Cabronita conversion to standard tele?

[ruger9]

Hear me out....

My main question is, do the pickup routs in a Cabronita allow for standard tele pickups to be installed? Meaning, no routing or new holes required.

Now: let me unpack it.

I have a Cabronita thinline that I love. Love the body, the color, the neck, the electronics.... and I have even found pickups that I like (I do not like Filtertrons, tried them all. It currently has TV Jones T-90s in it, but I have also liked TV Jones T-Armonds in it).

But I think I'd like another tele.... as in a regular tele. But I don't want to buy one when I have a great one sitting here, it just has the wrong pickups in it. So I was thinking, replace the bridge with a standard tele bridge (this guitar has already been modded with an American Standard hardtail strat bridge, so I think an American Standard tele bridge will fit without drilling any new holes). Then get a standard tele pickguard and load it with a regular tele neck pickup.

Then to avoid drilling a bunch of holes, just attach the pickguard temporarily with some 3M type stuff... that clear sticky stuff they use on credit card mailers LOL. It would just be temporary, so I don't really care how it looks ... but this could tell me if I really wanted to convert the guitar to be a standard tele...

Am I being stupid? Am I missing anything? Oh and if it's any more work than I have indicated, I won't be doing it. I don't want to refinish the guitar, and I can't rout anything either... in case I want to put it back to original...

Pic of the guitar in question

 

[Mechanic]

Being the owner of a MIM Cabby and 2 others. Both are single coils. All are unmodified. If your Cabby is MIM I would try it with out major mods. If it’s a Squire, knock yourself out. I play my Cabby in rotation with my others. Others are a MIM Strat and a MIC Les Paul.
So long as your not making major cuts, go for it.

 

[boris bubbanov]

Sometimes the difference in location of the through holes (and mount holes) is subtle, but I find you are headed for trouble, trying to attempt these kinds of conversions. At this point, I wouldn't even modify a Squier in this fashion. When bridges are different, you must assume the locations of the through holes and/or mount holes are different, and if the pickups are of a different style, you must assume the routing is such that you will be cutting away at the wood (and maybe chipping the finish) or you'll be leaving obvious, large unsightly voids. Or both.

 

[tomasz]

This post may come in handy:

Solving the Cabronita Bridge Mystery

A public service for those with post-2012 MIM Cabronitas trying to figure out which bridge to use to correct the string spacing. Fender made the Cabronitas with 3 different screw/string spacings: 1. 2012 MIM Cabronitas: strings: 2 1/8 screws: vintage (apparently) - why folks noticed the...

www.tdpri.com

String spacings on cabronitas tend to differ a small bit.

I'm not sure if the regular tele bridge pickup would fit either, without routing

 

[Vegetable Man]

Maybe contact Lollar and see if they can make these in a "Lollartron Traditional" size?

Novel T

Check out the deal on Novel T at Lollar Pickups

www.lollarguitars.com

 

[ruger9]

Being the owner of a MIM Cabby and 2 others. Both are single coils. All are unmodified. If your Cabby is MIM I would try it with out major mods. If it’s a Squire, knock yourself out. I play my Cabby in rotation with my others. Others are a MIM Strat and a MIC Les Paul.
So long as your not making major cuts, go for it.

Yeah, it's an MIM. That's why I don't want to do anything irreversible, at first. I would have zero problem making permanent changes for the conversion... provided I had already determined I loved the guitar AS a standard tele.

I guess the only real way to know is to buy a MIA bridge and std. pickguard, and see how everything lines up.

 

[ruger9]

Maybe contact Lollar and see if they can make these in a "Lollartron Traditional" size?

Novel T

Check out the deal on Novel T at Lollar Pickups

www.lollarguitars.com

I don't like 'Trons, period.

 

[Skydog1010]

Don't do it.

WTS the Lollar suggestion (above) if I had the bucks handy I would go with the replacement pickups only, but not "tron'. SOAP BARS! Leave the bridge alone.

 

[ruger9]

Don't do it.

WTS the Lollar suggestion (above) if I had the bucks handy I would go with the replacement pickups only, but not "tron'. SOAP BARS! Leave the bridge alone.

That's what's in it LOL, the TVJ's are soap bars, just with a cool metal surround. I had his plain sopabars in it awhile ago:

 

[USian Pie]

I'd probably stick to finding something from TV Jones that fits in the cavity before trying to hack a Tele bridge route in there.

I can personally vouch for the Magnatron, at least in the neck. It's a less thunk-y sound than the Filtertron - stronger treble and less bass.

Edit: Missed the note above about the T-90s and T-Armonds. Fixed.

 

[Skydog1010]

That's what's in it LOL, the TVJ's are soap bars, just with a cool metal surround. I had his plain sopabars in it awhile ago:

View attachment 1096959

I like it that way.

Do you get a bunch of feedback?

 

[ruger9]

I like it that way.

Do you get a bunch of feedback?

No more than with a regular tele, I haven't found the thin lines feedback any more than a solidbody.

 

[Skydog1010]

I would buy another guitar after I put the black p90's in place.

 

[Vegetable Man]

I don't like 'Trons, period.

My suggestion was a tele style pickup in a Tron sized case...I posted a link (Novel T).

If they can do it, it would be custom.

 

[AznCaster]

I wouldn't do that if I were you, that body is too nice to tamper with and it's somewhat of a rare model. I'd just get a tele body and use the neck from this guitar.

 

[1stpitch]

Just don't. If you have to have another Telecaster, sell that one and buy a MIM. You should be able to get a good clean used Player for what the Cabronita sells for. In fact, I'd like to have it. PM if interested.

 

[ruger9]

Just don't. If you have to have another Telecaster, sell that one and buy a MIM. You should be able to get a good clean used Player for what the Cabronita sells for. In fact, I'd like to have it. PM if interested.

But you know how it is... a guitar isn't a guitar. Sure I could get a player or whatever, but it won't be THIS guitar. Sometimes you can tell something is RIGHT, you know? Right out of the gate, I knew this guitar was a really good one, even tho it took me awhile to find pickups for it I liked. But the wood... the neck... these 2 pieces of wood... they just WORK together. Not all do.

 

[Willie Johnson]

I kinda mulled this for my Squier Cab but decided it was a lot of squeeze for not a lot of juice. What about a 1 Meg volume pot and a chopped three barrel Tele bridge instead? Might be less invasive.

 

[1stpitch]

But you know how it is... a guitar isn't a guitar. Sure I could get a player or whatever, but it won't be THIS guitar. Sometimes you can tell something is RIGHT, you know? Right out of the gate, I knew this guitar was a really good one, even tho it took me awhile to find pickups for it I liked. But the wood... the neck... these 2 pieces of wood... they just WORK together. Not all do.

I get it. Especially the neck. Problem is, once you make a radical change to it, it's not that guitar any longer.

 

[ruger9]

I get it. Especially the neck. Problem is, once you make a radical change to it, it's not that guitar any longer.

Of course... that's why I'm inquiring about various fits... to see if I can temporarily (reversibly) convert this guitar, to see if it's something I would want to make permanent.