Squier Bronco E sting

[Dust2Dust]

How do you propose to do that? Moving the tuner over?

Really . . . .

You, or in my case, I, had to push the string (between the nut and the post) with my thumb and push the string over to where its more in a straight line.

Now that I think about it, I loosened the string to allow it to be more flexible and pushed the string a little past center. When I put tension back on the string to bring it back in tune, I still had to use my thumb to keep it in check.

Anyway, that's what @cstone told me to do and it worked.

 

[capnjagg]

I’d agree with many of the answers in here, might be both the strings and intonation. On the Broncos, unfortunately the only way to really fix the tuning/intonation is with a 4-saddle bridge. Compensated saddles will only ever get you some of the way there. I swapped mine with a Wilkinson threaded saddle bridge, but I can’t recall if I had to drill for all 5 holes or just 3. I’m sure there are other bridges that will be an easier swap though.

The tuning thing could also be an issue with how the nut was filed, but given that a bridge swap is worth the effort either way, I’d start there.

As for the strings, you may want to try either a thicker gauge or a higher tension (or maybe both) to combat the “flubiness.” It’s sort of the nature/timbre of short scales to appear rounder/less defined than their full scale counterparts. Some really mind it, others don’t (I’m in the latter camp), but thicker or higher tension strings do seem to help some.

One last possible help for cleaning up the tone/definition of the E string could be how you EQ it through an amp/pedal. There are things you may notice playing the bass acoustically/unplugged that you can dial out through an amp/in a mix. David Bazan plays what appears to be a stock Bronco in Lo Tom, and it sounds pretty great to me.

 

[ejaggers]

I agree with @capnjagg about the bridge swap.

Another solution to rid yourself of the two saddle bridge is to replace it with a Musicmaster bass bridge.
I got a New Squier MM bridge off eBay for my Bronco mod but I don't remember the seller.

StuMac has one but I don't know if it's a drop-it: Gotoh Standard Bass Bridge - StewMac
057912

BTW, you're right, Broncos Rock!!!
I'm using RotoSound Swing 66 on one and GHS Bright Flats on the other.
No E string problems.

 

[J Posega]

That's a contradiction. If short scale E strings were inherently flabby sounding, then all short scale E strings would sound flabby. If the E string D'Addario Chrome in your bass doesn't sound flabby, then flabbiness is not inherent to short scale E strings.

I should have said that they’re inherently flabbier sounding than a standard scale. And that I don’t think my Chrome low E on my Bronco sounds flabby in a bad way.

 

[pbass2]

I have had very good results using D'Addario XL nickel rounds on my short scale basses.

I concur. I'm really picky about string tension and balance string to string, and I like a stiffer feel overall. These feel solid to me on a 30" scale bass.

 

[Nixlix26]

I’d agree with many of the answers in here, might be both the strings and intonation. On the Broncos, unfortunately the only way to really fix the tuning/intonation is with a 4-saddle bridge. Compensated saddles will only ever get you some of the way there. I swapped mine with a Wilkinson threaded saddle bridge, but I can’t recall if I had to drill for all 5 holes or just 3. I’m sure there are other bridges that will be an easier swap though.

View attachment 4786972

View attachment 4786974

The tuning thing could also be an issue with how the nut was filed, but given that a bridge swap is worth the effort either way, I’d start there.

As for the strings, you may want to try either a thicker gauge or a higher tension (or maybe both) to combat the “flubiness.” It’s sort of the nature/timbre of short scales to appear rounder/less defined than their full scale counterparts. Some really mind it, others don’t (I’m in the latter camp), but thicker or higher tension strings do seem to help some.

One last possible help for cleaning up the tone/definition of the E string could be how you EQ it through an amp/pedal. There are things you may notice playing the bass acoustically/unplugged that you can dial out through an amp/in a mix. David Bazan plays what appears to be a stock Bronco in Lo Tom, and it sounds pretty great to me.

Wow thanks for picture and I always appreciate a good KEXP live in studio. Looks like you had to re drill for the bridge and possibly you had to drill for your pick guard. Your Bronco looks awesome. I would love to play it and see what this little Bronco of mine could turn into. With some mods
I just played my SX standard with a group tonight and wish I could of broken out the Bronco, but it needs some of these very well appreciated adjustments. thanks for all the help.

 

[Jughead6]

Strings: God's gift to short scale bass players are the GHS Balanced Nickels. I can't say enough about them. As the title says, balanced in both tone and feel string-to-string and up the neck; big, round tone. Nickel is more dense than NPS, so there is more tension for the given diameter, which means they don't flop. They don't twang as NPS can do or thud as flats can do. They last a long, long time. One set lasted through two week-long annual tours to Mexico on the Pacific coast with my party band. They are reasonably priced.

Density is not necessarily related to the elasticity of a material. Lead is significantly more dense than both steel and nickel, but you would have to agree it is useless for guitar strings.

Nickel is more dense than stainless steel but the Young's modulus of nickel is actually very similar to that of stainless steel.

String construction has a lot to do with real and imagined tension.

 

[andare]

The standard Bronco bridge is bad for sure but the saddles can be angled for almost perfect intonation IME. It's actually pretty stiff once set.
A better bridge is definitely recommended but the Bronco is designed for a 17mm string spacing and most bridge are 19mm. Also drilling is not so easy of you're not handy.
That Gotoh bridge is the 203B and it will work. You can probably get it cheaper from other vendors as Stew Mac is notorious for its crazy shipping. Also if you're not in the US.

 

[iiipopes]

Density is not necessarily related to the elasticity of a material. Lead is significantly more dense than both steel and nickel, but you would have to agree it is useless for guitar strings.

Nickel is more dense than stainless steel but the Young's modulus of nickel is actually very similar to that of stainless steel.

String construction has a lot to do with real and imagined tension.

No, it doesn't. You miss the main point: the added mass means more tension for the given diameterl at the same pitch. Since the nickel is in the wrap, as with all strings, the wrap is essentially nothing more than a slinky (the toy) coil around the core adding mass. The same thing with piano strings: pure copper is so soft it doesn't have any real modulus of elasticity either (hence all the bad jokes about folks who are so stingy they stretch a penny into wire). But the core is steel, which bears the tension and the pitch to piano bass strings the same way as any wound string, bass, guitar, etc. The core is still steel, so, respectfully, your point is not on point.

Read both the GHS and the D'Addadario string guides: string construction has nothing to do with tension. T (Tension) = (UW x (2 x L x F)2 ) / 386.4 . UW is unit weight, the mass of the string. Nothing else determines tension. Now, depending on the rest of the variables of string construction, including the stiffness of the core, hex or round, the way the wraps are applied to the core, the type of wrap and how they lay on the core, etc., can affect feel and flexibility, but does not affect tension. But don't take my word for it: this is what @Jon Moody , bass player and member of this forum, product r&d at GHS strings taught me. He knows more about bass strings than the rest of us put together. I stand by my post. Everybody else: go take a physics course like I did in school, especially the chapter on harmonic motion and what affects frequency, which we hear as pitch.

 

[Jughead6]

No, it doesn't. You miss the main point: the added mass means more tension for the given diameterl at the same pitch. Since the nickel is in the wrap, as with all strings, the wrap is essentially nothing more than a slinky (the toy) coil around the core adding mass. The same thing with piano strings: pure copper is so soft it doesn't have any real modulus of elasticity either (hence all the bad jokes about folks who are so stingy they stretch a penny into wire). But the core is steel, which bears the tension and the pitch to piano bass strings the same way as any wound string, bass, guitar, etc. The core is still steel, so, respectfully, your point is not on point.

Read both the GHS and the D'Addadario string guides: string construction has nothing to do with tension. T (Tension) = (UW x (2 x L x F)2 ) / 386.4 . UW is unit weight, the mass of the string. Nothing else determines tension. Now, depending on the rest of the variables of string construction, including the stiffness of the core, hex or round, the way the wraps are applied to the core, the type of wrap and how they lay on the core, etc., can affect feel and flexibility, but does not affect tension. But don't take my word for it: this is what @Jon Moody , bass player and member of this forum, product r&d at GHS strings taught me. He knows more about bass strings than the rest of us put together. I stand by my post. Everybody else: go take a physics course like I did in school, especially the chapter on harmonic motion and what affects frequency, which we hear as pitch.

Nothing I said was incorrect. You are also correct: the inner core steel bears the tension and the outer nickel wraps do not i.e. the outer wraps do not act like a spring subject to Hooke's law. So the elasticity of a string will primarily be a function of the cross-sectional area of the inner core. Now, the point where we need to align is frequency: the frequency of the string is indeed related to the unit mass of the string. I agree with you: we can achieve a low E with higher tension by increasing the unit mass, this could be by making the outer wraps more dense (as you have suggested) or by increasing the string gauge (as many others would suggest), or by looking for strings with a different inner cross-sectional area (e.g. heavier inner core, which affects both elasticity and unit mass), or by changing the geometry of the outer wrap (e.g. from roundwound to flatwound) or a combination of the above. So, string construction does have a lot to do with the real and imagined tension.

 

[Nixlix26]

Okay I may have ordered too many options.
I got GHS ss boomers on the way
And the D’darrios that @AlexanderB recommended. The Wilkinson bridge that @capnjagg mentioned. And my daughter suggested a pickup chrome guard because it looks cool. So I will update y’all when it gets here and I make the adjustments.
I would like to recommend another option was the Vox mini amp I just purchased as well. It cleaned up some of the horrible E string. Thanks again everyone who shared their knowledge and experiences. When I was a teenager I had nothing like this to depend on. I put a Yamaha RBX through hell and back. It was a great machine

 

[Nixlix26]

Okay which ones should I string it up with?

 

[micguy]

The right strings are a big help. I have a Bronco that I just bought (and modded - a pickup that doesn't hum is an absolute necessity for me). The stock strings had a .097 E (that's what it measured - not sure if it was an undersized .100 or an oversized .095). It was relatively bright sounding but a bit flabby tension wise. It was also a bit unbalanced level wise - part of it was the string, part of it was the bridge wasn't quite lined up, and the E string was falling off the end of the pickup's field. With all the fixes on place, things are pretty good. Is it as good sounding as my full scales? Not quite, but if you're a fan of flats, the sound leans a little bit in that direction - it's a matter of taste at some point.

I like low tension strings - my full scale basses have 40-55-70-95-130 sets on them (bought as singles). That's about 35 pounds of tension per string. The gauges you need for that tension on a short scale are 45-60-80-105. That's "low" tension - anything less than that is going to be "flabby" tension wise. If you've got a short scale for a kid, and you're trying to make it really easy to play, lighter strings may make some sense, but if you're an adult, and trying to get a decent tone out of the thing, you need bigger strings.