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Odd mods: unusual Bronco pickups

#22
Put a ripper pickup in it. You may get sued by Gibson though for making a better grabber than they can.

www.curtisnovak.com

BL-Grabber

My version of the one and only Bill Lawrence designed , Gibson Grabber Bass pickup that was produced form the early 70s to early 80’s. As with many of the epoxied pickups of era, the epoxy …
www.curtisnovak.com www.curtisnovak.com
 
#23
Pcake mentioned it, I’m not sure if it’s true of the Sonic line, but the old Affinity models are indeed routed with space for a typical PAF humbucker under the pickguard. If you want something a little beefier and don’t mind cutting the pickguard, you could always opt for one of those, maybe something with rails like the Dimarzio X2N(-B)? I had a Bronco modded with a ‘51 precision pickup for a while, but the mounting holes don’t quite match up, and the bobbin is also a little bigger than the stock pickup hole. Sounded nice though, I’d probably opt for a hum-canceling version if I were to do it again. I’d be curious to know if a 35DC pickup will fit that route without any extra work, I don’t have a Bronco anymore, so no way for me to check the dimensions. One last option I can think of would be a flat surface mount pickup like an old gold foil, that could be fun. I believe GFS makes one now, I’m sure Novak too, not sure who else.
 
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#24
I’ve decided to go simple myself don’t feel like routing but a Lindy Fralin 51 split would probably sound great in that bass.
The split humbucking should emulate a mustang bass vibe,
Bullet Bass/Mustang Bass pups would probably be cool too.
IMG_0116.jpeg

Or these.
IMG_0117.jpeg
 
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#27
AK Bass Guy said:
I’ve decided to go simple myself don’t feel like routing but a Lindy Fralin 51 split would probably sound great in that bass.
The split humbucking should emulate a mustang bass vibe,
Bullet Bass/Mustang Bass pups would probably be cool too.
View attachment 7046020
Or these.
View attachment 7046024
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That looks great. Is that just a Bronco with Mustang pickups? Something looks slightly different about the body dimensions
 
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#28
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#29
Novak bs-ds.

Love the reissue guild bisonic in my epi eb0.

Having ability to switch from bisonic to Darkstar to starfish would be nice. Even though only familiar with bisonic heard (heh) good things about others.

Tempted to get one to do just that. At least if like neck (very picky).

But would really like to try a tmb30 so could excessively mod with 3 pickups (have a victory goldfoil surface mount pickup could slap between pbass pickups and neck or right against neck or get another novak h22 if already dreaming about no price limits). Have never seen one I person so not sure if would like how it feels to hold.

Or maybe should do bronco with novak bs-ds if like how it feels. And add h22 either closer to neck or bridge. My mod mind is thinking...
 
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#31
Iristone said:
I wonder if the SCPB will fit? Some also used EMG Strat pickups with good results. Actually normal (albeit better) Strat pickups should work as well, Rickenbacker uses 6-alnico-rod Toaster pickups in some of their basses and they sound great.
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No. The rout for the pickup and the pickguard are Strat size.
 
#32
Played a really low-key date yesterday with the newly installed Gold Lace Sensor. Sounded OK but didn't get it dialed in to my satisfaction.

Lace Sensor Bronco> PF800/PF115

A,D & G strings sounded better than the E. Also a good bit more ringy than I like, but it still has rounds. Hoping flats will even things up a bit.
 
#34
tdvt said:
While I had it apart, I decided to try a faux-gold anodized PG, taking cues for the color scheme from an old Duo-Sonic a friend has many years ago.


View attachment 7048180View attachment 7048181
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That looks sick! Did you make the pickguard?

I've borrowed a friend's Bronco, which has a Hot Rails installed, and it plays great, but doesn't sound quite like I'd hoped-- way boomier and less defined than I would like. That's definitely pushing me to look in the direction of clearer, less bassy pickups. I'd be very interested in gold foils, but hum cancellation is an absolute must for me
 
#35
I put a DiMarzio DP295N into my Sonic Bronco (see my avatar pic!)
TONS of low end and low mids, very thumpy, very high output - if you're looking for clarity, keep looking, if you want to rock - perfect!

While the Sonic Bronco has the large cavity of the Affinity, I still had to take a little wood away from the rounded corners, and the upper edge, of the route, to make this pickup fit in a centered position under the strings.

BTW, no need at all to upgrade tuners or bridge on a Sonic Bronco - they are perfectly fine!
 
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#36
RomanS said:
I put a DiMarzio DP295N into my Sonic Bronco (see my avatar pic!)
TONS of low end and low mids, very thumpy, very high output - if you're looking for clarity, keep looking, if you want to rock - perfect!

While the Sonic Bronco has the large cavity of the Affinity, I still had to take a little wood away from the rounded corners, and the upper edge, of the route, to make this pickup fit in a centered position under the strings.

BTW, no need at all to upgrade tuners or bridge on a Sonic Bronco - they are perfectly fine!
Click to expand...
The funny thing is, I don't really like "clear" bass sounds. I'm a thumpy-P-bass-with-flats kind of guy. There's just something in the Hot Rails, or in the combination of that pickup with the Bronco, or in above plus the strings on there, that feels unnecessarily muddy. The DP295N might suit me just fine. Got any recordings?
 
#38
plf said:
The funny thing is, I don't really like "clear" bass sounds. I'm a thumpy-P-bass-with-flats kind of guy. There's just something in the Hot Rails, or in the combination of that pickup with the Bronco, or in above plus the strings on there, that feels unnecessarily muddy. The DP295N might suit me just fine. Got any recordings?
Click to expand...


Sorry - no recordings; I mainly use that bass for noodling around at home, for "serious" stuff I usually reach for my P bass...
 
#39
plf said:
That looks sick! Did you make the pickguard?
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I didn't replace it, just painted the white one. I had low expectations that the paint would work but using an automotive "adhesion promoter" as a base coat worked great. I may make one later on, but this is totally serviceable for now. I initially tried some gold sign vinyl, first try was so-so, but definitely worth another shot sometime.

I am trying to do this project on the cheap (w/in-stock stuff when possible) as a bit of a challenge as the bass itself was so inexpensive.

To that end, I can't really justify a new pickup that costs nearly as much as the bass. But I would probably spring for the Bi-Sonic if they weren't out-of-stock.

I too like a thumpy, smooth sound & generally use a parts-PBass for dates, though I don't want the Bronco to just be a mini-P. Hoping I can find something in that vein, but with it's own personality.

I have been eyeballing the GFS Rail HB (guitar PU). Cheap enough & obviously hum cancelling (also one of my main requirements).

While I prefer simple, I have been contemplating the Lace & the guitar rail-HB as a potential for nice thump with a little definition on top. Still thiking about the wiring & blending of those two.



PS speaking of hum the Lace Sensor & shielding (currently installed) eliminated any hum I was getting & was nice & quiet.
 
#40
plf said:
That Allparts humbucker is interesting. Do you have any experience with them? Why is "humbucker" in quotes here-- do they not, in fact, buck hum?
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I don't have experience with the Allparts pickup, but at the least it looks like an old Maxon "humbucker" that I DO have some experience with. Humbucker is in quotes because, despite having 8 pole pieces arranged to look like 2 coils, there's actually only 1 coil. They sound...interesting, in my very limited experience. I figure the Allparts pickup is pretty inexpensive and therefore worth a shot.
 

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