• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Fender La Cabronita Precision Bass

#521
Ok I have to chime in and get my two cents worth in on the bass review. To be honest I almost stopped reading the complete review when I got to the I'm a Jazz bass guy and the one trick pony line.

I've played Tele's and P's 98% of the time for over 40 years and quite frankly am sick of hearing the one trick pony thing.

The P definitely has a certain "type" of sound. That said, IMO it is not a one trick sound. The P bass has been used on thousands of recordings. For every type and style of music. Going all the way back to the earliest days of recorded music. Can all those player's be wrong about the P bass tone?

Is the T or P sound the best for "any and all" types of music? Maybe not.
However, a player can grab a P go to any gig, any type of music, and get through the gig with a tone that will get the job done.

I've gigged off and on for over 40 years playing all types of music all while playing my P's. Never once have I had anyone say "eww sorry but you have a P" or "sorry but that *one* sound doesn't work for our stuff".

There are many variations of tone available from a P if you know how to play it properly. Over the pup, up by the heel, back by the bridge, fingers, pick, string attack, volume and tone cranked or slightly backed off, slapped, take your pick. They ALL sound different.

IMO the "way" you play has more to do with tone than what bass you play.

Keep low :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dexter_Bass and grrg63
#522
Lowbrow said:
Review synopsis:

"It's good quality; it feels good but I don't like the way it feels; it sounds good, but nobody really sounds good playing a P bass unless they are god-like; I used it, it sounded good yet didn't really sound good; and conclusion = it's good but a Jazz bass is better, which is the bass I'm predisposed to liking anyway as I stated earlier in my review."

:confused: ;)
Click to expand...


:D Pretty good synopsis
 
#525
Yeah, Blyss stepped in poo-poo stinkies with that one. When I hear someone say that, I say, "There goes someone who never plays a Precision and doesn't get it." Let's see...Cliff Williams, James Jamerson, Ronald LaPread, John Entwistle, Dave Hope...man, that's a wide range of bass tones. 5 completely different tricks right there.
 
#526
JimmyM said:
Yeah, Blyss stepped in poo-poo stinkies with that one. When I hear someone say that, I say, "There goes someone who never plays a Precision and doesn't get it." Let's see...Cliff Williams, James Jamerson, Ronald LaPread, John Entwistle, Dave Hope...man, that's a wide range of bass tones. 5 completely different tricks right there.
Click to expand...

+1 it's a trick I wish I could perform better.
 
#527
I thought the reviewer had a good point about one thing in particular: the Cabronita is indeed the kind of instrument that sounds great in an ensemble context but won't necessarily 'knock you out' playing by yourself in the living room!

I've had my Cabronita for a year or two now (I don't really keep track of time well). I also have a fairly regular Sunday worship service that I get hired to play. It's a very flexible gig, so I bring a lot of my oddball basses. I can get away with almost anything on this particular gig. The only bass I've never brought to it? Yup, the Cabronita. It just isn't a great choice for a Sunday service.

I wish the reviewer had played it on a rock gig. The Cab' really shines in that context!
 
#528
scotch said:
I thought the reviewer had a good point about one thing in particular: the Cabronita is indeed the kind of instrument that sounds great in an ensemble context but won't necessarily 'knock you out' playing by yourself in the living room!

I've had my Cabronita for a year or two now (I don't really keep track of time well). I also have a fairly regular Sunday worship service that I get hired to play. It's a very flexible gig, so I bring a lot of my oddball basses. I can get away with almost anything on this particular gig. The only bass I've never brought to it? Yup, the Cabronita. It just isn't a great choice for a Sunday service.

I wish the reviewer had played it on a rock gig. The Cab' really shines in that context!
Click to expand...

Jazz basses seem to be more commonly used in church worship bands. More so then precision basses. In my church everyone except two people use jazz basses. I use a jazz bass too.
One uses a precision bass and another uses a Yamaha RBX 5-string.

Why is this?
 
#529
Would you recommend this bass as a first p bass? Play a stingray 4hh and love it but can't nail the precision sound so was maybe looking at getting a p bass. The car finish with the 51 pickguard looks f***ing awesome and I like thick necks. I just wanted to know what you guys thought of getting one of these as an alternative to a 'regular' p bass?

Btw awesome job man!

Just because I like you guys:
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh16/keloko07/cabronita51_zps31334053.jpg
Click to expand...
 
#531
jazzonlyjazz said:
Jazz basses seem to be more commonly used in church worship bands. More so then precision basses. In my church everyone except two people use jazz basses. I use a jazz bass too.
One uses a precision bass and another uses a Yamaha RBX 5-string.

Why is this?
Click to expand...

I would guess that as a Jazz and a Precision both sit well in a mix, the P's are generally more agressive. Let's face it, even the more upbeat contemporary worship stuff never really rocks.
 
#532
I'd say no. As much as I love my Cabronita, it is not an archetypal Precision.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice man. The trouble is, as much as I like the precision sound, normally I like to rest my thumb on top of a pickup when I play. But because the way a split pickup is angled playing that way with a p bass isn't particularly comfortable. I wouldn't want to compromise the pickup by trying to adjust it so it sits level either.

It's a shame because the things sound so good. But that's why I was considering this, because the fidelitron pickup has a bit more room up top to rest my thumb. Also been looking at the classic 70s p because it has a thumb rest, removing the problem.
 
#533
scotch said:
I would guess that as a Jazz and a Precision both sit well in a mix, the P's are generally more agressive. Let's face it, even the more upbeat contemporary worship stuff never really rocks.
Click to expand...

Heaven forbid someone uses a HH musicman.

Jazz basses tend to stick out more...you can hear the notes clearer.

On topic, I do love the look of the cabronita but I don't know about it in terms of tone and sound. Is it growlier or punchier than a standard split coil?
 
#534
Guinness20 said:
Thanks for the advice man. The trouble is, as much as I like the precision sound, normally I like to rest my thumb on top of a pickup when I play. But because the way a split pickup is angled playing that way with a p bass isn't particularly comfortable. I wouldn't want to compromise the pickup by trying to adjust it so it sits level either.



It's a shame because the things sound so good. But that's why I was considering this, because the fidelitron pickup has a bit more room up top to rest my thumb. Also been looking at the classic 70s p because it has a thumb rest, removing the problem.
Click to expand...


Thousands of players including mice elf rest the thumb on the pickup of a p bass. Unless you have a deformity of some type, I think you'll be ok.
 
#536
jazzonlyjazz said:
Heaven forbid someone uses a HH musicman.

Jazz basses tend to stick out more...you can hear the notes clearer.

On topic, I do love the look of the cabronita but I don't know about it in terms of tone and sound. Is it growlier or punchier than a standard split coil?
Click to expand...

"Growl" seems to be one of those nebulous terms that means something a little different to everybody, so I won't comment there. As far as 'punch', I'd say that the Fidelitron is in the same ballpark as a split coil P.

The big differences, in my opinion, are:
-The Fidelitron has a grittier tone that lends itself to distortion through an amp more readily. It can still do clean, no problem, but with aggressive right hand technique you get more crunch than a traditional pickup.
-More high mids from the Fidelitron. Not a lot & not enough to get 'barky' like a Jazz bridge pup, again it lends itself to crunchy textures.
-The high treble frequencies are a little muted. The Fidelitron is not a great choice for shimmering, glass-like tones! It has enough treble to bite, but not enough to pierce, as it were...
 
#537
StrangerDanger said:
Thousands of players including mice elf rest the thumb on the pickup of a p bass. Unless you have a deformity of some type, I think you'll be ok.
Click to expand...

Thanks, well I can assure you I have no deformity. But it is fact that there is less room than on a thunderbird, a stingray, a jazz bass... the list goes on. I'm sure a lot of people do that just fine, all I'm saying is, while I can manage, it's not as comfortable as when playing other basses.

In future, I'd maybe leave it at 'thousands of players out there including myself do it', instead of claiming that someone must have a deformity of some type. ;)
 
#538
Guinness20 said:
Thanks, well I can assure you I have no deformity. But it is fact that there is less room than on a thunderbird, a stingray, a jazz bass... the list goes on. I'm sure a lot of people do that just fine, all I'm saying is, while I can manage, it's not as comfortable as when playing other basses.



In future, I'd maybe leave it at 'thousands of players out there including myself do it', instead of claiming that someone must have a deformity of some type. ;)
Click to expand...


Ok so let me be a little clearer. It's the most commonly played bass guitar in the world played by thousands if not millions of players. If you're having an issue it may be technique related. Sorry just trying to help. Good luck.
 
#539
Guinness20 said:
Thanks, well I can assure you I have no deformity. But it is fact that there is less room than on a thunderbird, a stingray, a jazz bass... the list goes on. I'm sure a lot of people do that just fine, all I'm saying is, while I can manage, it's not as comfortable as when playing other basses.

In future, I'd maybe leave it at 'thousands of players out there including myself do it', instead of claiming that someone must have a deformity of some type. ;)
Click to expand...

Your experience probably isn't typical, but is your experience none the less! If you want P bass tone, you need a split P pickup. Fortunately, it's easy to find a thumbrest to install or have one custom built to your personal spec!
 
#540
I need a bit of advice. After a 20 year absence from playing guitar (rhythm, not bass, but I did tinker with bass a little back then) I've been recruited to play bass for our church worship band. I borrowed a friend's bass (well, one of his many!) to see if I could remember anything. After a week of furious practice, I auditioned and was accepted. (I think they're desperate!)

So now I am in the market for a bass of my own. The bass I played around with back in the day was a Precision Bass (precisely which model, I don't know) and that experience leads me to want a Fender now. After checking out the models on Fender's site, I settled on the Cabronita, mostly because a) my wife likes the look of it and b) it fits in my sub-1K price range.

I just spent the last few hours reading this thread; what a wealth of knowledge -- 'scotch' you're a gold mine of info, and I'm a Sixpence fan to boot! But now I'm a bit worried whether this is the right bass for me. So here are my questions/concerns...

1) The 'fat neck' discussion makes me nervous. The bass I borrowed is an Ibanez SR300, and the neck feels good to me. Can anybody here compare that model with the Cabronita neck? I'm a "medium-sized" guy -- 6'0" so the comments about needing 'massive hands' makes me think I'd be unhappy with the Cabronita. On the other hand, I'm not smart enough to know whether the difference would matter that much. I'm definitely going to be playing 'basic' stuff, so fast action, etc. isn't really a concern. On the other hand, I'm not going to be able to devote the time necessary to build up a strong left hand, and I don't want it to be a perpetually painful experience.

(To pre-empt the obvious suggestion: I live in the 'middle of nowhere' and it's a 3-4 hour drive to any city where I could actually put my hands on one.)

2) scotch: your comments about the Cabronita not being right for a worship service obviously concern me. Reading through here, I quickly gained respect for your opinions. But all I need is a basic bass sound, and a lot of the talk here is about swapping pickups and other things I'd never go near. So: is the sound really that different, or is this mainly talk among professionals with really tuned ears, and a duffer like me wouldn't know the difference?

3) The other Fender I was considering is the "Standard Precision Bass" (the 014610... model) -- is the Cabronita all that different? It's the feel and playability I'm most worried about. Or would I be better served dropping my life-long desire to own a Fender and looking at some other brand?

I realize a lot of this is subjective, and nobody can possibly know what is right for me. I also realize that, for a first post, I sure am blathering on! If nothing else, a neck comparison of the Cabronita vs Ibanez SR300 would be most helpful, but of course, I'll gladly consider any and all opinions.

Thanks,
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back