I'd like to check one out. I hope one lands in a shop close to me.
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New Peavey Cirrus comes out in October
- Thread starter Bluestar
- Start date
Between being an early adopter CNC technology and setting up shop in a low income state, Peavey was able to make great instruments at very reasonable prices. Peavey's reward for innovation was to be seen as a budget brand whose innovative products were never given the respect they deserve. The result has their movement of all manufacturing offshore.
There are still successful USA builders like Music Man, G&L, and Fender. Kiesel is doing fine too, but there is little left below $2K anymore.
There are still successful USA builders like Music Man, G&L, and Fender. Kiesel is doing fine too, but there is little left below $2K anymore.
Here is another good argument for a Euro Cirrus. The Sadowsky Metroline Moderns no longer are close to the Ken Smith sort of tone I like anymore. New Cirruses will likely be the best Smith alternative by a wide margin.
Their Composite Acoustic line is USA production.
Main problem with Peavey basses was a lack of identity. Ask somebody to name 'The Peavey Bass' and you'll get a wide range of answers. I've owned a lot of Peaveys and in the 32 year production run can think of over 30 different basses. Most had a very short run, 4 years being the norm; too short to stay in the public eye.
To my mind there was no definitive Peavey bass, what we got was mostly derivative.
Foundation = Jazz bass, Fury = P-bass and judging by recent threads Cirrus = Smith.
Even the 'innovations' don't stand up to close inspection. Dan Armstrong used the 'spin-a-split' circuit in 1972, 6 years before the T-40 release. Geoff Gould and others were doing carbon/carbon wrapped necks years before the G/GV basses. Wal had Steve Chick's Midibass system 2 - 3 years before Peavey, so did Valley Arts. The original VFL pickups were passive, Mike designed them as Peavey's version of the MFDs from G&L.
Anyway, back to my point regarding lack of identity. Which of my Peaveys would you say defined the brand ?
The used market is now at the point where this makes sense. Peavey was just climbing up a hill with the Indonesian rollout when used USA prices were still below new.
To a degree, this will depend on a number of things coming together on a new Cirrus. The old Us Cirrus basses definitely had a sort of 'Ken Smith lite' vibe across a number of facets, the tone being just one of them. Part of that vibe was definitely the feel, finish and prestige of a handmade American boutique bass. Peavey really led the market in the successfully selling a product that did that. It's likely that when they were putting together the brief for the Cirrus that they had a couple of Smiths to hand to benchmark; they'd have known that they could expect to replicate that sort of product but they would have been looking for pointers to inform their spec sheet.
The pickup positioning and the voicing of the pickups and preamp were also quite suited to that 'Smith-y' modern boutique sound. These are details that they really need to get right on the new Cirrus, they're defining qualities.
I bring up this video every time I mention a Cirrus on Talkbass but it stands the test of time. Bill Dickens could make a buttertub with a rubber band over it sound good but really, check out the absolutely clarity and warmth to every note he plays here, right from the bottom of the B all the way up to the top of the C string. The new Cirrus has to sound like this or it won't be the same for me!
Bill Dickens - YouTube
Good comment.
I have gigged a Peavey (1991 Dynabass 5) for 32 years and although the perception maybe that of a budget brand, any Peavey bass certainly is NOT a budget sound, as you know Dr. Cheese.
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That B-Quad 4 on eBay didn't get the memo about Peavey basses not retaining value! Kicking myself for not buying the last one that rolled through here.
The B Quad was a Peavey always retained value. These days, all of the USA Peaveys are holding and increasing value because there are no new ones.
B Quads have been one of those basses that I've always wanted to own but whenever one passed by at the right price, I had something else on my mind or some other reason why I didn't buy it. I try not to think of them anymore 
Lobster, Would love for you to review your tiger eye compared to your other cirrus you have. Considering the cap. the hipshot tuners and bridge which the non tigers dont have and the mid sweep that is there as well which is not on the others as well. Hope to see it soon!!!!!!!!!!!
were getting close! I wonder when one will pop up in the wild! Too bad we dont have anybody on here from overseas in the factory that could tell up when production starts. Its funny we get leaks all the time from google and apple but yet we never hear anything from the music side of things.
"New Models Coming Soon" on website...
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Lol. We get leaks about things from Apple, Google, etc... because enough people actually care. We are a ridiculously small group comparatively.
Man...I would rather them re-release the Millennium with similar electronics to the USA models and with new finishes. I love the Cirrus too, but there was something even more special to me with the USA Millenniums.
Peavey has revamped their website. There was an ad for the Cirrus...but it wasn't a link, and no info given. but we're getting close!!
Well here is to hoping it will be soon. I wonder what bridge and tuners they will use?
The NAMM models had the usual Cirrus bridge and tuners but .....
ABM discontinued making the 34/35 bridge Peavey used so they might have the Sung Il version. Tuners could be Gotoh but it's just as likely Peavey follow their original Cirrus spec and go with Korean copies.
Has anyone heard anything more about the Cirrus re-release? I suppose they could hold it back until NAMM 2024. But it does not appear it's coming out in 2023.
