200-dollar Squier Bronco is a winner.

[2F/2F]

Mine will be getting a lacquered black Bakelite guard and a slab P Bass pickup. I might also do a lacquer overcoat of both the body and the neck, so it'll yellow, check, and rub off in time (down to the original non-yellowed pink poly).

Will steal its original pickup for the Bronco/Mustang PJ hybrid project I'm doing. That will have two stock Bronco pickups in it and a hunter green finish with a single ply celluloid tort guard.

 

[ltownbass]

I haven't read to see if someone has mentioned it before but the pickup is an 6 string electric guitar pickup.
If you lift the cover off, you will see that it's basically a strat pickup with 6 pole pieces.

At least that was the case with one that my friend bought.

Really easy to play, though. I always quite liked the bass

 

[pcake]

I haven't read to see if someone has mentioned it before but the pickup is an 6 string electric guitar pickup.
If you lift the cover off, you will see that it's basically a strat pickup with 6 pole pieces.

At least that was the case with one that my friend bought.

Really easy to play, though. I always quite liked the bass

it's the case with all of them, and that's their bottom-of-the-line strat pickup, if i'm not mistaken.

 

[LetItGrowTone]

In case you don't know, the Ric toaster pickup used at the neck of older Rics - very famous - has six pole pieces. Not a problem.

 

[ejaggers]

Congrats Fairmont on a nice choice of bass.

I have two Broncos modded so heavily
they don’t look like Broncos anymore.

The red one is a ’79 Fender competition Mustang copy with flats,
the black a Squier Musicmaster copy with rounds.

Broncos are an excellent platform for modding
because parts are plentiful and most of the time cheap.
But you’re right, they sound decent stock.

My Mustang has been my go-to bass out of the 11 I own,
and it steals play time from my others.

Modding is my thing since I only jam a home for now,
and I’m considering a 3rd to mod but still look like a Bronco.

I don’t currently own any basses with two saddle bridges,
and didn’t use the stock ones on my Broncos very long,
but I've heard there's no problem with intonation.

I had no problems with the tuners although I replaced them.
My biggest gripe about a stock Bronco is the cheap PG,
and I know that is petty.....057912

Here are mine:
Thought I was done with my Mustang project… But No…Help Needed
Bronco Musicmaster Project 99% complete

 

[SBassman]

I'm a casual observer here. I don't currently don't own a Bronco, but I did in the past, and I enjoyed it. I love short scales. But I Did think there were unnecessary compromises with the Bronco - reedonculous bridge, crappy tuners, and a questionable pickup, depending on your point of view. The neck itself, in my opinion, was excellent.

I was about to post here - hey wouldn't you folks go from the 150 price to, say, 200, easily if they had given you slightly better bridge, tuners, and pickup. Then I looked up the current price of a Bronco - 200. Oops. More than a Mikro and more than a Squier Mini.

Me thinks the current Bronco is not keeping up with the times. Your mileage may vary, but I think today you get much more from a Mikro or Mini - at the 180 dollar price point - then they are giving for the Bronco at 200. They need to update this bass with a real bridge, tuners, and bass pickup to align value with those other basses.

 

[pcake]

I'm a casual observer here. I don't currently don't own a Bronco, but I did in the past, and I enjoyed it. I love short scales. But I Did think there were unnecessary compromises with the Bronco - reedonculous bridge, crappy tuners, and a questionable pickup, depending on your point of view. The neck itself, in my opinion, was excellent.

I was about to post here - hey wouldn't you folks go from the 150 price to, say, 200, easily if they had given you slightly better bridge, tuners, and pickup. Then I looked up the current price of a Bronco - 200. Oops. More than a Mikro and more than a Squier Mini.

Me thinks the current Bronco is not keeping up with the times. Your mileage may vary, but I think today you get much more from a Mikro or Mini - at the 180 dollar price point - then they are giving for the Bronco at 200. They need to update this bass with a real bridge, tuners, and bass pickup to align value with those other basses.

rather than pay $200, i would call musicians friend or sam ash and ask for a discount, but considering that the bronco has no fingerboard and a saddle that doesn't let you intonate each string separately, yeah, i think $150 was a good price for it. you can get a mikro or as 34" scale GSR100 from ibanez, each at $179. so i'd like to see a real bridge on the bronco, at least, for $200.

 

[ejaggers]

rather than pay $200, i would call musicians friend or sam ash and ask for a discount, but considering that the bronco has no fingerboard and a saddle that doesn't let you intonate each string separately, yeah, i think $150 was a good price for it. you can get a mikro or as 34" scale GSR100 from ibanez, each at $179. so i'd like to see a real bridge on the bronco, at least, for $200.

Cakes,
When you say "real bridge", are you saying 4 saddle or what?

I didn't use my bridges on mine long, but I've heard that they can be intonated properly.
Is this not true?.......057912

 

[pcake]

Cakes,
When you say "real bridge", are you saying 4 saddle or what?

I didn't use my bridges on mine long, but I've heard that they can be intonated properly.
Is this not true?.......057912

i do mean that.

you can intonate it, but it's not so easy. there's no point in doing it that way, either.

 

[SBassman]

Exactly. No point in having a bridge like that.

 

[the harp unstrung]

I'm a casual observer here. I don't currently don't own a Bronco, but I did in the past, and I enjoyed it. I love short scales. But I Did think there were unnecessary compromises with the Bronco - reedonculous bridge, crappy tuners, and a questionable pickup, depending on your point of view. The neck itself, in my opinion, was excellent.

I was about to post here - hey wouldn't you folks go from the 150 price to, say, 200, easily if they had given you slightly better bridge, tuners, and pickup. Then I looked up the current price of a Bronco - 200. Oops. More than a Mikro and more than a Squier Mini.

Me thinks the current Bronco is not keeping up with the times. Your mileage may vary, but I think today you get much more from a Mikro or Mini - at the 180 dollar price point - then they are giving for the Bronco at 200. They need to update this bass with a real bridge, tuners, and bass pickup to align value with those other basses.

I own a yard-sale Bronco, & a Mikro...first short, and shorter, scale basses I’ve ever really played.

The bright red Bronco gets played more than the bright blue Mikro.

...enjoy the Mikro, I really do, unique in the upper register...sounds like a by gawd bass guitar down toward the cash register.

It’s fun playing a short scale bass...

 

[Shorty3]

I'm a casual observer here. I don't currently don't own a Bronco, but I did in the past, and I enjoyed it. I love short scales. But I Did think there were unnecessary compromises with the Bronco - reedonculous bridge, crappy tuners, and a questionable pickup, depending on your point of view. The neck itself, in my opinion, was excellent.

I was about to post here - hey wouldn't you folks go from the 150 price to, say, 200, easily if they had given you slightly better bridge, tuners, and pickup. Then I looked up the current price of a Bronco - 200. Oops. More than a Mikro and more than a Squier Mini.

Me thinks the current Bronco is not keeping up with the times. Your mileage may vary, but I think today you get much more from a Mikro or Mini - at the 180 dollar price point - then they are giving for the Bronco at 200. They need to update this bass with a real bridge, tuners, and bass pickup to align value with those other basses.

The Bronco already has an EMG 35HZ type casing under the pickguard.

I would say that they would sell at 250 Euros, and would sell tons, if Fender/Squier would:

1 - Update to a 4-saddle bridge
2 - Use slightly better tuners
3 - Use a EMG 35HZ type passive humbucker
4 - Use black or tort pickguards

Just IMHO and of course YMMV.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

i like the shell pink, but i might prefer it with a rosewood board
Squier Affinity Bronco Bass Shell Pink (CME Exclusive) Pre-Order
or maybe a different pickguard... something to counteract all the white and pink.

A black or black pearl pickguard would look great with the shell pink and maple . Would really pop!
Aged pearl would be more toned down but still look better than stock .

 

[SBassman]

The Bronco already has an EMG 35HZ type casing under the pickguard.

I would say that they would sell at 250 Euros, and would sell tons, if Fender/Squier would:

1 - Update to a 4-saddle bridge
2 - Use slightly better tuners
3 - Use a EMG 35HZ type passive humbucker
4 - Use black or tort pickguards

Just IMHO and of course YMMV.

I completely agree. I think the manufacturers are short sighted when they spec out builds like that. Leaving easy money on the table.

 

[gip111]

Looks like a cheap single coil guitar pickup under the hood...

 

[pcake]

Looks like a cheap single coil guitar pickup under the hood...View attachment 3987432

we knew that already - it's a cheap strat pickup ;-)

 

[gip111]

we knew that already - it's a cheap strat pickup ;-)

Aha! Guess I’m late to the party, just got a Bronco and wanted to peak underneath

 

[pcake]

Aha! Guess I’m late to the party, just got a Bronco and wanted to peak underneath

what do you think of yours so far?

 

[Shorty3]

Aha! Guess I’m late to the party, just got a Bronco and wanted to peak underneath

Is it a 2020 model? Is it still built with the wide pickup housing under the pickguard?

 

[Volker Kirstein]

Looks like a cheap single coil guitar pickup under the hood...View attachment 3987432

Broncos have always come with a "guitar" pickup.

In the grand scheme of things, a pickup is a pickup. Danlelectro uses the same pickups on many of their guitars and basses. I use a Telecaster "lipstick" neck pickup on my "vintage" P.