200-dollar Squier Bronco is a winner.

[Volker Kirstein]

... only the 2007 Badtz.Maru had an acceptable pickup. The other ones were pretty awful receivers of RF... so you are lucky! ...

I don't know about other Broncos, but I can attest to my Badtz Maru (strung w/GHS SS Precision Flats) sounding absoluteley wonderful.

It's bizarre, very often the 2nd hand price is barely less than the price for a new bass from the big shops, sometimes even more.

I typically see Broncos in the want ads in the €120 to €150 range. Rarely less. The cheapest I can find new are €170+.

On eBay, if I turn on international sellers, I can find used Broncos cheap in the USA, but shipping makes those very prohibitive.

Exception: Badtz Maru Broncos are always (much) more expensive than any new or used "regular" Broncos.

 

[Bass4LifeRS]

Wish they would shrink the headstock a little

 

[WI Short Scaler]

Btw, I had a nice catch 2 months ago: a refinished (previous red) Bronco, now blue, with tinted neck. Looks and plays beautiful. I changed the pu to my favourite Lace Sensor Red. Lighter than my previous 2 Broncos: less than 3.3kg opposed to 3.6kg of the previous ones.

That is amazing looking, love the blue!

 

[z009]

im a big fan of bronco basses.. mine is from 2007 and has a rattlecan hot pink paint job that was later relic'd by my dad using a sandblaster.. we also installed a dragonfire hot rail pickup that i got for under $20 iirc, which did fatten the sound a lot and add presence, but like other posters in this thread i think the stock pickup is undersung.. with a worn in set of flats and a dynamic playing style you can pretty easily dial in a large variety of tones, ranging from upright-esque to thick/fuzzy rawkk.. i would love a second bronco to string up with rounds, but i hesitate because of the lack of drop in tuner replacements (a serious weakpoint), and because a lot of my songwriting is in drop c# nowadays, which isnt really suited to short scale

heres a vid of me playing a miles davis deep cut with the bronco (post pickup swap) -> ... i always loved bringing it to jazz gigs where every other bassist was on upright.. play smarter not harder

 

[WI Short Scaler]

It gives me much more joy to own/play a kick-butt cheapo than a high-quality expensive instrument, because I am an extremely thrifty person.

I am of the exact same opinion. Just put a Bronco neck on my Musicmaster body, so by actual terms low cost part on low cost part. Love it, plays fantastic.

 

[EatS1stBassist]

im a big fan of bronco basses.. mine is from 2007 and has a rattlecan hot pink paint job that was later relic'd by my dad using a sandblaster.. we also installed a dragonfire hot rail pickup that i got for under $20 iirc, which did fatten the sound a lot and add presence, but like other posters in this thread i think the stock pickup is undersung.. with a worn in set of flats and a dynamic playing style you can pretty easily dial in a large variety of tones, ranging from upright-esque to thick/fuzzy rawkk.. i would love a second bronco to string up with rounds, but i hesitate because of the lack of drop in tuner replacements (a serious weakpoint), and because a lot of my songwriting is in drop c# nowadays, which isnt really suited to short scale

heres a vid of me playing a miles davis deep cut with the bronco (post pickup swap) -> ... i always loved bringing it to jazz gigs where every other bassist was on upright.. play smarter not harder

Wow! Great! Loved it! I used that same pickup on a mod I did! I did swap out my tuning machines on that one.

 

[EatS1stBassist]

im a big fan of bronco basses.. mine is from 2007 and has a rattlecan hot pink paint job that was later relic'd by my dad using a sandblaster.. we also installed a dragonfire hot rail pickup that i got for under $20 iirc, which did fatten the sound a lot and add presence, but like other posters in this thread i think the stock pickup is undersung.. with a worn in set of flats and a dynamic playing style you can pretty easily dial in a large variety of tones, ranging from upright-esque to thick/fuzzy rawkk.. i would love a second bronco to string up with rounds, but i hesitate because of the lack of drop in tuner replacements (a serious weakpoint), and because a lot of my songwriting is in drop c# nowadays, which isnt really suited to short scale

heres a vid of me playing a miles davis deep cut with the bronco (post pickup swap) -> ... i always loved bringing it to jazz gigs where every other bassist was on upright.. play smarter not harder

im a big fan of bronco basses.. mine is from 2007 and has a rattlecan hot pink paint job that was later relic'd by my dad using a sandblaster.. we also installed a dragonfire hot rail pickup that i got for under $20 iirc, which did fatten the sound a lot and add presence, but like other posters in this thread i think the stock pickup is undersung.. with a worn in set of flats and a dynamic playing style you can pretty easily dial in a large variety of tones, ranging from upright-esque to thick/fuzzy rawkk.. i would love a second bronco to string up with rounds, but i hesitate because of the lack of drop in tuner replacements (a serious weakpoint), and because a lot of my songwriting is in drop c# nowadays, which isnt really suited to short scale

heres a vid of me playing a miles davis deep cut with the bronco (post pickup swap) -> ... i always loved bringing it to jazz gigs where every other bassist was on upright.. play smarter not harder

These are the ones I used on my Bronco.
Hipshot Ultralite Individual Bass Tuner with Schaller-style Knob | stewmac.com

 

[scottie65]

Many claim the output is weak. I haven't tested it yet. I've enjoyed playing acoustically this evening. I was going to plug in, but maybe tomorrow instead.

You were fortunate to be able to walk into a store and pick one up. Here it is two years later and it seems they are getting ready to stop making them. I found a used one in a shop the other day and the pickup did not sound weak but changing out the pickup would only improve it. I did notice the volume/tone knobs did not work well. They would kick in about 60% of the way. That in my opinion is something I would change first if you really want better sound control. The problem with the standard pickup is that you really do not get that much variation in tone but in many cases a lot of people are not concerned about that. All they want is a good thump. The little bass seems well made for that but the best thing I noticed was the neck was very good and really impressed me.

 

[Kubicki Fan]

You were fortunate to be able to walk into a store and pick one up. Here it is two years later and it seems they are getting ready to stop making them. I found a used one in a shop the other day and the pickup did not sound weak but changing out the pickup would only improve it. I did notice the volume/tone knobs did not work well. They would kick in about 60% of the way. That in my opinion is something I would change first if you really want better sound control. The problem with the standard pickup is that you really do not get that much variation in tone but in many cases a lot of people are not concerned about that. All they want is a good thump. The little bass seems well made for that but the best thing I noticed was the neck was very good and really impressed me.

If you are comfortable soldering, you can replace the tone and volume pots for a few bucks.
Hipshot makes a nice little bridge that will let you intonate properly; the two saddle disaster the bass comes with probably won't let you.

I have replaced the tuners (eventually) with Res-o-Lites (58g ea.)
For these you will have to ream the existing holes.

I have bought a Wilde LS45 dual rail strat pickup, on the recommendation of a fellow TB member.

Applied some shielding foil. All said and done, I still spent less then if I bought a Fender short scale. Good luck!

 

[scottie65]

If you are comfortable soldering, you can replace the tone and volume pots for a few bucks.
Hipshot makes a nice little bridge that will let you intonate properly; the two saddle disaster the bass comes with probably won't let you.

I have replaced the tuners (eventually) with Res-o-Lites (58g ea.)
For these you will have to ream the existing holes.

I have bought a Wilde LS45 dual rail strat pickup, on the recommendation of a fellow TB member.

Applied some shielding foil. All said and done, I still spent less then if I bought a Fender short scale. Good luck!

I am surprised Squier would put out the Bronco with a bridge that will not let an individual intonate properly. I am sure the Hipshot would do the trick and give better sustain. I like them very much. Thanks for the information on the Res-0-Lites. What brand pots did you go with or do you normally use?

 

[roccobladr]

What’s the consensus on replacing the pickups? I don’t mind the stock pickup, except for the noise. Is it worth replacing? All comparison videos don’t seem to show much of a benefit. I’m considering some cheap amazon dual rails to get rid of the noise, but don’t want it to sound worse.

 

[scottie65]

What’s the consensus on replacing the pickups? I don’t mind the stock pickup, except for the noise. Is it worth replacing? All comparison videos don’t seem to show much of a benefit. I’m considering some cheap amazon dual rails to get rid of the noise, but don’t want it to sound worse.

I guess a lot of guys have replaced them with good results. The one I checked out even with standard set up did not have much hum/60hz except when the tone was turned all the way up to get the more trebly sound which was not bad. I just got off ebay checking the dual rails and they have several companies selling from $15.75 up some even with alnico 5 magnets which is what I would pick. The Oripure one runs like $48 but you may not want to put that much into a replacement pickup. Some guys put in the seymour duncan unit for a little over $100 but you keep adding things up and you might as well buy a guitar without having to mod them at that much money. Face it, for $300=$400 you can get a pretty good unit without changing anything. I think the object is to spend as little as possible and get the best sound you can. Each I guess needs to figure out his desires and how much he wants or has to spend. Wish you the best.

 

[EatS1stBassist]

I am surprised Squier would put out the Bronco with a bridge that will not let an individual intonate properly. I am sure the Hipshot would do the trick and give better sustain. I like them very much. Thanks for the information on the Res-0-Lites. What brand pots did you go with or do you normally use?

Bornes

What’s the consensus on replacing the pickups? I don’t mind the stock pickup, except for the noise. Is it worth replacing? All comparison videos don’t seem to show much of a benefit. I’m considering some cheap amazon dual rails to get rid of the noise, but don’t want it to sound worse.

I installed an inexpensive dual rail and it sounded incredible!

 

[EatS1stBassist]

I guess a lot of guys have replaced them with good results. The one I checked out even with standard set up did not have much hum/60hz except when the tone was turned all the way up to get the more trebly sound which was not bad. I just got off ebay checking the dual rails and they have several companies selling from $15.75 up some even with alnico 5 magnets which is what I would pick. The Oripure one runs like $48 but you may not want to put that much into a replacement pickup. Some guys put in the seymour duncan unit for a little over $100 but you keep adding things up and you might as well buy a guitar without having to mod them at that much money. Face it, for $300=$400 you can get a pretty good unit without changing anything. I think the object is to spend as little as possible and get the best sound you can. Each I guess needs to figure out his desires and how much he wants or has to spend. Wish you the best.

If you can put in an Oripure I would do so! Great pickup. Great Quality!

 

[Kubicki Fan]

I am surprised Squier would put out the Bronco with a bridge that will not let an individual intonate properly. I am sure the Hipshot would do the trick and give better sustain. I like them very much. Thanks for the information on the Res-0-Lites. What brand pots did you go with or do you normally use?

When I was building my Warmoth projects, I bough extras. I went with CTS pots that time.
My favourite bridge is made by Babicz, it allowed me to get the action very low on my fretless where the Goto 201 failed (would have had to file the saddle barrels on that one). Hipshot has options to chose from if you want the less than 19mm string spacing.

 

[Kubicki Fan]

I guess a lot of guys have replaced them with good results. The one I checked out even with standard set up did not have much hum/60hz except when the tone was turned all the way up to get the more trebly sound which was not bad. I just got off ebay checking the dual rails and they have several companies selling from $15.75 up some even with alnico 5 magnets which is what I would pick. The Oripure one runs like $48 but you may not want to put that much into a replacement pickup. Some guys put in the seymour duncan unit for a little over $100 but you keep adding things up and you might as well buy a guitar without having to mod them at that much money. Face it, for $300=$400 you can get a pretty good unit without changing anything. I think the object is to spend as little as possible and get the best sound you can. Each I guess needs to figure out his desires and how much he wants or has to spend. Wish you the best.

For sure there are much cheaper, decent sounding pickups available than the Wilde (Bill Lawrence). I just went with the Wilde b/c I didn't want to try something unfamiliar and I learned to trust @ctmullins's advice.
Actually, I bought five different pick guards and wired them all with different pickups so I an have a different bass just by changing the pickguard: One has a Warman (musicman style humbucker), another has a Sentell pup, another has a Novak BS-DS...
For the rest I was thinking about getting a Nordstrand 51-P, and some more pickups from Sentell (if he is still in business).

 

[WI Short Scaler]

These are the ones I used on my Bronco.
Hipshot Ultralite Individual Bass Tuner with Schaller-style Knob | stewmac.com

Sorry if I missed it but these were not drop in were they? Some drilling/enlarging holes in headstock needed? I replaced mine with some Pings and while they are better they aren't the best. But I have no access to a drill press or any skills at woodworking so reluctant to try that. Thanks

 

[EatS1stBassist]

Sorry if I missed it but these were not drop in were they? Some drilling/enlarging holes in headstock needed? I replaced mine with some Pings and while they are better they aren't the best. But I have no access to a drill press or any skills at woodworking so reluctant to try that. Thanks

That was a few years ago. But I don’t believe I had to enlarge the tuning machine hole in the headstock. You can buy the Hipshot import for less.

 

[pcake]

i was going to replace my bronco with a stacked humbucker from fralin, but when i was playing my bronco, i realized it actually sounds good and left in the stock pickup. my previous bronco didn't sound as good.

 

[Joel T]

I did a lot with my $150 2019 Bronco Bass. Modifications were made over the years. It became a fretless in 2022. It's a great platform for modifications, hopefully a budget-friendly bass you can have for life.