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....
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