Bronco Mods quick and easy...

[ZenG]

Was on Fender's parts site. Anybody know if any of those 4-string bridges they deem as "Standard" will bolt right on to a Bronco with no problem?

They don't give any info on string spacing or any other measurement specs that I could see.....

 

[Antisyzygy]

Was on Fender's parts site. Anybody know if any of those 4-string bridges they deem as "Standard" will bolt right on to a Bronco with no problem?

They don't give any info on string spacing or any other measurement specs that I could see.....

String spacing is like 2 1/8" between the E and G string (18mm between strings). They don't make any drop in replacements to my knowledge, perhaps if you ebay for a MusicMaster bridge?

It kinda looks like the Guild Starfire bridge (Like on the Fender Rascal bass) might work :

But my guess is the string spacing will be too wide.

The Hipshot .669 bridge has the right spacing. So does that Schaller Roller saddle bridge (but neither will be drop in without some drilling).

OR

You can also try out these saddles perhaps if the goal is to get proper intonation on your Bronco, but you may have to fix where the string groove is at (as in add another one) :

Bass Swivel Saddles | Allparts.com

I ended up ordering one of those vintage threaded saddle bridges because it was the cheapest option that will let me intonate properly and also lets me select my string spacing. I will have to drill some new holes to install it though.

One other thought I had when I was originally looking to upgrade my bronco bridge was to buy a 5-string (18mm spacing) bridge from China or something, then take 4 of the saddles and put them on the existing Bronco bridge. You'd have to drill new holes in the bridge for the saddle screws to go through, but it wouldn't require drilling into the bass body at least and Bronco bridges are cheap to replace if you mess up.

 

[ZenG]

Thanks for info.....

By "bolt-on/drop -in" I just meant will it go on the Bronco without doing anything else except drilling some new mounting holes.....

Cheers
Zen G

 

[Antisyzygy]

Thanks for info.....

By "bolt-on/drop -in" I just meant will it go on the Bronco without doing anything else except drilling some new mounting holes.....

Cheers
Zen G

Gotcha. I misunderstood.

The Hipshot .669 and Schaller roller saddle bridge are the only ones I know of that have the right string spacing (the latter because it's adjustable).

For the cheaper option a Fender vintage threaded saddle bridge will work. You can lay the strings down closer together on one of those if you want.

 

[mongo2]

Mongo 2......I looked on GFS site and I can't find that L'il Killer Strat 6K dual blade humbucking pickup....

All I can find is the Protube Lipstick 6K....which is probably different altogether....

Did you get yours direct from GFS?

Yes...here's a link to the GFS Lil Killer in white (I used the black version)...

Lil Killer White Humbucker Humbucker Strats- 3 Versions Available

 

[ZenG]

Just got my Squier Bronco today....a black one with white pickguard. (Now if I can just find a black pickguard for it......)

Wasn't expecting a heck of a lot ...but....

I have to say for 189 bucks Cdn. this is a sweet little bass.

Weight 5lbs 8oz.
Zero neck dive.
No fret sprout or filing job needed.
Sounds good right out of the box.
No string buzz.
No problem so far........neck is very comfortable to play.

Actually......I like playing it more than my Mikros.......

Intonation is off and will have to be adjusted........and I'll be putting another bridge in it for sure....not liking the stock one at all.

I figured because it had a guitar pickup stock in it, it would sound a bit on the crappy side. Such is not the case at all.....sounds every bit as good as any other bass I've owned.

I read that Rickenbacker has been using guitar pickups in some of their basses for years......so the idea is not new.


The Mikro and the Bronco are both 1 1/2 inch nut width I believe.....but the Bronco is easier to play up around and north of the 12th fret for some reason.

Maple neck on the Bronc is uber-smooth and fretting hand glides with ease.....

I'd almost given up on "budget" shorties.......I should have bought one of these a long time ago but I always overlooked them because they were "bottom of the ladder".

 

[Antisyzygy]

Just got my Squier Bronco today....a black one with white pickguard. (Now if I can just find a black pickguard for it......)

Wasn't expecting a heck of a lot ...but....

I have to say for 189 bucks Cdn. this is a sweet little bass.

Weight 5lbs 8oz.
Zero neck dive.
No fret sprout or filing job needed.
Sounds good right out of the box.
No string buzz.
No problem so far........neck is very comfortable to play.

Actually......I like playing it more than my Mikros.......

Intonation is off and will have to be adjusted........and I'll be putting another bridge in it for sure....not liking the stock one at all.

I figured because it had a guitar pickup stock in it, it would sound a bit on the crappy side. Such is not the case at all.....sounds every bit as good as any other bass I've owned.

I read that Rickenbacker has been using guitar pickups in some of their basses for years......so the idea is not new.


The Mikro and the Bronco are both 1 1/2 inch nut width I believe.....but the Bronco is easier to play up around and north of the 12th fret for some reason.

Maple neck on the Bronc is uber-smooth and fretting hand glides with ease.....

I'd almost given up on "budget" shorties.......I should have bought one of these a long time ago but I always overlooked them because they were "bottom of the ladder".

I picked mine up at guitar center off the wall, and I was surprised the same way you were. It's a ridiculously good bass for the money, the bridge and tuners aside.

I didn't mind the stock pickup, but I think the bass benefits from having something different if only so the pole pieces aren't all misaligned. The stock pickup is actually a 6 pole mustang or strat pickup.

A lipstick pickup would work and sounds almost the same. I can split my lipstick humbucker and it does sound pretty much the same as the old pickup but the attack is a bit more balanced across strings. Then again it's not that noticeable I guess. Still, lipstick pickups look cool.

The rails pickups I think are an attempt to get something closer to a P bass sound, if wired in series.

 

[ZenG]

Someone earlier mentioned the DiMarzio BC-2 (Billy Corgan) pickup being pretty good for a swap.....I think it's a humbucker...not sure....

Ibby Mikro neck is just a hair over 2 inches wide at the 12th fret.

Bronco is 2 and 1/8 inches wide at 12th.

Ibby Mikro string spacing is 2 1/4 inches.

Bronco looks to be 2 and 1/8th inches.

 

[mongo2]

Just got my Squier Bronco today....a black one with white pickguard. (Now if I can just find a black pickguard for it......)

I was thinking of putting a black pickguard on my black Bronco but decided to just like the white one instead...it's just easier that way, and less expensive.

I figured because it had a guitar pickup stock in it, it would sound a bit on the crappy side. Such is not the case at all.....sounds every bit as good as any other bass I've owned.

I read that Rickenbacker has been using guitar pickups in some of their basses for years......so the idea is not new.

The Mikro and the Bronco are both 1 1/2 inch nut width I believe.....but the Bronco is easier to play up around and north of the 12th fret for some reason.

My issue with the OEM Bronco pickup is it's single coil noise. The rail humbucker strat pickup eliminated the noise and with the OEM pots it also has a bit more bottom and less sizzle which I prefer.

Fender was using guitar pickups in Musicmaster basses decades ago...so yes, the idea isn't new.

The Bronco nut is 1-5/8" wide, Mikro nut is 1-1/2" wide.

 

[ZenG]

I stand corrected......just measured the Bronco nut and you're right...it's 1 and 5/8ths inches.....

Is there such a thing as a black Bronco pickguard on the market?

The Schaller Roller Bridge is looking like a good choice.....they have all the measurements on their site for this bridge....and it seems to be able to do the job pretty nicely.......

Not convinced about the Hipshot .669 bridge yet from what I see on their diagrams though........

On the Dimarzio site they list the BC-2 pickup as a hum cancelling Strat.
Specs show it's got lots of bottom end and good mids......

 

[JIO]

A little TLC goes a long way | TalkBass.com

 

[mongo2]

Is there such a thing as a black Bronco pickguard on the market?

On the Dimarzio site they list the BC-2 pickup as a hum cancelling Strat.
Specs show it's got lots of bottom end and good mids......

There aren't any aftermarket Bronco pickguards other than custom that I've been able to find. But I did notice recently that new Bronco pickguards are slightly different than the older pickguards.

I've read that some have painted their pickguards with Krylon Fusion paint for plastics.

I haven't tried the Dimarzio BC-2. I have tired the SD Cool Rails Strat pickup but I prefer the sound of the GFS Lil Killer. The Cool Rails pickup required slight modification of the pickup hole in the pickguard. The GFS doesn't require any modification.

I forgot to mention that I replaced the jack on my Bronco with a Switchcraft.

 

[ZenG]

Ended up ordering the Fender bridge AND the Schaller bridge.......will probably use the Schaller on the Bronco...and use the Fender (the one that Jio used in the TLC thread on his Bronco) on a Mikro (if I can get it to work)

Prices weren't bad on Amazon.ca.

Mongo2:- Bronco jacks not all that good?

 

[Pilgrim]

The bridge cannot be intonated. That's reason enough to call it garbage.

The bridge on my Bronco intonates very nicely. It is not garbage, it's perfectly serviceable.

To the OP: there is NO WAY that anyone can respond to your question "What's the most popular mod?" In one post...because as you have already discovered, there are hundreds of variations on mods. If I had to guess, I would say changing the pickup is the most popular thing to do, but "for what pickup?" has no answer. Bronco pickups have been swapped for every possible configuration and model. I could also say changing the bridge, for "for what?" has the same answer - almost any bridge has been used.

It's up to you to do your homework, read the very long threads about Bronco bases, and decide for yourself what makes the most sense if you want to mod the bass. When you're done, you will have a list of options that may run into the hundreds of suggestions.

 

[ZenG]

Pilgrim......from what I'm reading here , you just can't use any old bridge on a Bronco because of the Bronco's thinner string spacing.

2 and 1/8th inches I'm told, compared to the standard 2 and 1/4 inch spacing found on a lot of bridges....

?

 

[tuBass]

There aren't any aftermarket Bronco pickguards other than custom that I've been able to find. But I did notice recently that new Bronco pickguards are slightly different than the older pickguards.

I've read that some have painted their pickguards with Krylon Fusion paint for plastics.

I haven't tried the Dimarzio BC-2. I have tired the SD Cool Rails Strat pickup but I prefer the sound of the GFS Lil Killer. The Cool Rails pickup required slight modification of the pickup hole in the pickguard. The GFS doesn't require any modification.

I forgot to mention that I replaced the jack on my Bronco with a Switchcraft.

I guess some of us are pickier about intonation than others. By me saying it was impossible to intonate, I meant impossible to do it accurately. If you want to just get it close, sure, it's "good enough"

 

[blue4]

The bridge isn't the best, but it's intonation is just fine. 4 years, 3 or 4 different types and brands of strings, nary a problem.

I have a B/W/B pickguard with a SD hot rail PU. Great looking and sounding bass, but lately the neck's has been temperamental.

 

[tuBass]

They must gave changed the bridge from the time I bought my bronco, it used to come with a horrible bridge with only two adjusting posts for 4 strings

 

[blue4]

They must gave changed the bridge from the time I bought my bronco, it used to come with a horrible bridge with only two adjusting posts for 4 strings

No it's still the same. I've owned mine for years, it's actually been pretty rock solid.

 

[ZenG]

This is what mine looked like looked like straight out of the box.....I haven't done anything to it yet.....intonation is way off right now. (Sorry for the blurred pic)

But I'll mess around with that today....

Just the way they threw the bridge together at the factory doesn't impress me at all....and IMHO this bridge can't possibly intonate as good as one with individual saddles.....

Which is why I'm replacing the bridge.

Overall I like this little bass for the money though.....I like the 1 5/8ths inch nut just a tad better than the 1 1/2 inch nut on the Mikro for playability.