Squier Bronco Bass question

Fakir Mustache · Post by **Fakir Mustache** » Wed May 28, 2014 4:55 pm

I tried one at the local shop, it was pretty cool, I didn't plug it in though.

The body had a nice red glossy finish, but the thing I wasn't too crazy about is that the neck is unfinished. Are they all unfinished, the older ones too? Even the Badtz Maru?

mixtape · Post by **mixtape** » Wed May 28, 2014 6:10 pm

To the best of my knowledge, they're all like that. The pasty-whiteness of the neck is a pretty common complaint with the Bronco bass, so your options are probably to put up with it, refinish it, or wait and see if the satin finish will change color at all with age. I think mine might be starting to, since it has a little bit of a tan line around the neck pocket. That said, they're wonderfully comfy little basses and make good projects.

Fakir Mustache · Post by **Fakir Mustache** » Thu May 29, 2014 8:30 am

My problem isn't that it's pale, and anyways that can be solved with Kiwi or something. It's that it's almost raw wood with very little oils.

I'm sure it would be a good project, but I'm not that good at finishing, not yet anyways. And it was full price, 240 Euros or around, not the 180 it goes for at Thomann. And even that I would consider expensive. If it was under 100 I would just buy it and not care. I think they did blow them for 99$ at Musician's Friend at one time, but those deals are not available in countries with Squier dealers anyways.

The Epiphone satin finishes are just as bad, now the Gibson satin finishes are better and well oiled, but there is also a large price difference.

ultratwin · Post by **ultratwin** » Thu May 29, 2014 9:53 am

Aye, all the ones I've been around were satin and pasty.

I basted mine with black tea for a few days and hung it out on our South-facing veranda for a month or so, collectively giving it a nice maple tan with a strangely added gloss to it, and feeling like the grain had somehow been sealed up (heaven knows what Darjeeling will do to maple?). I personally liked the feeling of the neck itself and was rather optimistic about it, but everything else started to go wrong so I trashed it for a project. Cheapo micro-tuners de-threaded and broke after adding flatwounds, and the original pickup was quite anemic so I replaced it with a Kent Armstrong Hot rail and it admittedly looked and sounded alright for a while...but the neck proved to be warped and unusuable:

If the neck had survived the flats I'd have kept it, but alas I decided to throw a couple hundred more into the mess and create SOMETHING AWESOME.

And just one thing about the pickup, it's in the right place but really needed more winds to get a decent midrange thump and bump. Although vintage Pre-CBS Precision Basses were wound to about 10.5k ohms and I thought adding something as punchy as a 13.5k humbucker would be too much, it proved to be amazing and the upper mids are certainly not lost with such a hot pickup. You can listen to the thing really snarl on the "Hart and Hind" track my wife and I did last year in the SUMMER SLUM COMP 2013, it's a fantastic rock bass and I presently have it on loan to our friend Inkyung from Korean indie band MONNI as a backup bass for her MIA Precision Bass.

Sublimedo · Post by **Sublimedo** » Thu May 29, 2014 6:15 pm

Did the Badtz Maru cpme with a 4 pole piece pickup? The Bronco Basses I've seen had cheap strat pickups.

ultratwin · Post by **ultratwin** » Fri May 30, 2014 1:46 am

Yeah, same ol' 6-pole cheapie on Teh Badtz. Kinda worth saving the robroe cover though if you ditch the thing.

mixtape · Post by **mixtape** » Fri May 30, 2014 2:47 am

ultratwin wrote:Yeah, same ol' 6-pole cheapie on Teh Badtz. Kinda worth saving the robroe cover though if you ditch the thing.

Also, ditch the thing. (If you had plugged it in at the shop, you would know this.) The stock pickup is hands-down the worst part of the Bronco bass.

Fakir Mustache · Post by **Fakir Mustache** » Fri May 30, 2014 9:17 am

Anyone try it in a guitar? It could be pretty cool.

ultratwin · Post by **ultratwin** » Fri May 30, 2014 12:56 pm

Fakir Mustache wrote:Anyone try it in a guitar? It could be pretty cool.

redzebra6 · Post by **redzebra6** » Sat May 31, 2014 4:05 pm

The few that I tried out before getting mine have all been that way. I kinda like it, being different from my other 2 glossy-neck basses, plus it has some cool looking birdseye spots on the neck. The p'up isn't the best, so I replaced mine with an old Modal One I found for $20. It just didn't solve the anemic sound, it put it on meth and steroids.

It's good to know about putting flats on the neck, because I was thinking about doing that last nite. Probably a good thing the kids decided to act up then.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Sat May 31, 2014 6:15 pm

Do the necks have a thinner satin coat or is it just sealer or something?

ultratwin · Post by **ultratwin** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 10:15 am

Was definitely a satin finish on mine, although barely, reminded me of earlier Affinity models I've messed about with.

redzebra6 wrote: It's good to know about putting flats on the neck, because I was thinking about doing that last nite. Probably a good thing the kids decided to act up then.

To be sure, I think mine was already on its way out with a noted fracture clear across the skunk stripe and clearly some negligence on the part of the previous owner (I'm guessing leaving it out on the veranda in the dead of Seoul's somewhat harsh winter for at least a season), so you may not want to quote me on it. Although it certainly wasn't some preciously sturdy quartersawn hard maple gem, I reckon it shouldn't normally have had any trouble with flats...Just keep in mind that the tuners busted on me as I was tuning up on the very same set (.050/.105 flats)

mixtape · Post by **mixtape** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 3:51 pm

Satin finish on mine as well. I've got rounds on it (did have to widen the nut slots to accommodate .50/.105s, but they sound and feel a lot better than the lighter strings that come stock), but I've heard of many, many people using flats on theirs with no ill effects, so I think ultra's neck had other issues.

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 8:18 pm

For the last time, it bears repeating but Squier does not sell any guitars with unfinished necks. As far as I can tell, their Affinity Series necks are satin polyurethane. It's a tough, durable finish that protect the neck for its entire lifetime. If you want to check for yourself, spray the neck with water. If it were unfinished, it would absorb the water somewhat, but since it is finished, the water is repelled. You know, the invisible woody satin finish is considered a feature on high-end shredder instruments, as it feels almost non-existent while being very protective. Glossy finishes aren't the only kind there is, and there are a lot of people that take sandpaper to the back of their new $2400 Gibsons to make it satin so as to feel less sticky. Be happy that your $120 Squier comes stock with such a playable finish.

Anyway, they're wonderful basses. I made an entire guide on how to upgrade them. It should be somewhere on this site.

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Mon Jun 02, 2014 8:22 pm

redzebra6 wrote:The few that I tried out before getting mine have all been that way. I kinda like it, being different from my other 2 glossy-neck basses, plus it has some cool looking birdseye spots on the neck. The p'up isn't the best, so I replaced mine with an old Modal One I found for $20. It just didn't solve the anemic sound, it put it on meth and steroids.

It's good to know about putting flats on the neck, because I was thinking about doing that last nite. Probably a good thing the kids decided to act up then.

I've tried a lot of strings on mine. The two sets that really stand out for me are La Bella 760FL/S flatwounds, and GHS Pressurewounds. Overall, I would say if you want something that will melt your face off, the 760FL/S (.43-.105) is the set to go for. Combined with a nice medium output pickup (like Hot Rails, Red Sensor, etc.), it should provide a tone that sits in the mix super well with the right amount of treble and a thunderous amount of bass.

More than anything, I highly suggest getting a somewhat thicker E string. The bass really comes to life with E strings that are .100 or bigger.