So I bit the (pun unintended) bullet and snagged a Squier Bronco Bass.
These are “good but cheap” short-scale basses from Fender’s sub-brand, made in Indonesia. Their extremely low price – about $199 USD, $259 CAD – makes them a popular choice for beginners but their light weight has attracted lots of experienced players who prefer a smaller instrument.
Bronco guitars and basses have been in Fender’s lineup since the 1960s as a cheaper alternative to their Mustang equivalents, as a replacement for the older Musicmaster guitars.
They literally use the same body design for both guitars and basses, but the Broncos lack the “comfort curves” – the back carve or front arm bevel typical on more expensive Fenders.
Above: A vintage Bronco guitar (left) next to a Mustang bass. The Bronco’s bridge / vibrato unit was the least popular of Leo Fender’s many designs.
The Bronco bass’s one-piece pickguard is somewhere between a Strat and a P-Bass, vs. the Mustang’s outward-curved shape, and the controls and jack are mounted directly on it, vs. the Mustang’s separate metal control plate.
The Bronco doesn’t even have a real bass pickup – it’s actually a six-pole Strat guitar pickup under a closed cover, so the magnets don’t even align with the strings properly. Top it off with a cheap two-saddle bridge and you have something “good enough for students.”
Now, vintage Broncos are worth a mint, but these new Indonesian models are so inexpensive, they’ve become a really popular platform for modifications and customizations. That’s what I’m going to do with this one.
When I’m done, it’ll look a bit closer to this – with a 70s-style black-on-black look, three EMG HZ passive ‘rails’ pickups, a 5-way Strat-style switch, master volume and tone, and various other hardware improvements.
There are new birds for me to find even in the winter.
Winter wren (Troglodytes hiemalis)
March 7, 2021
Southeastern Pennsylvania
This bird is visually identical to but genetically different from the Pacific Wren and the Eurasian Wren. It will be heading to its Canadian (or very northern United States) breeding grounds soon.
Recent birdwatching walks have been very successful! I don’t know if that’s a question of the season, my improvement at identifying birds, or my growing obsession leading me to stay out longer.
