Somewhere at a point where superhero
paint-jobs, traditionally-inspired design,
and a heavy-rocking attitude meet, lives
the new Peavey Session. Developed with
the intent to make a player’s instrument
possessing exceptional versatility, this eye-grabbing
electric brings both progressive
and classic features together. And it does so
at a sub-$500 price, which is particularly
impressive in light of the way the Session
follows through on its design intent.
In Session
At certain angles, the Session looks like a
descendent of both Fender and PRS lineages.
The body lives in a zone between an
augmented Strat-style shape (which is also
echoed in Peavey’s successful Predator series)
and the classic PRS double cutaway. The
body itself is crafted from lightweight, chambered
basswood and features a carved top and
scrape binding. The reflectivity of the gleaming,
red-metallic paint enhances the three-dimensionality
of the attractive top carve, and
the stripe of natural basswood along the top
edge of the body looks cool against the red
finish. A close look revealed a few spots where
the paint was just a little uneven, but that is
not entirely unusual for an affordably priced
instrument. On the other hand, the nut was
neatly slotted and the fretwork was excellent,
and I found the general quality to be quite
good where it counted.
Recessed push/pull Volume and
Tone knobs enable coil-tapping of the
Peavey-designed alnico humbuckers. The
Fender-inspired string-through body, bridge
with individually adjustable stainless steel
saddles, and in-line tuners are time-honored
and familiar features. But there’s plenty of
modern design touches like the sculpted heel,
a 9.5" to 15" compound-radius fretboard,
graphite-composite nut, and dual-action truss
rod. The rosewood fretboard on our review
guitar had a complex grain pattern with
attractive light and dark tones—a rare bonus
for an instrument at this price point. And
the Canadian maple neck has a smooth satin
finish with a slim-to-medium C shape, which
feels comfortable right up to the neck joint.
The instrument’s most engaging aspect,
upon first handling, is its weight. At around
7 pounds, the Peavey feels well-balanced
right away, and the neck profile and
low-friction satin finish make the whole
guitar feel effortless to handle whether
you’re standing or sitting.
The Session is a breathy and
bright-sounding guitar that can
easily cut through the mix in a
variety of musical settings.
Roll On, Red Rocket
Acoustically, the Session is loud and
vibrant. The 25.5" scale gives the strings
a metallic zing and impressive snap, the
sustain is excellent along the entire length
of the fretboard, and string-to-string balance
is quite good as well. The chambered
body is resonant to the point of percepitble
reverberation when it’s unamplified, which
suggests well-chosen tonewoods as well as
sturdy and smart construction.
Plugged into a Carvin V3M amp with
a 2x12 cabinet, I selected the bridge humbucker
and chugged away at some power
chords with a high-gain setting. In this
setting, the Session was open-sounding,
texture-rich, and fat with low end. And
it was perfect for some Paul Gilbert-style
shred—or at least my best attempt at it.
Dialing back the gain to a more moderate
level, it was easy to conjure up some
convincing Jimmy Herring-like lead
tones. Not surprisingly, the Session captured
the flavor of a humbucker-equipped
Stratocaster—smooth, but less cutting than
what you’d hear from single-coils. Tapping
the outer coil of the bridge humbucker
yielded twangier, glassier tones, though
with less bite and clarity than, say, a Strat or
Tele pickup. The orientation of the push/
pull pot is a little counterintuitive, with
the aft-most knob (Tone) controlling the
neck pickup and the front knob (Volume)
controlling the bridge. Though it takes getting
used to, Peavey says that orientation
is based on players using the bridge pickup
more frequently.
Switching to the neck humbucker, I
was again impressed with the musicality
of the tone. The Session is a breathy and
bright-sounding guitar that can easily cut
through the mix in a variety of musical settings.
And the sounds coming out of my
Fender Champ were spongy with impressive
sustain, possessing a satisfying percussiveness
that inspired more than a few Jimmy
Nolen-styled funk licks. Multi-string slides
felt natural on the medium tall, but rather
wide frets. Bass notes were tight and dynamic
as I thumbed around the guitar’s lower
registers, and there was a nice emphasis in
the mids and highs with an open-sounding
quality that’s nice to hear from a neck
humbucker.
The Verdict
The Peavey Session has a big, musical soul
that belies its $449 street price. It’s refreshing
to experience such fine tone and playability
from a value-priced instrument. Though it’s
unlikely the Session will put an end to the
quest for the perfect do-it-all guitar—particularly
for those with upmarket tastes—it
nevertheless exhibits an adaptable nature and
a varied identity that can range from muscular
to open and full of harmonic content.
If you’re trying to get more out of a single
guitar that looks and sounds pricier than it is,
it would be worth spending some time with
the Peavey Session.
Buy if...
you need tone balance in an
affordable electric.
Skip if...
you’re in need of a more
specific sounding guitar, or you
can’t look past a few superficial,
quality-control issues.
Rating...
Street $449 - Peavey Electronics Corporation - peavey.com
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