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Bronco Bass modders - post your basses!

don21480

don21480

Mar 17, 2006
1,576
1,210
NC
#1
Lets get some photos and details of modded Bronco basses - love to see what you have come up with - I'll start it up with my current 4:

1. Red Affinity Bronco - Amazon 51' P pickup under the cover, new bridge, new tuners, new pots and jack, tort pickguard, new knobs

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2. White Sonic Bronco - EMG Geezer P Bass pickup and electronics, 3 ply white pickguard, new threaded saddle bridge, new knobs

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3. Purple Sonic Bronco - Bartolini MMC Original Series pickup, new pots and jack, new threaded saddle bridge, Hipshot tuners, tort pickguard, new knobs

IMG_1124.JPG

4. Sonic Tahitian Coral repainted to Satin Silver - Squier Wide Range Humbucker pickup, new pots and jack, new threaded saddle bridge, 4 ply black pickguard, new knobs

IMG_1125.JPG
 
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#4
Old pictures from another thread, but still valid as absolutely nothing has changed-same upgrades and even the same strings (Ernie Ball Group I short scale flatwounds):

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I have only one Bronco, this Sonic Ultra Violet, and have too many other basses (if that is possible?!), so this humble little beast should suffice for this thread. In summary, only the neck, body, and grounding wires are original, everything else was switched out.

-earlpilanz pickguard (from EBay)
-forgot who made the knobs, they were from a Reverb seller, and I love them for this particular bass
-DiMarzio Cliplock strap
-DiMarzio Fast Track 1 rails pickup
-Graph Tech TUSQ nut
-Babicz bridge (the less bulky version)
-Hipshot USA tuners and Xtender

And the aforementioned Group I flats, which work great here as they aren't brutally tense due to the short scale. Everything fits together so well, and I love how beautiful-albeit in a cheesy manner-it looks. ALWAYS fun and sweet to play, no regrets about ANYTHING.
 
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#6
don21480 said:
Sweet bass - love the purple pickup cover and knobs !
Click to expand...
I loved your silver refinish! That is something I never imagine myself doing. XD

The Ultra Violet is a bit "lavender", so purple is not a perfect match, but I also thought it good at the time, because different shades of those neighboring colors look nice together. I first got some more "normal" Strat knobs from an EBay seller labeled "purple", but they were more fuchsia, that while a beautiful color, did not match at all. So by chance I saw these on Reverb, and purchased them right away. I suddenly remembered the seller's name: "Knob Head"

https://reverb.com/shop/knobhead

The DiMarzio I had to order direct from their website, as it's one of their cool 80s vibe covers that no one else sells (of course white and black pickup covers for the Fast Track 1-and all the others-are readily available almost anywhere.) Didn't mind the wait, as it was part of my plan for humble Bronco! Same with the Cliplock strap.

In fact this thread has inspired me to grab that bass as soon as I get home, check the setup, and play it, as I haven't done so in a bit. :D Unlike with my Sonic Precision that I purchased during the last Holidays, I got a very nice neck on my Sonic Bronco, and it's really a lovely feeling bass under the fingers.

Hope you get much enjoyment from all of yours for years to come. :bassist:
 
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#7
thrashingbass said:
I loved your silver refinish! That is something I never imagine myself doing. XD

The Ultra Violet is a bit "lavender", so purple is not a perfect match, but I also thought it good at the time, because different shades of those neighboring colors look nice together. I first got some more "normal" Strat knobs from an EBay seller labeled "purple", but they were more fuchsia, that while a beautiful color, did not match at all. So by chance I saw these on Reverb, and purchased them right away. I suddenly remembered the seller's name: "Knob Head"

https://reverb.com/shop/knobhead

The DiMarzio I had to order direct from their website, as it's one of their cool 80s vibe covers that no one else sells (of course white and black pickup covers for the Fast Track 1-and all the others-are readily available almost anywhere.) Didn't mind the wait, as it was part of my plan for humble Bronco! Same with the Cliplock strap.

In fact this thread has inspired me to grab that bass as soon as I get home, check the setup, and play it, as I haven't done so in a bit. :D Unlike with my Sonic Precision that I purchased during the last Holidays, I got a very nice neck on my Sonic Bronco, and it's really a lovely feeling bass under the fingers.

Hope you get much enjoyment from all of yours for years to come. :bassist:
Click to expand...
That is some really interesting color combination I would have never imagined. Looks great though.
 
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#9
Got one a couple of years ago, original coral red. First mod was headstock, It just doesn't feel right with four inline to me. Next was that I wanted an onboard headphone amp for practice wich meant routing and, and, and. Well this was it. The elefants on the headstock, is because we have a saying here that if you see pink elefants you are probably halucinating and have been smoking something strange.
_DSF7782-1.jpg
 
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#14
don21480 said:
@Will_White tell me about covering a pickguard with contact paper - sounds like a good way to get some cool pickguard finishes cheap!
Click to expand...
Take the pickguard off, cut the contact paper to about a 1/2-3/4" wider then pickguard. Peel the backing back and gradually apply it to the top ensuring there's no air bubbles (similar to a screen protector). If you do get a stubborn bubble you can pierce it with a needle depending on the pattern.

From there you have a couple options. You can carefully cut the paper at the bevel to keep the multi-ply look, or carefully wrap it around the back, you may need to cut relief cuts to help it lay flat on the bevel and depending on material you can use a heat gun to make it more malleable.

Then just cut the neck pocket, pickup route, and control holes out, and pierce each of the mounting holes. You just have to be careful to not over-tighten the mounting holes when you install it.
 
#17
don21480 said:
Anything special about the contact paper or just anything from a hobby shop?
Click to expand...
Vinyl works best, but as long as it has a permanent adhesive on the back I haven't had any issues with any. The thicker and stiffer it is the less it will bend around the bevel, you can see a little bit of the problem on the bass side of the neck, but that doesn't matter for Multi-Ply pickguards.
 
#20
I’m in. I shared this pic in another of the Bronco threads somewhere. tinted neck and some fine tuning and a generic eBay single coil P pickup that cost about $25USD. I bought the bass impulsively during a great sale direct from Fender a year or so ago. Great couch bass! Since this photo was taken it now has Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats and a P Bridge cover. Fun times.
54371729646_1c57b52266_o.jpeg
 
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