Question for the Peavey experts?

The Millennium preamp is actually an Upgrade for the Cirrus. I have documented in Great Detail on how to preform this upgrade. The M has a stacked knob for it's MidRange settings. The bottom knob allows you to set the range for the top knobs setting. The Cirrus just has a single Mid control. The Cirrus preamp is installed in a lot of Peavey basses, so the upgrade applies to them as well! Here's the link:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=395853

 

You'll need the Cirrus for that tone. The pickups and pre are different on the two basses. Although you can get the Millennium pre amp on a Cirrus if you order through the custom shop.
I posted a comparison between the two basses somewhere on talkbass. I'll see if I can find it and post a link here.

Here you go...
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=487495&highlight=millennium

 

It's kinda like the Cirrus, but a lot more clanky. Stronger attack and quicker decay. The J pickup is kinda vintage, but not quite. The bridge pickup is in the MM position, but doesn't exactly sound like a Ray/Sterling.

If you're looking for a Smith-like tone, I'd think you'd just want a Cirrus with the walnut neck/wings. You can upgrade the pre-amp later if you'd like. I have the upgraded pre in my Cirrus 4 custom and it opens up a little more versatility.

 

IMO. Even though the Millennium has the active system, it sounds like a cross between a P bass and a musicman stingray (which are both passive basses I believe) depending on where you have the pickup blend set.
The Millennium has a deeper tone than the Cirrus, a little on the wooly side in the lower register but still pretty good definition on the low B.
But if you are looking for that well defined piano tone on the low B the Cirrus is the way to go. If you want solid fundamental with lot's of grunt and growl, the Millennium is what you want.
Don't have a good way to record or I'd post sound files. I actually did record a bass on my computer once but don't recall how I did it.

 

Oh btw. Don't know if it makes a difference or not but the neck profiles are also different on these two basses. The Millennium has a thin flat neck kind of like the Ibanez SR series while the Cirrus has a thicker rounder neck profile.

 

Have 2 Cirri 5's currently but have owned 2 Millenniums as well. Both are excellent choices but I prefer the Cirrus and stock Cirrus pre (no mid sweep). If you'd like to give the Cirrus a try, PM me....we can work something out.

Riis

 

yes both are approx,17.5 but both can be adjusted abit to wider or narrower. I owned a lakland for about a week (55-01) but don't remember what the neck profile was like. But I think it was 19mm spacing which I didn't like. I prefer narrow spacing cause I'm not a slapper.

 

In terms of neck profiles, I know there was a difference, but my left hand doesn't notice.

 

Nope, neck profiles are different. From the back of the neck where your thumb goes to the front of the neck where the fretboard is.... Millennium shallow D (skinny) Cirrus More of a traditional C shaper (chunkier) but still comfy to play on. Width across the fretboard is about the same.

 

I've owned all three and found the neck / FB profiles to be nothing alike. Of the three, the Millennium was the "pencil-necked groover". I found that, despite the pup configuration, it sounded markedly different from my US Lakland.

Riis

 

Glad to! My walnut Cirrus is going bye-bye but I'll still have the maple (both excellent but I prefer the maple "snap" and poly body finish). Still representative of the Cirrus line as a whole.

Riis

 

Another vote for the Cirrus. I have a Mil 4 and 5 plus, and while they were excellent basses, the tone is definitely different. I found my Cirrus to have a clearer tone across the board, with very well defined mids and a tight focused B string. Yes, the Millennium neck is pretty thin, and rather narrow. Then again, my Cirrus is nowhere near the "chunky" territory. My Alembic Epic 5er was much chunkier... I find the Cirrus neck to be very fast, with a very nice profile. Not the thinnest I've ever played, but definitely not thick. I also prefer the electronics without the sweepable mids. Yes, you can get a staggering number of tones from the Millennium, but the Cirrus just sounds... right... at least to my ears. There is a Bill Dickens video on youtube playing a Cirrus 6er. The tone in that clip is very close to the tone I get from mine! It is an amazing bass that gets equal playtime to my Roscoe 6er. Neither of these basses will be leaving my hands any time soon!

Here's the video clip...

 

Definitely the Cirrus!!! I have a Bubinga/Walnut Cirrus 5 and a Smith Black Tiger 5. While it doesn't sound exactly like a Smith (what does?), its close. Check out Mike Hill on his Tiger Eye 5, which is a close as you can get to the "Smith sound" without playing a Smith IMHO:




A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

 

Every Stingray I've owned has been active...(Most of my P's have too, but they have been Elite's & Plus Deluxe's)

 

Ok I stand corrected.

anyway, I agree, the tone you are going for is probably the Cirrus.