So anyone who has read some of my posts in threads about the USA Peavey Cirrus 5'ers knows that I REALLY didn't care for the one I got at all. Replaced the strings, tweaked the EQ to no end, used it through several amps/preamps and really just thought the sound was dull and lifeless...no grind or aggression at all IME.
So I'm in the market for a budget 5'er with a smooth sound. While I could say a lot about the Peavey Cirrus 5'er I had, I won't deny that it did have a very even and smooth tone, even if it came off as anemic to me. So I got a Peavey Millenium AC BXP from Guitar Center recently and tried it out last night.
Holy $--- it was great! Action was a little off and the neck might need a shim to raise it some, but the tone was amazing. Very growly, even, and with a good amount of cut. Even fiddling with the tone controls in various ways I could find more than a few settings I liked on it. Sits very well in the mix and has a very unique tone on its own. I kept scratching my head wondering how on EARTH the cheaper version of this bass beat out the USA model that I used to own. Fingerboard is actually supposed to be Pau Ferro like the USA ones, but aside from that the body woods are cheaper and the only difference in the hardware is that it's black instead of that ridiculous satin gold. Perhaps my USA one had some pickup defect or something up with the preamp? I had replaced the strings on the USA ones with D'Addario pro-steels and they still couldn't get any decent bite. Stock strings on this sound great, I can only imagine how good it will sound with the DR Hi-Beams on them...not to mention this bass is 34" scale so I can use a wider variety of strings compared to the 35" USA model.
Really happy with my purchase, can't wait to get this one fixed up and playing like I want it. Maybe I got a really bad USA Cirrus before and just got a really good Millennium? Either way, I have another great sounding bass now!
So I'm in the market for a budget 5'er with a smooth sound. While I could say a lot about the Peavey Cirrus 5'er I had, I won't deny that it did have a very even and smooth tone, even if it came off as anemic to me. So I got a Peavey Millenium AC BXP from Guitar Center recently and tried it out last night.
Holy $--- it was great! Action was a little off and the neck might need a shim to raise it some, but the tone was amazing. Very growly, even, and with a good amount of cut. Even fiddling with the tone controls in various ways I could find more than a few settings I liked on it. Sits very well in the mix and has a very unique tone on its own. I kept scratching my head wondering how on EARTH the cheaper version of this bass beat out the USA model that I used to own. Fingerboard is actually supposed to be Pau Ferro like the USA ones, but aside from that the body woods are cheaper and the only difference in the hardware is that it's black instead of that ridiculous satin gold. Perhaps my USA one had some pickup defect or something up with the preamp? I had replaced the strings on the USA ones with D'Addario pro-steels and they still couldn't get any decent bite. Stock strings on this sound great, I can only imagine how good it will sound with the DR Hi-Beams on them...not to mention this bass is 34" scale so I can use a wider variety of strings compared to the 35" USA model.
Really happy with my purchase, can't wait to get this one fixed up and playing like I want it. Maybe I got a really bad USA Cirrus before and just got a really good Millennium? Either way, I have another great sounding bass now!
