First of all, it’s a slightly smaller telecaster. Nut to bridge is normal but a shorter headstock and body. 36 inches long, perhaps 2-3 inches shorter than my other electrics. Configuration wise it’s very much like a Peavey Reactor accept it has a strat body. Although the Peavey Reactor probably has better pickups.

Peavey didn’t make a whole lot of telecaster type guitars. Most likely, my Peavey Predator-Plus TK was made in Korea in the 1990’s.

This will be a long post since I do it as I get to know a guitar. I hope you don’t mind reading it.

Quick Peavey Predator-Plus TK Summary

I like it.

Before its setup I played it and now after it’s setup I play this Peavey even more.

Strangely, this slightly short telecaster with a standard 26 1/2″ scale length makes lovely music when paired with a Peavey Vypyr VIP-1 amp. It’s only 2 inches shorter than my other electric guitars. It is NOT a MINI guitar. Just an inch shorter on headstock and one inch shorter on the body. It’s just comfortable.

Finding the Peavey Predator-Plus TK on Facebook

Here it is on Facebook in Chicago, IL in April of 2025. A Peavey and a Huntington bass with cases for $100. Heck yes I want them. Here’s the original ad showing the Peavey Predator-Plus TK. I gobbled up the Peavey and Huntington in less than 24 hours beating out the competition.

Here is the Peavey Predator-Plus TK photo from Facebook Marketplace.

Inspection and Purchase of the Peavey Predator-Plus TK.

My hurried search didn’t yield much info on this guitar. I thought it was a Peavey Reactor telecaster but the headstock said Peavey Predator-Plus TK.

“Palm Sunday” Peavey

This purchase took place over a weekend.

On Facebook Marketplace Saturday night I saw the Peavey Predator-Plus TK and the Huntington Bass, both for a total of $100. I bid $120, overprice, in hopes of being first to the seller.

The seller chose another buyer who was first offer. But I hung in there during early Sunday (Palm Sunday) telling the buyer I was his “backup buyer”. The first buyer fell through or didn’t show up. The seller pinged me around lunchtime and I promised to be at his NW side home in Chicago at 2:30 PM. I was on time for the sale.

Initial Peavey Inspection

The Peavey looked relatively clean for being in a guitar bag for about 15 years. The seller’s teenage daughter bought it around the year 2000 but gave up on guitar. That’s quite common. Visible problems below.

1. Plugged Peavey into my bright Orange 12L amp. The Peavey guitar input jack was a little loose.
   • The Peavey did not amp or play.
2. Neck looked straight.
   • Truss rod wrench hole is at the body, looked odd. I tried an allen wrench and it held firm, didn’t slip. I didn’t want a guitar with a stripped truss rod.
3. Chrome was a bit tarnished, guitar a bit dirty.
   • But the guitar wasn’t beat up.
4. Peavey switch seemed a little gummy or imprecise.
   • Couldn’t test the pickup switch since guitar wouldn’t work with amp.
   • I figured I or my guitar guy could fix it.
5. Seemed a bit smaller than a regular guitar.
   • Later I would measure its fretboard and scale and it equaled my Jet JS400 guitar. Standard size. The body and the headstock are a little smaller.
   • Entire guitar is 36 1/2″ long versus my Jet JS 400 which is 39″.
6. Nice guitar bag in good condition (actually, great condition and padded).
   • Zippers work, nicely padded.
   • It will fit this Peavey and my other electric guitars.

So, I did buy the Peavey and the Huntington bass (very pretty, nice sounds). I had offered $120 for both guitars, $20 more than asking. That meant I was 2nd among buyers. When the first buyer cancelled, my extra $20 probably got me sale.

However, since the Peavey needed work I asked the seller to reduce the price. He immediately dropped the price back down to $100. For me, that was a bargain.

First Impressions at Home with my Peavey Predator-Plus TK

Tuned it and had to be careful because someone had strung the B string incorrectly. You don’t want strings snapping in your eyes.

I tightened the guitar input jack, plugged in the cable, plugged into a Peavey VIP-1 amp (fun, Peavey to Peavey), and played it amped. That was a nice surprise.

It worked. Simple fix. Peavey sounds nice and bright.

DeoxIT D5 for Peavey Coil Selector Switch

The coil selector 3-way switch is pretty gummy and has a bit of static. You need to place it just right in its slot to get sound. I sprayed some DeoxIT D5 into the slot a few times, worked the switch, and the selector switch static is gone. Every used guitar buyer needs a can of DeoxIT D5 in their guitar room.

Peavey is Nicely Balanced

I played and played. I experimented with the coil switch for bridge pickups. I experimented with different amp settings on my Peavey Vypyr VIP-1 amp (love that $40 amp).

The guitar is lighter so that’s a blessing with my injured right elbow (yanked my right elbow carrying a bass and slipping on icy steps). This light Peavey telecaster is easier on my right elbow when I lift it.

But the Peavey Predator-Plus TK felt friendly, almost a part of me as I noodled through a few tunes, riffs, etc. I felt like this was a 3/4 guitar so I measured it against my Jet JS 400 guitar.

For the Peavey and Jet the fretboard and scale are the exact same length. So it plays like a full size guitar.

The Jet JS400 is two inches longer in total length than this Peavey guitar because of 1 extra inch on the headstock and 1 extra inch in the body.

1. Peavey measurements.
   • Fretboard: 18.5 inches
   • Scale: 26.5 inches
   • Total length: 36.5 inches
2. Jet JS 400 measurements.
   • Fretboard: 18.5 inches
   • Scale: 26.5 inches
   • Total length: 38.5 inches

The Peavey guitar reminded me of my Epiphone LP Express that I sold. The Epiphone Express was a 3/4 guitar with bad tuners. I loved the Epiphone LP Express sound but got tired of constantly re-tuning the guitar. The Peavey tuners were rock solid and did not slip off in an hour of playing. Hurray.

Yes, I am very pleased with my first serious test of the Peavey Predator-Plus TK guitar. Nice telecaster sound and a balanced guitar that is fun to play. – Shoshin Guitarist.

Deeper Internet Research on the Peavey Predator-Plus TK Guitar

Before I purchased the Peavey, I didn’t have time to dig into its past. But now I have time and I want to share my results with you.

1. Peavey Predator-Plus TK Youtube video from France.
   • This is from a French guitar teacher who wrote: “This Peavey Raptor Plus TK is my go-to guitar: I carry it everywhere, to lessons, on vacation, my all-terrain guitar.”.
   • Fun to watch.
   • It’s in French.
2. Wikipedia info on the guitar. Bummer, I thought the Peavey was made in USA like the other Predators. Nope, it’s made in Korea. But they often do good work.

3. Peavey Forum info on the guitar. Peavey does have a very nice forum if ever you need it for research.

So the Peavey Predator-Plus TK is a Korean made telecaster type guitar that has a good reputation on the Peavey forum. It’s slightly smaller than a standard electric guitar without sacrificing string length. It was made in the mid to late 1990’s. My Peavey Predator-Plus TK which looks like the one shown above, is what I call, a “keeper”.

$50 setup with new strings and it will be even better. However, I may need a new guitar input jack. That depends on my guitar repair guy.

Peavey Predator-Plus TK, Purchased from a Chicagoland Drum Store in 2001

One week after purchasing the Peavey on Facebook, I reached out to the seller’s daughter who had played the guitar.

In 2001 she purchased the Peavey telecaster from a drummer’s store in the Chicago NW suburbs. It was one of their cheaper guitars that a teenager could afford. A good drummer friend of hers helped with the purchase.

Since the Peavey was purchased in 2001. It makes sense now based on my research.

The Peavey Predator-Plus TK was made in the 1990’s in Korea. So being purchased one or two years later in a Chicagoland store makes perfect sense.

Peavey Predator-Plus TK Visits my Guitar Guy

I knew I couldn’t setup this guitar properly. I took it to Paul G. on Chicago’s Facebook Marketplace. He does fine work.

Known problems.

1. Needs new strings and a set-up.
2. De-rust the screws.
3. Verify the guitar input jack is tight.
4. Clean up the tarnished chrome.

Paul did that and a whole lot more. Apparently by screwing in a new screw into a guitar pickup I broke part of the pickup plate. But thankfully, Paul fixed that.

He also shaved down some frets because with the size 10 new strings and lower action they were buzzing near the 12th and beyond fret. I had never noticed. That’s why Paul G. is my guitar guy.

Paul the guitar guy said:

It’s made of plywood. I didn’t notice it until I got into fixing some pickup problems. But its plywood construction is done well.

I said to Paul, “I think I will call it the ‘Peavey Plywood’. He smiled. – Shoshin Guitarist

He said he couldn’t thoroughly intonate E and A string. The bridge placement in the factory was off by 1/16 of an inch making perfect intonation impossible.

Paul the Guitar Guy’s Assessment of my Peavey

It has more “mids” than he would like personally. He prefers “treble” sounds. But heck, I’m moderately deaf and will I notice?

He liked the neck pickup especially for its tele twang.

But it sure does look pretty.

Grabbing the “Plywood” Peavey

I have owned my newly setup Peavey for about 2-3 weeks. And I often grab the Peavey throughout the day.

Today I riffed a bit on my Peavey with different amps.

1. Fender G-Dec. Although I enjoy this $25 amp greatly, today I didn’t fall in love with its amping of the Peavey guitar.
2. Peavey Vypyr VIP-1. I have come to respect this 20 watt amp a great deal. My goodness, I just realized this fact. I am testing my Peavey guitar with a Peavey amp. The modeling from the VIP-1 seems almost mystical in how it nicely amps the Peavey Predator-Plus TK. Fun.
3. Roland 40 GX. I often overlook this amp. Probably because I have always had trouble modeling/mixing my own sounds. But I plugged in the Peavey guitar and the Roland 40 GX just about BLEW MY SOCKS OFF. I focused on the bridge pickup and got nice trebly twang out of the guitar. Very LOUD. Fun.
4. Mustang LT25. Perhaps because I had 60 pre-sets to choose from, I didn’t search too hard for the right tone. So I will return to the Mustang LT 25 another day.

But the Peavey Predator-Plus TK sounded great through the Peavy Vypyr VIP-1 amp and the Roland GX40 amp. Both amps made the “Plywood” Peavey sing.

Final Thoughts on the Peavey Predator-Plus TK

Remember, I bought the Peavey for $50 along with a beautiful Huntington PJ bass for $50.

After a $50 dollar setup, I now I have $100 ‘invested” into the ‘Peavey Plywood’ most likely from Korea.

I can pretend it’s Peavey Reactor made in the U.S.A. but it isn’t. That’s the Peavey telecaster to buy. But I don’t have $300-$400 dollars laying around so I am happy with my Peavey telecaster from Korea.

But my rehabbed Peavey Predator-Plus TK is good enough for me. It plays well as long as I don’t play above the poorly intonated 12th fret (which I never do).

My slightly smaller Peavey also came with a wonderful electric guitar super-padded case that is worth perhaps $40 new. So I will always have that case for my electric guitars.

So if you find a cheap Peavey Predator-Plus TK for $50 that works, it’s a bargain. But it’s older brother the Peavey Reactor telecaster made in U.S.A. is the Peavey “tele” that you want to find and to purchase at a good price.

Thanks for visiting Shoshin Guitarist today. I was glad to provide one of the few Peavey Predator-Plus TK reviews on the Internet.