Peavey Electronics is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year — a remarkable milestone for any company, and nearly unheard of in the world of musical instruments and professional audio equipment. Even more extraordinary, the Mississippi-based company has remained under the leadership of its founder, Hartley Peavey, for all six decades.
Peavey’s legacy of innovation began in 1964 when Hartley Peavey received his first patent for a unique speaker enclosure. One year later, after graduating college, he founded Peavey Electronics above his father’s music store in Meridian, Mississippi. What started as a one-man operation grew into one of the world’s largest independent manufacturers of musical instruments and professional sound systems.
Peavey’s impact on the audio industry extends far beyond guitar amps and loudspeakers. In 1993, the company introduced its MediaMatrix system — the first digitally configured and controlled audio networking solution for large-scale venues. Made in the U.S. then and still manufactured domestically today, MediaMatrix has since been installed in more than 10,000 venues, including airports, casinos, cruise ships and stadiums.
The company’s reputation for delivering professional-grade gear at accessible prices enabled generations of musicians to pursue their craft. “In order to be better, by definition you must be different,” Hartley famously said. That philosophy led to more than 180 patents worldwide, with new innovations still in development.
Peavey was also a pioneer in electric guitar manufacturing. In the mid-1970s, the company became the first to use CNC (computerized numerical control) machines to mass-produce guitars — an approach now standard in the industry. Inspired by the precision of firearm manufacturing, Hartley applied the same methodology to build guitar necks and bodies more efficiently and affordably.
The company continued to innovate in amplification, breaking the “dollar-per-watt” barrier with its legendary CS 800 power amp. In 2010, Peavey’s IPR switching amplifiers introduced class-D technology that delivered 2,000 watts of output in a unit weighing under seven pounds.
Peavey also revolutionized speaker design with its Black Widow and Scorpion loudspeakers, which featured field-replaceable voice coil assemblies — eliminating the need for expensive reconing while maintaining factory specs.
Many professional musicians credit Peavey gear as instrumental to their sound and career. Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, for example, has praised the Peavey Decade amplifier, a modest student model from the 1980s, for shaping the band’s tone. To honor its legacy, Peavey will reissue the Decade amp in 2025.
Today, Peavey distributes more than 2,000 products in 136 countries. Its systems can be found in clubs, churches, concert halls and arenas worldwide.
As it celebrates 60 years, Peavey Electronics remains committed to its founding principles: innovation, accessibility and quality. The company credits its longevity to the continued support of artists, dealers and end users around the globe.