The Squier Mini Precision Bass Club

[DavesnothereCA]

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....And yes, with so many avid ardent fanatical modders here, SOMEone could try adding a roller at the South end of a Mini-P, even if they keep the regular tuners.

Maybe it would not even need a roller in that instance.

Just contour the South end of the body more rounded, then measure out, curve, and anchor the long scale strings somehow at the rear.

It might just work, and then look at all of the extra strings a person could try !
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And I forgot to mention earlier that adding the rollers [or otherwise modding that space South of the bridge to allow strings to sit there] would make it necessary to move the South strap button, and if it went to the E side of the bridge, this would help fight neck dive, like on many Schecters and Spectors.
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[Volker Kirstein]

A hard reality check on swapping necks with different scales....

If you change the equation on one end, you have to change it on the other as well. It's music math.

If you move the nut 0.75" outward, the saddles/bridge will have to move 0.75" outward, as well. The saddles and nut should be (roughly) equidistant from the 12th fret harmonic. The Mini P bridge cannot pull the saddles back far enough as it sits.

EDIT: This is why my inverse lefty short scale neck on a full size P body "soviet" project shown earlier in this thread doesn't have the bridge installed yet.
The Squier Mini Precision Bass Club

EDIT 2: I would most definitely go for the Bronco neck should it happen to fit in the pocket, and I had the time/tools/inclination to do so. I do love me a maple fretboard. Purely for aesthetic purposes. And Broncos are fun to play!

 

[DavesnothereCA]

....If you move the nut 0.75" outward, the saddles/bridge will have to move 0.75" outward, as well. The saddles and nut should be (roughly) equidistant from the 12th fret harmonic.

The Mini P bridge cannot pull the saddles back far enough as it sits....

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Exactly.

I did not go into the math details in my recent posts about this, but I agree in principle, and .7" just happens to be half of the published scale difference between the two beasts in question.

Though what StudioGC has been contemplating is to put a Mini-P neck onto a Bronco or Mustang body, which would likely necessitate the crest of the bridge saddles to come INWARD.

It was ME who had earlier posted upthread about putting a Bronco neck onto a Mini-P body, when we first discussed what the neck pocket dims might be.

In either case, the bridge would prob'ly need to move.

The one wild card in all of this, even if the pockets are the same size [and not yet sure on this], is the number of frets on each neck, because if it is not the same, and there also is no fretboard overhang on either neck, then the amount of the overall 1.4" scale difference may not end up being equally distributed [if no mods to the pocket], and as I posted [also upthread, IIRC], measuring from the nut to the heel of each neck becomes crucial in deciding whether and by what distance the bridge may really need to be shifted, and in which direction.

For example, if a Bronco neck happened to have an extra fret or two, and no fretboard overhang, it might not require the bridge of a Mini-P body to be moved, because more of the required scale change would already be on the neck side of the heel after mounting, if no mods are to be made to the pocket.

Measuring from the nut to the heel of each neck beforehand could feed a calculation about this.

Putting them together, then measuring from nut to bridge saddles - that would confirm the calc.

See what I mean ?
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[WI Short Scaler]

I would most definitely go for the Bronco neck should it happen to fit in the pocket, and I had the time/tools/inclination to do so. I do love me a maple fretboard. Purely for aesthetic purposes. And Broncos are fun to play!

I'm looking for a Bronco neck to change out on my '78 Musicmaster. My old hands are not getting any less-arthritic and the original neck seems like a Louisville Slugger compared to my Bronco neck.

It looks like the measurements will work, just not something I've ever done and don't want to wreck my favorite bass in the process.

And I love the maple both for aesthetic and playing purposes. The Bronco neck has a great feel and smooth playability to it.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

I'm looking for a Bronco neck to change out on my '78 Musicmaster. My old hands are not getting any less-arthritic and the original neck seems like a Louisville Slugger compared to my Bronco neck.

It looks like the measurements will work, just not something I've ever done and don't want to wreck my favorite bass in the process.

And I love the maple both for aesthetic and playing purposes. The Bronco neck has a great feel and smooth playability to it.

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I like Maple fretboards better myself too, or at least ones with varnish on them, like my Ric has.

OK, so you already own both basses ?

Are they both 30" scale [I think they are], and do they have the same number of frets, and both use 4 screws to attach the neck ?

And you could measure from nut to heel of each neck without disassembling, I think, as those also being the same would go a long way toward an easy change.

If yes, then mainly you would need to confirm the neck pocket dimensions and mounting screw spacing, which may force you to remove both necks, and would have to put them back if the numbers do not match, or proceed if they do.
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[WI Short Scaler]

If yes, then mainly you would need to confirm the neck pocket dimensions and mounting screw spacing, which may force you to remove both necks, and would have to put them back if the numbers do not match, or proceed if they do.

I've done all the measurements and everything seems in line.

I had the musicmaster and a spare body when I bought the pieces to assemble the Bronco so I've already played around with the thought of swapping parts and all seemed in line.

But now that I have my Bronco in playing shape I want to keep both. I've just noticed lately that my left hand has more pain after I play my favorite, the Fender, for a period of time. So looking for another Bronco neck. But with the thinner neck I know I'll have to rework the setup and possibly play with truss rod adjustments. All stuff I haven't done and have no confidence in my ability to do.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

I've done all the measurements and everything seems in line.

I had the musicmaster and a spare body when I bought the pieces to assemble the Bronco so I've already played around with the thought of swapping parts and all seemed in line.

But now that I have my Bronco in playing shape I want to keep both. I've just noticed lately that my left hand has more pain after I play my favorite, the Fender, for a period of time. So looking for another Bronco neck. But with the thinner neck I know I'll have to rework the setup and possibly play with truss rod adjustments. All stuff I haven't done and have no confidence in my ability to do.

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Yeah, not wanting to sacrifice one bass to fix the other.

I briefly had a Squier Bronco during 2019, but did not like it as it was, did not bother to do a setup and string change to it, and flipped it, AFAIK before the Squier Mini-P bass was announced as being produced.

I'd need to find another, AND buy a Squier Mini-P, in order to do what I mentioned not far above.

Hindsight and all....

BTW, the setup would be the easy part, if your other work so far has been correct.
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[WI Short Scaler]

Yeah, not wanting to sacrifice one bass to fix the other.

That's the tough part, I could experiment since I own both a Bronco and the Musicmaster but don't want to screw up two while trying to make a change to one.

 

[MakoMan]

That's the tough part, I could experiment since I own both a Bronco and the Musicmaster but don't want to screw up two while trying to make a change to one.

You could always pick up a second Bronco used and convert it to a MusicMaster without touching either of your current basses. It's fairly simple to do - certainly easier than swapping a Bronco neck onto the Fender.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

You could always pick up a second Bronco used and convert it to a MusicMaster without touching either of your current basses. It's fairly simple to do - certainly easier than swapping a Bronco neck onto the Fender.

The reason I'm looking at the neck on the Musicmaster is because that one's been my favorite for a long time and it's the one my son painted for me. Yes, I'll say it, sentimental attachment to it means I want to keep that one playable. If it isn't feasible I'll leave it as is and just have to play it less. The necks on the Bronco and the Squier version are both thinner and more comfortable to play longer, that's what made me think of it.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

You could always pick up a second Bronco used and convert it to a MusicMaster without touching either of your current basses. It's fairly simple to do - certainly easier than swapping a Bronco neck onto the Fender.

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I could not remember what exactly a Musicmaster bass was, nor how one looked.

So I Binged and got this :

Fender Musicmaster Bass - Wikipedia

The page said that a [surplus] Mustang body with a [surplus] single coil [6 pole-piece guitar] pickup were the main components of the first series of Musicmaster basses, and of course a 30" scale neck.

So it feels like the instrument would be a lot like a cross between a Mustang and a Bronco, based on the attributes of recent models of those two basses, even though Broncos apparently were not built until later than Musicmasters.

Here are some pics, for anyone who has not seen a Musicmaster bass :

Fender Musicmaster Bass 1972 - 1981 | Reverb

Now that I have seen one, I would likely just as soon choose a Mustang, if I could find one of those in a version with the wider [1.625"] nut, at a price which was affordable.

There do not seem to be many used Mustangs in circulation though.

And all of the above models have a 30" scale, rather than the 28.6" of the Squier Mini-P, which would complicate matters if swapping such a neck or body with the other half of a Mini-P, as I suggested not too far above.
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[DavesnothereCA]

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....Here are some pics, for anyone who has not seen a Musicmaster bass :

Fender Musicmaster Bass 1972 - 1981 | Reverb

Now that I have seen one, I would likely just as soon choose a Mustang, if I could find one of those in a version with the wider [1.625"] nut, at a price which was affordable.

There do not seem to be many used Mustangs in circulation though.

And all of the above models have a 30" scale, rather than the 28.6" of the Squier Mini-P, which would complicate matters if swapping such a neck or body with the other half of a Mini-P, as I suggested not too far above.
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I should add that [based upon the above Reverb link] a used vintage Musicmaster bass seems to be commanding a hefty price these days, overlapping significantly with the cost of a brand new USA Mustang.

And the new Mustang has a better [4 piece] bridge, plus a better [hum-cancelling] pickup.

Those last two things are also part of a Squier Mini-P, at a much lower price point.
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[pistonrod8]

The lacquer has finally dried enough to start the final sanding and polishing. First step, 1000 grit.

 

[andare]

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I should add that [based upon the above Reverb link] a used vintage Musicmaster bass seems to be commanding a hefty price these days, overlapping significantly with the cost of a brand new USA Mustang.

And the new Mustang has a better [4 piece] bridge, plus a better [hum-cancelling] pickup.

Those last two things are also part of a Squier Mini-P, at a much lower price point.
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The Squier Vista Musicmasters also command high prices because they're rare and those are also better than an original fender MM because of the better bridge and pickups. A mid-Nineties instrument is now considered vintage. Either I'm getting old or the market is crazy.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

The Squier Vista Musicmasters also command high prices because they're rare and those are also better than an original fender MM because of the better bridge and pickup. A mid-Nineties instrument is now considered vintage. Either I'm getting old, or the market is crazy.

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You and me both, and both !

That would be the model which Wikipedia says was only built for about one year, perhaps 1997 ?
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[DavesnothereCA]

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I could not remember what exactly a Musicmaster bass was, nor how one looked.... ....So it feels like the instrument would be a lot like a cross between a Mustang and a Bronco....
....There do not seem to be many used Mustangs in circulation though. - And all of the above models have a 30" scale, rather than the 28.6" of the Squier Mini-P, which would complicate matters if swapping such a neck or body with the other half of a Mini-P, as I suggested not too far above.
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I think that someone already did this for a Mini-P somewhere upthread, but if anyone here also owns a Squier Bronco, could I get them to measure and post what the distance is from the nut to the heel of the neck, and please also confirm whether the fretboard extends past the heel and overhangs the body, or is it a flat even heel end to the neck ?

And just to keep things in one place, possibly someone could do the same [again] for a Squier Mini-P.

Thanks.
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[SBassman]

The lacquer has finally dried enough to start the final sanding and polishing. First step, 1000 grit.

View attachment 4064398 View attachment 4064397

Niiiiiiice.

 

[G19Tony]

The lacquer has finally dried enough to start the final sanding and polishing. First step, 1000 grit.

View attachment 4064398 View attachment 4064397

This project is going to be something else!

 

[SBassman]

The lacquer has finally dried enough to start the final sanding and polishing. First step, 1000 grit.

View attachment 4064398 View attachment 4064397

Tell us when you start accepting orders, and I will send you a Mini P body to do your magic on.

 

[SBassman]

Tell us when you start accepting orders, and I will send you a Mini P body to do your magic on.

Or at a minimum, do a video taking us through the magic, so that we can attempt it ourselves. What kind of spray equipment are you using?