I dont mind the pick up in mine. This thread will probably end up making me change it becuase it just sounds fun. My biggest gripe is the tuners.
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Squier Bronco Pickup change?
- Thread starter scottie65
- Start date
Recently experimented with four different pickups in my Bronco.
1. The original ceramic.
2. Seymour Duncan Lipstick.
3. Economy flat pole Strat alnico pickup off of Amazon.
4. Old chrome pickup from a 60's Japanese import bass
The winner was the Japanese pickup. I cut a temporary pickguard from a no parking sign from the hardware store. Second best was the flat pole, alnico Strat pickup. It sounded very Fendery and turns the Bronco into a Musicmaster bass.
1. The original ceramic.
2. Seymour Duncan Lipstick.
3. Economy flat pole Strat alnico pickup off of Amazon.
4. Old chrome pickup from a 60's Japanese import bass
The winner was the Japanese pickup. I cut a temporary pickguard from a no parking sign from the hardware store. Second best was the flat pole, alnico Strat pickup. It sounded very Fendery and turns the Bronco into a Musicmaster bass.
It’s a Fender Fidelitron pickup. Here are a few iPhone shot videos of the bass from my old Instagram account…
The tuners are definitely junk. I had the holes enlarged are put some lollipops on mine.
I put an EMG H pickup in mine and it sounds phenomenal. The H is a P bass pickup in a guitar humbucker housing. This mod will yield a Bronco that can be used anywhere you would normally use a P bass. A side benefit is no noise, hum or buzz.
The Bronco body is routed wide enough to fit a humbucker. You just need to cut the pickguard to fit it, but you can use the existing pickguard screw holes to mount the pickup.
The Bronco body is routed wide enough to fit a humbucker. You just need to cut the pickguard to fit it, but you can use the existing pickguard screw holes to mount the pickup.
the strat pickup sounds better than any rail pickup in that bass, its a very smooth sounding bass with minimal sustain and minimal treble response. id just raise the pickup and keep it, if you're looking for a replacement id hunt down an original fender stratocaster middle pickup and throw that in there, im sure the squire strat pickup is different and stuff
Well, it's a matter of what one wants to hear. A problem with the stock pickup is that there's noise with it, as with single coils generally. Potential replacements mentioned have been focused on pickups that are humbucking, in one configuration or another, or at least low noise. They do have a bit more fullness than the stock pickup, as well. For me that counts as an improvement, others may feel differently.
i get the hum thing, but ive never seen the thin-ness! they do still make the bronco, i only have extreme reservations when this comes to a musicmaster so its probably ok to mod them as they're common, i just think, because of the price of the bronco and the price of a new pickup, why not just get a different bass? i respect ballers on budgets though
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^^ No worries, the H will work fine, but might not be what another reader wants, so I thought I'd clarify is all.
@scottie65
For a bass with standard 19mm string spacing, you'll want to use a bridge pickup, because the pole pieces are farthest apart. With a neck or middle pickup, the pole pieces might not reach all the way to the outer strings, and one or both of them will end up too quiet. I don't know the string spacing on the Bronco.
I also recommend a more hot "distortion" style pickup, even a dual-rail design. The standard "vintage" Strat sound has a big high mid scoop, known to guitarists as "Strat quack", that doesn't sound very good on bass. (The usual description is "thin and clanky.") A bridge position L-290S is a good choice, noiseless, and cheap for something hand-wound in America:
Noisefree Strat
A lot of people opt for a replacement that's low noise/humbucking. One facet to consider, when going to the trouble of switching out the old pickup.
Some good old standard fender tuners?? I've got an MIM set laying around right now. Any idea off hand what size you drilled it out to?
I installed a dual rail humbucking Strat style pickup I bought on Amazon for under $15 at the time. It works great and no noise.
I had tried a name brand rails pickup but preferred the sound of the inexpensive one.
I had tried a name brand rails pickup but preferred the sound of the inexpensive one.
