Peavey Milestone I

P-Bass copy but with 2 Jazz single coils fitted. Controls on pickguard has three knobs as per standard passive j-bass, and jack has been moved to the edge of the body. Neck has more Jazz-ish dimensions, which is what I liked about it. Rosewood neck, standard cheapo tuners and standard bridge (not thru-body - what, at this price? dream on). In short, P-bass body but with J-bass neck and electronics. Body wood - unknown! Gave this an eight for features as was chuffed to find a p-bass shaped bass with jazz elecs - which to me is the best of both worlds!

Sound was average - nothing to complain or rave about. Swapped the pups for SD Basslines - improved things a bit. But then, as I am not primarily a bassist, cannot give an educated opinion on the quality of the sound pre/post pup swap. It's better now than it was before, but not by that much. Sounds quite full-bodied, tone shaping is adequate given the cheap tone and volume pots - might consider an upgrade later on. The rating given is AFTER the pup swap. Before, I'd give it an average-ish 6. Not good or bad, but servicable.

Action was quite bad when I bought it - think it was the last one left on the shop floor and had the look of "unwanted mongrel" about it. Buzzing because string height was incorrect - easily rectified. Again, rating given is average, as did not expect much at this price point. But after had it serviced and set-up properly, plays like a dream. The guys at Holiday Music in Leytonstone are the best in terms of set-up and service in my opinion. They should rate a 9 (give me a discount and it's a definite 10!), if there ever was a rating system for Guitar Shops.

Rock-solid. Cheap, so am not really worried about knocing it around. It survived my university days on the occasions where I was given bass duties. Have dropped it, stepped on it, and worse but still going strong. Giving this a higher rating as it has survived the knocks and is still playing sweetly 7 years on. Never had a backup (was only gigging during uni - who had the cash?) but never let me down. Don't gig now, so no need.

Nada - never contacted Peavey ever. The Bass Cellar in Denmark Street (where I bought it from) were very helpful in helping me decide when was shopping for a bass (this was my first) and they have always been helpful in my experience. As mentioned before, Holiday Music in Leytonstone are always great in terms of servicing.

Overall, great first bass. Made my move from guitar to bass a joy, and you can't say any fairer than that. The weird config was a bonus, as I liked the jazz sound of twin single coils and the neck of my mates j-bass bass, but prefered the p-bass body shape. So to find this bass when I was looking for my first bass was a miracle. In a sense, this is the reverse of the Fedner Mark Hoppus j-bass, which is basically a p-bass with a j-bass body; mine's a j-bass with a p-bass body. Have been playing for over 12 years - guitar initally but moved to bass as the other guy in my uni band was a better guitarist, and they was no one else to handle bass duties!. Only have one other bass (Ibanez AGB140 - semi-hollow! for less than #300! Thank god for chinese contruction - sweatshop labour policies excepted) but this still feels great when I strap it on. This is a keeper.

A Fender Jazz Bass Copy (VERY close to standard J-bass spec's, including the pickguard, control plate). Standard config: Offset contour body (wood type unknown), maple neck, rosewood slab board & 34" scale, 1-1/2" @ nut, jumbo frets, elephant-ear tuners, two single coil J-Bass pickups, stamped metal bridge - IOW: it's a Jazz Bass. Country of origin is unknown - it's Peavey's "International Series", implying: "Made In The Far East" somewhere.

Sounds like a Jazz Bass (meaning: Good!)! Light & resonant; growls w/good stainless-steel roundwounds. Med output single coils sound good and are pretty quiet when used together (a humbucking mode). Of course, as with any single coil (even Lindy Fralin's), when used alone, it can be noisy. Nevertheless, this model bass has a very good J-Bass vibe. For the value, the rating for this catagory would be a 10. Overall, there's room for improvement, but in it's stock config, it qualifies a "very good".

The bass sets-up well, particularly for low action. Pieces fit together well (joints could be tighter, but so could the old pre-CBS Fenders, and they still sound good). Fret leveling and ends were very good, but not excellent. Hardware is well plated, and solid - no rattles. Finish is good, but not like my Lakland or Sadowsky.

For this catagory, this bass follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, the Fender Jazz: it's tough, reliable, stays in tune, and sounds good. It's very gig-able (it's my gigging backup).

Haven't had to work with Peavey with regard to this instrument in particular. Nevertheless, having dealt with them in the past, they're a great company!

I bought this bass because it was a direct J-Bass clone that could easily be upgraded easily (due to its standard dimension parts) and could be used in place of the higher $$ gear ('64 J, Lakland, Sadowsky) @ gigs. It's about as good as you can go for a low $$ instrument (Note: Although I'm not a P-Bass guy, I'd say the same about the Milestone II, too). Unless Peavey got into some litigation with Fender on this model, they were foolish to discontinue it - the III & IV models don't compare.