squier bronco bass mod project

[stripes]

i am looking for a cheap, short scale bass... just for the studio. i'm really tempted by the broncos that you can get for dirt cheap. would maybe even replace the pup.

but anyone play one of these? how good/bad are they? either i buy a bronco for like $100 or less, or get a mustang or musicmaster bass for a few hundred. but only if it would really be worth the extra $$$$!! ik there is a lot of squier love on this forum so get at me

EDIT
i got the bass. everything is in the mail for this to ~sort of~ become a musicmaster bass with a little mojo

i'm going to switch out the pickguard for a musicmaster one
put in a seymour duncan cool rails neck pickup
re wire all the pots/maybe switch out the 250ks for 500ks, but it might not be necessary
replace the .022uf cap with a .047
will probably have to put some foil in there somewhere?
darken the neck with either some shoe polish or tung oil

if anyone has any idea about how to make this better, let me know!

[neonblack]

Squier vm jaguar Bass is a good choice too! Light as a feather and the P pickup in it as super punchy.

[Disarm D'arcy]

Yeah, If you really feel like a classic Fender sound, jump on the VM jaguar bass.

The bronco is a little awkward sounding, but it's fun to play.

[sears]

I love mine. But it does have an understated sound. I with the platform was more popular so I could "roll my own" Musicmaster copy.

[colossus]

I just got a VM 70s jazz bass and it's fucking incredible. I got it for $150 too.

[stripes]

i brought some random stuff i had around into a local music store for credit and ended up just pulling the trigger on the bronco bass. got it for $40 after the trade-in, so that's pretty cool.. don't care so much about classic fender sound so much as i wanted a cheap short scale to use primarily for recording (i've never even owned a bass and have been borrowing friends' for years), and i just like the look of any mustang style body

i plan on modding it a bit and beefing it up. so far what i plan to do is:
-switch out the pickguard for a musicmaster one + get new knobs
-put in a cool rails pup
-replace the .022 tone knob cap with .047 orange drop
-maybe switch out the pots?? dunno how much of a difference that will really make... especially if i'm going with cool rails vs hot rails and leaving the 250k in, the sound might be more balanced. also i'm into anything unique or whatever as long as it's not all shitty and noisy.

when it arrives in the shop they will set it up nice and after i go at it and put some flat wounds on it i feel like this bass that i got for almost nothing and didn't put a whole lot of money into will be pretty gewds! i can post the process here for anyone interested

[colin]

Nice! I had a Squier Bronco for a while before I got my Musicmaster Bass, and the Squire was a damn good bass for the money. Granted I'm a terrible bassist and I don't play it much, but I'd be okay with swapping back to a Bronco.

[stripes]

i'm still going to be very tempted if one of those musicmaster vistas come up for sale somwhere...

[ThurberMingus]

If that had a maple fretboard it would be my dream bass. Literally. Squier and all.

[zeravla]

i'm still going to be very tempted if one of those musicmaster vistas come up for sale somwhere...

Love that color and matching headstock

Let us see pics of your bass when it's done! I've been lusting after a Mustang bass since seeing the one in the Dwarfcraft demo vids but might look into the Broncos instead. Hadn't seen them before.

[sears]

I put a Barden strat pickup in mine and changed the rest of the electronics while I was at it. Shielding made a huge difference.

I too prefer maple. But if I could get a non-neck-divey Musicmaster I'd probably compromise on that.

[Gone Fission]

The Squier Mustang basses are (were?) maple fretboards. Of course, those are also the Mustang pickup, which is a little different.

[fever606]

Gonna watch this because I just scooped a Squier Bronco for $50 off the local List of Craig...

Or maybe I'll go the "poor man's Bass VI" route...

[DarkAxel]

Go all TTNG on it, add tuning pegs, change a bridge and Bass VI away

you guys make me want to do this as well... always wanted to do a project like this... Broncos don't EVER come up used around here, though and new they're not too cheap either

[KaosCill8r]

Squier vm jaguar Bass is a good choice too! Light as a feather and the P pickup in it as super punchy.

+1 The Squier VM range are great basses and guitars for little money and you can build them into what you want them to be. I have both a VM Jaguar guitar and a VM Jaguar bass, both re-modded with better hardware and electronics and found myself playing them exclusively lately over my much more expensive guitars and basses Made in Indonesia Squier are in a bit of a golden age at the moment. Up there with Made in Japan Squier in my opinion.