Peavey Milestone BXP Precision Bass

[thatjazzbassguy]

Hi there,

I know I go by that jazzbassguy but have recently bought myself a Peavey Milestone BXP Precision Bass (second hand) for £90 ($110) in really good condition and I've been considering maybe doing a few modifications to it as a first project of mine. Was thinking of changing the pickups to some proper vintage precision bass ones and maybe changing the bridge / tuners?

I don't want to spend loads but considering the price I paid for it and I do enjoy the neck and the bass itself do you have any suggestions on some good vintage sounding pbass pickups that wouldn't break the bank but make a good difference if upgraded?

Same for bridge and tuners.

Thank you!

 

[bpc]

I've got a lefty jazz version. I paid fifty for the bass plus a Peavey micro bass practice amp. Bargain of the year. It is a very comfortable bass with a great neck, shocking how cheap they can be picked up.

Gotoh tuners aren't very expensive from Thomann if you avoid the ultralites and would be a significant improvement in feel over the stock ones. Half of what you paid for the bass though.

The bridge depends on what you are trying to achieve. A Fender high mass bridge looks good for not too much money, they often turn up at reasonable money (<£30) on ebay. Babicz bridges are popular around here but will set you back more than the bass did, quite a bit more. A gotoh 201B-4 is another option at a similar price to the Fender bridge. Copies of it can be had on ebay for around a tenner. There is no reason to change the bridge other than looks IMHO though I have changed bridges for that very reason. The stock bridge does the job perfectly well. I wouldn't bother changing it for another bent plate type.

Pickups is purely a matter of taste. You won't get anything branded for less than a significant chunk of the £90 you paid for the bass. The EMG Geezer butler is a popular recommendation around here but it will set you back £77 and how different it will sound is debatable. Entwhistle pickups can be had on ebay for £17 for ceramics and around £30 for Alnico. These are well regarded pickups at a very reasonable cost. The sound can be affected more by changing the strings, raising or lowering the pickups or just feeding the bass into an offboard preamp. I'd play around with the bass before changing them. There really isn't anything wrong with the Peavey pickups.

The main problem with these basses is that upgrades quickly exceed the cost of the bass and won't increase its value much, if at all. That's fine if you enjoy the bass and intend to keep it. Keep all the original parts in case you do decide to move it on. You can then use your nice tuners, bridge and pickup in another bass.

 

[thatjazzbassguy]

I've got a lefty jazz version. I paid fifty for the bass plus a Peavey micro bass practice amp. Bargain of the year. It is a very comfortable bass with a great neck, shocking how cheap they can be picked up.

Gotoh tuners aren't very expensive from Thomann if you avoid the ultralites and would be a significant improvement in feel over the stock ones. Half of what you paid for the bass though.

The bridge depends on what you are trying to achieve. A Fender high mass bridge looks good for not too much money, they often turn up at reasonable money (<£30) on ebay. Babicz bridges are popular around here but will set you back more than the bass did, quite a bit more. A gotoh 201B-4 is another option at a similar price to the Fender bridge. Copies of it can be had on ebay for around a tenner. There is no reason to change the bridge other than looks IMHO though I have changed bridges for that very reason. The stock bridge does the job perfectly well. I wouldn't bother changing it for another bent plate type.

Pickups is purely a matter of taste. You won't get anything branded for less than a significant chunk of the £90 you paid for the bass. The EMG Geezer butler is a popular recommendation around here but it will set you back £77 and how different it will sound is debatable. Entwhistle pickups can be had on ebay for £17 for ceramics and around £30 for Alnico. These are well regarded pickups at a very reasonable cost. The sound can be affected more by changing the strings, raising or lowering the pickups or just feeding the bass into an offboard preamp. I'd play around with the bass before changing them. There really isn't anything wrong with the Peavey pickups.

The main problem with these basses is that upgrades quickly exceed the cost of the bass and won't increase its value much, if at all. That's fine if you enjoy the bass and intend to keep it. Keep all the original parts in case you do decide to move it on. You can then use your nice tuners, bridge and pickup in another bass.

Hey there BPC,

Thank you so much for your comments, some really good advice there. I agree, it's a funny one about how much you can pay for these basses Vs how much you put into them. The thing is I've owned a few "cheap" basses and this is probably one of the few basses that I thought might be worth maybe trying to upgrade a few bits and pieces just as a project but on the other hand, you're right about the pickups, they are pretty decent considering the price range.

Maybe I'll focus on the tuners only and not bother about the rest so much, let's see. Thanks again, really good stuff.