

The tremolo bar is NOT included.

Setup / Playability

The guitar comes strung with a new set of Ernie Ball Super Slinky 9s.

The action is smooth, and the guitar plays and sounds every bit as good as she looks.

I’ve tried to be as transparent as possible about what this instrument is.

This is not a new guitar, and it is not a completely original Peavey. It is a vintage Peavey hybrid assembled from genuine Peavey parts, with some parts having been sourced specifically for this project.

If you’re looking for a pristine, completely original collector example, this probably isn’t the guitar for you.

But if you appreciate Made-in-the-USA Peavey instruments, the distinctive Naturalite design, the 24.75” scale, the character of honest vintage wear, and the idea of putting together a unique instrument from genuine period Peavey components, this could your unicorn.

I’ve made every effort to accurately describe the instrument and its history as I know it.

Please look carefully at all of the photographs before purchasing and feel free to ask questions. I’m happy to provide additional photos or information where I can.

This instrument does not come with a case.