Peavey Cirrus 6 Fretless

I custom ordered my first Cirrus 6 string fretless in the fall of 2001. Nice tiger top. Long scale. No fret lines on the finger board. They put the side fret dots in the location where they would be if you had fret lines. Peavey told me that this was by mistake so they made me another bass. The next bass that came in, again had the side fret dots in the wrong place. Peavey sent me some more side marker dots and I installed them myself as I had the means to perform the task. Two pickups, active two 9 volt battery electronics. Probably state of the art. The least amount of hum and the most tone potential of any instrument I've had. Be aware that the batteries fail with no advance warning and your playing is over relatively instantly. It takes a screwdriver to remove the plate to change the batteries. Difficult to change the batteries in the dark rooms that I sometimes play in.

The sound exceeds anything that I have heard or played before. I am assuming that the great sound is from a combination of the extra long scale, solid construction and state-of-the-art electronics. I admit that most of my tone controls are set dead center. I do most of my tone changes by dialing forward or back between the two pickups. I have been playing a Fender P fretless for over 30 years and also play a Guild fretless and upright basses. This Peavey is hands down superior to my other basses.

The neck is remarkably straight. Not clubby at all. Actually amazing to feel and easy to play. The bass is very nice to look at but the finish has some waves that are visible in certain light. It was set up pretty well out of the box.

Works well, great sound,looks nice. I wish it would play in a limp mode when the batteries go out but I have learned to pack spare batteries and a screwdriver.

Easy to work with Peavey. Very good customer service lines and a knowledgeable rep.

I have been playing professional rock bass since '71. I have a fully equipped practice studio. This Peavey 6 string fretless is my best bass by far. I would have to get another one if I lost this one.

Manufactured in 2000 in Meridian, MS. 2-octave Pau Ferro fingerboard; white inlaid fret lines; 35-inch scale; neck-through-body construction; walnut body wings; walnut neck with maple stripes; wenge body top; tung oil body and neck finish; two active soapbar pickups; 18-volt active electronics with volume, blend, bass, mid, treble; gold hardware; Dunlop straplocks; molded hard case.

This bass has a warm and evenly balanced tone. The wenge and walnut woods complement each other very nicely. The electronics yeild a good variety of differing tones; the neck pickup has a full, round, and bassy sound, while the bridge pickup has a clean, crisp, and midrange-heavy tone. I have found that virtually any setting on the blend control yeilds a solid tone.

The fingerboard is beatifully flat and well-suited to fretless playing. The neck has a slim design that is very, very comfortable and is well-balanced. Much unlike my Warwick Corvette 6 (also reviewed here), this bass balances beautifully seated or standing, and playing this bass for extended periods is tremendously easy.

My only request would be for a variable midrange control. I would love to be able to exactly which frequencies I am cutting or boosting. In some applications, the selected midrange frequency can be somewhat "honking."

This bass was set up very nicely right out of the shipping carton and hardshell case. The action is quite low (especially on the B and E strings), but this is standard for fretless basses and I am attempting to adjust to it as much as possible before changing it up. The slightly rounded pickups, were placed at just the right height below the strings for that "tabletop" feel that I prefer. The fit and finish of this instrument are both extremely solid. The only blemish on this front is the neck/body joint at the upper horn is a little dusty, but only on close inspection.

I will preface this passage by saying that I have only had this bass for several days and its first gig will be this weekend.

Everything is very solid, well thought-out, and has the feeling of understated quality. I will have no problems taking this bass to gigs alone (i.e., sans backup).

I have yet to deal with them with a complaint, but their sales rep, Shirley Munoz, was very helpful and courteous while I was waiting for my bass to be delivered. Peavey, despite its lack of a fancy name, does have a reputation for solid gear and good people working on them.

I've been playing upright bass for eleven years and electric for about nine years, and I have played a ton of great gear. I have a huge weakness for things that are exclusive and expensive, and this tendency kept me from giving this bass a chance for a while.

Once I got over my gear snobbery, I came to realize that this is possibly the best playing bass I've ever owned or played. I had to fight with my Warwick despite its great sound, and the Ibanez was trash. This bass is gorgeous, phenomenally easy to play, has very quiet and flexible electronics, and its sound and playability are perfect for fretless playing. If I can, I want to get rid of some other gear that is or will be collecting dust and I want to get myself a fretted version of this bass immediately!