Peavey Millennium AC BXP Active 5-String Electric Bass

Feature:
The Active Pickups require two, 9-volt batteries - try Lithium 9-volts to maxumize playing time between battery changes. Dead batteries equal no sound. Unplug your cord from the jack on the bass when not playing to conserve battery power..... ( Dear Peavey, an on/off switch would have been a great addition here.. hint, hint ) The Tiger Eye finish is a real eye catcher on stage. It certainly looks and sounds like a thousand dollar Cirrus. People constantly mention how great it looks and sounds... they have no idea how much money I saved when I picked this bass .... nice conversation starter too...

Quality:
The Tiger Eye quilted finish is spectacular when the stage lights come up. The 3 high/mid/low EQ control dials, the neck / bridge balance and the master volume dials are well spaced. The extremely quiet pick ups make the BXP 5 AC a pleasure to turn up .. eh, oh well .. I admit it ... REALLY LOUD. The Neck is straight, solid and well fretted. The tuners are quite stable. Not a lot of heavy re-tuning, just a slight tweak now and then going between cold vehicle and warm auditorium. The Strings are fine, but I'm thinking of changing to flat wound just to see if I might like them any better. The Body is to say the least BEAUTIFUL. It is a bit heavier than my old venerable Ibanez 4 string, but I don't even notice the difference any more. I really love playing this bass. I compared several Fender & Ibanez styles before finally making up my mind to get the Peavey BXP 5 AC. I don't have anything bad to say about Fender or Ibanez, but personal preference and value for the money pushed me down the Peavey trail. I really think you would be happy with this Bass. I know I am.

Value:
Is it worth the money? I say yes with no hesitation. I also own a Peavey Micro bass 30 watt practice amp ( also great sound, size and durability by the way ). Being a drummer for 30 years, the bass started out as something to tinker with, so I started out with a modest Ibanez TR 50S 4 string about 6 years ago. I never thought I would ever want anything more that that. The longer I goofed around with the 4 string, the more the 5 string intrigued me. Ibanez makes a several great 5 string styles, but my nephew picked up a Peavey BXP 5 string with the black transparent quilt finish. I was impressed by this entry level 5 string enough to search out the AC version. A hundred bucks of upgrades and the Tiger Eye finish were enough to make me find one to test. Played it 15 minutes and I was hooked.

Desirability:
The photos on the web sites do not do it justice.. Go find one with a Tiger Eye finish ...(yes, I am spoiled by it). It flat out looks spectacular and sounds great. Have someone take a digital photo while you're playing it. Note how great the bass looks.... Then, note the smile on your face ...... Gotcha :)

Sound:
The low end was great right out or the case. It's even better after I tweaked the string and neck adjustments a bit. The Active Pickups are great for just about any style you might care to experiment with. The ability to balance between the neck and bridge pickups really lets you dial in a whole range of tonal qualities. Cutting highs and mids to the low thundering growl that the crowds seem to love. dke

Ease of Use:
Due to the absolute requirement of good batteries, a tip out battery compartment would have been a bit easier... and considerably faster way to replaced the cells. ( I'll use this as an additional opportunity to beg Peavey for an on / off switch to save power rather than having to unplug all the time. ) All in all, I love this Bass. No problems at all.

Support:
No problems to report after a year of playing 2 or three times a week. No contact with support needed.

Overall:
Will I keep this Bass for quite a while? Yes, I will. I may buy a Bass POD processor just for something else to play with. Do I want something else? Yes I do. I want a 5 string electric/acoustic as well ..... loud isn't everything....

Feature:
I am sure you have all heard about the battery problem. I plan to add a switch to the volume control. I like having the three band eq. I also like howits + or - ans you cann feel the center position as well as on the pick up fade. It doesn't take long to shape the sound you want. No need for anything else when you start with a good clean sharp sound. Fuzz belongs at your feet not in the instrument.

Quality:
I carry a philips screw driver and a couple of 9 volts. Other than that I cant find anything to complain about. I feel like it was built better than what you would expect at this price range.

Value:
If it was stollen tonight I would buy a new one by next week end with out shopping around for a different bass. I don't know anything else in this price range I could trust on stage.

Desirability:
I have gotten nothing but good comments on it. It looks great this comment is expecialy from the women. Like most guys I like that. I love the way it hangs plays and sounds. I was hocked right away and didn't wait untill I had the extra cash to buy it to take it home

Sound:
I play with two different groups and switched to the AC BPX. In both casses they asked what happend. (shows how much they pay attention to the bass player) They loved the new sound. It is not a cirrus but sure sounded better than my old peaveys. I loved the tone from the lows and all the way up. I really like having no noise. I can now go from dead quiet to monster sound. Its all the bass I will ever need for a long time.

Ease of Use:
What mostly makes this bass cool is the active pickups. I love the sound and response which makes the battery thing worth it by far. The other thing is the way it fits me. I like the size of the fret board. I never liked the idea of reaching over a 5 lane interstate to get to the b string but also wantted room to play more the one string at a time. In my opinion they got it right! Not to narrow or wide. I also like the action even befor I have had a chance to play with the set up. I find it easy to diversify playing styles on it. You may have to be a little more careful when playing slap but not noticeable enough to stop you from really enjoying it. In picking it up the first time and going over half a set it bacame my favorite guitar that I played all the time

Support:
Have not needed it

Overall:
This is my primary instrument and plan to keep it for a long time. I don't think I will out grow it for years. It getting the job done which my past ones (some more expensive) have fellen short. I like the way it plays like a dream so I can concentrate on exprecion