I was smitten by the first Cabronita I played and always wanted one. The combination of Gretsch-style Filtertron pickups and a Tele chassis is an absolute winner. It keeps the twang and bite but adds some heft.
The original Fenders were about £3k. There was a reissue for about £1.8k and then this Squier for a lot less, especially pre-owned. (By the way, I prefer to buy modern guitars pre-owned and with some age on them if possible because it reduces the risk of the guitar going dead as many low manufacturing cost countries’ imports tend to).
This one appeared in my inbox the day after I’d bought the Squier Paranormal Strat and I certainly wasn’t in market for another guitar, but it looked right and was very cheap. I drove to Guitarbitz in Bath and by the time I arrived they’d restrung and set it up and it took seconds to decide to buy it.
Considering it lives with guitars costing hundreds or even thousands of times as much, I play it a lot. I decided I didn’t like the gooped poly finish on the neck and by chance a local friend had a spare blank neck literally lying around. He cut the headstock to Telecaster shape and finished it with the fantastic oiled finish you get on MusicMan instruments.
The stock ‘Fidelitron’ pickups were really good – and I understand they are in demand and quite hard to find – but the Beartrons which Stuart Robson at Sunbear Pickups would for it are even better.
The guitar only has a volume control and a pickup selector, but the hardest thing with Filterton style pickups is matching the volume pot so it works across its entire track and doesn’t mute high frequencies as you roll it back. Fixing that took more time and nearly as much money as everything else ?
Joe Bonamassa is right – modern pots are not great and pretty dire if you’re used to vintage ones.
