Peavey Axcelerator 5 or Millennium 5 Plus?

[MatrixClaw]

Hey guys,

I recently bought a Millennium 5 Plus here on TB, but the seller found some electronic issues with it and refunded my money (still hoping he'll sell it to me with the issues, and I'll just have them fixed myself, cause I REALLY wanted that bass...)

However, I currently have an Axcelerator Plus 4 string and love it to death - I found a 5 string version in a matching color (only difference is it has chrome hardware, and my Plus has gold), and it's about half the price of the Millennium. That being said, I haven't played a lot of 5 strings, but really want one for variation in my studio, I know the Millenniums are using different pickups and preamps, different body woods and they have a longer scale (34" vs 35").

I'm totally happy with my Axcelerator Plus as a 4 string, the tone is beautiful and it plays amazingly well, but I'm not sure I really want to get a 5 string that sounds pretty much the same (the Plus and 5 are different body woods, so I'm sure there's a difference, but how big a difference, I'm not sure) - The reasoning behind spending more on the Millennium was that it has a J/MM setup and different electronics, as apposed to the soapbars in the Axcelerator. People coming into the studio could choose which they liked the sound of better, and if they're playing 4 strings for their songs, they don't need to use the top string on the Millennium, if they liked it better.

In your opinion - Is the Millennium Plus worth twice the money (or more) over the Axcelerator 5?

No, I can't try the Axcelerator 5 before I buy it, nor can I try the Millennium.

FWIW, this will likely only get studio use only. DI'd directly into my mic preamp, with a second track going through a SansAmp RBI. Mainly doing rock and metal, so a more aggressive sound is preferred. Cheaper definitely appeals to me, but I don't want to buy two instruments that sound essentially the same, or regret spending money on something cheaper, when I could've gotten something much better, still within my budget.

[lowfreqgeek]

I had an Axcelerator 6 about 10 years ago. Except for the tighter spacing (I like wider), it was a REALLY great USA-made bass for the money. I've played a few Millenniums and they are very nice, but not 2x $$ nice, IMO.

[MatrixClaw]

Originally Posted by lowfreqgeek

I had an Axcelerator 6 about 10 years ago. Except for the tighter spacing (I like wider), it was a REALLY great USA-made bass for the money. I've played a few Millenniums and they are very nice, but not 2x $$ nice, IMO.

Interesting... Really my only concern is that it's going to sound too similar to my Axcelerator Plus. The fact that the Millennium has two completely different pickup types would make for some nice variation, but I'm also not sure on whether I'd actually like that pickup configuration or not...

I tried a bunch of Music Mans, and I though the tone was definitely unique, but I'm not sure it's really something I'd want to use on a regular basis. However, I LOVE the Jazz Bass tone, so perhaps the mix of the two would work nicely, since I felt like the MM sound was really hollow in the mids, but had the biggest, deepest, lowend and a pretty cool clank at the top. I just haven't been able to find any basses locally to try out that have this same configuration... But I also don't want to buy a 5 string Axcelerator if it's going to sound the same as my 4, or not as good (the Plus 4 has a Swamp Ash body and Pau Ferro board, the standard version does not). At that point, I'd rather just tune it BEAD, than spend ~$300 for the same sound, just with an extra string.

[MatrixClaw]

Any other opinions?

[dedpool1052]

as far as peavey 5'ers go, the TL-5 and cirrus seem to get a lot of love around here. the TL-5 would be closer to an active jazz sound than the active soapbar tone. and the TL-5 can be switched to passive as well. for more in depth information on the TL-5, refer to the Peavey club or Dr Cheese.

[NicJimBass]

IIRC, the Axcelerator has 2 VFL pickups, similar to what are in the Cirrus. The Mill has one VFL, at the bridge (the music man pickup), and a stacked humbucker at the neck. I've not played an Axcelerator (yet), but if the pickups are anything like what's in my GV, there is enough difference between that and the Mill to justify getting it. Mills are really great instruments that just happen to be an awesome deal most of the time. The electronics issue shouldn't be that big of a deal, as a new Mill preamp from Peavey runs under $60.

[MNAirHead]

I have sound clips of mill in a studio