Post your modded Squier Broncos!

[EpicSoundtracks]

Here's my latest Bronco rehab. All done on the super-cheap; I have a hard time spending more money on parts than I paid for the entire bass. Also my first time doing a matching headstock (with custom decal from Tim Mercer).

• Squier Bronco neck and body, neck pocket stamped 2003. This body is much heavier than the previous Bronco I owned, which i believe was a 2011.
• Headstock refinished in black nitro with faux Fender decal.
• Clover tuners harvested from a Mexican Jazz bass, IIRC
• Pickguard refinished in black enamel
• $10 hot rails pickup (I may need to replace this; I'm having issues with as described in this thread
• $10 high mass bridge (finding a cheap top-load bridge with <19mm string spacing is surprising;y difficult!)
• D'Addario short scale flats; i'm not sure I love these, but it's all I had on hand

Total cost, including the bass but excluding labor, is $120. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It'll be great as soon as I get the pickup situation sorted out.

 

[EpicSoundtracks]

for anyone who's installed a lipstick pickup in their Bronco, does it do the danelectro *thump* thing or is it another beast altogether?

 

[Beefystick]

I modded one once, full size tuners, a BWB pickguard, a GFS lipstick Strat pickup (the hottest one they did), a thumbrest and a Squier Vista series Musicmaster bridge, so thus modified for through body stringing.

View attachment 2399851

So how do you like that pick up ?

 

[WI Short Scaler]

OK. I'll play. Seymour Duncan split rail pickup. Custom paint and stripe. Updated pots, wiring, bridge and tuners. Gave it to my son to practice with. He loves it.

That looks great! Any info on where you got that bridge? Looking for a 4 saddle of my own for a Bronco/Musicmaster project. And was that pickup a direct drop in? Thanks

 

[JohnArnson]

Hey, I am a big fan of modded cheap short scale basses my self and love the design of the Bronco.

If it weren't for the neck only having 19 frets, which makes it a hard pass for me, as I need at least 22, preferably 24 on my basses, I would likely get a black Bronco and either install some sort of humbucker, perhaps Seymour Duncan's Rickenbacker replacement neck pickup, or a stacked 50's P/Tele Bass noiseless pickup, which I also happens to love the tone of, then swap out the bridge for a black cheap clone of a classic Fender style one, and finally top it off with a black pickguard with a red edge, perhaps even paint red/green/red racing stripes going diagonally on the top area of the body over the bridge.

In every other aspect but the too few frets for my preferences the Broncos are super cool basses that makes great modding platforms, and I have very much enjoyed peaking through this thread seeing all the different interesting and cool ideas people have come up with for their Broncos.

Very cool thread!

Thanks for the peak.