Pathetic. Beginning around 1978, my first two amps (a Decade and a Renown) and two guitars (T-60s) were Peavey products. Peavey is now a shell of its former self.
Their “Building 3” looked like a beat down ghost town. I get the challenge with competing against overseas labor. The only way the US can currently maintain and edge is on heavy and large to ship items (e.g. amp heads, combos and speaker cabinets) which seems to be the only area where Peavey can currently survive. Their new micro head offerings announced during the latest NAMM are Asian built. In contrast, Carvin (which in my mind, is the nearest peer to Peavey) offers an all-tube, 50 watt, three channel head for $549 and it is made in the USA.
Nothing personal against Hartley, but to the rest of the uninitiated US TV audience, he came across as a careless redneck who can’t be bothered to trim his eyebrows or tuck in his shirt. It seems that he turned a corner (for the worse) following the death of his second wife. His current wife Mary is now President and (if I heard correctly, her son) Courtland Gray is COO. This whole contrived relationship seems to be one born of convenience. In keeping Peavey relevant and vital in the current business and economical climate, Hartley would have been better off going outside the company instead of keeping it inside the (step) family. This show was bad publicity for the Peavey gang.