tommorichards Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 I just bought a bronco bass as i love the shape of it, and the old school 19 fret neck. And as im a fan of quirky basses, ive decided to tun it into a duosonic sort of bass, with roughly rickenbacker placement on the pickups. Basically, its going to have 2 bronco style pickups with a 3 way selector switch, and a matching headstock with a fender mustang bass logo on it. Ive bought some ivory colour acrylic to make a new pickguard for it, so i can revert it to stock if i want to. Ive also bought another pickup for it, aged knobs, and a vinyl sheet for the heastock for colour. this is what ive bought: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221467209921?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=520489410293&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT"]http://www.ebay.co.u...K%3AMEBIDX%3AIT[/url] as i have had lots of issues with trying to paint my own stuff before, and that this will hopefully give the bass a quicker turnaround time. so, here are some before pics of the bass, and the headstock which i intend to copy. and the headstock which mine will hopefully look like I will try and keep the thread updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eude Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Very cool mate, I seriously like these little basses, but feel they definitely need some tweaks to bring them up to speed. What you're proposing will certainly get you there too, and the matched headstock will make it all kinds of classy. What pickups are you going to pop in there? The stock ones are strat guitar pups from what I've read! Are you going to change the tuners from something a little more fitting too? Eude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted February 16, 2015 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 Well to be honest i was surprised by the sound of the stock pickup, i quite like it. So ive bought a second one to stick in and see how that goes, and yeah, they are 6 pole pickups haha. Re the tuners, ive been thinking on it and im not too sure as i think that these are closer together than on other basses, so standard upgrades might not fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted February 18, 2015 Author Share Posted February 18, 2015 (edited) Parts arrived today. New material for the scratchplate, second pickup, switch, new knobs and the vinyl cover for the headstock. Still working on getting the decal done though. [attachment=184210:2015-02-18 11.27.11.jpg] Although, the shade of red on the vinyl isnt quite right, its a bit lighter. I may have to try and find a darker shade or just accept it and jam it on there Edited February 18, 2015 by tommorichards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I have been considering modding a Bronco as the routed body allows a lot of options. Do you have any plans to change the bridge? Does anything drop straight on there? As long as the stock Bronco is all good it's a great foundation for a tricked out cheap mod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@23 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Very smart. I've been thinking about getting one of these as I've got a few decent guitar single coils laying around that I could try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 As i like the look, ill be keeping the bridge. Doesnt look like anything i know of will drop straight in. I did notice the massive pickup route and was wondering what that was all about. M@23, guitar pickups are what are already in there, but i also came across this interesting little creature on ebay.... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151528186733?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 I did the headstock with the red vinyl the other day. However, its not as opaque as id like it, and so the quire logo still shows through. I may have to put something else on under it, or hope that when the new logo is in itll cover it up.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@23 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 That might be worth a go at that price! I just found a Dimarzio Tone Zone S which I'm keen to try. Like the matched headstock too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I fancy giving one of these a go. As the body is routed out a nice humbucker will fit in there. Tuners seem okay and bridge will suffice. Watching this thread for updates. Hope the mods go well. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted March 5, 2015 Author Share Posted March 5, 2015 Cut out the shape of the pickguard yesterday, but was busy doing the pickguard to my new rick bass, so didnt have time to do anything to it. I think ive also decided to spray the headstock as i want to get the colour matched and i think itll just work better. pic of the pickguard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted March 29, 2015 Author Share Posted March 29, 2015 Okay, i got this to 95% completion over the weekend. Its now playable and badass. All thats left is the headstock to do. I dont like the current colour, so ill get a laser print of the colour to match the body with the headstock logo already printed onto it, then cover it in lacquer or clear vinyl. I really hate spraying. So, cutting out the scratchplate, filing the edges to an angle: Close up: And halfway through drilling out the holes and pickup holes: Pretty much there, doing the pickup screw holes: I had to ensure that the holes for the screws were in line with the original plate as i had gotten the fit of the neck pocket cutout perfect and didnt want to mess it up. So there was a lot of filing, check, file a bitmore, check again etc. Im very happy with the fit now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted March 29, 2015 Author Share Posted March 29, 2015 Next is doing the pikup routing and cavities in the body. As i dont have a router it was a drill press and chisels. Im also no very good at it but its all hidden so i didnt really care if it was abit messy...... rear pickup route: Pickup selector switch and channel route: And the neck pickup route. As i was chiseling out i went a bit too forcefully so took a chunk out of the neck pocket.... I was annoyed, but nothing to be done as the wood had been "squashed" so couldnt glue back into place: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted March 29, 2015 Author Share Posted March 29, 2015 (edited) Now i took the scratchplate in from my shed and began to stick everything onto it to get it up and running. I did this the following night as i ran out of time following the routing out i did. This is the rough fit of the scratchplate to ensure it fitted, it did. Then the wiring up of the electronics which i then had to tape into place to ensure that the ran inside of the channels on the bass. Need a few tweaks as i was doing it as the scratchplate kept not sitting flat with the body: Everything wired up pre stringing. I tested the pickups with a screw driver to ensure that there was sound coming from it as id hate to have to take it all apart if there was one little niggle with it. Edited March 29, 2015 by tommorichards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted March 29, 2015 Author Share Posted March 29, 2015 I strung it up then afterputting the hardware back onto the headstock. Did my usual thing of only putting one string on and testing it. It got me excited to put it all together and try it out. So here are the 95% complete pictures, with just the headstock to do properly left to go before im hapy with it 100%. closeup: Angled long shot/arty And the full length shot. Just a note to self really, get a damned router. It makes life so much easier. Ill post a soundclip and youtube video when i get a chance. The bridge pickup is pretty much in rick bridge placement, so sounds very close, and the neck is just as close to the neck which also sounds pretty good. Beefy, but not EB0 beefy. Middle selection, very scooped, quite ricky, but moreso. I like it. Fun bass to play around with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@23 Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Mate, nice work. This is brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 It looks magnificent! A real 'old school' look. I used to have a transistor radio that had the same vibe.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Not wanting to suggest more work to the bass as it looks great but I can picture a third pickup at the bridge! 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasMooseblaster Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Getting a bit sentimental reading this thread - my very first bass was a Bronco! (Good god, was that really 15 years ago?) Looking really good - are you planning to just stick with a single volume and tone to control both pickups? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redstriper Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 That looks great I have the same bass that I'm also thinking of modifying. The stock pick up is fine, but it sounds too middy for me, I need more deep bass for reggae and dub. Fitting a neck pick up is a great idea and I'd love to hear it with some heavy flatwound strings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redstriper Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Where did you get the pick up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted April 6, 2015 Author Share Posted April 6, 2015 @davy Hmm, i see what youre thinking, but i like the 3 way toggle switch, and i dont really want it to get too complicated. @mooseblaster Yeah, i like the single volume and tone control, I never blend the volumes on pickups. However, maybe in the future a cap in series with a pickup ala rickenbacker could be installed. @redstriper The picups are fairly middy, even in the neck position, so i may get flats for it. These are the strings that i got it with, a little old and rusty, but "worn" haha. Probably will get flats on it when one breaks. Also, the second pickup i put in there is another bronco from ebay, which the seller has now run out of, though i was thinking of giving this a try if i were unhappy with the results http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/371295502251?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2661&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Though the stock pickup is just a covered 6 pole guitar pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redstriper Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 (edited) I have Picato 45-105 flats on mine and they do sound deeper, considering the limits of the strat pick up. I replaced the stock pick up with a Brandoni cool rails one, but it made no improvement to the sound so I put the stock one back in. I've been thinking of trying a Seymour Duncan SCB-3 - [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/seymour_duncan_scpb3.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...uncan_scpb3.htm[/url] The MINGS one you linked is much cheaper and might be worth a go, but I'm not sure if these types will fit easily in the existing space. Edit: Just realised the MINGS is £10.11 including shipping from Hong Kong! - how can they do that? Edited April 6, 2015 by redstriper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted April 6, 2015 Author Share Posted April 6, 2015 not a bad idea on the strings as this is more of a mess around bass for me, so ill probably get a cheaper set of flats. Ive no idea how they get them that cheap. reasons?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 Well i guess this project is finished then. I never got round to doing the headstock properly, and i just sold it tonight to an interested party. Was fun making it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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