uk_lefty Posted December 29, 2017 Share Posted December 29, 2017 (edited) Has anyone got or used a fender bronco modelling amp? I'm looking for something to use so I can practice at home without shaking the walls, but want a good quality sound. I could go for any second hand amp in the 15-60 watt range from a good manufacturer but I was drawn off on various tangents until I saw the fender bronco. I can't find any reviews on here and I was always skeptical of inbuilt effects in the old Line6 amps - they just sounded awful. But is this new fender amp a good home practice and home recording companion? Ive not had chance to try one and am looking second hand. Any and all opinions gratefully received. Also seen the fender Mustang guitar amp has a Bassman amp model... Wondering if that is also viable, would give me a guitar amp in the same package? Edited January 7, 2018 by uk_lefty Now got one, sharing my experience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted January 1, 2018 Author Share Posted January 1, 2018 Well the only reviews I could find were all positive and I ordered a second hand one at a decent price yesterday. I'll put up a full review when I get chance to really get under the skin of it and use the different modelling effects and fender software Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandad Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 I bought my 11 yr old grandson a 2nd hand Bronco 40 last month as his starter amp. I'd given him an Alden violin bass as his 1st instrument to see if he'd take to playing bass. My thoughts were that both should be fairly lightweight. Of course he was chuffed to bits. This review is pretty accurate. http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/bass/fender-bronco-40-bass-combo-527041 The Ampeg simulation, (called Rockingpeg I think), was my favourite but all seemed quite good and with plenty of volume for 40 watts, low end was good for a 10" and a built in tuner for convenience. Build and finish were good too. 2nd hand prices seem low, <£100, so I reckon I had a good deal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted January 1, 2018 Author Share Posted January 1, 2018 Thanks. There's no way I could justify the full cost of a new one but it sounds like of you can spend the time with the software you can get a lot out of it. I'm keen to see what the recording feature is like too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbogubson Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 (edited) I use a Yamaha thr10 as a practice amp for bass and guitar. it does a lovely job for bass. My son keeps pinching it to plug in his electric drums too. Very versatile bit of kit. Edited January 2, 2018 by Jimbogubson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songofthewind Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Plus one for the Yamaha. Surprisingly loud. Also makes a great boom box for an MP3 player or smart tv with cruddy speakers. And you can play guitar through it, if you absolutely must. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 So it arrived yesterday. I have it a twenty minute noodle, nothing comprehensive but enough to get a good first impression. I bought second hand so some of my gripes may be due to mistreatment by the previous owner... Low end rattle. The thing buzzes and rattles when playing the lowest notes. Could be speaker or cab, or could have been something else in the room so will try elsewhere. The SWR simulation is my favourite! Really nice clean bass sound. The other amp Sims aren't very distinguishable from each other to me, just different amounts of drive to the sound. None of them sound "artificial" though which was an initial fear. The amp is heavier, bigger and far louder than I was expecting! 40watts is more than you expect. Easily capable as a monitor or for acoustic type lower volume gigs. The onboard effects... They're ok. I haven't yet spent time with the software to tweak or completely swap out these. Nice to have them there to save getting out the effects board. Overall I'm quite pleased with it. I wanted a practice amp for playing at home and through headphones, it does that and can do more. I need to play with the software and recording capability but that's a bonus and not the prime reason to have it, though it is an advantage. I wouldn't pay £250 for a new one, but second hand they seem to go for around a hundred quid and at that price I think you'd be hard pressed to find more features. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted January 7, 2018 Author Share Posted January 7, 2018 So this is becoming more of a blog/ review as I discover what this little amp can do, but people are reading it so I hope you find it useful. Last night was headphone practice time. I needed to sharpen up some sections of songs for an upcoming gig. That quickly dealt with I dug out an old mini USB cable and connected the amp to my laptop. Downloading the fender fuse software was quick and easy for Windows. Now, I am the kind of person without the patience to learn how to reprogramme a multi effect pedal so this is the test... Using the amp while hooked up to the pc was very easy and intuitive to bring in new effects and change cabs and so on, far more functionality than the amp controls alone. The only thing I couldn't find was how to record using my pc but that will come later... Still impressed with the amp. The effect sounds are not at all artificial but the real test will be playing this at band night next week. It has an XLR line out so hoping I can run this in to the PA. one worry is that, like the older zoom pedals, the great sound at home is rubbish with a band. So we will see! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted January 25, 2018 Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 Two things have happened since my last missive on this subject: I have been unable to register myself with Ableton recording software, just had an error on the fender site when trying to redeem the licence code... Have raised a support request to fender so no idea if or when that will ever resolve. Fender have just announced they're putting the newer version of this tech in to a 40watt rumble amp. Guess I should have waited a month! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Miles Posted April 5, 2018 Share Posted April 5, 2018 Any updates on this one? How did it work out on your band night? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted April 5, 2018 Author Share Posted April 5, 2018 So... Not much more to report. Still unable to download the full version of Ableton. While Fender have answered my emails quickly "it should be available in a couple of weeks" isn't very precise! But I bought secondhand so I can't be too pushy. I have not yet used this with the band, we need to book a rehearsal room that has subs on the PA otherwise 40watts just won't cut it, so will update more on that later. I have mainly played with the amp models and I find them far better than any I've used before, for home use at least. I've not yet programmed any settings as I haven't had time but I will do soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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