Squier Affinity Bronco Bass - Low Effort Bass, Low Effort Review -LowEndLobster Review
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
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Hey everyone! Today we're reviewing the Squier Bronco, the entry level short scale bass from Squier's Affinity series. Featuring... well not much, can this bass still justify the $200 price tags that comes along with it? Let's find out!
This bass (isn't) and all my other basses with rounds are strung with MJC Ironworks Nickel Plated Stainless Steel 45-105(125) unless otherwise noted. Check them out at www.mjcironworks.com
Info on my signal chain, setup and more: • FAQ: My Signal Chain, ...
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The thumbnail alone😂😂😂😂😂
Funny enough, the thumbnail actually took more effort than my regular ones ahahaha
Sup Patrick
@@LowEndLobster The difficulty of simplicity!
Patrick - I've seen your reviews of the Bronco and I was under the impression that you really like it. Do you agree with Lobster's assessment?
I have a Bronco and I actually really like it.
Doesn’t sound bad, easy to play, nice and light, balances well. Many more expensive basses don’t do those things! I’ve had a couple which I’ve modded and they work well. It’s the same body shape as a Mustang or Musicmaster.
Thanks Adrian!
Totally agree Adrian, if the price tag snobbery is put away that’s some great tone that a lot of high price instruments get.
Yeah, no. You can easily get a bass nicer than this for less.
As a bass player I constantly find ways of working on my timing. Lately I have been trying to hit the like button in perfect time, was a bit behind the beat today.
You wear a cat+bass shirt, and cat is summoned to join you during bass video. Magic.
How can one be summoned when it's your house?
If I had my guess, I'd say the cat summoned that shirt while he was dressing and then just wandered by to make sure he was still wearing it or there was gonna be trouble again
@@russellzaunerbb is director of HR. She had the shirt produced for lobster.
The Bronco sounds pretty good.
You could add new tuners, a new pickup, a new nut, and and new bridge-but for that kind of investment you might as well have gotten a different bass.
Bingo! Thanks Sam, great comment!
I agree with you.
IMO the best route is to track down a used one for $100 or less (I’d pay around $75) and use it as a mod project. It’s a good cheap bass to try whatever weird mod you’ve always wanted to try on. Since it takes a Stratocaster pickup I’d personally put a Strat sized lipstick pickup in there.
@@skraegorn7317 I guess, I just couldn’t get over the cheap feel of the bass. Maybe for a throw around travel bass.
I just found one for $99 but it's the the light fretboard like this one! only the sonic bronco has the dark fretboard, not sure what the difference is otherwise.
I Luv my Squire Bronco bass , it's fun to play , sounds good , and is well made. Not changing , or moding it at all.
Becoming my favourite bass channel lately
I love my Bronco. Decent sound, easy to play. Worth the money as a practice bass only. Nothing more. It serves its purpose. I give you a "like" for an honest review, but I respectfully disagree.
Thanks Rob! It indeed serves its purpose, however the $200 price tag and the better features/quality of other basses at this price point definitely don't make this that great of a value IMO. It uses a literal strat pickup! XD
I could let a lot of those deficiencies pass but... single ply pick guard?! Monsters.
Totally awesome the humor is back absolutely love this!! Watched this video three times. What an entertaining review I want more of these types of reviews!! Have a great day lobster!!
Thank you Tony! You as well :)
I tried to pay attention to the criticism but you made it sound so good I want one
It's a blessing and a curse lmao thank you
You can get the same sound with a jazz bass…glarry makes them good n cheap!
The thumbnail, beard, cat, lobster claw hand is what I never thought I need to see in my life. Great, honest review.
That guitar says fender, but its produced by Fisher Price.
LOL Thanks Ricardo!
My experience is that, as a guitarist coming to bass after five decades playing in bands, I've gone through five basses in six months before settling on a humble Squier Bronco. My requirements are apparently niche -
short-scale
maple fretboard
good balance - no neck dive please! (the G&L Fallout had to go)
light weight
slim C-profile neck (the Precision neck is a 2x4)
I'm currently gigging an Affinity Bronco - like yours. Sadly Fender have replaced this by the inferior Sonic.
Fit and finish are great, it's light, I can play it for hours. Two sets are a breeze. There's nothing wrong with the tone from the cheap ceramic six-string pickup. To my mind it all begs the question, why are "quality" bass guitars desirable? I'm probably going to buy some lightweight tuners, but really, most of the negative points you make are in my opinion positive.
It really goes to show that one person's opinion, is just that.
But tell me, O Wise One, what would be in your view a worthy, available bass that fulfils the listed criteria?
Over to you.
It used to be $150 until last year, probably due to inflations. But this bass will be great if you replace the pickup with hotrails. That's what I'm doing with my Bronco Bass.
Thanks Joel! You're one of a few people who mentioned this, I may snag another and try that at some point.
Just an update, I already got the Korean-made hotrails loaded on my Bronco Bass last year. Then I just got that bass converted as fretless recently. It's now a fretless bass with light gauge nickel-plated round wound strings. I hope I have the chance to do some demos on it as there is not much fretless-converted Bronco Basses out there on the media. It plays like a gem for the money. I can tell you, this bass can be a great-playing bass if things are modified successfully.
That sounds killer!
I finally did a bass cover video with my now-fretless Bronco Bass. I was very happy with the results. ua-cam.com/video/Z3rBdym4xQQ/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/5q2hMwhM0L8/v-deo.html
It sounded just fine when you played along to the drum track! Props for the Jackson Minion shout out.
Thanks!
I've got a Jackson Minion bass and I'm contemplating changing its pickups AND the electrics. I opened up the rear cavity and it's very deep.
Also every Harley Benton does cheap better than Squier. I can highly recommend the HB 20 SBK Precision Bass for around 120€ or the JB 75 Vintage for 169€. They go even cheaper on the Second-Hand-Market, got both around 80€. They sound really good AND you can mod them as well.
This bass + hot rail pickup + DR strings = perfect
A good bass to practice modifications such as pickup,bridge and tuners.Looking forward to any mods you do on this 🎸🎸🎸
Thank you for petting the cat.
To be honest i've found the squire range dissapointing in recent years, I bought a mustang CV was about 350Euros... felt cheap, tuners felt poor quality and there was overspray on the neck and I was just so disappointed as I had waited months for it to come into stock.
Thanks Domenic! For real! The Indonesian Squier stuff is really all over the place with QC (all the current classic vibe stuff)
I picked up a used VM Jag bass, which so many people rave about as being a great budget instrument, and I was really not impressed with it at all. I think QC on these bottom-barrel Indonesian instruments is non-existent and they're using super low-quality wood.
Yea I was gutted, I returned it immediately to Thomann, was a little disappointed in their in house QC too. However, I didn't rate the materials used for the price point. I figured in the end, if i was going to buy another Mustang I would save a bit longer and buy the Mexican made, Nitro finished road worn JMJ... overall better value when you weigh everything in the balance.
Good to know I may have dodged a bullet on that one. My choice out of 3 last year was the Squier Active J, Stingray SUB, and if neither of them, the CV P-Bass. I liked the Stingray the most out of the first 2 and got that.
It doesn't sound too bad, it should cost half the price though. As you said, as a beginner bass some other brands can offer way more spending less.
Wouldn’t mind to see a video seeing you trying out the new Squier Sonic version of the Bronco. The new one is a quantum leap above the original, with improved tuners and a four-saddle bridge. Still cheap, but a lot more cheerful.
I bought one for 90 bucks and found some paint left over that we used to paint our front door and painted the pickup guard forest green, if someone broke in my house through the front door they wouldnt even see it coming when I hit them in the face with my bronco hehe
I bought a red one and scored a lace sensor red for cheap. Put cts pots and a switch craft jack and fancy capacitor and it’s awesome. The fret work is better than my g&l tribute fallout bass. I had planned on putting in a dark star but changed my mind after the lace.
Nice! Lace pickup eh... I've already put a bisonic in mine, and she's gonna get some paint, but maybe I should do another bronco build down the line. Thanks!
Very high best quality video seen ever i have! But as always, great work Lobster!
I picked one of these up used a couple years ago for $80 or $90 (at the time they were $149 new). Wound up as a project right off the bat, swapped the strings for the bottom 4 of a baritone guitar set, liked that. Last year finally got around to pulling the tuners, filling the holes and redrilling for 6 guitar tuners. Swapped in a strat nut and bridge, perfect A-A baritone guitar. Still gonna swap out electronics, they are routed for a guitar humbucker where the single coil is. Solid project starter
Woah that's a crazy project!
Would love to see that !
I am a beginner and I think is a very cool bass quality / price made in Indonesia
It may be cheap, but honestly I love how it sounds! Really awesome. It would probably be worth it just to upgrade if this is the type of shortscale bass you're looking for.
Would love to see the outtakes on this video!!
That doesn't sound bad at all to be honest. A good bass for modding or relicing.
What would annoy me the most is the weak E compared to the other strings. Maybe you could compensate that a little by lowering the G side of the pickup.
Too late, it's gutted ;P
Let’s see the review after you add a Lazen B-90 pickup, hip shot tuners and a better tone cap.
You'll see what we've done with this ;)
LowEndLobster I’d pay $5 just to see you stuff a pickup into this thing that doesn’t fit. You can do it - pop in a mudbucker.
LowEndLobster Might want to look into swivel saddles? They give you 4 string intonation on a 2 saddle bridge, and are half the price of the ONLY aftermarket 17mm bridge i’ve ever been able to find
I actually love my Bronco. But truth to be told i modified the hell out of it. New paint job, pick guard, tuners, bridge, Nick Silver pickup, and new pods and wiring. Strung with LA Bella flatwounds its now my go to bass. You wouldn't believe what difference the new pick up and pods makes.
Thanks John! That sounds KILLER! We have some mod plans for this, though not as extensive.
What sort of bridge did you put on it? And what sort of a difference did it make?
Ive been told these things are great for modding... I have had one for over a year and done NO MODS. I might have to try that
Thanks Cardo! We've already begun the mods! You'll definitely be seeing this bass again, though it may look a little different :)
@@LowEndLobster awesome ;)
I picked up a pink bronco from CME with the intention on modding it. It only barely resembles a Bronco now. I had a 68 Gibson mudbucker which we put in the neck, I replaced the stock pickup with the Fralin 53 P bass and I put a Lollar Thunderbird in bridge. A badass bridge and schaller gears. All pickup combinations are available between a strat style switch and two push/pull pots. It’s a fun bass to play and it’s cheap feeling is cured
SICK hahaha i love comments like these! People modding makes me a happy lobster
I bought one used ($100) for my son to learn on. I find myself sneaking it from his room to play myself. I love how it feels. Intones well. Only one sound, but it is a good sound.
I think it is a near perfect budget bass. My only complaint is the shape of the pickguard. I would prefer it looked like a mustang instead of a tiny P or J. Aesthetics aside, it plays wonderfully.
I was fortunate enough to get to cherry-pick the best of 4 right out of their boxes, and this is a very solid instrument. I did install a budget humbucker that the guys on the talkback forum recommended, and it was a noticeable improvement. The neck and fret work are about flawless. I'm currently waiting on a nicer bass to arrive, and would be keeping my Bronco as a backup, if I didnt need to sell it to help pay for the MM Sterling coming this week.
"this bronco is pretty basic"
bassic
bass-ic
see what i did there?
yknow what, nvm
EYO ;P
I would definitely love to hear what this sounds like after you mod it up a bit. It doesn't sound horrible or anything. I think this or a glarry would probably be the ideal instrument to use to learn how and what to modify without screwing up a much more expensive bass
Waiting for a good day to do a paint job ;)
I owned a Bronco Bass and I think its extremely usable but I bought it at $150 and even then was a bit high. The Affinity Jazz and Precision are just $30 more now. And if you're spending $200 on a short scale I think the Ibanez Mikro is much better. Shorter still with a slim neck that meets the body in a really subtle sweep that makes playing upper frets a breeze and has a PJ config.
Thanks Topan! Well said!
Hey there! Great review as usual lobster, how does is compare with harley bentons? Is it a better mod platform than them ?
That bass actually sounds pretty good. Amazingly. Can't be much fun to play though.Thanks for the good review.
Thanks Mark!
it would work for a kids 1st bass, but I don't see it being more than that. And as always, great review dude.😁
Interesting Lobster, I have a original Fender Musicmaster from the 70s with the original strat pickup still in it as well. What would you suggest for a pickup replacement that is direct drop in? I don't want to do any routing. I have heard some put in hot rail semour duncan strat pickups and there are some companies that make more vintage 50s P-Bass style ones that will drop right in. I'll look forward to the mod video on this one to see what you do and how it sounds. A good idea would be to save some clips from this video so you can do some before and after direct comparisons in the next.
I have a bronco bass for home use. I have modified to a Semour Duncan bass pickup, and it sounds pretty good. My main instrument is a stratocaster guitar!
A hotrail and d'Addario flats livened mine right up.
I also put in a tele 4-way switch, to give a few tone options.
That sounds killer! It would be fun to do a mod series on these
Is that cat+bass shirt a custom? Because I kinda need one.
Great review, as always!
EDIT: found it!
Glad you found it!
Neat bass for guitarists like me though. The 30 inch scale means you can make a budget "bass VI" by adding a few parts, plugging some holes and drilling some new ones. Of course, I'd never buy a new one, because I agree the $200 seems a bit steep.
Squier makes some really great basses. I actually bought a Squier 60's jazz bass because I liked it better than the Fender American basses the store had...but this Bronco bass is the quality of the "guitar, amp, and strap" kits you see at Walmart around Christmas..lol Squier needs to rethink it's stradegy..with HB, Ibanez, and a few other companies putting out "beginner" basses with outstanding quality for less money it's going to leave Squier in the dust.
I usually roll my tone back about half way. What I do like about these basses is the overall tonal balance between the low end and high end. You don’t normally have spots in the frequency range on any string that step out more than the rest. For this reason I actually like recording with it so long as it’s fattened up that little bit and the buzz is cut back by that rolled off tone control.
Best thumbnail by far 😂😂😂
Thanks ;P
Man I love the thumbnail 😂😂😂
Thank you!
You sir just saved me from bying this used for 140E (i thought it would be a bargain)you earned your like.
You mentioned plywood. My first bass was a robins egg blue Washburn given as a birthday present in about 1992. That color was obviously no good in a high school metal band, so I brought the body into woodshop class with plans to sand it down and stain black. Turns out that thick layer of paint was hiding a plywood body of such low quality that the contours & end grain would require many layers of filler to make smooth. Such a disappointment.
This Video is Proof of the Axiom: "The Tone is in the Hand."
P.S. I was going to suggest replacing the pickup with a Lace Sensor. The PAF one at that.
If the Lace is more expensive the funnier the modification would be.
Sincerely
Mike B. B. From Philly
It's so fun to play around with this thing using fuzz.
I can imagine! You could also go all Pete Townsend and smash it afterwards ;P
I love how the wall behind you is covered with expensive basses
;P
with a good setup, perfect starter bass for a kid!
This was my first ever bass! I want to get another and plop some new pickups in it.
A... A new pickup
I love the punchy tone these have! I bet a SD Little 59 in one would rip!
I've played on of these, when looking for my first shirt scale. I liked it, despite it's short comings. But then I tried the Ibanez TMB30, which in the UK is £170 so that's a tenner less than the Bronko. They are worlds apart, the TMB feels moor like a classic vibe Squire. And from the reviews I've seen, much better put together than the current Squire Mustang. I put on Some Symore duncan QP's and a highmass USA made bridge. And it works out the same price as the Squire Mustang.
Thanks! I definitely plan on checking out the Talman short scale
I totally respect your opinion on this bass. My opinion is: i won’t mind if a bass felt cheap. I bought mine at a pawn shop for $149! Great bass for that price. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Someone!
Instead of going lower in price to get a Glarry, you can spend similar money, $180, to get an Ibanez TMB30. It’s also short-scale, and is much better than the bronco in every way, except weight.
I found the bronco’s size & balance to be perfect for me, the best of any bass I’ve tried, but the tuners and the 2-saddle bridge were just turnoffs. Also, I’ve read of necks warping.
Thanks Gerard! I definitely will be checking out that Talman at some point.
This was my first bass! Not a bad little junker to learn on. I literally stole it from a friend and actually wound up giving it away to a friend who had modded it to have a jazz pickup and that actually livened it up considerably. A short scale little crunch monster.
Thanks for sharing Alexander! That sounds awesome with a J! I'm waiting for a nice day here to spray this with some interesting paint haha
I just bought one of the new Glarry P Basses recently! SOUNDS TERIFFIC with the new Wilkenson pickups!!!!!!!
Thanks Bruce! We'll definitely be checking one of those out soon :)
@@LowEndLobster Believe it or not, I think it sounds close to my ORIGIONAL 62 P Bass! Very little tweaking to do!
Let’s freaking gooooo dude
WOOO!
My cousin bought one of these a few years ago to start learning how to play. I can 100% for sure second everything you said in this review. It feels way more like a guitar hero controller than a bass. Great playing as always.
Sounds pretty decent. Did you ever drop the BS-1 in there? How would you describe "cheap" for the neck? Thin wood, cheap finish? I'm looking at getting a cheap $100 bass to drop in a BS-1 ($100) and a cheap GFS P-90 in the bridge ($25).. If it turns out awesome sounding maybe find some used ultralite tuners.. and maybe a better used bridge. But if the neck is trash, probably not worth it.
This bass is fun I got one a have been modding the heck out of it
Suggestion- mod the pickup and do a blind sound comparison to a high end short scale. Could a cheap mod platform actually work?
Oh we've modded the pickup! I'm actually going to refinish this once the weather gets a little warmer (garage spray booth lol)
I would argue though that if the bass feels cheap and blah, what's the point of upgrading the pickup?
All time great thumbnail
XD Thanks!
How about a filtertron or a TV Jones pickup , baddass bridge add 4 guitar tuners make it a 8 string bass 😄
XD you crazy
This instrument need the High Intergity treatrent.
Oh it's getting it. We have some fun stuff planned :)
Not getting the "feel cheap" comment, I have a couple of them as well as other more expensive short scales, and other than the lacquer finish neck on the pricier ones, can't say they feel cheap. Filing fret ends and taking steel wool to the back of the neck definitely made them feel "not as cheap" The neck itself feels great with enough chunkiness. Where it needs help is in the pickup department but Im liking mine as they are so I have left them alone... for now. Appreciate your point of view though, thank you for posting this.
Thanks Gilpi! Great comment!
I’ve been considering getting one of these and putting a bonkers Quadrail pickup in it. And some Wilkinson lightweight tuners to replace the cheap and nasty stock ones. If I can pick one up second hand for £50 ($70) I might well go for it.
Could be worse (cough Hard Luck Kings cough) sorry about the cough, allergies...
LOL You are right.
Sorry but I find the bass to be every bit of $200. Plays well, tunes, and intonates, not bad.
I would replace the bridge since it two strings per post instead one for each string.
Squire just announced a new Affinity Series Jaguar H bass, 32" scale with a MM style pick up going for $249, shipping in June. I am really excited about this bass, but if it is just as cheap anc shitty as this bass, forget it. UNLESS, it is upgradeable with better Pick up in the MM style (that are OK with passive electronics, I think its passive at least), then it still may be something. At least it looks Cool AF, I am hoping it is not such a pile of cheaply made crap. Maybe you can do a video on it when they are available and then even do a pick up swap to see if it can be improved?
Anyway, great video, even if the bass is just low end and your review was er..no, I still say your review is top quality, not low end.
Thanks Toby! I ABSOLUTELY plan on snagging one of those... in blue. :)
Thanks for posting 👍
considering buying one of these as a guitarist turned bassist. Trying to decide if I should buy one of these and mod it up or just spend the money on a higher quality bass
The old music master bass also had a 6pole pick up
Excellent Lobster cheers from.Liverpool.Uk
Dude. You are so funny with your bronco sounds. 😂🎸😎✌️
Thanks Rick :)
Have you ever reviewed a Conklin GT5 bass?
Smiled so hard at intro, cracked a lip..bought one for grandson played and sounded like crap, wouldn't tune. You could make a rubber band on a stick sound good with your recording skills!
Thank you John!
Part of me wants to get one of these to turn into a 3 pickup strat/bass hybrid - if it was about £120 I would consider it
That'd be nuts! hahaha
the bronco is top notch
Thanks Ilias!
Did someone fall in love with that shirt? I need one in my life!!
If you’ve still got this bass I’d love to see you bring it back for a crazy mod project.
Never been a fan of this one though the slap sound isn't terrible. But your shirt is killer!! My cat Smoke gave it 2 double paws up.
Thanks Kev!
Found your channel recently and been binging ever since!
I did have a question though!
I'm currently borrowing an old acoustic bass from a family friend(right between long and extra long scale, 35 inches) and have been for the last few months but it's just way too big for me despite being 6'3/191cm so I am looking to buy a budget regular bass.
Would you recommend a normal scale or short scale? With shops being closed in my country due to endless lockdowns I can't go to one to just hold one and see what feels right.
I'm asking because I'm trying to avoid ordering & returning unnecessarily. I'm currently looking a Squier Affinity Series Jaguar or a Jackson JS1X Concert Minion.
Thank you and welcome! Great question. I reviewed the Minion and showcased a modded one in the same video to show the potential of that little bass. IMO it's great for the sub 200 dollar price point and is a fun little mod platform/travel instrument too. IMO it's better quality than the Affinity series instruments. Hope that helps!
@@LowEndLobster Thank you! I greatly appreciate the advice! 😁👍
Could buy 2 Glarrys with that scratch... One P, One J or one of those and the 24 fret PJ...
Yup! Well said!
Low effort comment
I see a capital L, too much effort! ;P
@@LowEndLobster automatic caps
I love this bass. It's a blast to play.
The greatest bass ever made.
That shirt is awesome. I would rather go with a Harley Benton or a Glarry for a bass in this range. Even the low end Ibanez or Jackson. Not a fan of the low end Squires even though they are "fine". I just want a little more that that price. I am so over paying more for a name on the headstock.
Thanks Doom! I agree
Somehow I choose Ibanez TMB30 over Squier Bronco, but I haven't expected Bronco is that bad/meh. I hope TMB30 will be better tho 🙃
Thanks Paulina! I'm hoping to check out a TMB30 (or 35, the 5er!) soon as well :)
It sounds light. Like papier-mâché light.
What interface do you use Lobster? 🦞
Focusrite Scarlett 4i4
I think it sounds excellent, and a good deal for the money. I know a few people who own one and love it. So, why not. I’m sure with a good set up with some decent strings and you have a great little bass. It seems that more and more people are discovering how great a short scale bass actually is, and you don’t have to have orangutan arms needed for a full scale bass to play. You bass manufacturers out there, please take note. Your monster big basses are losing favor each and every day.
I picked one up from CME in shell pink, awesome color and finish. Just wanted another short scale to mess with, but the shell pink is very cool. May mod it later. $199. What the heck.
Congrats!