I have no plan for this…..

[GIBrat51]

… but I am going to proceeded anyway!

I just bought this bronco bass for $80. It's in great shape, light as a feather. My plan is to use it for fly in gigs, which I do quite a few of. I have a metric ton of parts here, so it will get new pick ups, electronics, tuners, Pickguard, basically everything it will need to be a pro level instrument. I will also go through and polish and level the frats, shield it, all that stuff.

That said, still trying to figure out a plan of which pick up, bridge, etc. to use.

What are you guys think?

On tuners, Clover KEYS or Y KEYS? Vintage Music Masters and Mustang have used both over the years, they both look decent. Opinions ?

On bridge, I think I want to use a 4 saddle, bridge…. I have an omega, badass style, vintage style fender threaded saddle, bridges, and a Goto 201 bridge. Unless I use the original bridge, but with Wilkinson compensated 51 style saddles. Thoughts?

Electronics will get CTS parts, orange, drop capacitor, switchcraft jack so that's taken care of.

I'll make a new Pickguard . It's either going to be red tortoiseshell, or three ply black white black. Tortoiseshell looks classier, black white black looks more vintage. What do you think?

Onto pick ups… Here's where I really have a lot of choices. I have some nickel Thunderbird pick ups. I have some EMG Thunderbird pick ups. Have EMG Precision BASS pickups. I have a Seymour Duncan antiquity II telecaster Bass style pick up. I have a cool rails single coil pick up. I have a Burns Bass pick up. Pretty sure I have an extra G&L MFD pick up. I have Rickenbacker toaster style pick ups. I think that about covers it… What would you put in there?

Anyway, that's the rundown… No plan, just gonna make a cool instrument. Definitely taking suggestions…

EDIT: I also have a set of Bartolini Jazz pickups that i I could use
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Well, you asked, so...
-Tuners. Much as I like clover-style tuners, they can sometimes get overwhelming on a small bass's headstock. Unless you can find some small-ish ones. Failing that? The best Y-style tuners you can get your hands on. I have several basses that have pretty nice ones, so I can live with them...
- Bridge. If I have a choice, I always go for a Schaller 3D-4 roller bridge. But, out of the ones you mentioned? The Gotoh 201 gets my vote...
- Electronics. I can't argue with your choices.
- Pickguard. I have to go with Black/White/ Black. I've said before, IMO tortoiseshell is only good for 3 things - Nerd glasses; your great Grandmother's hairbrush; and the scales on a really old pocketknife. Although, if it were mine? That pickguard would be Black/Cream/Black...
- Pickups. I am the very happy owner of 2 Thunderbirds; a '13 Gibson, and an '88 Tokai TB48. So, 2 guesses which pickups I'd recommend. With the traditional VVT tone controls, of course...
So... there you are.
Oh: almost forgot; strings? GHS #3030 Precision Flats...

 

[definenredefine]

Well, you asked, so...
-Tuners. Much as I like clover-style tuners, they can sometimes get overwhelming on a small bass's headstock. Unless you can find some small-ish ones. Failing that? The best Y-style tuners you can get your hands on. I have several basses that have pretty nice ones, so I can live with them...

The newer Broncos have smaller clover-style tuners -
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I found a set on Reverb recently, and I think they come up on ebay every once in a while. In fact - set Squier Bronco bass tuners | eBay

 

[high_fidelity83]

If by "stratocaster" size you mean some kind of dual rail model, I don't use those in any of my basses. I bought one and tried it but to me it sounded a little thin and was noisy. Could have been the brand, could have been a bad unit. I just didn't stay with that type.

I have pickups from Sentell in 3 of my Short Scales. I have one parts-bass with their Big Sis model, and the Bullet/Mustang model in my other parts-bass and Squier CV Mustang.

Truth be told my 4th Short Scale is a Squier Musicmaster with the original Vista Tone pickup. That is the best pickup of all.

Curious about your opinion on the Big Sis. Is it pretty close to the Vista? I know Sentell makes a version with quarter inch magnets like the Vista, but the output is pretty modest at 6.5K ohms. I read somewhere that the Vista is like 8.8K ohms which is closer to the Big Sis at 8.5K. I was even thinking of having him wind it a little hotter to get to around 10K.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

Curious about your opinion on the Big Sis. Is it pretty close to the Vista? I know Sentell makes a version with quarter inch magnets like the Vista, but the output is pretty modest at 6.5K ohms. I read somewhere that the Vista is like 8.8K ohms which is closer to the Big Sis at 8.5K. I was even thinking of having him wind it a little hotter to get to around 10K.

I did have Sentell overwind the pickup to match the measurement of the Vista. It's as close as I've heard to the Vista.

But not quite. There is still some "mellow-ness" in the Vista Tone that nothing can match.

 

[Lo-E]

I'd go clover leaf tuners, Gotoh 201 bridge and either a pair of nickel T-bird pickups or a single G&L MFD in something close to the Stingray location.

Oh… and B/W/B for the guard. Black matches everything!