Fender Cabronita Players here, like to get your insight

[HamStd]

I know there are many Tele fans as well as some Filtertron/TV Jones pickup fans here. Any of you guitar nuts have experience with the Fender Cabronita? Curious to hear your opinions on the guitar tone-particularly the pickups? How do they sounds clean or distorted? Low and high volumes? How about the weight of the guitar?

Thanks

Peter

[unfun75]

I know Keith Urban is a big fan. He has replaced a few necks with Cabro necks like in the photo below.

[Biz Prof]

Peter: There are different flavors of TV Jones. Which one(s) are you interested in hearing about?

[HamStd]

Peter: There are different flavors of TV Jones. Which one(s) are you interested in hearing about?

Hi Biz Prof,

Thanks for the response. I am exploring options for a very good friend that is in the midst of recording an important CD. He was using my 1955 6120 as well as my 6121 to lay down tracks. While he likes the filtertrons, he isn't in to the whole Gretsch vibe. Please educate me on the TV Jones front. I have checked out the website, but would be interested in a comparison of the classic vs. duottron and supertron if you have any experience with them. If so, what sort of guitars do you have them in?

thanks

Peter

[Montelovesco]

IIRC CapriDriver owns one...

[cmatthes]

^{Not sure if it helps or not - I don't have a "true" Cabronita, but before those came out, I put a 'Tron in the neck slot of a Tele. I don't have one with a 'Tron in the bridge, but I like it them in all positions on Strats/Daytonas that I have.}

^{On the Tele, it is a very clear, clean and chimey/round sound, if that makes any sense. it doesn't seem to distort as smoothly as a classic humbucker, but I put it in there for cleans and slighltly overdriven stuff. I think if I were going for a Gretschy-vibe in a Tele platform, I'd look at a Tele Thinline or a semi hollow/hollow Tele body with two 'Trons. In fact, I was planning to do just that with a Korina back/Maple topped Tele Thinline body that I had, but I sold it in one of my project purges last year.}

^{Do you know what he's trying to go for tonewise? I'd think that using the 6120 and 6121, he'd be shooting for more of that twangy, clean tone range? Is he going straight in or using anything in front of the amp? I'd imagine a classic Fender clean and maybe some slight compression and delay could get you pretty far in that range.}

^{You could definitely get that in the Cabronita, especially a thinline version, I'd think.}

[HamStd]

Chris,

Thanks that is useful information. Definitely not going for the high powered rectifier tone. He is actually using a old tweed bassman so it is on the edge of just breaking up and getting alittle distortion. Totally agree with you the Filtertrons sound great in the neck position. He is also looking for that lead position and the idea was with the tele bridge set-up (much like a sustain block) and having the strings thru finding that right lead tone without going for a humbucker.

Keep it coming if anyone else has any thoughts on these pickups. I can only speak from the old Gretsch angle so I am curious to get a more modern take on this.

Thanks all.

Peter

[cmatthes]

Peter - I DO think it's a useable bridge position pickup in a Tele format as well. Tele/Esquire pickups can sometimes be ice-picky and thin sounding, kind of like some Strat bridge pickups - sometimes they are just bright/brittle as hell or muddy with nothing in between. The thing I like about the Filtertrons are that they are a bit "rounder" sounding with nice clarity that comes through even in a band mix.

I had some video around somewhere of my 'Tronned Daytona with a band, and it cut through nicely despite my playing...

[Bloozguy]

Hi Peter,

And now for something (almost) completely different...I've got a Billy-Bo which has a nearly totally chambered maple body and Power'Tron Plus pickups at both the neck and bridge. They are higher output and more midrange-ey than normal Filtertrons. Back them off a little and they have all the sparkle and chime of the normal 'Trons. Open them up and they're great for pushing an amp just over the edge. I run mine into a 3x10 tweed Bandmaster style amp and it sounds pretty good.

I agree with Chris -- they don't distort as smoothly as a conventional humbucker but for just a little "hair" they do well. I don't know who makes the Cabronita pickups (Fender calls them "Fideli'Trons), but either the Thinline version of the Cabronita or transplanting a pair into an existing Tele, thinline or otherwise, would probably get him where he wants to go.

[cmatthes]

I *think* that the Cabronita pickups are probably either rebadged Gretsch "High Sensitive" 'Trons or are something equivalent to those.

[stonge]

Cabronitas usually have a hardtail strat bridge rather than the tele bridge, so that changes things a little from a straight-up tele. I like the snotty Broadcaster tone in the bridge of a tele, and I've got a Squire Cab with the Fender Fidelitrons (the Indonesian version uses the same pickups as the MIK version). Through a Bassman LTD reissue on 4 the Cab sounds sweeter and not quite as mid-punchy as the tele, and has adds an almost Vox-like chime to the top-end. Also have a Monaco with a pair of TV Jones and a set of .011 flatwounds on it - probably more like an air-ier DuoJet. Maybe like a slightly thicker Firebird pickup with the "nut" of a hot P90. But you knew those were just sitting in my basement, right?

Never had a chance to play one of the "good" Cabs, but the Indo Squire was well worth the 229 it cost new - one of the better cheapies in the woodpile. I usually play a Deluxe Reverb reissue, and the amp tremolo gets that spaghetti western tone that makes you want to play Ghost Riders In the Sky all night lol. There are two or three project bodies (thinline Tele, pine Billy-Bo body cut for a hardtail bridge and tele neck, maybe one or two others I forget) that I gotta get around to bolting up.

You could always call my cell if you want to hear how bad I can make good gear sound lol...

[cmatthes]

As usual, Stonge says it best.

[Roshark]

HamStd your friend may like an old DeArmond in the bridge . They sound very similar to but not quite a P-90 . It just may do the trick for him . TV Jones makes them in a P-90 format/cover .

[jisham]

All I know is that my $600 MIM Cabronita is one of my favorite guitars to play and it sounds fantastic, clean and lo or hi gain. It's super light in weight.

[Sugartune]

Hi Peter,

And now for something (almost) completely different...I've got a Billy-Bo which has a nearly totally chambered maple body and Power'Tron Plus pickups at both the neck and bridge. They are higher output and more midrange-ey than normal Filtertrons. Back them off a little and they have all the sparkle and chime of the normal 'Trons. Open them up and they're great for pushing an amp just over the edge. I run mine into a 3x10 tweed Bandmaster style amp and it sounds pretty good.

I agree with Chris -- they don't distort as smoothly as a conventional humbucker but for just a little "hair" they do well. I don't know who makes the Cabronita pickups (Fender calls them "Fideli'Trons), but either the Thinline version of the Cabronita or transplanting a pair into an existing Tele, thinline or otherwise, would probably get him where he wants to go.

I have a partscaster tele that I Cabronita'd. Wanted a bit more hair, so went with Powertron Plus in the bridge. It's killer. I second all Bloozeguy says about it.

[Biz Prof]

I've not owned a 'Tron-equipped guitar, but I've spend a fair amount of time with borrowed axes to vet my interest in the whole vibe. Chris, Stonge, and other stole any thunder I'd have provided. I'll simply add that TV Jones Power'Trons are really like slightly bright-voiced full 'buckers. BFG uses those, if that gives you any clue as to their fidelity. The others in the line give more chime and nasal twang (if there is such a thing). To me, they are much like what a wanna-be rock Tele player would use if he was just a bit shy about going whole hog on the "brass-baseplate/three-barrel-bridge-with-all-the-good-twang/bad-hum-that-brings-with-it" tonal odyssey.

So...in sum: The bridge 'Tron, in its classic form, provides a sound/feel much that blends some of the snappiness of the traditional Tele pickup with softer midrange of a mini humbucker. The neck 'Tron, to my ears was a lot like a mini humbucker by itself, with perhaps a bit more treble.

[HamStd]

All, THANK YOU very much for the comments and feedback on the pickups and guitars. This is exactly what I was looking for. I passed the info on to my friend. I'll probably reach out to a couple of you directly. This was great info thanks so much!!!

Peter

[Michael_B]

I have a 6129 with TVJ Classics and Stella has a 6128 with TVJ PowerTrons. The regular PowerTrons, on that guitar, have a lot of growl; you've got to turn the volume down quite a bit to get some of that famous chime. I'd like to get some more bite in my 6129 and I'm thinking of putting a Classic+ at the bridge.

The TVJ site gives pretty helpful info on what to expect and their soundclips are a little helpful, too.

[atomicwash]

I have TVJ's in almost all of my Gretsch guitars. I don't care for the stock FilterTrons. I've heard that minihum's are similar to Ftrons, if you have experience with them.

Here's rock samples of TVJ Classics in a Duojet through a SF Super Reverb:

http://www.amazon.com/Plucked-Arena-Venus/dp/B000CAGKFC

Here's clean samples with TVJ Classics in a 6122:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/arenavenus2

I have a TVJ MagnaTron in my Spectra Sonic (made by Hamer). This one tends to sit more between a Tele and a TVJ Classic.

Dan