Retrovibe Super-P

[kodiakblair]

Yesterday I Took delivery of another Retrovibe bass,this time the newly released Super-P.
A search revealed here very little about Retrovibe.They are a small English company that
consist of David Konig who designs the basses which are built in limited runs in China.

So what is the Super-P ? Well obviously it's a P bass but it has a MM pickup. These MM pickups
are 4 wire as can be wired single coil, series or parallel but for a very small upgrade fee Mr
Konig can add a mini toggle switch giving all 3 options,the fee is for the switch not the fitting.
How cool is that

My bass which ordered on Wednesday,modified,set up and delivered by Friday.I open the double
box and bubble-wrap to reveal a gorgeous white P bass. Rosewood/Maple bound neck with a
Perfectly cut nut and every fret sitting beautifully. Flawless white finish and a low action 1.75mm
the bass is a wonderful player.Sound wise the P pickup is punchy as it should be,MM has the aggressive
burp tone and flipping the switch to give the Jazz bridge pickup soloed is a delight.

Feast your eyes on this wonder: D

If anyone wants one they better be quick only 1 left: Beer:

http://retrovibe.co.uk/index.html

 

[Kong]

Congrats to this gorgeous bass!

This sure is a beauty - and a cheap one!

249,-- Pounds egual about 346,-- Euro.

Please do a short review when you had the chance to play the bass a bit more.

 

[kodiakblair]

Of course I will. What kind of information do require ?

 

[Kong]

Howard does it play and sound?
Can you compare the Bass to something like a Precision or a Stingray?
What does it sound like?

Awww, you know the questions, I persume.

 

[kodiakblair]

Well in reply to Kong,it plays really good.

The 43mm neck is well proportioned,certainly not a bat.There were no high frets or sharp edges,with the neck having bindings
I'd have been surprised if there was.

At just over 4Kg it balances well due to the tried and tested body shape.I can see no flaws in the finish nor chewed screw heads,all
is in order.The tuners do their job as does the bridge. Straight out of the box it is well set up with quite a lowish action of 2mm
at the 17th.Intonation was spot on.

So how does it sound ? The P pickup alone has a strong punchy tone as I would expect.It stands up to my Peavey Fury,those are described
as P basses on steroids so as a P bass the Super-P kicks @$$. Using the optional mini toggle the bridge pickup soloed in single coil mode
sounds exactly like my Jazz.It really has a lovely tone and I'd be happy just to pop strings with it all day,shame music doesn't allow for that.

Having never owned a Stingray the next is difficult.The nearest I have is various J/MM set-ups and the Retrovibe Evo.There is a preamp option
for the Evo using the Stringray circuit available from Retrovibe so I imagine the Evo is very close to a passive Ray.The MM certainly has a very
burpy burbling sound to it in both series and parallel modes.

So far I've found it to have great potential and I'll be returning to post more info as I discover it.Last night I fitted a foam mute to great success
but will it stay ? I'm certainly enjoying playing this bass what more can I ask

I'll be happy to answer any question folks might have.