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Post subject: Re: Cabronita Precision Bass
Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 4:00 pm
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Just got a red one in from Sweetwater. I've owned a ton of Precisions, and I have to say, the people who claim this doesn't sound like a Precision are correct. Imagine the Precision's mids, but with some bass and treble added, and that's what you have. It almost sounds like an active bass with maybe 3 dB of boost at the bottom and 3 dB at the top. Very balanced, but not at all sterile like the word "balanced" might imply. There's a beefy, authoritative character to the pickup. A "thickness" if you will. Like a big juicy steak, if a steak could make a noise. Location-wise, the pickup is almost in the sweet spot -- maybe 1/2" to 1" north of it, but not so far north (like the '51) that it sounds muddy. Any further south and the bottom end would probably weaken enough that you'd have to think about adding a pre with at least a bass control, like Music Man does. So, I think it was the proper call on Fender's part.

The strings are roundwounds, and they look like chromes, so that may have a lot to do with the clear, extended top end. I'll be interested to see what they sound like after I sweat on 'em a bit.

The tone control will cut back the highs without changing the overall nature of the instrument's tone, i.e. it won't do weird things to the mids and bass, like every Precision I've owned has done. That's one reason I always ran my Precisions' tone controls wide open, because rolled back the instruments would sound dark and distant. Not so with the Cabronita. I've been playing this thing all afternoon with the tone control rolled all the way back, and the tone is fantastic.

Volume control is touchy. Last few degrees of rotation are where everything happens. It could use a different taper. But in the real world, on real stages, you're running wide open anyway, so this is only a minor problem.

Balance on the instrument is fine, but the first thing I did when I unpacked it was to add strap locks, and those add about 1/2 of length to the pegs, so that may have helped. Also I use a 4" strap, so that helps, too.

The cutaway for your arm works well. The missing cutaway for your gut or hip or whatever -- I don't miss it, because I wear my basses low, so that part of the body never touches me anyway. For me, it's a comfortable body. And not cutting away the rear of the body probably adds a few ounces compared to a standard Precision, helping the instrument balance better, especially with its beefy neck.

Yeah, the neck. It's something I've never run across. I'm used to the 1.75" necks being like baseball bats, especially some of the early ones. But I've never run into 1.6" baseball bats (the 1.6s are typically thinner). The Cabronita has a 1.6 baseball bat. You may or may not like it. I have long fingers, and I cut my teeth on late '60s/early '70s Precisions, so it was sort of like coming home.

Frets are perfect. No fret sprout anywhere, and no buzzing.

Fretboard to neck mating is flawless. The seam is almost invisible.

Tuners were stiff, but smooth, and didn't feel like they were binding.

Back to the pickup: Adjustability is great. You can raise/lower the body and you can raise/lower the individual screws (two per string). This is important on a bass that has a neck with a tight radius, and one area where the Jazz has always done a face plant right on the pavement. (Sorry, Jazz guys, but it's true.) DiMarzio is the only manufacturer I know of that makes Jazz replacement with adjustable pole pieces.

For those who like to use the pickup as a thumb rest, it won't work on this bass because the pickup's too narrow width-wise. You'll inadvertently mute the E string with your thumb. I stuck a small square rubber foot (the kind you might find under an amp head) next to the pickup. I shot a couple coats of black on it first, so you can barely see it.

The output jack takes a good firm grip of the instrument cable's plug.

Dead spots? Yep, the usual ones for most if not all bolt-on necks: Db and D on the G string. (No surprise there.) Play those notes on the D string and all is well.

Finish was flawless but there were shallow gouge marks in the pickguard that look like they came from a screwdriver that was used to slice protective plastic. If these basses normally come with protected pickguards, mine was an exception. This bass may have been a return for all I know. No big deal -- I bought this bass to get used, sometimes on the road, and it's going to take its share of hits over the coming months. I might even shoot a coat of black on the pickguard 'cause I think that might look better with the red body. I'll have to Photoshop it first just to make sure.

Took me about an hour to do a setup. The neck has an almost imperceptible bow. I left it alone and will check it from time to time as the weather gets warmer around here. Strings were cut short at the factory; I prefer to see 2-3 wraps around the posts. One of mine has only one (!). But the bass is staying in tune, so...

Intonation was way, way off. Look at the saddles' locations in the pic below and it should be no surprise. But I fixed that with a small Phillips as part of the setup (10 minutes tops, no biggie). Action was fine, though, so I left it the way it was.

That's about it. Glad I bought it.

Image

Yeah, that's mine. Better pic than I could ever take. Call Karl Long at Sweetwater if you want to verify.

Craig

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Post subject: Re: Cabronita Precision Bass
Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 4:39 pm
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Nice!!! If these had the vintage 51 neck specs I'd definitely have one. I was definitely impressed with the tone. That is a seriously gorgeous bass. I always thought that Red was gorgeous and wonder what it'd look like with no guard and a black guard. Congrats! Glad you're digging it!

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Post subject: Re: Cabronita Precision Bass
Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 8:32 am
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Found a way to make that white pickguard work:

Image

Yeah, they're DR Neons, which I'm not at all fond of (see my review at Amazon), but I had a couple sets still kicking around, and I figured what's to lose if I try.

They were long enough to get enough wraps around the posts, unlike the stock G string which was wrapped only once.

Image

Look what I had to do with the pickup poles to get the strings to sound even remotely close to each other in terms of volume. This is where this pickup shines: its ability to compensate for string sets whose strings would otherwise sound completely mismatched. (Yeah, that G string pole piece *is* screwed all the way down. That's how loud that string is compared to the rest.)

Image

Even these strings cast a hard light on how mediocre the stock strings are. (Or were, in this case.)

In two of the pics you can see the little rubber foot I stuck on as a thumb anchor. Works great, & not all that obtrusive.

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Post subject: Re: Cabronita Precision Bass
Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 8:38 am
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Oh... Forgot to mention: The neons are way less tension than the stock strings. The neck is dead flat now, and the action has come down about 3/32" at the last fret. Still no buzzing frets. The set is 40/60/80/100. Those stock strings felt like suspension bridge cables in comparison. Though in all fairness the DRs do feel more supple than most string sets I've tried.

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Post subject: Re: Cabronita Precision Bass
Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 12:44 pm
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Yep, that worked Craig! Those white Neons really brought the whole bass together visually. I like the Neons for a round core nickel plated stainless round. DR's coating is the T!ts! :wink: Beautiful bass! 8) And If you don't care for the p'up, slap in a TV Jones Thunderblade and rock the F**K out! Ha! :twisted:

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Post subject: Re: Cabronita Precision Bass
Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 6:49 am
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Oh, wow. Those white strings made all the difference. Very, very cool. Like an old Corvette. Red with the white coves. Classy!

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Post subject: Re: Cabronita Precision Bass
Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 8:05 am
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Thanks man. Only thing is, now it looks like it came through a time machine out of the early '80s and oughta be on stage with the Go-Go's or something:


Image

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Post subject: Re: Cabronita Precision Bass
Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 8:47 am
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craig.p wrote:
Thanks man. Only thing is, now it looks like it came through a time machine out of the early '80s and oughta be on stage with the Go-Go's or something:


Image



Hey, I'd like to be anywhere with the Go-Gos. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Cabronita Precision Bass
Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:13 pm
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I want one 'em Cornblatter basses right there. :wink:


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Post subject: Re: Cabronita Precision Bass
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 11:40 am
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It crossed my mind earlier today I hadn't tightened the neck and bridge screws when I did the setup, so I loosened the strings and did that. I wouldn't say the screws were loose, but they sure weren't tight. The bridge screws probably would've been ok as is, but definitely not the neck screws, and especially after a few weeks of transportation & use. Could be my imagination, but I think the tone is more even now. The D and Db are still dead, but not AS dead as before. Not "dog dead." Now at least I'm getting some ring in the harmonics.

I don't blame Fender -- I should've remembered to do it right after I took it from the box. It's SOP for any new bass. Just thought I'd mention it in case some of you have never tightened those screws on your Fender. Don't sock 'em down, just snug 'em up for a good grip.

Well, back to the Cornpoker, lol.......

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Post subject: Re: Cabronita Precision Bass
Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2014 8:04 am
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In my original review I commented that the volume control was touchy and needed a different taper. This morning I pulled the access cover, intending to swap out the stock pot for a better one. Guess what. The factory miswired the control. The positions of the pickup hot lead and the wire to the output jack tip were swapped. Resoldered them to where they should be, and now the volume control behaves normally.

Full review w/ all updates at nhbassguitar.blogspot.com.

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Post subject: Re: Cabronita Precision Bass
Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 1:57 pm
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Now I may have to SNATCH one up! Just like Linin recommends.

I have actually played a Cabronita Precision, and I would buy one if I didn't already have an obscene number of Fender basses.

I have also played the Squire version of the Cabronita P-bass and it is very cool too!

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Post subject: Re: Cabronita Precision Bass
Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 2:23 pm
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Tsk Tsk....There is no such thing as an obscene number of Fender basses, nor can you have too many. The only rule is you cannot stop collecting on an even number, or on an odd number. Outside of that, you can have as many as you want. In fact, there is a world wide contest where the bassist with the most Fenders when he dies, wins. The first prize is cool, a NOS 1951 Precision AND a NOS 1960 Jazz.

(You must be present to win, give a ten minute talk about your collection, and have been dead for at least a week)

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Post subject: Re: Cabronita Precision Bass
Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 3:36 pm
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I just realized the CS version of these basses actually have the 51 spec neck. However, the old Parrazo seems to be holding it's value strong, and the Baracho that replaced it doesn't have a P body, but a reverse Jag. (Which does NOT look comfortable) Though they keep going on about how the Baracho is "one of the most powerful basses" they've made. Does anyone know if it's active? That would be a pitty, imo. Definitely a deal breaker for me.

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Post subject: Re: Cabronita Precision Bass
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 11:19 am
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:o SNATCH! :o

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