Anyone know if guitar center does these mods?

[Splash7]

The only thing I would do to a Bronco, pick-up wise, is up-grade the existing pick-up.

 

[gln1955]

A good tech or luthier will not only do the work right, but will make sure you are putting in a pickup and preamp that will work best for your situation.

 

[Nighttrain1127]

The GC local to me has a very good Tech/ Set up guy. He will change strings and do a very good set up if you need it but he will tell you that anything beyond changing out a pot or other simple stuff goes to a local Luthier.

 

[JimmyM]

What's with all the slamming of techs at GC? Some of them have good ones, you know? Not all GC's are full of morons.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

The main (true) gripe about GC is not that they universally suck, but that they randomly suck, and that can change wildly depending on who's running a particular store, or who happens to be working there that month. I go to my local GC average 2-4 times a year just to see what's cooking, and I've literally NEVER seen the same guy twice, except for the tech I mentioned. Had a good conversation with him, seemed to have a lot of time on his hands. He confirmed what I've heard and seen, they do NO setup on anything until you buy it, and then only if you request it.

 

[Lobster11]

Since a Bronco is not an expensive bass, wouldn’t it be easier to find a bass with the proper configuration? The mod will probably cost you a lot of $ compared to the cost of the bass without adding value to your instrument. My 0.02$

This is what I think too. If you wanted a project and planned to do the work yourself, that would be different. Sell both your basses and use the money to buy a good PJ if that's what you want.

 

[two fingers]

Hi! I have a bronco bass that I would like to mod with a bridge pickup. I want it to have the original pickup AND a j pickup on the bottom. This will require a new hole And probably a new preamp. Does anyone know if guitar center will do this and the price? Thanks!

Welcome to TalkBass!!!!

Let's try a different approach.

There's a chance your local GC has a great tech. But there's also a chance he/she is a hack.

Try telling us where you are and asking for suggestions as to who we would reccomend. There are thousands of us at TalkBass. Odds are one of us knows a qualified luthiers near you. Heck, one of us might even BE a qualified luthier near you.

I would even start a new thread to get more responses to your question.... especially responses that aren't as snarky. Many here have no love for GC.

Good luck with your project!

 

[Gilmourisgod]

@JimmyM
Nobody said they were morons, just that they often install unqualified people in the job, and if it’s just changing strings or setups, that might be good enough. Anybody who is good seems to leave due to the low pay and lack of benefits. A repair tech, even a good one, is not a Luthier in most cases, and shouldn’t be wielding a router.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Well string spacing may be an issue, I think bronco is 17.5, and jazz pickups are 19 mm...

 

[Tom Gallo]

What's with all the slamming of techs at GC? Some of them have good ones, you know? Not all GC's are full of morons.

GC techs are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get?

I have no experience with GC techs, so I can't comment on that. If it were me, I would take it to someone I knew and trusted. Fortunately, I know a guy.

 

[RabidMusic]

My GC cannot even do a simple setup correctly.

 

[john_g]

Sure they will do it, take my word for it. And will only cost you $29.95.

Source: anonymous guy on the internet

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

Ask around your area to other musicians. They know who are reputable luthiers / technicians in your area. And I doubt they bring stuff to the local GC.

In my area the GC hasn't had a lot of experience with most of the Pro Musicians in our area, that I'm aware of. Perhaps in large cities that may be different.

When I go into the local GC most of the instruments play poorly due to a shoddy set up. So I don't think I'd trust them to do other quality work, if they won't even set up the instruments they are selling properly. Just saying.

Not meaning to rain on GCs parade, just stating what my experience has been.

 

[Ggaa]

GC near me actually admitted they didn't have the expertise to install bigger side dots so they referred me to an outside luthier, and to another GC. They can keep a guy that does decent setups but skilled techs don't hang around long.

 

[fhm555]

My GC has a mature, experienced, sensible repair technician who's been there for years. The few times I've used his services he's done exactly what I requested. He finished the jobs quickly and charged fairly. I'm confident he would direct me elsewhere if he felt unqualified to perform a particular service, as he did with me on one occasion.

And based on my experience he would be the exception which proves the rule.

 

[fhm555]

There’s probably exceptions but most the time asking a GC to route and install an extra pickup is the equivalent of taking your car to the local car wash for a custom paint job.

I think the car wash paint job would turn out better.

 

[BioDriver]

I wouldn't trust Guitar Center to tune my instrument, let alone start slicing and dicing. Find a more reputable luthier in your area.

 

[Watchootognbout]

I had a GC tech route and install the pickups in this bass back in 2015.
Did a fine and dandy job.

 

[abarson]

The only thing I would do to a Bronco, pick-up wise, is up-grade the existing pick-up.

The absolute first mod to do on a Bronco is to shield the pickup and control cavity. This will eliminate the most offending aspect of the bass: how noisy it is.
After that, swapping out the cheap Strat single-coil for a rail humbucker makes a big improvement. I guess adding a J pickup in the bridge position might get you into "poor man's Mustang" territory, but that single-coil won't get you anywhere near the Mustang's P pickup sound.

 

[steveksux]

I don't know if GC does work like that, but I do know if they do work like that they'd do it badly.

Randy