I have used the search function, through probably not thorough enough, and couldn't find an exact/close replacement so thought I would search opinions. I recently fell in to a Bronco Bass for my daughter. The price was right ($30) but it does need one tuner and the bridge is pretty beat up. Just looking for recommendations of hopefully a direct or near to direct replacement that would be better than stock. Initial cost is low enough that I don't mind spending a bit to make it presentable and "better" than stock. Thanks in advance and apologies if the answers are scattered all over the site.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Recommendations for Bronco Project
- Thread starter jlandolfi1979
- Start date
I bought a Bronco bass about two years ago, new from the dealer. One of the tuners was messed up (the gear eventually started grinding itself down in the casing) and I decided to go through Fender to see if they could do anything for me because I really liked the instrument and didn't want to exchange it. I emailed a Fender rep through their customer service and explained my situation, within a week I had a brand new Bronco tuner at my door, packaged and shipped free of charge. All I had to do was ask.
Go ahead and email their customer service and see if they can offer any help, they might give you a new tuner free, or maybe sell you one for a reasonable price.
As for the bridge, you can pick them up all day for about $10 on Ebay, or you could go ahead and purchase a musicmaster bridge if you wanted a 4 saddle bridge, but you would need to drill holes for the thru-body ferrules.
-Ron
Go ahead and email their customer service and see if they can offer any help, they might give you a new tuner free, or maybe sell you one for a reasonable price.
As for the bridge, you can pick them up all day for about $10 on Ebay, or you could go ahead and purchase a musicmaster bridge if you wanted a 4 saddle bridge, but you would need to drill holes for the thru-body ferrules.
-Ron
Hopkins
Commercial User
The threaded saddles are not very good at narrowing string spacing, The string tension will pull the outer saddles apart. They are better suited for widening string tension and squeezing the saddles against each other.
My solution would be to buy a Mustang Bass bridge and drill holes next to the intonation screws to convert it to a top load bridge. The Bronco bridge IMHO is junk, because of the two saddle design, and the Mustang bridge just looks so much better. It was easy to do, and worked perfectly.
Invalid Link Removed
My solution would be to buy a Mustang Bass bridge and drill holes next to the intonation screws to convert it to a top load bridge. The Bronco bridge IMHO is junk, because of the two saddle design, and the Mustang bridge just looks so much better. It was easy to do, and worked perfectly.
Invalid Link Removed
Last edited:
I got a new one for $50 and swapped out the pickup for a Dual Rail Dragon. $22, dead silent and sounds great!
I'll post picks later.
I'll post picks later.
IMO, the thing that holds the Bronco back the most is an improperly cut nut. The nut on my bronco was very subpar, crudely cut and just wasn't what I expected, even on such a cheap bass. I ended up filing the nut myself because the factory cut was left so rough. After a little bit of time with minimal effort I was left with a nut that is usable and doesn't bind the strings.
A lot of people complain about the tuners that come on these basses, but mine are very usable (I've gigged this bass through 4 hour sets and never had to re-tune during the gig) I find the nut to be the biggest culprit. People throw money at better tuners, but if your nut isn't cut right, you will never be rid of tuning issues.
The bridge is a take-it-or-leave-it scenario for me, love the whole vintage vibe that the bass has going, but it's really hard to intonate perfectly and that is a major turn off for a lot of people. I've seen a good few people do the musicmaster bridge mod (you can get the entire kit for like, $20 on ebay I think?) and they say it's a great improvement because it is a 4-saddle design with the same string spacing as the bronco.
The pickup, pretty much the same idea for me as the bridge. The pickup is weak, no other way about it. Every Bronco I've tried sounds pretty lackluster, without the right eq and strings. It's an instrument that takes a while to find a good, usable tone; it's not like it's older Fender brothers. I like the weak pickup myself, as it sounds good when eq'd right and it handles fuzz and dostortion without losing note articulation. I find warmer pickups get lost in the sea of mud. a lot of people go for a rails type replacement pickup because they complain about the fact that the Bronco uses a stratocaster pickup, but those people obviously don't know how a magnetic field works. Any strat pickup that will fit will be an improvement over the Bronco pickup; oddly enough, I've heard the Bronco pickup (which is an affinity squier strat pickup) sounds pretty good in a stratocaster
the real jem about these basses is the neck. Easily one of the most comfortable necks that I have played, and the fretwork wasn't bad. Mine had some fret spout, but I took care of it.
-Ron
A lot of people complain about the tuners that come on these basses, but mine are very usable (I've gigged this bass through 4 hour sets and never had to re-tune during the gig) I find the nut to be the biggest culprit. People throw money at better tuners, but if your nut isn't cut right, you will never be rid of tuning issues.
The bridge is a take-it-or-leave-it scenario for me, love the whole vintage vibe that the bass has going, but it's really hard to intonate perfectly and that is a major turn off for a lot of people. I've seen a good few people do the musicmaster bridge mod (you can get the entire kit for like, $20 on ebay I think?) and they say it's a great improvement because it is a 4-saddle design with the same string spacing as the bronco.
The pickup, pretty much the same idea for me as the bridge. The pickup is weak, no other way about it. Every Bronco I've tried sounds pretty lackluster, without the right eq and strings. It's an instrument that takes a while to find a good, usable tone; it's not like it's older Fender brothers. I like the weak pickup myself, as it sounds good when eq'd right and it handles fuzz and dostortion without losing note articulation. I find warmer pickups get lost in the sea of mud. a lot of people go for a rails type replacement pickup because they complain about the fact that the Bronco uses a stratocaster pickup, but those people obviously don't know how a magnetic field works. Any strat pickup that will fit will be an improvement over the Bronco pickup; oddly enough, I've heard the Bronco pickup (which is an affinity squier strat pickup) sounds pretty good in a stratocaster
the real jem about these basses is the neck. Easily one of the most comfortable necks that I have played, and the fretwork wasn't bad. Mine had some fret spout, but I took care of it.
-Ron
Thanks for the advice so far guys. Ronbeat, the neck was the selling point for me. It fits my daughters small hands and is really comfortable for me as well. I will be on the lookout for a MusicMaster bridge, that seems to be the most straightforward approach. The tuners I was looking to upgrade since one was completely missing, so figured it would be a good time to do all 4. The pickup is something I definitely plan on addressing, it is just not a priority at the moment since most playing will be done without an amp for the time being. I will check out the nut as well when I throw some strings on it
There is a set of tuners by Ping that are a direct fit.
Get an amp or even a headphone amp! Lots of bad habits come from playing unplugged: plucking too hard so you can hear yourself is the top one.
Get an amp or even a headphone amp! Lots of bad habits come from playing unplugged: plucking too hard so you can hear yourself is the top one.
I use an amp when I play, my daughter will not be for the time being. Mostly familiarizing herself with the neck and the instrument for now. If she sticks with it I will grab the new pickup and a small amp for Christmas.
I wasn't trying to start,enter or finish an argument. I appreciate your opinion but for now most, if not all, of her playing will be done unplugged
If it's not frowned upon to link to another forum, this thread is very helpful: Invalid Link Removed
I swapped out the stock bridge for the Hipshot Vintage Bass Bridge with .669 string spacing, which is a terrific bridge. It has four saddles, is solidly built, has the right look, and maintains the narrower string spacing. Also, the strings anchor in the bridge with a simple "keyhole" type system, so if you have any electronics work to do, you can slack the strings enough to take them out of the bridge while not disturbing the post wraps too much. The Hipshot isn't the cheapest option, and you may have to wait for them to machine it, but it's an excellent replacement. Incidentally, my second choice would have been the Schaller Roller Bridge.
I tried the DiMarzio Fast Track 2 pickup, but it was too hot for my preamp. I have a Duncan SSL-2 Strat pickup in there right now, which works fine, but since I want to use that pup in a guitar, I have a Dragonfire Duo Rails on order for the Bronco. If I had more budget to work with, I'd go with the Duncan Cool Rails. But the Dragonfire seems to be a sleeper.
I've been lucky, in that, like Ronbeast, the tuners are working fine for me. Otherwise, I'd spring for the Hipshot Ultralights.
As for strings: The stock Fender roundwounds actually were pretty good for me, but under the "grass is greener" principle, I tried GHS Precision Flats and didnt' like them. They seemed fairly dead, even for flats. Now I've put D'Addario EXL0160S rounds on there, which are medium gauge (.50 - .105), and those are much more stout. Depending on the age of the player and personal preference, you might stay with a lighter gauge, but if you want a more firm tension, that's the way to go.
I'm also debating a refinish of the body: rough up the factory poly, Zinsser BIN primer, Duplicolor Mocha Frost, then Minwax Clear.
Hey, Hopkins -- Is that the ReRanch Fender Desert Tan '59? Looks good.
You're right about the neck; that's the key to the Bronco. In fact, a lot of budget guitar lines, including Epiphone, are nailing the necks these days, making them serious contenders. I have an Epi Les Paul Jr that is as solid as you please. With a Duncan JB, it's a rock machine.
I swapped out the stock bridge for the Hipshot Vintage Bass Bridge with .669 string spacing, which is a terrific bridge. It has four saddles, is solidly built, has the right look, and maintains the narrower string spacing. Also, the strings anchor in the bridge with a simple "keyhole" type system, so if you have any electronics work to do, you can slack the strings enough to take them out of the bridge while not disturbing the post wraps too much. The Hipshot isn't the cheapest option, and you may have to wait for them to machine it, but it's an excellent replacement. Incidentally, my second choice would have been the Schaller Roller Bridge.
I tried the DiMarzio Fast Track 2 pickup, but it was too hot for my preamp. I have a Duncan SSL-2 Strat pickup in there right now, which works fine, but since I want to use that pup in a guitar, I have a Dragonfire Duo Rails on order for the Bronco. If I had more budget to work with, I'd go with the Duncan Cool Rails. But the Dragonfire seems to be a sleeper.
I've been lucky, in that, like Ronbeast, the tuners are working fine for me. Otherwise, I'd spring for the Hipshot Ultralights.
As for strings: The stock Fender roundwounds actually were pretty good for me, but under the "grass is greener" principle, I tried GHS Precision Flats and didnt' like them. They seemed fairly dead, even for flats. Now I've put D'Addario EXL0160S rounds on there, which are medium gauge (.50 - .105), and those are much more stout. Depending on the age of the player and personal preference, you might stay with a lighter gauge, but if you want a more firm tension, that's the way to go.
I'm also debating a refinish of the body: rough up the factory poly, Zinsser BIN primer, Duplicolor Mocha Frost, then Minwax Clear.
Hey, Hopkins -- Is that the ReRanch Fender Desert Tan '59? Looks good.
You're right about the neck; that's the key to the Bronco. In fact, a lot of budget guitar lines, including Epiphone, are nailing the necks these days, making them serious contenders. I have an Epi Les Paul Jr that is as solid as you please. With a Duncan JB, it's a rock machine.
Last edited:
Sorry to get off topic:
I've heard a lot of people talking about the Dragonfire pickups, are they really that good? I've never tried them, but I really like the designs (and price). I want a neck humbucker for my ibanez guitar that won't get incredibly muddy. I'm a strat guy, so I'm used to really clear neck tones that won't get muddy, so it's hard for me to deal with a muddy humbucker.
Are there any pickups from dragonfire that are capable of doing that? I'd like to try out my cheaper options before I move onto a more expensive alternative. The dimarzio humbucker from heel is looking pretty good right now.
-Ron
Hopkins
Commercial User
Nosir, its the closest color in Duponts color chart to shell pink. Its a 30" scale bass I built for my twin nieces for there first birthday, there is a Strat guitar to go along with it. The sea foam green on the guitar looks a little bit darker than it is in person as well.
It was a weird overcast day the day I took those pictures, so I don't really have an accurate representation of the actual color of this bass. But it was painted from the same quart of urethane as this P bass, this is closer to what it looks like in person
Last edited:
The Dragonfires are a total shot in the dark for me, but I've seen more positive than negative on them, so for a budget solution for the Bronco, I'll give the Duo Rails a Shot. As for a clear neck 6-string humbucker, I really like the Duncan Jazz. It's got humbucker tone, but it's very clear and articulate. You might put that one on your short list, too. A fellow member here this week also put me on to parallel wiring for a humbucker, which opens up the tone and brightens it a bit, at a slight cost to the total output. (The DiMarzio Fast Track 2 in parallel yielded a more distinct tone in my Bronco, but it was still too hot for my preamp. I'm going to wire my Bronco with a push-pull pot that will let me go in series or parallel with the Dragonfire -- or whatever rail ends up in there.)
I really appreciate all the feedback. I have some eBay auctions ending this week and plan on buying s few things once paid
I recently bought one of these bridges: http://www.amazon.com/BA-1004CR-Sad...F8&qid=1407186861&sr=8-3&keywords=ba-1004CR+L
String spacing is 2 1/8" which should work well with a Bronco.
String spacing is 2 1/8" which should work well with a Bronco.
As an Amazon Associate, TalkBass may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via links on this site.
The Dragonfire Duo Rails came today. Good news! In the Bronco it has a fat, full low end, gets nice and crisp with the treble up, and hits everything in between quite well. It responds nicely to my EQ adjustments and is strong without overdriving my preamp. It also delivers even signal over all strings, with the low side of the pup raised slightly higher.
I'm using 250k pots and standard series humbucker wiring. (The red and white wires even come pre-soldered.) I can't remember my tone cap value -- probably .047.
Unless you're really chasing boutique tone, vintage woodiness or name brand cred, this pup ought to be the default upgrade for the Bronco. At $32 shipped, it's a no brainer.
I'm using 250k pots and standard series humbucker wiring. (The red and white wires even come pre-soldered.) I can't remember my tone cap value -- probably .047.
Unless you're really chasing boutique tone, vintage woodiness or name brand cred, this pup ought to be the default upgrade for the Bronco. At $32 shipped, it's a no brainer.
Hopkins,
How similar is the strat body to the bronco body? I've got a spare bronco neck and I really like my other bronco. I was thinking about picking up a cheap strat body for a bronco-strat bass(which would hopefully fool people into thinking it's just a bronco). I've been looking for one w/o the trem routes tho.
How similar is the strat body to the bronco body? I've got a spare bronco neck and I really like my other bronco. I was thinking about picking up a cheap strat body for a bronco-strat bass(which would hopefully fool people into thinking it's just a bronco). I've been looking for one w/o the trem routes tho.
Nosir, its the closest color in Duponts color chart to shell pink. Its a 30" scale bass I built for my twin nieces for there first birthday, there is a Strat guitar to go along with it. The sea foam green on the guitar looks a little bit darker than it is in person as well.
It was a weird overcast day the day I took those pictures, so I don't really have an accurate representation of the actual color of this bass. But it was painted from the same quart of urethane as this P bass, this is closer to what it looks like in person
