Need Help with new Squier Sonic Bronco

[fabsi]

Hey people,

i hope im in the right Forum.

I just bought a Squier Sonic Bronco and askes the guitar store, if they can put Flats on it. A Day after, they send me an e-mail saying, that they cant put shortscale Flats on it because the Tuners on the Sonic Series dont fit regular shortscale Flats. They said the diameter of the string posts is to small so you cant fit normal Shortscale Flats(La Bellas or Chromes, etc.) on it.

Now my Question:
Does anyone of you know if thats right? Or do you have a Sonic Bronco with Flats on it?
I want to put La Bellas or Chromes on it but if thats not possible i need a diffrent Bass.

thanks Fabsi

 

[Slater]

Welcome to TB!

I’m not that familiar with the Squier Bronco, so I don’t know if these will work?

760-FD Dan Electro Flats Wounds

(Probably want this thread moved to Strings)

 

[michael_t]

Now my Question:
Does anyone of you know if thats right? Or do you have a Sonic Bronco with Flats on it?
I want to put La Bellas or Chromes on it but if thats not possible i need a diffrent Bass.

What's the actual measurement on that bass from where the ball end is seated at the bridge to the E tuner post?

The important thing, when it comes to flats, is they should be long enough for the full winding to go past the nut but not so long the full winding end up wrapping around the post. Once you can get the measurement, I can tell you which flats will fit properly on that bass.

 

[96tbird]

What's the actual measurement on that bass from where the ball end is seated at the bridge to the E tuner post?

The important thing, when it comes to flats, is they should be long enough for the full winding to go past the nut but not so long the full winding end up wrapping around the post. Once you can get the measurement, I can tell you which flats will fit properly on that bass.

The length isn’t the OPs problem. It’s the wire diameter not fitting into the tuner slots.

Op: your guitar repairman is an idiot. Hofner for example has wee tiny tuner posts and people put flats on them all the time.

 

[SteC]

I don't know about the specifics of that bass but sounds like bs from the guitar store

 

[TN WOODMAN]

Those Dan Electro La Bella’s look like a solid option. If you don’t want to change tuners & I’d rather not bore out the holes on the stock ones.

 

[newfuture]

I am going to call BS.

I have a musicvox space ranger bass that came stock with imitation kluson guitar tuners instead of actual bass tuners. Provided I used short scale strings, I had no fit issues.

That said, when these cheap tuners' plastic knobs disintegrated, I replaced them with budget (Guyker) locking guitar (again, not bass) tuners with steel knobs, and I did have to bore out the low e string. Very, very easy to do with a drill and small rat tail file to smooth the ends of the hole.

 

[GodPlayedBass]

I'd say get lighter gauge strings.

 

[rutabaga bob]

Welcome to TalkBass! Stick around!

 

[antfarm]

Often the colored silk ends of flatwounds (the part that goes in and around the tuning peg) are thinner than the actual wound part of the string. And thinner than ordinary roundwound strings.

 

[skycruiser]

The length isn’t the OPs problem. It’s the wire diameter not fitting into the tuner slots.

OP didn't mention the slots. It was the post diameter. Flats can appear to split apart in a tight bend - maybe that's what they're worried about.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

The length isn’t the OPs problem. It’s the wire diameter not fitting into the tuner slots.

Op: your guitar repairman is an idiot. Hofner for example has wee tiny tuner posts and people put flats on them all the time.

Höfners have a tailpiece, which means the fully wound length of the string needs to be between around 3.5 - 7 cm longer, depending on which specific Höfner model. Strings that will fit a Höfner can NOT be used on a Bronco.

Having said that, I don't see why many regular short scale flats can be used on a Bronco as long as the winding lenght is correct. This shouldn't be a problem AT ALL unless Fender have recently started using completely different tuners on Broncos. As long as the fully wound part of the string doesn't end up around the tuner shaft there shouldn't be a problem at all.

 

[mikewalker]

I suspect the tech needs to check a different brand of SS flats. I noticed that the tiny tuners in my Kramer Duke won't accept my favorite TI jazz rounds without enlarging the holes, but I have never had issues with any other brand of string so far...

 

[PennyroyalWe]

I’m calling BS.
I had a Bronco that I put D’Addario short scale tapewounds on and had absolutely no problems with them fitting.

It sounded killer with those strings, too. I should have kept it.

 

[Brain Fog]

The specs at Sweetwater say the bass is strung with .45-.105, so I can't imagine why the tech is having trouble fitting the strings.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

I don't see any pics so I doubt your Bronco even exists.

 

[Pocket4]

You don't need a tech, try strings suggested in this thread and try them out .

 

[capnjagg]

Welcome to TB! Ernie Ball makes a .105 short scale set of their Cobalt flats. Maybe a bit zingier than what you’d typically expect of flats, but I’m a fan. Regardless, I think that shop is either using the wrong gauge/size of string (maybe they’re trying to make long scale flats fit?), or they flat out don’t understand what they’re doing.

 

[dusterdan70]

I have Rotosound RS77S flatwound strings on my Bronco Bass so know for a fact those will work…

 

[Bodeeni]

I have short scale Chromes on my Bronco. If rounds fit the flats will too