New Import Cirrus, not a BXP!

[kodiakblair]

the big question is really finding out if the new ones are 18v true active or 9v onboard pre. Im sure they would still sound good but will be marginally different than the Classics and will also make a difference if there is any (even slight) noise

I would also like to know if the tops are true tops and not a 'foto'-lamenate (not really a big deal to me, Im just curious)

Sweetwater listing has them as 18v. Here's the blurb

18-volt active electronics package

The dual active Peavey VFL humbucking pickups give the Cirrus 4 a powerful voice with a wide range of dynamic possibilities. The 18-volt preamp offers controls for volume and pickup blend along with 12dB of boost/cut for your bass, midrange, and treble frequencies. This is wonderful for either sculpting your signature sound or for being able to go from driven rock tones to round jazz-style sounds right from your instrument. The VFL electronics make the Cirrus 4 a great option for gigging bassists who need to cover a lot of ground

Pictures there show at least a 1/4" cap on the Oak & Walnut models. The Tiger eye has stained back and sides which suggest to me a veneer instead of a cap.

 

[Eilif]

If you ask me, Peavey's Marketing and Research people arent doing their job right...If I was Peavey's Marketing folks, Id be pushing the following (regardless if USA or manufactured abroad)

PEAVEY CIRRUS - Yes, they are doing that again Yay -- that took awhile

PEAVEY B-QUAD - Here is a bass that is holding its value in used markets. Hint - Start making these again: There is a Reason why these are in demand...Start with limited runs to test its marketability

PEAVEY T-40: This one is a NO BRAINER. Why they havent re-issued the T-40 is a complete headscratcher to me.... Not only should they re-issue it but they can also deal with some of its issues (example: chambering in the body to take some weight off without drastically affecting tone)....It should be available in 4 and 5 string models (6 if possible) and in TWO distinct types: The Classic Model, which is for all intents and purposes, a reissued Classic T-40 up to and including its "military-grade" hardware and parts. There should also be a "Modern Player" version, with the neck pickup moved to the mid position, giving the combined pickup voicing structure more of a "tighter" modern tone and , (bonus!) at the same time, making that area of the neck more friendly for slap players. Another bonus would be getting a decent P-Bass facsimile with the mid pickup soloed......I would also do away with the Tone Rolloff Hum/Single-coil select and just add another switch to tap coils

They would sell the crap out of these models as long as its price-point is comparable(~ +/- reasonable $) to the used market

Love me some t40 but i don't think there's a real market for a reissue. Proprietary hardware and pickup tooling and production is not cheap. I have a hard time seeing an accurate or mostly-accurate, good-quality import being more affordable than an original.

A t40'ish bass with similar aesthetics but off the shelf components might be intriguing and affordable but it wouldn't be t40.

 

[Rib 13]

Love me some t40 but i don't think there's a real market for a reissue.

Their prices have spiked on EBay and they are always selling....I rarely see one go into a Relisting unless the asking price is far above competition for its condition......In 2013 or so, they went between $200 - $350 (+/-)...in 2017, they are up to $350-$600 in VG- to VG++ condition, some more if Near Mint....Considering the low rollover, a 1.5X increase in avg price in 4 years, and the amount of loyal followers they have on Bass Messageboards, it would at least be worth exploring.....Even if made overseas to keep costs down.....Im not saying they need to be at 30-year-old A-Mark Retail Price-points but it would be great if HP got back to his original retail/marketing form (addressed in Post 49) which were the M.O. for ads like this:

 

[Eilif]

Their prices have spiked on EBay and they are always selling....I rarely see one go into a Relisting unless the asking price is far above competition for its condition......In 2013 or so, they went between $200 - $350 (+/-)...in 2017, they are up to $350-$600 in VG- to VG++ condition, some more if Near Mint....Considering the low rollover, a 1.5X increase in avg price in 4 years, and the amount of loyal followers they have on Bass Messageboards, it would at least be worth exploring.....Even if made overseas to keep costs down.....Im not saying they need to be at 30-year-old A-Mark Retail Price-points but it would be great if HP got back to his original retail/marketing form (addressed in Post 49) which were the M.O. for ads like this:

I wish it could be done and that peavey could be that again. I just think that even an import would be 800 or more if done well and i don't think that would be economically feasible.

I wonder if it would be more successful in a few years if the price of t40's continues to rise.

 

[kodiakblair]

Personally I don't see or hear from any young folks wanting T-40s. Yes there is the odd one or two,there's a metal player in the UK loves his T-40. He lifts weights but wouldn't dream of using the 40 for a gig That leads me to believe the rising prices is due to older fellas buying up past glories,I include myself in that.

I do hope I'm wrong as who will love my Peaveys when I'm gone ? They'll outlive me that's for sure

 

[warrplayer]

I do hope I'm wrong as who will love my Peaveys when I'm gone ? They'll outlive me that's for sure

I'll be glad to give all your Millenniums love and attention until the end of my days if I happen to out live you!

 

[Rib 13]

Speaking of the Cirrus, has anybody here tried the Peavey Tragic bass? supposedly, it uses 18v VFL pickups/electronics as well

 

[kodiakblair]

You mean these ?

 

[kodiakblair]

Put the Tragic side by side with USA Cirrus. Straight away I felt the Tragic sounded darker,it had an old set of rounds that I've no idea who made. Swapped them for Rotosound Nexus that were well played but still bright. Suddenly the Tragic was brighter than the Cirrus.I'd say the Tragic is definitely in the Cirrus ballpark but until both are set up and strung the same I can't say how close.

Build-wise the Tragic is a decent bass. Battery compartment is a bit rough inside and I'll be changing the connectors to something more robust.Tuners are stiff but hold their tune.No problem with the neck or bridge. Heavier than the Cirrus but no neckdive despite the shape.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Some more pictures for you. The black plate is recessed into the headstock. It is supposed enhance sustain. I guess it should kill dead spots too, like Fatfinger. You can also see the thickness of the top. A good salesman/tech adjusted the pots and completely got rid of the stiffness. I played it through a big Peavey stack, it was definitely sounding like a Cirrus!

 

[Two-Spirit]

I just got a BXP Mahogany Cirrus 5 string for $500. The only thing wrong 5 little pock marks under the pickups. It's great, I love it.

 

[davidgoldman]

I played the new Cirrus and I did not think it came any where close to the sound and feel of my USA Cirrus. The shop told me it just needed a better set up but I played it again after they worked on it and did not care for the feel or the sound. On the other hand, a gentleman came in to the store the same day and played it and loved it. He shelled out a thousand bucks and took it home so may be it is just me. I did not think the quality was the same as mine.

 

[IconBasser]

^
Not too surprising, really. It is an import after all.

For what it's worth, I played em at the last NAMM show, and really liked them. That midrange bark is associated with smooth gospel, sure, but when I dialed it in right and played some of my death metal licks on it, man, that thing screamed!

 

[Eilif]

Can anyone layout the various releases of the imported cirrus basses? Not so much the specific models, but the different generations. My dad has what I assume is one of the least expensive of the BXP 5ers. Sounds nice enough, but under the finish you can see a fair number of rough spots.

 

[The Mad Zak]

Oh, I get that. However, I do remember one thing HP drilled into us at Peavey School using the Predator as a benchmark: He had convinced us that companies buy wood and electronics (pots, wires, etc) in bulk, creating a huge discount on said products. He claimed that even after factoring in labor costs, transportation, advertisement, insurance plans and other "benes", workmans comp, unknown variables, etc. that there was no reason that any bolt-on guitar, made from all said bulk parts, should retail no more than an A-Marked $299 (at the time) so, in essence, when a person was buying the same 'standard guitar" with the exact same parts from a larger company (hint: Fender) at $999 (at the time), what was the consumer actually purchasing?

Nowadays, I think its a little bit of both what you say and plain ol greedy biz: Unfortunately, a lot of younger folks dont realize there was a negative Peavey stigma among guitarists (to a much much lesser degree among bass players, who always seemed to like and play Peavey basses even if guitarists shunned the guitars) years ago that older forumites here may remember. Guitarists, in particular, just chose to frown on Peavey anything.., Even sound companies and soundmen, who would all freely tell you that CS-Series power amps were just "Meh - OK", even though you could drop a CS-800 Power Amp out an airplane, have it land on an interstate, get run over by a truck carrying elephants, plug it in and - whatdoyaknow? - it still works! The irony of this entire conversation is that Peavey, long making underappreciated USA made products, shook that stigma for once and for all right about the time they decided on bandwagon diversification with overseas manufacturing. Irony indeed -

edit: I notice Doc Cheese isnt liking any of my posts ....Im not raining on your Parade, my friend...its just a relevant topic to your OP about Peavey's M.O. which includes the new Cirrus

I have been saying for a long time that Peavey makes several world class products.

I was looking for a power amp to drive my PA's sub woofers. I spoke to a salesman at Sweetwater who gave me some tips on the types of amps to look for. He told me to look for amps that had a Dampening Factor of >500:1. He explained that the dampening factor is what sends a reverse signal to the speaker to make it stop vibrating. Imagine a kick drum pounding through the subs. After that initial "thud" the speaker has a tendency to continue to vibrate. An amp with a high dampening factor provides a much tighter, much cleaner sound in the low end. It gives you that punch you want in a kick drum. As I searched I found many amps had that >500:1 rating on lower powered amps, but finding it on high powered amps was rare. I was only able to find three models that put out 4000 watts at 4 ohms bridged and had a >500:1 rating: Crown, QSC, and yes, Peavey. I ended up buying the Peavey CS 4000 because it was MUCH cheaper than the Crown or QSC.

BTW...the reason I needed a 4000 watt amp was because I blew out a speaker in my Yamaha 18 sub woofers. When I looked around for a good replacement speaker I settled on Peavey Lo Riders. The speakers in the Yamaha Club V 18" subs were rated for 600w program, 1200w max. The Peavey Lo Riders are rated at 1600w program, 3200w max. Wow!

 

[The Mad Zak]

Some more pictures for you. The black plate is recessed into the headstock. It is supposed enhance sustain. I guess it should kill dead spots too, like Fatfinger. You can also see the thickness of the top. A good salesman/tech adjusted the pots and completely got rid of the stiffness. I played it through a big Peavey stack, it was definitely sounding like a Cirrus!

Does anyone know the reason for that metal back plate on the head stock? I don't know that I have ever seen it on any other bass. Is it supposed to improve sustain? Or is it merely there for extra strength?

Oh...and thanks Dr. Cheese. I came here specifically to see if anyone has posted a review of the new Cirrus. I have two older ones, and none of the stores in my city have purchased one.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Does anyone know the reason for that metal back plate on the head stock? I don't know that I have ever seen it on any other bass. Is it supposed to improve sustain? Or is it merely there for extra strength?

Oh...and thanks Dr. Cheese. I came here specifically to see if anyone has posted a review of the new Cirrus. I have two older ones, and none of the stores in my city have purchased one.

My guess is that it is there to minimize dead spots.

 

[kodiakblair]

@The Mad Zak

Look for reviews of the Peavey Milestone IV,the "Power Plate" has been a feature on them for a few years.