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Peavey battle: Millennium Plus 5 vs. Cirrus 5
- Thread starter fourstringbliss
- Start date
Been listenin to Johnny B Gayden with Albert Collins and O'tiel Burbridge w/Allman brothers. Kind of cool to have a low B for restrained tastefull use.
Howdy.
Hmmmnnnn........
Really tough one.
I've owned about 30 of each of them... probably setup 200+ of each (via shipping)
In all fairness... I'll start by reducing the comaprison the 2 most popular configurations
Millenium = 5 Millenium Plus
Cirrus = 5
Millenium
-Better preamp
-flatter neck
-worse setup from the factory
-tougher to find
-easier to do a stellar setup on
-better hardware
-better body blance
Cirrus
-better resale
-easier to find
-worse preamp
-less of a botique "feel"
-higher action (after setup)
-sound isn't as consistent between basses
-hardware is less refined.
========
Overall, if you have a Cirrus, consider the preamp alteration.... installing a string retainer also helps.
Overall if you have a millenium ... send it here for setup (yes free).
When folks PM me... if they're not willing to have a full extensive setup done, I always suggest a USA Cirrus with the Millenium Preamp.... if the buyer is pateint and will listen.... a Millenium can be a better value.
------
That being said after acclimating the feel is similar.. your adience will not be able to hear the difference.
Hmmmnnnn........
Really tough one.
I've owned about 30 of each of them... probably setup 200+ of each (via shipping)
In all fairness... I'll start by reducing the comaprison the 2 most popular configurations
Millenium = 5 Millenium Plus
Cirrus = 5
Millenium
-Better preamp
-flatter neck
-worse setup from the factory
-tougher to find
-easier to do a stellar setup on
-better hardware
-better body blance
Cirrus
-better resale
-easier to find
-worse preamp
-less of a botique "feel"
-higher action (after setup)
-sound isn't as consistent between basses
-hardware is less refined.
========
Overall, if you have a Cirrus, consider the preamp alteration.... installing a string retainer also helps.
Overall if you have a millenium ... send it here for setup (yes free).
When folks PM me... if they're not willing to have a full extensive setup done, I always suggest a USA Cirrus with the Millenium Preamp.... if the buyer is pateint and will listen.... a Millenium can be a better value.
------
That being said after acclimating the feel is similar.. your adience will not be able to hear the difference.
Interesting comparison. That said... I just received this Milly Plus as NOS. The set-up was very good considering. All I had to do was tweak the neck about 1/2 turn CW, and that almost set the intonation right on! Strange huh?
I'm a freak about intonation, so I had to get each saddle just right. Action is subjective and Jackajesusfreak can attest to my set-up skills, via the 2 Peaveys I sold him.
So Having both, one right after the other, then again, I believe the Milly is a better choice. ** Again subjective!** I like the flatter neck and tone woods used. Neck: Immediately noticed the difference when I got my 3rd Milly. It kills all my other Jazz necks and I think I prefer the slightly wider mut. Cool how the Milly nut comes with what looks an aged nut! I can chat about my Milly all day.
Now my quest for an amp begins, but as I search, I cant get over the sheer POWER, tone and CLARITY of my BAM coupled with the Pro 410. iT Just amazes me. I just wish It was LIGHTER. I'll hold off on this quest. As ALOT can be spent and lost. I'll deal with the weight for another year.
Forgot to mention, I am comparing the 4 stringers. Millennium wins hands down. Looks like the same outcome for mnairhead.
In the 5 string worldI have a USA CirrusV and USA Millennium V.
The Cirrus is a great bass BUT my Millennium get all the playing time. IMO the Millennium has more Booty t the tone.
and is a more comfortable instrument to play.
Two years ago in this thread I posted this pic....
Here's another that I used to own....
....and to think the first time I played a Millennium I didn't like it.
The Cirrus is a great bass BUT my Millennium get all the playing time. IMO the Millennium has more Booty t the tone.
and is a more comfortable instrument to play.Two years ago in this thread I posted this pic....
Here's another that I used to own....
....and to think the first time I played a Millennium I didn't like it.
XHawk..
A millenium can be set to have a 1mm action all the way down the neck.. periodically they're shipped like this.. quite often guitar (not bass techs) dork them up with relief etc.
Can't get a full on 1mm action on a cirrus
----
Your bass is sounding nicer and nicer the more you write about it.
A millenium can be set to have a 1mm action all the way down the neck.. periodically they're shipped like this.. quite often guitar (not bass techs) dork them up with relief etc.
Can't get a full on 1mm action on a cirrus
----
Your bass is sounding nicer and nicer the more you write about it.
If it's any vote..
I'm still mildly out looking for pretty mills (in the vein of StuartV's) ... not buying any Cirrus
I'm still mildly out looking for pretty mills (in the vein of StuartV's) ... not buying any Cirrus
Wow, this is incredible. I have played several Millenniums that I couldnt stand, and can barely ever put down my Cirrus, yet it sounds like more people lean towards the milleniums. I guess it all just comes down to preferance, but you guys have got me thinking I might need to give the millennium another look.
Is that the tiger eye with the bird's eye maple neck?
I'd love to have one like that!
Out of the 100 or so Milleniums I've played, only 2 or 3 had an excellent setup..
Makes a HUGE difference.
My fairly novice opinions:
First, if you look at the pic that cb56 posted with the Mill and Cirrus side by side, you can see immediately why the Cirrus feels longer. The top horn on the Mill extends to the 11 - 12th fret. The Cirrus top horn extends to the 13- 14th fret. Thus, when they hang on you the first fret is about 1 fret width further away from your body. My Cirrus definitely feels like a slightly longer reach to the first fret. I often here people refer to this and chalk it up to being 35" scale. As the picture shows, I don't think the scale is the culprit. It's the ergnomics of the bass' body. The Mill is also 35" scale and still an easier reach to the first fret.
I have a Mill Plus 5 (the beauty that MNAirhead mentioned). And I have natural maple (pau ferro board) Cirrus 5 which I have installed a Millennium preamp in. And I have a ruby red maple (birdseye maple board) Cirrus 6, also with a Mill pre.
I would describe the necks on the Cirrus (both) as being flatter on the back, than the Mill. Thinner in the middle, but thicker towards the edges. The Mill neck is more of a C or D shape than the Cirrus neck. Thicker in the middle, but rounding off to be a little thinner out at the edges. I like them both, but they are different in feeling. The Mill neck feels very much, to me, like a US Lakland 5-string neck. The Cirrus neck does not feel like any other neck I have experienced.
I thought both Cirrus were significantly improved by the Mill preamp. Even when set flat, I think they sound better, but it's been long enough since I swapped them out that I can't really begin to characterize the difference. I just know I liked it better. I liked the Cirrus 5 w/Mill better than the Cirrus 6 w/o. Then I upgraded the Cirrus 6 and like it equally well now.
I definitely agree with whoever said that they can't imagine not being able to get enough booty out of a Cirrus. That's what the bass knob is for. And the mid-sweep and mid knob. If whoever originally said that the Cirrus doesn't have enough booty was in the camp of leaving the bass EQ flat and doing it all on the amp, well, whatever. That's like complaining that your Porsche isn't fast enough, but you don't want to rev the engine above halfway to redline. If you're not going to use all it offers, don't complain about the part you are using.
I have DR stainless taper core strings on the Mill and Cirrus nickel rounds on my Cirrus. I tried Cirrus strings on the Mill, but like the stainless better. I have only tried Cirrus strings on the Cirrus. I really like them and have no desire for anything different.
The sound of the Mill vs Cirrus is just different. Not hugely different, by any stretch, just different. I think it's mainly the difference in J/MM config versus dual soapbars. The Mill offers some growl that the Cirrus doesn't. The Cirrus offers an extremely clean sound that the Mill doesn't. I think the strings I am using accentuate the positive aspects of what each bass offers. Personally, I usually want to hear a bit more growl or cut. I think that's why the 2 basses that I pick up way more than any of my others are my Mill and my Fender Precision.
I'm going to put my Cirrus 5 up for sale soon, but that is in part because I have the Cirrus 6, which offers everything the 5 does plus one more string, and is a color I like better. I definitely think the Cirrus and Millennium are different enough to merit having one of each, if you can afford it.
All that said, if I had to cut back to only having one bass, period, I think I would let the other 10 go and just keep the Millennium. I would even sell my dream bass - my '66 Precision - first. Nice '66 Precisions are expensive, but not hard to find. I have never seen another Millennium that I liked as much as my Millennium. Actually, I have never seen another BASS that I like as much as my Millennium.
First, if you look at the pic that cb56 posted with the Mill and Cirrus side by side, you can see immediately why the Cirrus feels longer. The top horn on the Mill extends to the 11 - 12th fret. The Cirrus top horn extends to the 13- 14th fret. Thus, when they hang on you the first fret is about 1 fret width further away from your body. My Cirrus definitely feels like a slightly longer reach to the first fret. I often here people refer to this and chalk it up to being 35" scale. As the picture shows, I don't think the scale is the culprit. It's the ergnomics of the bass' body. The Mill is also 35" scale and still an easier reach to the first fret.
I have a Mill Plus 5 (the beauty that MNAirhead mentioned). And I have natural maple (pau ferro board) Cirrus 5 which I have installed a Millennium preamp in. And I have a ruby red maple (birdseye maple board) Cirrus 6, also with a Mill pre.
I would describe the necks on the Cirrus (both) as being flatter on the back, than the Mill. Thinner in the middle, but thicker towards the edges. The Mill neck is more of a C or D shape than the Cirrus neck. Thicker in the middle, but rounding off to be a little thinner out at the edges. I like them both, but they are different in feeling. The Mill neck feels very much, to me, like a US Lakland 5-string neck. The Cirrus neck does not feel like any other neck I have experienced.
I thought both Cirrus were significantly improved by the Mill preamp. Even when set flat, I think they sound better, but it's been long enough since I swapped them out that I can't really begin to characterize the difference. I just know I liked it better. I liked the Cirrus 5 w/Mill better than the Cirrus 6 w/o. Then I upgraded the Cirrus 6 and like it equally well now.
I definitely agree with whoever said that they can't imagine not being able to get enough booty out of a Cirrus. That's what the bass knob is for. And the mid-sweep and mid knob. If whoever originally said that the Cirrus doesn't have enough booty was in the camp of leaving the bass EQ flat and doing it all on the amp, well, whatever. That's like complaining that your Porsche isn't fast enough, but you don't want to rev the engine above halfway to redline. If you're not going to use all it offers, don't complain about the part you are using.
I have DR stainless taper core strings on the Mill and Cirrus nickel rounds on my Cirrus. I tried Cirrus strings on the Mill, but like the stainless better. I have only tried Cirrus strings on the Cirrus. I really like them and have no desire for anything different.
The sound of the Mill vs Cirrus is just different. Not hugely different, by any stretch, just different. I think it's mainly the difference in J/MM config versus dual soapbars. The Mill offers some growl that the Cirrus doesn't. The Cirrus offers an extremely clean sound that the Mill doesn't. I think the strings I am using accentuate the positive aspects of what each bass offers. Personally, I usually want to hear a bit more growl or cut. I think that's why the 2 basses that I pick up way more than any of my others are my Mill and my Fender Precision.
I'm going to put my Cirrus 5 up for sale soon, but that is in part because I have the Cirrus 6, which offers everything the 5 does plus one more string, and is a color I like better. I definitely think the Cirrus and Millennium are different enough to merit having one of each, if you can afford it.
All that said, if I had to cut back to only having one bass, period, I think I would let the other 10 go and just keep the Millennium. I would even sell my dream bass - my '66 Precision - first. Nice '66 Precisions are expensive, but not hard to find. I have never seen another Millennium that I liked as much as my Millennium. Actually, I have never seen another BASS that I like as much as my Millennium.
ps. The black pearl/pau ferro, J/MM Millennium 4-string that xhawk5 sold recently was one that I owned (from another TB'er, sold to Larry). It was nice, but I just never bonded with it the way I have with my 5-string. I wish I knew what the difference was.
I think one thing was the neck. I have learned now from owning several pairs of the "same" bass (Schecter Stiletto Elite 4 and 5, G&L L-2000 and L-2500, Peavey G-Bass and G-V, Peavey Millennium 4 and 5), that they don't really translate. Just because a 4-string XYZ bass has a great neck does not necessarily mean that a 5-string XYZ will also have a great neck. The width of having the extra string means the neck is going to be different and you just have to judge them each on their own merits.
So, where the Mill 4-string neck didn't really stand out to me, the 5-string neck does. And I didn't try different strings on the Mill 4-string. Perhaps if I had put the same stainless strings on it that I have on my 5-string, the sound would have done more to draw me in. I guess at this point, I'll never know.
Just food for thought for you that have tried one Millennium or another and not been particularly impressed with it.
I think one thing was the neck. I have learned now from owning several pairs of the "same" bass (Schecter Stiletto Elite 4 and 5, G&L L-2000 and L-2500, Peavey G-Bass and G-V, Peavey Millennium 4 and 5), that they don't really translate. Just because a 4-string XYZ bass has a great neck does not necessarily mean that a 5-string XYZ will also have a great neck. The width of having the extra string means the neck is going to be different and you just have to judge them each on their own merits.
So, where the Mill 4-string neck didn't really stand out to me, the 5-string neck does. And I didn't try different strings on the Mill 4-string. Perhaps if I had put the same stainless strings on it that I have on my 5-string, the sound would have done more to draw me in. I guess at this point, I'll never know.
Just food for thought for you that have tried one Millennium or another and not been particularly impressed with it.
1) I always keep some spares in my gig box anyway.
2) A set of batteries lasts me a LOONG time. Years? And you can tell when they're going. They don't just go from working to not working all of a sudden. I would guess that, from the time when you could start to tell that you might oughta replace your batteries, you could probably play a couple of gigs before they would be so dead that the bass became ungigable. I think.
3) I would never go to a paying gig (and probably not even a free gig) without a whole spare bass - just in case. There are too many dumb little things that can go wrong. Just one example, too many ways that are all too easy where your output jack could get messed up while at a gig.
2) A set of batteries lasts me a LOONG time. Years? And you can tell when they're going. They don't just go from working to not working all of a sudden. I would guess that, from the time when you could start to tell that you might oughta replace your batteries, you could probably play a couple of gigs before they would be so dead that the bass became ungigable. I think.
3) I would never go to a paying gig (and probably not even a free gig) without a whole spare bass - just in case. There are too many dumb little things that can go wrong. Just one example, too many ways that are all too easy where your output jack could get messed up while at a gig.
