Peavey Cirrus 5-String Bass

I don't know the year of manufacture for this, I bought it used from E-Bay. It was maufactured in Indonesia and Peavey claims it cannot track date of manufacture of its overseas-made basses. This bass is the same as the American Cirrus with the following exceptions: 3-piece laminated neck instead of 5-piece, body is made of darkwood (I've never heard of it). Other than that, 2 VFL pickups, 18V preamp w/treble, mid, bass controls, black hardware.

This sounds identical to any other Peavey Cirrus I've tried in store. The soapbar humbuckers give you a tone similar to a Fender Jazz bass but somewwhat darker. The preamp is pretty quiet unless you turn the treble control up full, but this seems to occur on almost any active bass. Plenty of range on the three tone controls.

Ahhhh, NOW we come to the reason for my writing this. My BIGGEST complaint is the so-called pickup blend control, which DOES NOT give you any "blend" at all. Instead, it behaves like a 3-position toggle switch, giving you either neck pickup, both pickups, or bridge pickup. I opened the control cavity and measured 48K ohms resistance on the blend control, which is FAR too large compared to similar basses, including the American-made Cirrus. Also, the installed battery clips don't match up with the terminals on Duracell batteries; use Energizers instead.

I haven't owned this bass long enough to rate it on durability and have not used it on a gig due to trying to get the pickup blend to operate as it should. Unlike the American Cirrus, this model doesn't come with Strap-Locks so I'd recommend getting them and installing them if you intend to gig with this bass.

Peavey insists that the "blend" control works as it is designed to work; this is what their guitar technician told me by phone. A blend control that doesn't behave like one gives Peavey a low grade.

I've been playing bass for 17 years and the main reason I bought this was because I wanted to try something with a 35 inch scale. I like the tightness of the low B string, but the pickup control not behaving as advertised really turned me off. Stay away from the BXP models and buy the American models. They are FAR superior, in this reviewer's opinion. I traded this BXP for an American Cirrus and, believe me, it's a FAR better choice!

Cirrus 5 Ash Body with Laminated redwood wings. Maple and purple heart with Pao Ferro Fingerboard. 24 Frets. It Is made in USA(now only a custom shop Item ) But still made in USA by Peavey.It is the 5 string model with Peaney Round wound strings from the factory. It has Volume, Pickup Pan, Bass, Mid And Treb. COntrols with active 18V peavey Peramp. Dual Peavey active VFL Pickups. It has a hand rubbed tung oil finish. The body is a Jazz Style with a Peavey Flair.It has an ABM Bridge. It has small Gold tuning machines that are non locking. The neck is 35 inch scale with what peavey calls a 14 inch radius. It is wide and flat with Pao Ferro Board. It includes a case and Dunlop Strap locks also gold Case key and The allen wrenches for the bridge and the trussrods.It also Has dual truss rods.

This bass can get just about any tone for almost any type of music with a little tweaking.It would suit any music style Except Maybe Sub/Dub. I have used it with my Peavey Firebass head and peavey TVX 412 cab, Mesa Boogie M-2000 amp head with Mesa Diesel 2x15 cab, Kustom 200B1 head with 2 Kustom Bass 2x15 cabs, And a Kustom 1x18 folded horn cab with a Kustom 200b1 amp head and any combination of the above that you can think of. The pre amp is dead quiet and very effective with 15 Db of boost or cut.It sounds Clear clean and accurate. Very controled sound. Not Bright and harsh or too round and muddy Right in the middle It can get deep and gritty and has clean well defined Tones all over the fret board. It can make a huge variety of sounds/tones . It would be just as comfortable on stage as it would be in the studio. The only dislike is the ABM bridge You have to loosen a set screw and move the saddles to set the intonation and when changing stringd the actual saddles can easily fall out.

The bass was well set up the only thing is the intonation is off. but it has low sweet action unlike anything I have ever played. It has a wide thin neck that makes it a breeze to play. The pickups were set up properly and the fit and finish were Were flawless. The wood is beautiful and the transition from the ash body to the laminated redwood wings is Excelent. it looks like a Custom Builder bass. The neck is straight and flat and plays exceptionally. The hardware and installation were Great. There ia nothing noisy or ill fitting on this Bass. The pickups are set up just right and very quiet.No noisy pots and there are no switches.

This Bass would withstand live playing without a hitch but you might have to spend some time on the finish to keep it looking it's best. The finish is not fragile but it Is so nice you would not want it to get messed up so it would take a little time every now and then to keep it looking its best with a coat of tung oil and some 0000 steel wool.I think it would wear off with a lot of playing and you will play this Bass a lot because it is so much fun to play. but it is also easy to keep the finish looking great with a little time spent.It seems like it would be very dependable and I would not be worried If I had to Gig without a backup as long as It has fresh batteries in it.The strap locke are very solid. The neck and truss rods have not had to be adjusted yet.

I had a minor problem With one of the tuning machines not being installed proprely and eht ferreul threads were stripped and they shipped a new machine directly to me. They were nothing short of fantastic. The warranty is good for one year.

I have been playing about two years. I also have a Fender American jazz bass (2004), a 2003 Fender MIM deluxe Zone Bass, 1990 Fender Jp/90(black) 1990 JP/90 (white active emg's),1979 Peavey T-40,And a 1984 G&L SB-2. Amps Peavey Firebass 700 II head, Peavey Tvx 412 cab,Mesa Boogie M-2000 Head with a mesa Boogie diesel 2x15 cab. Kustom 200 B-1 head with 2 2x15 Kustom bass cabs. A kustom 18B folded horn bass cab with a kustom 200b-1 head. Boss Me-50B Effects pedal and a Line6 bass pod effects box and cab/amp simulator. and Bayou cables. If my Cirrus were stolen I would order a new one right away without a doubt. what I love about it is the sound and the feel the way it plays and it feels like it is alive when I am playing it. There is nothing I really do not like about it. the only issue is the way the bridge is made and that the saddles can easaily fall out when changing strings. There is no comparison to any of my other basses, This is head and shoulders above any of my other basses for playability,fit and finish and sound clarity and flexability.However there are some things it can not do like the Fender P-bass thump/Mud.And noisy hissy sound because the electronics are dead quiet. but these are things I have other basses for. I did compaer it to several other basses Tobias Growler, Fender American p-bass Deluxe V ,Ibanez SRX 705, Rickenbacker 4003. It beat them all out for what I was looking for versatility of sound and playability. I wish it had a Mid sweep on the pre amp. And individual pickup volume controls. But it functions Just fine the way it is. If you can't afford the asking price of this bass do not play it beacuse it will Give you major GAS for one.

This review is of the Wenge/Walnut Cirrus 5. I have played theBubinga/Walnut version and it is fantastic also. Same features as the ones below. Everything is top quality. These are some of the most beautiful basses I have come across. The 18 volt electronis are dead quiet with headroom to spare. There are plenty of tone shaping options via the Bass, Mid, & Treble cut& boost & Pickup Blend. The Neck-Thru design provides great sustain and the Laminated neck is reinforced with Graphite Rods. Very Strong. Has a nice Pau Ferro Fretboard. The Peavey tuners are fine but I wish they came with Schallers.

The sound is fantastic. Great Sustain. It cuts through the mix perfectly . Peavey Cirrus Basses record extremely well. Again the 18 v electronis are Dead Quiet. Great for slapping & fingerstyle. I was amazed.

This bass is a pleasure to play. I haven't found one that plays as well as the Cirrus. I have played Music Man Stingray, MM Bongo, Fender American Jazz, G&L 2500, Tobias Growler, etc. All great sounding basses but None of them played as well as the Peavey. There is something about the feel of the Cirrus neck. I love the natural hand oiled finish. Very nice. I wish the knobs were gold to mathch the bridge and tuners but those can easily be changed.

Seems solid as a rock. That is one thing no one can argue about with a peavey product they build a solid instrument. I would definitly gig without a backup.

No experience with CS.

I have been playing Guitar & Bass for over 15 years. The Cirrus is a hard bass to beat. It has Boutique look and quality at an affordable price. I have found nothing that compares to the feel of the Cirrus. I highly recommend them.

Made in the USA
Purchased New April 2002
5 String 24 Fret
WalnutBody/Bubinga Top
Neck Thru w/ multi-lam Maple/Walnut Neck Pau Ferro Fretboard
3 Band Active preamp
Graphite Inlay on headstock
ABM Milled bridge "Gold"
Twin Pickups, active
18-volt cicuit 2-9-volt battteries "Yeah Baby"
Graphite Neck Reinforcement

No midrange sweep no locking tuners - Hence 9 instead of 10

I gig mostly Gospel, Contemporary, some traditional.
I record mostly Popish r&b, Late70's-early 80's Pop-rock and Hardcore funk.

It is a versatile bass, but by no means is it an all- in-one instrument.

It is the only bass in my collection that really sounds good with my Tube Screamer.
I use the overdrive pedal with it during church services, when I take a solo spot, or when I need to replicate lead guitar crunch chords on certain songs. With judicious use of the treble boost I can coax some convincing crunch tones out of it. I also love flanging it heavily.

This thing has no equal in the high end (treble), which is why it goes so well with effects.
It also is ridiculously good at glassy\piano-ey slap sounds. To get this range of sounds you must work both the axe?s preamp and the amp?s tone shaping controls (obviously)
What it does not do as well, but well enough is the lower end. You CAN get an approximation of the JACO tone out of it but you must work hard and there are basses far better at it. Big booty? Its pretty good, but again I have heard better. Classic, dull R&B thud? ditto. My Mexican Jazz bass with custom shop pickups and BadAss II bridge beats it hands down in those 3 areas. But it is a very good all-arounder and unbeatable in the high end and that really nasty (not good) portion of the mid-range that one wouldn?t ordinarily want to use (You may not but I grew to love it). This is probably due to the Bubinga top, which accentuates mids.

I almost sold it, because the tones are in there, but kinda hard to get at. This bass is very tonally versatile, but there is a sterility that is very easy to end up with if you aren?t careful. I really had to experiment diligently. Once you commit to do that, you WILL be rewarded. The 18 volt circuit lets you dial in a w-I-d-e range of tones. You will find tones that you never thought to look for, weird tones that work nonetheless, as well as your basic holy grail tones.

Also if you crank the axe AND amp?s treble to the max, you will get hiss, but this thing appears purpose built for the studio, its so quiet. Live, the design of the ABM bridge facilitates quick changes.

It gives up its secrets grudgingly, but its well worth the work.

And don?t let me forget the neck. I had injured my hand, trying to execute a hard vibrato-heavy lick on a back-up P-Bass copy. So when I got my Cirrus out of the Pawn Shop (hard times) I ?rehabbed? on the Cirrus. The neck has such a low profile, is so fast, and so easy on the hands, that I didn?t have to stop playing to heal (as I thought I would have to)
And when I returned to full strength I could pull off licks, I wouldn?t dare try on any Fender.

It came from the factory ready to run. Intonation? Check Action? Low and fast, really fast.

No flaws to speak of, although the knobs were just a tad flimsy, and the treble worked its way loose with time.

THIS Cirrus with the oiled finish is NOT a 5-nights-a-week-sweat-on-it-all-you-want workhorse. It is versatile, full of tones, and pretty but not tough.

Peavey does have other Cirrus models with polyurethane finishes, which should hold up better. I don?t think it will fall apart (I replaced the knobs) but its beauty will vanish under hard gigging and I don?t know what sweat will eventually do to the sound.

Definitely better for the studio.

If it is a special occasion I will have a backup. But, to be fair, the bass hass never let me down except once when the batteries wore out (and that wasn't really the bass was it?)

n/a

I have been playing since 1983, gigging since 90.
I have owned several Fenders including the Mexican-mutant-Jazz, a Hamer 5-string, Yamaha trbII 5-String, and a Washburn XB-500 5-string

I run through a Carvin redline 1000 head with a 4x10 top and a 1x18 bottom for lightweight gigs I run through a Peavey TNT combo.

If it were lost or stolen, I would try something else not because it isn't a good bass, but it isn't THE ONE.

I got this bass on the recommendation of a fellow bassist.

2000
Peavey Cirrus 5-string
Neck through the body 24 frets.
Tiger Striped Maple, Gloss, 5 piece A sym neck.
Active electronics vol, blend, bass, mid, treb (Wish there was a mid sweep)
Gold hardware.
Came with strap locks
Case

It's simple. This is the best sounding bass I've played to date. I had to get a 5-string because of the music we were playing. Low B required and I tried just about all the high-end basses out there. It was by a joke I've even picked up and played this PEAVEY. The second I plugged this thing in, holy &*&*&, I even recheck the base to see if it was a peavey. It did matter what amp I used it sounded great. The only thing I miss is the sweep able mid of my EMG loaded bass. This thing was less than a 1/3 in price to what I was looking at.

All on the mark.

I did have a pickup problem that took 3 months to correct. Daddy?s repair center couldn?t get their act together. Not a Peavey problem. But Daddy's manager Sean (great person) gave me the same bass to play while mine was been repaired. Daddy's did offer to exchange the bass, But the markings in the top of mine were drop dead gorgeous and the neck and sound were unique. When I got it back I've never had any other problems.

Delt with Daddy's. Peavey was good to talk with also. It was Peavey who told Daddy's to just replace the pickup and stop messing around.

Been playing To long and still learning.
2 Euphonic audio 12L, Eden WT800, Boss VF1, shure UHF wireless.
If stolen I would replace it, with out question.

I play all styles of music. I can play this thing non-stop for 3 to 4 gigs per weekend, for hours and not kill my hand. I've had most of my friend?s just shake their head when they find out it is a peavey and how much I spent for it. Several have gone and got one. It only sounds bad when I screw up.

This is a 35" scale Peavey Cirrus neck-thru 5-string with a Redwood body and beautiful, almost tiger-striped looking top. The neck is super thin and has dual graphite truss rods for maximum stability and super-low action. The fretboard is Pau Ferro and it also has a graphite overlay on the headstock. It has 2 VFL active pickups, active 3-band EQ w/bass, mid, & treble, gold ABM milled bridge, gold straplocks, and matching gold Hipshot tuners. It came with a Peavey hardshell case lined with green colored padding and protects the bass very well.

I mostly play P/W for my church, but I have many other styles that I have picked in the past couple of years(Ex.-rock, funk, jazz, & blues) and I couldn't find a bass that was versatile enough to go from one style to the next. This one does it!! No matter how I tweak the EQ I love the sound. I can leave it mostly flat and it will cut straight through the mix with no problem and sound great This thing is dead quiet with no hums or hisses even when I crank it up. My old basses always had that problem, all 7 of them. This bass will be #8 in 2 1/2 years of playing. I just couldn't find a keeper, I have with this one though!! This bass would work anywhere and not give anyone a single complaint, it's that good. I know I was surprised too when I saw that a bass this good could have Peavey written on the headstock.

This bass was set up extremely well straight form the factory. Extremely low action w/no fret buzz unlike my old Ibanez basses(BTB510, EDA905, GSR 200-Good beginner bass, but that's all). There were absolutely no flaws on this bass at all, everything was set up perfect. I do recommend putting new batteries in it as soon as you get one, because they use Peavey brand batteries(?) and they don't last very long. But that's all, the strings, action, pickups, this entire bass should make you wonder how you ever got by without one before. Needless to say, I am extremely pleased.

Everything seems ultra solid and it feels like it would almost withstand a fall from 2 stories up. It seems like Peavey went the extra step when they made this bass, high quality everything. Seems like it would be an extremely reliable bass for many years to come. I would definitely use this bass on a gig w/out a backup. Extremely versatile, awesome sound, killer looks, what else could I ask for.

Haven't had to deal with them so I don't about that yet. But if the service is as good as this bass, they will have a customer for life.

I've only been playing for about 2 1/2 years and this is by far the best bass I've ever owned and I've had 7 others. I would rank this bass up there with a Modulus, I like it that much. A Music Man Stingray 5 doesn't even compare in my opinion. If you are looking for a high end bass then check out a Peavey!? I know, but knock it till you try it.

Always remember that Jesus loves you and has an awesome plan for your life!!!!!

2000 Peavey Cirrus 5-string. Neck through the body. 24 frets. Walnut and maple 5 piece. Active electronics. Gold hardware. Came with strap locks and case.

I play alot of bass lines that involve a very full, almost fat sound. Also I do alot of slapping and popping. The neck has really good action and the sound is incredible. You can go from alot of treble to bass or both. It sounds great on the stage...studio is good also.

Action was good. The set up from the factory was alright i adjusted it for the way my fingers play, but thats justa apersonal preference. There were no flaws at all.

Realiable.

great customer support i called in the middle of the night and got excellent service

best buy of my life

1999 Model Made in USA. 24 Fret Neck through body 5 string. I chose the flame maple/alder model. The top has a nice amount of figuring to it (I was actually quite surprised, the others I've seen aren't this flamey), and the 5 peice purpleheart and maple neck is great! 2 active pickups (soapbar style, VLF) with adjustments for bass, treble, mid and volume, plus a pickup blend knob....very cool. The body has a expertly applied poly finish (smooth as glass), and the neck is satin finished and super smooth. Nice ABM bridge with gold hardware. Go to www.peavey.com to see the rest of the details.

Let me 1st say, I know sound is very subjective. But this bass is amazing. I am totally impressed by the diversity of this instrument. I played the following basses before deciding on this one: Yamaha Nathan East, TRB5II, Alembic Epic, Tobias Growler, Fender Jazz&P, Music Man Stingray, G&L 2500, Ken Smith 5, Warwick Steamer....everything I could find at my local GC and SA. Then I went to the "mom and pop" shops where I stumbled on this bass. I tried different stores that had the different wood combos (walnut/wenge, bubinga/walnut)...plus I shopped for 2 months before deciding. Since this is my only bass (I've been primarily a jazz guitar/piano/trombone/baritone player for the last 20 years) I wanted to make sure it was right for me. When I plugged in to the SWR Workingman's 12, I was in total heaven (I bought that too). I wanted an extremely quiet "studio" type of modern sound, and boy did I get it. What a amazing combination. I can cover all the basses from jazz to funk, r&b, rock...all with the controls on the bass itself. I can't say enough good things about this bass! It's dead quiet when it needs to be, yet can give you any tonal color that your music requires, except crappy tone.

The shop where I purchased the bass said they didn't touch anything. Intonation was perfect, no buzzing frets, all frets are perfectly crowned/polished/seated with no chatter/filing marks anywhere. Finish is 1st rate and looks like it will hold up for many years. I really like the neck finish though, no laquer or poly finish to stick to, just nice and smooth. There were no flaws to this instrument, and I go over things with a fine tooth comb.

Seems ultra-stable. One word of advice though, carry spare batteries. Once they go out, you do too. They are 100% active pickups(no switch for passive option) and don't work without them. Came with gold straplocks (very nice) and a form fit (and I mean really form fitting/neck cradling) case. I have used it without a backup and will continue to do so.

Nicest people in the world. Visit their feedback forums...extremly helpfull.

I've been playing for over 20 years. I've owned some really nice guitars and basses over the years, from custom shop Fenders to Andersons to Historic Collection Gibsons. This instrument is on par with the absolute nicest I've ever owned. I don't understand why people continually bash Peavey. Mostly out of ignorance I guess. I have a few other Peavey products (Classic 50 410 and Delta Blues amps) and they are some of the best products on the market, IMHO. Just for kicks I put a piece of electrical tape over the name on the headstock and had one of the LA session bassists I play with regularly play it and give me his opinion. He was said it was "extremely versatile, smooth, and wonderfully responsive." He asked if he could use it for our gig. I let him. He continually praised the instruments sound and feel. At the end of the gig, I took of the tape and showed him the name. "PEAVEY??" Then obscenities took over as he cursed the fact he just paid close to $4,000 for a Fodera that just got a run for it's money by an off the shelf Peavey.

24 fret walnut/wenge 5-string bass. 35 inch scale. Has two active "soapbar" pickups and a 24 volt preamp. no real finish, just all wood. Looks beautiful with all gold hardware. Has graphite composite cover on head stock as a nice feature. 3 band active eq, pickup pan nob, and master volume give you a lot of versitility. Neck-through body is a great addition. I recomend the walnut/wenge model, because the hard, bright woods combined with the longer scale 5 string give you tons of low end, but lots of punch to add variety to your sound. Came with a fany molded hardshell for free.

This is a great bass for any style at all. I play everything from rock to jazz to funk and it works perfectly for all. Not too great for slapping, but no 5-string really is. I use it with Peavy head and either 2 15s or an 18. Also I use a Trace Elliot Commando practice amp, it's good for both. It is probably too powerfull for a lot of combos. I recommend either using a good head or a powerfull combo, over 100 watts 8ohms. It is quiet as can be. Sounds wonderful as I said, lots of bass...LOTS. Great mids and highs. Can make great changes to sound with 3-band EQ. Great sustain, for bassists who really care about that.

I know the store didn't do a whole lot in setting the thing up, which means the guys at Peavey did a fabulous job. Everything was perfect when I took it home, all I needed to do was tune the strings. The action is really low, but there's little or no buzzing from it. Everything looked great on it and I can't think of one problem, except I don't have enough time to play it.

You almost don't want to play live with it, because of fear of damaging it. It isn't at all unreliable, it's just so nice. I usually give my basses a good amount of abuse, and all I have to do with this one is rub a little lemon oil on now and then. Came with Dunlop Strap-Locks which work great. I wouldn't bother bringing a backup to a gig, unless you want another tuning. I don't see this thing failing any time soon.

The only problem with a Cirrus is that they're hard to come by. I was lucky to find the one I wanted at a near by store. If you're forced into ordering.....I've usually found that they're backordered anywhere between 9 months and over a year!!!! Some of the more "stuck up" bassists may look down upon you for playing a Peavey, but they have no real reasons if you ask them what's wrong with it. If this happens just smile and think that you payed much less for a much better bass, because I've played everything I can think of, Alembics, Tobiases, Ken Smith, Warwick...and few can compare to this. The only bass I can think of that I like better is a Warwick Thumb bass, but they have to be set up perfectly...which is a very rare thing to find.

Made in 1998 in USA. Cirrus 5 string, through the body neck. Walnut with 5 piece Walnut/Maple laminate, graphite reinforced neck and walnut fretboard. Three band eq, master volume and pickup balance adjustments. Gold plated hardware for a bit of flair. 24 fret with extreme cutout to facilitate bridge end fingering.

This bass is more adjustable than an Alembic or a Tobias. It goes full range. I was fortunate to find a store with 3 Cirrus to choose from. Don't belive the lie that they are all sound the same: they don't! The walnut wendge was brightest and had the most top end punch - but what fool would buy a 5 string for that? The one I picked was the ugliest of the three, being very dark and tight grained, but man, the BASS. This guitar has bassier bass that a Gibson Ripper with EMG pickups that I also own. Try more than one of these before you buy - all three of the ones I tried sounded different and we all are looking for a different sound.

This is the top of the line Peavey. They are hand made and a great deal of attention to detail is evident. My only complaint is that the back of the neck feels a little grainy, but I assume that it will smooth out after 100 or so hours of playing time.

I don't know, it's still too new.

I have been playing bass for 22 years. I also own a BC Rich Warlock, a Gibson Ripper, an Alembic Epic, a Guild Crossbow, and a Rickenbacker 4003. When I first saw this bass I thought "damn, this is an Edsel" - Ford's fancy car that was too underpriced to be marketable. Then I went home and thought on it a month. Even at full list of $1649.00 the Cirrus is a bargin. Check it out if you are looking for something off the top shelf.