Fender Cabronita Precision Electric Bass, Maple Fingerboard (with Gig Bag)

A stripped-down alder body and a single FideliTron pickup? Plug in, and the no-nonsense Cabronita P-Bass comes to life with monstrously-rich tone.

Overall User Ratings (based on 4 ratings)
  • Overall:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
(4) (see rating details)
Submitted January 19, 2014 by a customer from live.com in Rochester, MN

"A really GREAT sound to have around!"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This is a fantastic bass in terms of design, sound, and construction with a fantastic price point to boot! The fit and finish are great, nice fretwork, and hardware is well above average. The bass balances nice and required very little tweaking out of the box, which I always anticipate anyway. In this case it was as simple as a truss rod adjustment and a little work to the nut slots, although it was at "Fender spec" when it arrived, I just prefer a bit lower action than most. 2/32nds at the 17th and buzz free end to end!
Sound
It has elements of the classic P-Bass tone as expected but the new "Fidelitron" (Grestch Filtertron) produces some amazing tones that would be useful in any setting. It is powerful and balanced and lets the user further customize that balance with the adjustable pole pieces.
Features
Components are fine and above average for the price. Vintage style reverse tuners with the larger plates and straight posts work flawlessly and the newly designed bridge is pretty much a Bad Ass II and also free of fault. The only niggle, and a minor one, are the small pots, but they work fine and it's an easy fix for later should you decide to.
Ease of Use
It's a P-Bass...pick it up and play it, and never take it off.
Quality
The paint work (candy apple red) has no uneven spray lines and is nicely polished. The gloss finished neck and polished frets are very nicely done as well. All frets are level and smooth. This is actually the second Cabronita neck I've owned as I have one with the vintage tuners on my '09 CV Lake Placid Blue single coil P-Bass and both are great, trouble-free necks. Know beforehand these are the thick C profile necks and understand what that means and you will get what you ordered. Yes, it is a fat neck, but to say it is "fatter than my "other" P-Bass neck" is a pointless observation unless your "other" P-Bass is also a '51 style thick C profile. It is not a 60's-70's-80's blah blah medium profile or thin neck and wasn't designed as such.If I had a complaint on the cosmetic quality it would be the single ply pick guard as the thin white pick guard, while nicely shaped, looks a bit out of place on an otherwise classy looking bass. I do re-fins/restorations and repairs so I really don't mind the 5 minutes it will take to use the existing guard as a template for some nice vintage perloid stock to complete the fantastic look of the bass, but even a 3 ply white would be better than the stock issue.
Value
An amazing value and the zZounds Pay as you Play option made it irresistible, well an understanding wife helps too:-) It is well above other basses in the same price range as far as parts and construction.
Manufacturer Support
I've had tons of Fender basses over the years and this is number 14 in my current collection of Fender basses. Never needed support, probably never will, but I'm certain it would be great if I did.
The Wow Factor
A beautiful, simple, sexy, great sounding bass! If you want to have some fun and like things a bit out of the norm, this IS the bass for you! Well built, well designed, and beautifully finished. I love my new Cabronita Precision Bass.

Musical Background:

Professional bassist of 30+ years.

Musical Style:

Alternative, punk, power-pop, and a bit of anything else.
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Submitted December 31, 2014 by Jeff Crenshaw in Gatlinburg, TN

"Like the old days"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Bought a black one from ZZ about 8 months ago. The bass reminds me of the Fenders we used to buy back in the 70's. Except it's better. Very solid, big ol' neck that's easy to get around on. Pickup sounds great. It's very sensitive to distance from strings. Fender says 6/64 from bottom of string to top of pole piece which is a good place to start. The TV Jones website(the p/u maker that the fidelitron is patterned after) recommends not adjusting the individual pole pieces but just adjusting the pickup itself.I currently own an American Standard Jazz bass but I play the Cabronita almost exclusively. It's just a blast to play and sounds superb.
Sound
If you get to floggin' it the p/u really starts to grow;.
Features
Neck adjustment at the head end is my favorite. No pickguard remova. Can see the seams through the paint on the body. No big deal on this price point. Neck is fun to play on. Lots of room. Play it unamplified and you can feel the vibrations in your arm and abdomen. She really vibrates.
Ease of Use
Supremely playable. If one likes ''baseball bat'' necks. For me it's the ''oyster's galoshes''.
Quality
It's better made than the old 70's ones. Neck pocket is real tight. It'll probably last til' the next ice age. Or longer.
Value
For what you get it's a super value. Fender MIMs seem to be put together well.
Manufacturer Support
I've had lots of Fender basses and can't recall ever having to them.
The Wow Factor
I have quiet a few people coming up and asking ''what's the deal with this bass''. Don't see the Cabronita out yet in live venues. Makes it unique. And it sounds unique. A little like a Rickenbacker.

Musical Background:

Playing 45 years. Have owned Gibsons, Rickenbackers and Fenders mostly. Professiona;

Musical Style:

Blues
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Submitted May 13, 2015 by paul t in scottsdale, AZ

"Fender Sunburst Cabronita- an awesome tele-bass!!"

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
The Cabronita arrived on time and in great shape. If you like a thick neck and an old school style bass- this delivers. Fedelitron- ala gretsch style pickup is quite different from the split p style pickup in a p bass. still has a punchy, fat sound but more balanced in tone. Tuners stay in tune and are easy to use- controls are dead simple- vol and tone. I started out with a Squire cabronita and it is a great bass by all rights. Almost wish Fender would have followed through with a sculpted back for the "tummy" cut that the Squier has. For sheer comfort, the Squier tummy cut cant be beat- even for us thin, tall bassists! Also, not to be missed, zzounds payment plan on this bass makes it a no brainer, order this little cabronita and you won't be disappointed.

Musical Background:

gigging musician

Musical Style:

rock!!
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Submitted October 1, 2013 by Rod G in Phoenix, AZ

"Had to return"

Overall: 2 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This bass looks great but lacks in a few key areas for me. It's a P-Bass so I was not expecting the HUGE neck. It's a lot like a baseball bat and not at all similar to the many P-Basses I've owned over the years. The pickup sounds decent except that the E string was inaudible. I made a few adjustments and was able to get a little sound out of the E string but not much. This thing is HEAVY! I play a standard P-Bass and the Cabronita is a lot heavier. I played this bass at one 6 hour rehearsal and for one set at a gig and decided to return it. Neck is too fat, pickup doesn't work that well, bass is too heavy for me.It's really a shame because this is the coolest looking bass Fender has put out in a long time.

Musical Background:

30 years playing electric and upright bass. Professional turned local artist playing 5-10 gigs a month.

Musical Style:

Traditional Country, Western Swing, some Classic Rock.
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