+1 on the Bronco. I did upgrade the pickup to a dragonfire hotrail. I think it was $15, I changed the bridge to one with individual saddles for better intonation, and I did some work on the fret ends. I like mine for the classic 60s flats sound and that is what it does. I am not so sure I would like it with rounds.
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SX Short Scale Basses VS Squier Bronco Bass
- Thread starter MarMar
- Start date
Over the years I've accumulated the Squier Bronco, SX J SS, Fender Mustang LE PJ and Fender Mustang PJ.
All of them get the job done well but I prefer humbucking pickups and a nut width of 1.5" and rosewood fingerboards. The SX and the Mustangs have a 1.5" Nut width with rosewood but only the Mustang PJs have the humbucking pickup.
The Bronco has a 6 pole single coil Stratocaster sized guitar pickup that I replaced with a dual rail Stratocaster style humbucking guitar pickup I bought on Amazon for less than $15. That took care of the single coil noise and sounds more robust than the original.
I've never replaced the single coil pickups on the SX since they're not that noisy.
My favorite of the four is my Mustang LE PJ because it has the best P bass tone I've ever played...BTW, it has an ebony fingerboard which is unusual for Fender but I don't mind it.
I believe the Fender Player Mustang bass is the same as the PJ with a new name and finishes.
All of them get the job done well but I prefer humbucking pickups and a nut width of 1.5" and rosewood fingerboards. The SX and the Mustangs have a 1.5" Nut width with rosewood but only the Mustang PJs have the humbucking pickup.
The Bronco has a 6 pole single coil Stratocaster sized guitar pickup that I replaced with a dual rail Stratocaster style humbucking guitar pickup I bought on Amazon for less than $15. That took care of the single coil noise and sounds more robust than the original.
I've never replaced the single coil pickups on the SX since they're not that noisy.
My favorite of the four is my Mustang LE PJ because it has the best P bass tone I've ever played...BTW, it has an ebony fingerboard which is unusual for Fender but I don't mind it.
I believe the Fender Player Mustang bass is the same as the PJ with a new name and finishes.
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Just to throw another hat in the ring, if you can get your mitts on a used Squier Vintage Modified Mustang (now discontinued), they’re a lot of bass for the money!
I don’t doubt the others are good options too, but there’s something special about the pickups in these, IMO of course.
I don’t doubt the others are good options too, but there’s something special about the pickups in these, IMO of course.
I can honestly say that I like my Bronco a lot more than the Mustang P/J. Grab a used Bronco for 100 bucks and play it stock or mod to your particular taste.
Why in Bocephus' name Fender won't just go ahead and put a standard 5-screw bridge on the Bronco and Mustang type basses, I have no idea. It would be an instant improvement, especially on the Bronco, and be a few less specialized parts they have to produce.
Depends on what you're going for.
The Bronco is ridiculously good for the money. Obviously it isn't perfect, but I really like the way it sits in the mix. It's just a really solid bass and it fits most music really well. I often prefer it over other basses.
I also have a Mustang, which has a more outspoken signature sound. It just does the short-scale thing very well. Technically speaking, I prefer it's tone, but it does tend to stand out on recordings. That's something you may or may not like. The Mustang is significantly more expensive and my particular (Japanese) model has some intonation problems. However, I still really really like it.
I have no experience playing SX instruments, but they are generally well-viewed. Khruangbin is a great exemple of a famous band that just sticks with the SX J-bass.
Maybe you could just try out some gear before buying?
The Bronco is ridiculously good for the money. Obviously it isn't perfect, but I really like the way it sits in the mix. It's just a really solid bass and it fits most music really well. I often prefer it over other basses.
I also have a Mustang, which has a more outspoken signature sound. It just does the short-scale thing very well. Technically speaking, I prefer it's tone, but it does tend to stand out on recordings. That's something you may or may not like. The Mustang is significantly more expensive and my particular (Japanese) model has some intonation problems. However, I still really really like it.
I have no experience playing SX instruments, but they are generally well-viewed. Khruangbin is a great exemple of a famous band that just sticks with the SX J-bass.
Maybe you could just try out some gear before buying?
The SX cost less than $150. Good player and sounds fine. I gave it to my nephew when he expressed an interest in learning. It was medium scale, just like the fender and felt great.
The Bronco is actually a good bass tbh. I don't really buy new basses to be honest, but if new is what you want I'd not hesitate to get one. That being said, I've heard good things about sx, I just wouldn't buy a bass sight unseen. Further, if you want cheap, those are your options. Also maybe the Ibanez Talman basses, people seem to like those too.
Sorry to dust off this old thread, but searching seemed to suggest this was a good place to start: I was wondering if anyone has put a Bronco neck on a short scale SX body and, if so, how was the fit and were there any installation issues?
