Bought A Squier Bronco Bass

[Oster]

Call it a weakness for red guitars...$175.00 brand new. For some reason I'm restless with basses. I've settled down long ago with my guitar and acoustic choices but I just burn through my basses (the one constant being my Jazz).

Plain unfinished neck in that Squier style I'm not so fond of but with its very low price, what are you gonna do. Sounds pretty good - I like short scale both for sound and feel. Nice glossy coat. Nice pickup.

I'm going to leave it totally stock for a change and see what happens.

[photoweborama]

I have one too, or I should say, my son has one. It was given to him as a gift. He does not play it so it is in my room!

I shielded it and I put in a Seymour Duncan Cool Rail. I have to tell you, it sounds SOOOOOO much better with that humbucker in there.

I asked and they told me that is the pickup that Seymour recommends for that bass, and the, I think... MusicMaster bass..

[Oster]

Originally Posted by photoweborama

I shielded it and I put in a Seymour Duncan Cool Rail. I have to tell you, it sounds SOOOOOO much better with that humbucker in there.

I have to say that I like the sound (and the look) of the stock pickup. It's in the right place for some nice deep tones. Works for me.

One thing: It's too bad they didn't use amp-style (Muddy Waters) dials for the complete Bronco picture. Guess I could add them but then again I'm sworn to not modify.

[Tim Armstrong]

Originally Posted by Oster

I'm going to leave it totally stock for a change and see what happens.

Blasphemy!!!!!!





Cheers, Tim

[eddiewagner]

well done oster! thats one supercool bass for guitarplayers.

[brillocaster]

Every time I look at this thread, a voice in my head says "Buy me. Refinish me in Oly White and put a black or red pearloid guard on me. Then hit me with a Bettie Page-esque pinup decal."

[Oster]

Thought I'd report on the Bronco's performance since it was debuted Live Monday night (and had spent Monday morning recording also).

I actually think my favorite feature on this little bass is its pickup! It is a little weaker than other single coils, probably owing to its sealed design. It most resembles an old Gibson Melody Maker pickup or Mustang pickup or an original Bronco guitar pickup (which were black plastic instead of white).

Cranking the amp to improve output made for a great sound overall. I got the growl and bottom end but, due to the quieter output of the pickup, less spike and overload (my own term - what happens with basses in certain positions up the fretboard where the volume & sustain will drastically increase, drowning everything else out). In other words a primitive compressor-like effect, keeping everything balanced. The other plus is it isn't as noisy as other single coil designs. It's a good trade-off (less volume, definition vs. less noise, even output).

Of course the weight and faster scale was a lot of fun. I'm keeping the roundwounds on it which tend to rattle with the slacker tension (I play fingerstyle - they might not fret rattle so much if I played with a pick) but seeing as my Jazz is strung with flats and this Bronco is in no way a replacement for the Jazz, I'll have one of each.

The sealed design tuners are a little creaky and the bass seems to need tuning a little more often than not. It survives a 45 minute set but is certainly sensitive to heat & cold more than other basses I've played. Also the intonation isn't precise with the two-saddle design but it gets by.

All in all, it's a great value for the $175.00 I payed. Flashy Torino red too which looks great under the stagelights.

The amp I used was an old tube Traynor Bass mate.

As eddiewagner pointed out, this is a great bass for guitar players.

[photoweborama]

I still have the original pickup in a box. It is actually a 6 string pickup. It has six poles. Which is good for a bass. more even and spread for a bass pickup pattern. Not direct over the poles for nice even tone.

[Ktulu09]

Does the short scale have much of an effect on anything? Do you tune it E-A-D-G? Does it effect the tone in any way?

Just wondering. I play guitar, but I need a bass to kick around on. This bass in high on my want list.

[Oster]

Originally Posted by Ktulu09

Does the short scale have much of an effect on anything? Do you tune it E-A-D-G? Does it effect the tone in any way?

Just wondering. I play guitar, but I need a bass to kick around on. This bass in high on my want list.

A short scale bass is an easier transition for most guitarists (30" from saddle to nut as opposed to 34" and also narrower).

The differences I've noted over the years are that the short scalers tend to have slightly less definition & bottom end. The strings also feel a little more slack. The tuning for a short scale is totally the same as any other 4 string bass (EADG).

Quite a few famous rock and roll recordings have been made with short scale basses - the Rolling Stones' Bill Wyman for instance used a Mustang Bass among others. Cream's Jack Bruce was never without his Gibson EB-0.

To my ears, a short scale bass has a '60s sound since that seems to be the era that they were used most (of course reg. scale basses held down the bottom on just as many, if not more classic '60s recordings too).

If you get into bass in a big way, you may eventually want a long scale bass. There are times when you will want the more thundering presence and defintion that only a good full scale bass will provide.

As for a bass to kick around on? Definitely look into the Bronco.

[Tim Armstrong]

FWIW, I play short-scale bass exclusively these days. I have smallish hands, and find my 30" scale Musicmaster and 31" scale Rogue Hofner copy amazingly easier for me to play.

In my experience, I find that using the right strings really minimizes any of the commonly-accepted limitations of short-scale basses. My basses thunder along with the best of them!

Cheers, Tim

[Oster]

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

My basses thunder along with the best of them!

Tim, I have no doubt!

[rxtech]

I just sold my fretless Jazz Bass and I'm wanting either an Epiphone EB-0 or Bronco. What would you guys recommend. I like classic rock and worship music. In fact, I'll be using it at church where I play bass. Also, Tim, what are some good short scale flatwounds and how much do they go for?
Thanks all!

[Tim Armstrong]

I really like GHS Precision Flatwounds. Juststrings.com has them for around $25/set, and they have them in a couple of different lengths for different scale length basses.

I have two Musicmasters, the first my Mutant pieced together from a '73 body, a separate '73 neck, and a bunch of stuff picked up on the internet (I'm having a P-Bass pickup installed, it previously had a Kent Armstrong lipstick tube pickup). The other one is a fairly recent MIC (China) Squier Vista Series Musicmaster, and it's a pretty nifty little bass.

The current Bronco Bass is an inexpensive version of the Musicmaster (not that there are any expensive versions!), and is a nice little bass and quite tweakable if desired. I haven't played one of the Epi basses, but they certainly look good! In both cases, they're from third-world factories, and the odds on problems are at least slightly higher than from something that says "Fender" or "Gibson". Try before you buy!

Cheers, Tim

[rxtech]

Thanks, Tim!

[photoweborama]

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

I really like GHS Precision Flatwounds. Jusstrings.com has them for around $25/set, and they have them in a couple of different lengths for different scale length basses.

Thanks, I've had a hard time finding strings for mine. What gauge are your using?

[Tim Armstrong]

Here's what my receipt from Juststrings.com says:

GHS Electric Bass 4 String 30" - 31" Scale, .045 - .095, Precision Flatwound, 3020

Cheers, Tim

[rxtech]

What is the overall length (not scale, I'm talking top of headstock to bottom strapbutton)of the Bronco bass? I have a case and I'd like to know if the bass would fit in it.
Thanks guys!

[Tim Armstrong]

I'll measure my Musicmaster Bass (exactly the same size as the Bronco Bass) a little later, but I can tell you right now that it doesn't fit in any standard guitar case that I've tried. I ended up buying a Musician's Friend standard P&J-sized bass case, which works well enough...

Cheers, Tim

[rxtech]

Let me know what you find out. I think I'm going to order the Bronco today but I'll need a gig bag too if this case doesn't work.
Thanks