Peavey Milestone II Bass

Not much to say here, it's a p-bass. black with a painted over white pickguard.

I like to play a little of everything. I use my peavey with a variety of amplifiers, it does have a grounding issue when the tone knob is turned all the way up. but, you get over that by wearing thick soled shoes. It has a full sound, well rounded. Like I said, I play everything from AC-DC to Z.Z. Top so it works out very well for everything.

I wouldn't know, I bought it from a pawn shop nine years ago. No rust, I honestly think I could leave it in the rain and it wouldn't rust.

This bass is a behemoth. it weighs in at about 8 1/2 pounds, i installed dunlop straplocks, and I never need to adjust anything. the finish has stayed aside from the chips and dings from use. I play live with the beast all the time. and the hardware could only use new pots.

i do all my servicing myself. Warranty.....psh...

Like I said, I've played on it for nine years, I own three other basses for a variety of uses, but I keep coming back to the peavey. I run on four different amps and I've had no problems.I love that it's so solid and it has a great sound. the only drawback that I've found is the sheer weight of it. You really do need a padded strap to play this monster of a bass. I'm not the biggest fan of the action, but it does the job that it's supposed to, so I don't really want to mess with it.

ANOTHER UPDATE.

Sometime after my previous episode, I made the first of many modifications to my Milestone II by replacing the stock split p-bass style pickup with an inexpensive Duncan unit (a "Basslines" pickup? I don't remember.) This improved the sound somewhat.

The Milestone II body is definitely thinner than a "real" p-bass, and the material is good old multi-ply laminate, ie plywood, the tonewood of cheapskates. I've since replaced this thing with a white, solid wood p-bass body (can't say if it's Fender-made or not), which, in spite of an ill-fitting neck pocket, complements the old Peavey neck quite nicely and sounds fairly good too. Not stellar, but a decent, basic Precision thump. The original body has since been eBayed to a good home.

Here is a summary of the mods I've made to my Milestone II, begging the question as to whether the resulting bass, like the distant descendent of a great old band now slogging through the oldies tour circuit with only the original tambourine player still in the lineup, should still be called a Milestone II:

1) Stock pickups replaced.
2) Pickguard mostly removed except for piece around controls (cut wih a small saw by hand) for cool minimal, vaguely '55 Precision look.
3) Control pots replaced (I think).
4) Body replaced.
5) "Control plate" replaced with full tortoise shell pickguard and white knobs from my old Harmony H80t str@t for cool vintage look.
6) Control pots replaced again, this time with full-size units including a push-pull tone pot wired as a tone capacitor bypass switch for instant treble tone.
7) Tortoise shell guard swapped out for the old Milestone II "control-plate" for cool minimal, all-white "homemade" look. Current state of bass.

The surviving minor components from the original bass are really showing their age and cheapness. The neck is still pretty nice overall, but the tuners are in bad need of replacement; the little hex screw things which hold the worm gear/knob shafts on two or three of the tuners have long disappeared, and the tuners sympathetically vibrate on certain notes, deadening them. They do still keep in tune well, however. Meanwhile, the bridge and saddle springs have rusted considerably. Minor components are where corners are often cut on inexpensive guitars, and the Milestone II was a good example; in a previous review I noted that the bridge was already rusting after only four years of not-too-heavy usage.

It's been over 10 years since I bought my Milestone II. In that time, a lot has changed. I went from being a bedroom music nerd who wanted a bass to informally noodle with on 4-track demos, through several bands in which I played at least some (and in one band, all) bass, and in the process became a pretty damn good player in spite of the bass not being my first or main instrument. Meanwhile, what was good enough in 1999 was not good enough as early as sometime in 2002, when I started modding the Milestone II in an effort to personalize/improve it. Today pieces of it--mainly the neck and bridge) still soldier on with that replacement body and electronics. It is in this form that, except for further minor component replacements, the old Milestone will probably remain. I think I've wrung all the possibilities that I want to out of it. While it's still a serviceable bass that has paid its dues and still gets used when I record, I now long for another new instrument--I'm really impressed by the inexpensive maple-bodied Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass that I've tried out at Guitar Center recently. Cheap basses in 2009 are in a whole 'nother class than they were in 1999; even the $100 Chinese-made p-bass clones from SX/Rondo Music are made with solid (not plywood!) alder bodies, just like MIM Fenders.

That being said, the verdict is this. The late '90s Milestone II bass is probably obsolete by today's standards, and by this late date you probably won't find one outside of a pawn shop, yard sale, or eBay. It can be a decent cheap platform for DIY modding, weekend gigging, or learning/practice, but don't expect a *great* bass. In factory form, it's a basic p-bass clone, nothing more. Good initial fit and finish, but equipped with cheap parts that will not last long if they haven't already been replaced at least once. Good neck, though. Okay, but not excellent, tone. Don't pay more than $50 for one.

And that's the end of the saga, as far as my Harmony Central reviews of this bass go. Now to get my thoughts together on my Little Big Muff Pi... :-)

Not sure about the model year or where it was manufactured...but because it's an international series model, my assumption is that it was made overseas...Standard P-bass configuration, maybe cheapo hardware, tobacco sunburst with rosewood neck.... i bought this bass for 100 bucks used and have put zero hours into setting it up and have encountered no problems at all

I'm a pro player, mostly blues but many differnt styles from country to hard rock to funk... My main bass is an older Mexican Jazz thats been extensively modded, only stock parts are the knobs lol however i bought this bass cuz i couldn't resist the price and haven't regretted it for a minute... my rig is an ampeg SVT pro 3 running into an 8-10 svt cab (which i love!)...now here is where it gets cool, one of my gigs is unplugged (sort of lol) country, blues, bluegrass gig, no drums; my jazz bass is great but just wasn't quite cutting it in that application for some reason and i was contemplating getting a stand up bass for that gig but couldnt justify the expense. i ended up bringing my Peavey to the gig one day, found an old piece of foam and put that under the strings between the pickup and bridge to knock the sustain out. Long story short, it worked like a charm! it sounds exactly like a standup and there's no end to the compliments i receive on my sound with it! i absolutely love it! Necessity is always the mother of invention lol

As before, i bought it used off a guy who never played it and put no hours of maintenance other than having to put a bit of lemon oil on the fretboard... i think he probably had it sitting in a sunny spot and just let it dry out... not a manufacturers issue at all tho... no noisy pots and dont know if i'll change the electronics on it (unless they fail) because it's perfectly suited for what i use it for... plays nice too

I always bring a backup to my gigs, always thinking of a worse case scenario lol chalk it up to paranoia lol been using it live every week for a number of weeks, always stays in tune...i'll put strap locks on it but thats a personal preference...and hey if it aint broke don't fix it!!!

Never dealt with them and dont anticpate i will

I've been playing bass for 30 years, professionally for 27 and am generally drawn to fender basses... i own a 17 year old Fender Mexican Jazz bass(modded), a Fender Jaguar bass that i modded to the low four strings of a five string setup (wanted those low notes without having to get a 5 string and it works beautifully) and a Rogue 8 string bass, basically everything wierd and wonderful lol and of course my Peavey Milestone... if i lost it i would seek out another one...I'm very happy with it as are my bandmates(accomplished musicians i might add) as it suits the gig and hey it saved me a couple of grand on an upright!

Standard stuff, one passive pickup with a tone and volue knob, front loading input jack, rosewood fretboard, maple neck, four strings, open backed tuners.

It buzzes just a little when I'm not touching it, but it's not bad. Sounds just fine after seting it up. I really am a guitar player so I don't know much about bass tones, but even with the really old tarnished strings on there it sounds just fine.

I don't know how this thing was set up at the factory because I got it used. I've never seen an instrument set up worse than this one. The strings were a full half inch from the fretboard. After setting it up I saw that the neck was poorly made. It's kind of a boat shape, where it gets close to the strings at the nut, then dips down, and gets close again at the base of the body. This makes some dead frets when playing around the 14th fret and higher. The inlays are aweful, they sink down as if they are carved into the neck. Luckily they are just small dots and don't affect the playability of the instrument.

The tuners seem very unsturdy and I'm sure this thing will go out of tune if left sitting. I wouldn't really use it to gig unless I had some time to adjust the tuning between sets. The strap buttons seem like they will come off if I use them too much. The tone knob has already come off. I adjusted the truss rod and it doesnt seem very sturdy, it will probablly have to be adjusted from time to time.

Although I'm a guitar player, I have had to do bass for a while and I hold up a fair bassline. Even when adjusted the action is too high for comfort. This is maybe a good one for occasional use (which I what I use it for) or for a backup but if you're serious about playing bass you can probablly find something better.

This is an update of my last review of this bass...
Features haven't changed

Still play through the Backline 600 and 1x15 and 4x10 cabinets. Sound is pretty good, but not really versitile. Most recently the higher note pickup died or something because now I can hardly get sound from my G string.

Once again; I bought it from a pawn shop. Yes the body has flaws but I still never have to tune it.

Lower notes are always true. Never goes out of tune, and with new pickups this would be an awesome bass.

What is a warranty?

Absolutely buy this bass. Then immediately go change the pickups.

Bought this Bass used, as my first ever bass on a long-time bassists recommendation. The on-body adjustments allow for shaping in a hurry, but I never can get the right mix for mid-high end sound. Low end not a problem. It's a P-Bass copy and some of the finnish is chipping, but still a solid bass.
Sound shaping knobs are a little funny to use though.

Low end sound is great, but no high end reliability. Playing tonic/walking notes for country is no problem, but trying to do rock covers with higher notes (Sunshine of your love, For whom the bell toll's, etc....), or even blues with bass that goes all over the chord, the high end sounds never match in volume or punch as the lower tones.

Didn't recieve this bass with factory setup. In about 30 minutes I had adjusted the action and intonation, and retuned the strings (first timer). All the hardware is in good condition, no rust or loose tuning pegs or anything.

Never played it live, but I jam with it for about 6 hrs a week with a band, never had a problem. The strings seem to NEVER come out of tune. The other guitarists are usually tuning to me instead of breaking out the tuner. Strap is always popping off, which usually results in dropping the bass, never a problem. I have probably dropped this bass 20 times in the past year and never had any problems with it. If I ever get to gig I would feel comfortable not taking a backup.

Never dealt with them, but hey, it's Peavey

Been playing for about one year and right now I only own this bass. I play it through a GK Backline600 into the P.A. for now. This is a ROCK SOLID bass. I will never get rid of it, I will upgrade to other basses but for the "under $300.00 catagory" This bass wins HANDS DOWN over everything else I've played (Epiphone, Ibanez, Dean. Favorite feature is that I plug in and play. Never had to stop and tune before joining in. The neck isn't the most comfortable I've played, but before spending alot of money I wanted to know if the problems in the sound were me or the bass. It's usually me with this bass.

i bought this in 95 i think, classic p bass with 20some frets, black with white pickguard, volume and tone knob.

i played it for a couple years with the original pickup and it sounded ok but it was kinda quiet and not too punchy so i put in a duncan quarter pounder and now this things got a lot of lows and mids, sound pretty good. the tone controll is the only downfall, its either flat and muffled which i like of super ultra clicky when its turned up. anyway sounds real good now.

a pretty solid bass, mines got some chips in it from bein thrown around but its still solid and never goes out of tune and it playes really well, no buzz ever.

its my back up bass to a stingray and it has never let me down. its a workhorse

n/a

ive played for about 10 years and it was my first bass and ill never sell it playes nice and it is good

Typical Precision bass copy with split pickup. Master volume and tone controls. 4 adjustable string saddles on a vintage style folded plate type bridgeplate. Real hardwood body with maple neck and rosewood fretboard. The neck is typical vintage profile ?P? bass, ie medium thick. This bass is made somewhere overseas for Peavey.

Typical ?P? bass sound. Real lowdown. Needs EQ on the amp to boost the high end response if that?s what you want, but can?t quite get the ring like a ?J? bass even with some serious fooling with the EQ. High output pickups compared to other ?P? basses I tried.

When I got this guitar it had a few nicks and dings in the wood so I decided to refinish it. It has a tight neck to body fit and upon stripping it down, I discovered a nicely patterned multi-piece hardwood body. I left it natural and finished it in hand-rubbed satin polyurethane for an oiled finish look. This bass plays wonderfully and hangs real nice ? comfortable and balanced.

Solid Guitar. Looks like it withstood a few years of hard use and survived.

Have never had to contact the manufacturer for anything, but they can be contacted on the internet or direct by phone.

I?m new at owning a bass guitar. I have played over the years but never owned a guitar or amplification system specifically for bass. I?m very quickly becoming ?preferential? as to equipment needs. I like the ?P? style basses. Simple yet solid. No extra pots, switches or BS. I prefer to shape my sound from the amp EQ and the effects on board. I have a Behringer BX3000T 300 watt head which provides that capability.

It works fairly well for my purposes (Jazz, Blues), since it has a really nice mellow sound with the tone knob all the way down. However, it tends to sound way too twangy when the knob is turned up even a little.

I owned and abused this bass for about two years before I actually learned anything about the setup, so I ended up with a fairly hideous feel when I picked it up again six months ago. However, it returned to a pretty good setup with only about five minutes work, so I have to assume that it was decent to start with. My only complaint is the high pickups.

This thing has survived being dropped onto brushed concrete, stored leaning against a desk with a computer monitor on the body, and no strings, for six months. It is built like a rock.

This is my first bass, so I guess I don't have a lot to judge against. I have played others, however, so I know that I like the feel of this one. The neck feels really fast, which is nice for jazz, but I feel like the action is about a mile high to prevent fret buzz. If this was ever stolen, I don't know whether or not I would get a new one. I would probably build a custom ax.

i bought this bass in 96 and its a pretty simple bass. its a p bass and if you want to know the features read the other peoples reviews

this bass sounds good ever since i put in a seymour quarter pound pickup in it. its a little big and boomy and sort of hard to control the tone but for heavy rock its great. it gives me a bit of trouble on stage cause the tone knob is useless. you either get full tone or none.

this bass plays great, i play with some 110s on it and it can handle them nicely. the finish is good and strong, ive smashed the shit out of this bass and it still doesnt break or go out of tune.

super strong, better than a fender if it werent for the electronics alwas breakin

its ok, replace your pots and youve got a fender

THIS IS AN UPDATE TO MY PREVIOUS REVIEW.

Nothing has been changed on this bass. Essentially a Precision Bass copy with a longer, deeper, more "modern" looking upper cutaway horn. Generic split P-bass pickup, volume, tone, bla bla. Very lightweight, somewhat thin body, rather nice sunburst finish. Comfortable neck with rosewood fingerboard, nice narrow nut width similar to a Jazz Bass if I am not mistaken.Basic but has all the essentials.

THIS IS AN UPDATE TO MY PREVIOUS REVIEW.

Nothing has been changed on this bass. Essentially a Precision Bass copy with a longer, deeper, more "modern" looking upper cutaway horn. Generic split P-bass pickup, volume, tone, bla bla. Very lightweight, somewhat thin body, rather nice sunburst finish. Comfortable neck with rosewood fingerboard, nice narrow nut width similar to a Jazz Bass if I am not mistaken.Basic but has all the essentials.

No real flaws when I bought it, but a few have turned up with use. The nut, I discovered, was rather sharp cornered and started chafing my hand badly on one of my band's songs where I play at the bottom of the neck a lot, so I had to file it down. I have had to adjust the truss rod recently to eliminate some bad buzzing on the first four or five frets; seems fine now. Other things which need adjusted: intonation on the low E string and the treble pickup coil's height. Overall the action is still pretty nice, although the bass in general doesn't feel nearly as substantial in use as something like a Fender.

I've been putting this bass through a lot of use in the past year with constant practice and, more recently, gigging. The hardware is beginning to show it. Some of it, like the bridge saddle springs and pickguard screws, are starting to rust. The volume pot is now rather loose in its hole. This is minor stuff, which really doesn't have much effect on the playability. The important things--bridge, tuners, wiring--are standing up pretty well so far. The body and neck seem to be just fine; except for a lot of fingerprints and a couple of dings here and there, the finish is holding up great. I have been gigging without a backup and haven't needed one yet, so I suppose that says it all.

Never dealt with, never needed. If something is out of whack, I'm generally more productive by fixing it myself than by shouting at a poor customer service rep.

The main thing that prompted me to update my original review is that my use of this bass has changed dramatically since then. Since I am now a bass player in a gigging semipro band I've had a chance to really put the Milestone II through the paces. It's proving to be a pretty knock-aboutable and very usable, if somewhat nondescript and average, utility instrument for semipro use. I am personally ready to experiment with other basses, especially heavier bodied ones with somewhat more tonal possibilities like a Fender Jazz style, but I certainly won't get rid of this one. Not spectacular by any stretch, but a decent low-priced choice for the home recordist and weekend bar band bassist.

This is basically a p-bass with a peavy headstock. it has a single percision pickup with basic active electronics. i got it so cheap from a friend that i ripped the frets out, and now it sings beautifuly. since i bought this off a friend, i know none of the real specs, but the electronics are solid. also the tuners keep in tune well.

i play all sorts of music, including christian rock, christian folk, punk, metal, and classic rock and this ax works for all of them. i run it through a crate bx160 and play with a pick. my only problem is that the tone doesn't have great treble punch. not much tonal variation. i personally would play it on stage and while i sit around at home.

this is one solid instrument, despite a light body wood. it has a sunburst finish and if you look closely the wood looks a little dirty. i love the neck, wihch is nice and thin.

when i got this all the screws were rusted. the strap buttons popped out fairly easily.the finish is fat and won't wear off soon. this is a fairly dependable bass.

never nedded it

ive been playing for 4.5 years on an aria pro 2 but i love this bass. if someone stole this i would hunt them down and see them hanged like the dogs they are. the only major adjustment i would like would be more tonal variation. if yer lookin for a good deal and find this one, look no further.

I don't know when this was made, I bought it from a friend a year ago to learn how to play. It has 20 frets, and a volume and tone knobs. It has split pickups and passive electronics. Mine came with a black finish (very durable) but my strap came off at a show and it smashed onto the cement floor, it held up suprisingly well, but it had a couple chips in it so I sanded it down and painted it a deep metalic green. The tuners are tight, but mine are starting to loosen up, and the strings don't come out of tune very easly.

I used to play punk, but now I play mostly metal, it dosn't sound that great for punk, because the tone knob isn't enough for that "twangy", treble sound. For metal it sounds fine, not great but it works. It has a deep sound to it, like I said, not much treble.

I didn't get this from the factory, but when I did get it, the action was ok. I lowered the pickups because when I slaped it, the strings would hit them. The bridge adjustments make it easy to get different tones, if you feel like messing with them. It has a great finish, I slamed it around a lot and you couldn't even tell, except for the normal wear on the body finish.

I've played this bass at live shows with no backup plenty of times and not even worried about it failing. It is built to withstand just about anything. The hardware will probably need to be replaced after a while, I don't know how old my bass is so I can't really give a timeframe but probably after about 5-6 years of use. I've had to fix the strap buttons, they got stripped out from the body and they are pretty small, if I would have continued to play this all the time I would have definatly invested in some good strap locks. One very bad thing is I had to take off the pick gaurd and resolder just about every conection between the input jack and the two knobs because the factoy soldering job was very poor and broke off easly. Very durable though.

Never delt with them.

I played on this bass hard for over a year and other than the soldering job, it is great. If it were lost or stolen, I wouldn't waist my money on a new one, I would invest in a Carvin or Ibenez probably. The split pickups kinda suck because you can't get very many different sounds from them (only one set). If it had another set of pickups it would be a great bass. This is definatly a good bass for a beginer, or somone who just needs a reliable backup bass.

Not sure of the year, part of the international series. 20 fret p-bass copy. Volume & tone controls. Tone goes from warm to bright very nicely. Split pick-up. Sunburst finish. Got it during a trade so the finish was a bit worn, but looks great that way. Pretty standard bass

I play classic rock and Blues so this bass fits in fine, I run it through a Boss eq and a DOD stereo chorus into a Mk III head/115 BW and 210 scorpions. I get tons of sound with it. I've gigged with it and recorded with it and have no complaints. I like to gig with it because it's built like a brick you know what

It was used so I had to set it up to my liking. Not difficult because it was built pretty good

This bass does survive live playing. I've played out with this bass monthly for about 2 years now and have not had one problem with it. The finish is wearing, but it kinda looks cool. strap buttons have loosened a bit. I feel confident playing out with this bass, and usually play 3 different basses each gig so having a backup is not an issue

I've delt with Peavey in the past regarding the MkIII head, excellent service. The chick at the parts desk was awesome. Haven't had to deal with them on the bass I have, though I suspect they would be the same

I've been playing since about 1980 and have owned several squires p-basses, musicmasters, an EB-3 and currently have an Aria Pro zz deluxe, the Milestone and a Hamer Californian. I would probobly replace it if it disappeared.

This is a basic Fender P-bass clone; mine has a sunburst finish (no idea what wood, but it's fairly light), rosewood fingerboard on a maple (?) neck, 20 frets, all the standard P-Bass hardware. No surprises here. I'm not sure if this particular bass was new when I bought it, but if it was used it was in practically unplayed condition, spotless. The shop included a gig bag with the name of another local shop so I suspect it might've been surplus or an overrun or something.

Bass isn't my usual instrument (guitar and keyboards are) so my requirement for a bass is that it *doesn't* have too much of its own personality to muck up things--I like it to be kind of a utility instrument that could fit into several situations. So far the Peavey fits the bill just fine. It has a nice smooth bass sound, especially when the tone control is turned all the way down (my preference), and can sound pretty punchy, if a bit noisy, with the tone full up. For a guy whose primary experience with bass was a beautiful but hideous-sounding old Kent hollowbody violin bass, this is a godsend. Nice sounding instrument, this.

No flaws that I can see. Excellent feel, nice smooth neck action, wide frets. The finish is pretty flawless, and a nice looking sunburst, much cooler than most of the other Peaveys in the shop which were generic-looking black. I especially like the fact that the neck isn't too wide like some basses I've tried. The hardware appears to be high quality.

I haven't had it long enough to tell, but it seems to be pretty solid.

No idea, Peavey's a new one for me, but I know the name, so I'm not too worried.

As I said, bass isn't my natural instrument, but I needed something that was better than that old Kent I mentioned which was just horrible. I'm not approaching this from the POV of a veteran bass player who is looking for the primo deluxo model. Primarily I play guitar and keys and mostly in my home studio, so outside of playability and reasonably good sound my requirements for a bass are pretty modest, and the Peavey is excellent for the multi-instrumentalist type for whom bass is just one of many instruments in an arsenal, especially if you can find one at a discount like I did. Overall, a very good Precision Bass clone.

I have no idea what year it was made, but I bought it new at the store in '97, so probably no earlier than late '96. The bass has 20 frets, and they're nice big ones. I love big frets, personally. The bass has only two controls, volume and tone, but they do their job well, especially the tone, which has a nice wide range. I has one split-coil pick-up that I think delivers a great sound, don't know what brand the pick-ups are. The electronics are passive. I don't know what woods the guitar is made out of, but I never really cared about that in a guitar. The body is almost strat style, and probably was modeled on a fender guitar, as I've seen a fender bass that looks almost exactly like this bass. The bridge is stop-tail-piece, which I just love because it makes tuning so damn easy. I'm only giving it an 8 because while it is a very solid and good bass, it is pretty basic. I bought it to learn how to play with, and it's probably best for that.

The bass suits my style particularly well, being metal, which surprised me, because I didn't think I'd be able to go as fast on it as I need to and still sound good, but it worked out great. I use it with a crate 4x12 amp, and an ibanez chorus, flanger, wah and a boss distortion, and god, it works great. The bass produces a little bit of noise, but only at very high volumes. The sound is surprisingly bright for the money, and I like it very much.

The bass was set-up great, the action was at a nice low level without being so low that it'd produce a buzz when played. Overall, it was I got it in a great condition.

I've played this guitar live, and it most certainly survives. I think this thing would survive a freaking nuke, it's so durable. I remeber jumping around and accidentally smashing my neck really hard on my amp, and all that happened was a small chip in the neck, which is no big deal. The hardware seems good, and I've had the guitar for a year, so I'll say yes, it will last. The strap buttons seems solid, nothing funky has happened with them. I wouldn't use it for a gig without a back-up for a couple of reasons other than the guitar itself. 1.)In case I broke a string, it'd be a lot faster to pick another bass up instead of putting another one on and tuning it again. 2.)the band I was in when I was playing live used different tunings for different songs, so I'd have to switch basses anyways.

never dealt with them

I have been playing for 2 years now. I also own a Jackson performer guitar, and a whole lot of effects, and half-stack amps for both my bass and guitar. If it were lost or stolen, I'd probably get something else, because it's pretty basic, and I'm at the point where I need more advanced guitars and basses.