Just dropping you a comment saying that you helped me decide to go with a Bronco so I could use one of my stashed Lace Sensor Red pups. In my case an older original Fender version. I love it! It gives the Bronco a clearer voice. Now I also added a Musiclily brdge for the black look and the brass saddles. Also a good cheap upgrade. I'm having a harder time with tuner upgrades. The sizes are all over the map and I don't want to break the bank though the tuners are the weakest link of the Bronco. Your entire YT series is super well done...THX, THX, THX
It's what I used in my bronco...I found it comes closer to the character of a single coil than the hot stack or hot rail options while still cutting down on some of the noise...tho the duncan stk-1 wired in parallel I used in my '76 musicmaster isn't far off
I’d love to try those and the offering from Creamery! They are, unfortunately, very pricey to bring into Canada… Great suggestion and thanks for watching!
Interesting. Was looking at this pickup earlier this week for the Bronco. Wondering how this would do compared to the EMG you tested. Volume wise on the low E string. Lots better. I think it is an improvement over the original hearing you play. Looking forward to hear the blue one.
The EMG S4 was little brighter and more brash and bitey, the Lace Red being smoother. However, the narrower magnetic field on the EMG S4 was a deal breaker. You could compensate by changing up the string spacing (new bridge) or more major work such as re-adjusting the neck angle. But in terms of overall package and ease of drop-in replacement, the Lace Sensor will win out between those. Stay tuned for the Blue! Thanks for watching!
@@jonathanwong458music Thank you for making this video Jonathan. Just perfect in timing. Was hoping to see another Bronco video and then the pickup. Can’t be better. Interesting design. There is a video here on UA-cam from a guy taking taking the pickup apart. See you next video 👍🏻
Hi Jonathan! Have you tried u-basses? Did you like it? I just did a fretless conversion on my cheap Acoust/elect ukulele bass. It turned out beautifully and it sounds really good, I can even make vibratos...LOL!!! Next I'm gonna buy that Ibanez Mikro walnut and make a fretless out of it :) Thanks for the video!
I have tried some of the kala models as well as the goldtone models. It was a cool sound, almost upright-ish. I was playing electric uprights at the time already, so it never found its way in as a substitute, but now that I've given up on upright playing, it may be time to look at the again! The super loose string tension felt a little foreign. I was bending everything sharp... I'm glad to read that you've had a good experience! Thanks for watching!
@@jonathanwong458musicKala makes flatwounds for u-basses, if not Aquila makes the new thunderbrown and people are just loving them. I have the thunderblacks and there's a big difference with the whitish big loose strings that came with the instrument. Looking foward for a video... Thanks man!
If you're putting the 500k pots into the bass, it would be cool if you put the blade pick-up in with the 500k pots as well. In your previous video when you had the blade installed it was kind of mushy compared to the alternatives, but also had less noise. Would be interesting to see whether the 500k pot would bring a bit more brightness back. If so, I could see that being the ticket overall.
Yes! 500k volume pot is on the list. I am toying with the idea of putting a 500k in as the tone pot too. I 'think' the 500k pots will definitely bring brightness back, but I'm not sure it'll be the right kind of brightness. But it's been a while since I've tried, so maybe I'll get hooked to it! Unfortunately, all the previous rail pickups have since been sold off in order to fund the next set of pickups... Thanks for watching!
Lace Sensor sounds much fuller and fatter to my ears. Really fills out the sound which will be great in a live band situation. Good upgrade. I would try it with higher value pots before changing it again - if they are 250k then switch to 500k or even 1meg.
Good question! I went back and reviewed some of the measurement photos from earlier episodes. The stock rectangular bronco cavity measures approx 1.75" top to bottom (neck to bridge dimension). The mustang pickup on my Schecter Mustang measures 1.5" in that dimension, so that fits so far. In the side-to-side dimension, you need 0.5" from the centre of the low E string to the edge of the mustang pickup cover. HOWEVER, where it will get tight or not fit is that Mustang pickups have a rounded foot where the screw attaches to the pickguard. So you really need approx 0.75" from the centre of the E string That is where it will either be really tight, or not fit. It's an open cavity on the high string side. You would not need to take out much wood, but it would be tight. You will also need to make a new pickguard. *The other thing to consider is that the pickup placement may not necessarily be in the standard mustang placement (in the bridge to neck dimension), based on where the bronco cavity is. It would be close, but may not be exact. It matters as pickup placement contributes greatly to tone. So it would depend on how accurate you want it to mimic a mustang. I was planning on a Mustang pickup series - is putting a mustang p/u in a Bronco something the world wants to see a video on? Thanks for asking!
@@jonathanwong458musicWould absolutely be a cool video to see how the mustang pickups fit. I forget, did you consider putting split p bass pick-ups in? I think I saw somebody who did that. But you are so methodical in your videos. Makes it easier to compare and take away useful info. I ended up getting a mini-p in part because of your videos. But it was a tough choice cuz the Bronco seemed very cool as well.
ok! I will try to add a mustang p/u install to the list! Yes, I put a few different P pickups in this Bronco bass. Here's a link to the EMG geezers and how I went about it: ua-cam.com/video/dvF3-hqi3z0/v-deo.html
So what I wonder is: if you put all the work into the Bronco bass to make it sound as good as possible, is it still just not as good or as versatile as a Mustang? I do not understand why one would reach for a Bronco over a Mustang... outside of saving money. At least this one has 4 saddles!
That's a great question. Thanks for asking! I think there could be several reasons why one would go to great lengths on this sort of project: i) Money. The closest Mustang-style bass (that's a squier/fender and not a copy) is the Classic Vibe (Squier) and in Canada, they are selling for $589 + tax. Oddly, they have been harder to find in stores (there are currently none in my city), so you'll be at the mercy of an online retailer. A bronco is $289. If you add $139 for a Lace sensor p/u or ________, you are still under $450 before tax and it's a totally useable bass sound, as hopefully I've shown in this particular video. [you've just given me a video idea - comparing a modded bronco to a CV mustang!] ii) It's fun. Modding basses has been something I've been into and doing since I was a teenager. I put active EMGs, new gold hipshot tuners and a new gold coloured bridge in my Cort 5 and I've been hooked ever since! Gold hardware was all the rage in the 90s! So I guess it's a form of hobby. Could be an expensive one! Modding a cheaper bass somehow feels better than modding an expensive one. iii) The desire for a specific tonal outcome. Everybody's ideal tone is different and modding might get you there.....emphasis on 'might'. Now whether the audience knows or cares is another story. Whether other bass players think your tone is better, is a touchier subject... iv) I started modding this Bronco because I wanted a cheap backup bass for when I didn't want to bring my custom F Bass to a gig (eg outdoors, really hot, really cold etc). That coincided with my little UA-cam startup and it's been fun to share a few steps along the way. So it's back to hobby time, for me. Maybe someone else will benefit from it. I see it as no different than people who mod their Honda Civics (or other car model). It'll never be a Porsche, but if it puts a smile on your face, there are many more harmful ways to spend your money and time on. I have now made a few different iterations of this Bronco bass that I would happily take over a few real Mustangs. And I've tried most of them! Thanks for watching, commenting and reading!
@@jonathanwong458music I love my Squier CV Mustang- I have the Chicago Music Exchange FSR Competition bass. I really tried to come up with a good mod, but it seems so complete... I'm making a custom metal pickguard and maybe going to put a Hipshot lollipops on it, but with the monal flats, it's so much fun to play as a mini-Motown bass, but also a Talking Heads machine. Speaking of, have you ever seen Tina Weymouth's hot rodded Mustang? It has a Musicmaster pickup right up at the neck. To me it makes it unslappable, but I've often wondered if someone put a Bronco pickup in the bridge a la baby PJ. I'd love to see a more in depth review/comparison of the Fender Mustang Player with the Jazz bridge pickup, as that bass is at a price range I'm not interested in investing in. I've picked up several Sonic Broncos and it's always made me smile, I was considering the coral for my daughter, but ended up going with the Mini Precision and I let her play my uke bass. At her age, even 30" is too much (and I'll probably start her with my Hofner Club anyway).
I've only seen pictures of Tina's modded mustang. Looks cool! One of my earlier videos was a mustang vs club, Tina style. ua-cam.com/video/xCG8qN3eZ9Y/v-deo.html Here's a link for a Player vs CV mustang: ua-cam.com/video/YxdNdpk_qV0/v-deo.html And here's a link for my initial Player demo: ua-cam.com/video/8dobU3uzzqo/v-deo.html One of my first short scale basses was a 1st gen offset PJ (which pre-dated the Player and had a rosewood board). It remains one of my favourite basses! I only have the P p/u wired in, and disconnected the switch and the J. TI flats. I think it sounds great. Engineers like it. It's on several albums! Think I paid $650 for it. There's something special in that bass. It's awesome that you're getting your daughter into bass. None of my 3 kids are all that keen on playing instruments, unfortunately. Not yet, at least.
Just dropping you a comment saying that you helped me decide to go with a Bronco so I could use one of my stashed Lace Sensor Red pups. In my case an older original Fender version. I love it! It gives the Bronco a clearer voice. Now I also added a Musiclily brdge for the black look and the brass saddles. Also a good cheap upgrade. I'm having a harder time with tuner upgrades. The sizes are all over the map and I don't want to break the bank though the tuners are the weakest link of the Bronco. Your entire YT series is super well done...THX, THX, THX
Right on! Thanks for watching and for the encouragement! Enjoy your bronco!
These basses are awesome! I have a stock Bronco and I love it.
Thanks for sharing and for watching!
Red sounds a bit more dynamic and pure to my old ears. Thanks Jonathan!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
It's what I used in my bronco...I found it comes closer to the character of a single coil than the hot stack or hot rail options while still cutting down on some of the noise...tho the duncan stk-1 wired in parallel I used in my '76 musicmaster isn't far off
Cool! I like this better than the Duncan hot rails. Can't wait to try the blue installed. Thanks for watching!
@@jonathanwong458music Always a pleasure, your videos are well presented and informative
@@jasondorsey7110 thanks so much for the encouragement!
Like the red lace
Nice hot tone. Thanks for watching!
Would love to see you try a McNelly Broncomaster pickup.
I’d love to try those and the offering from Creamery! They are, unfortunately, very pricey to bring into Canada…
Great suggestion and thanks for watching!
Hot Gold (bridge version) is that list you posted sounds nice too
For sure! That list came from the company/manufacturer (lacemusic.com).
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Interesting. Was looking at this pickup earlier this week for the Bronco. Wondering how this would do compared to the EMG you tested. Volume wise on the low E string. Lots better.
I think it is an improvement over the original hearing you play.
Looking forward to hear the blue one.
The EMG S4 was little brighter and more brash and bitey, the Lace Red being smoother. However, the narrower magnetic field on the EMG S4 was a deal breaker. You could compensate by changing up the string spacing (new bridge) or more major work such as re-adjusting the neck angle. But in terms of overall package and ease of drop-in replacement, the Lace Sensor will win out between those. Stay tuned for the Blue!
Thanks for watching!
@@jonathanwong458music Thank you for making this video Jonathan. Just perfect in timing. Was hoping to see another Bronco video and then the pickup. Can’t be better.
Interesting design. There is a video here on UA-cam from a guy taking taking the pickup apart.
See you next video 👍🏻
Probably Dylan talks tone? He's a wealth of knowledge.
Thanks for tuning in!
@@jonathanwong458music Edit: Yes
Hi Jonathan!
Have you tried u-basses? Did you like it?
I just did a fretless conversion on my cheap Acoust/elect ukulele bass. It turned out beautifully and it sounds really good, I can even make vibratos...LOL!!!
Next I'm gonna buy that Ibanez Mikro walnut and make a fretless out of it :)
Thanks for the video!
I have tried some of the kala models as well as the goldtone models. It was a cool sound, almost upright-ish. I was playing electric uprights at the time already, so it never found its way in as a substitute, but now that I've given up on upright playing, it may be time to look at the again! The super loose string tension felt a little foreign. I was bending everything sharp...
I'm glad to read that you've had a good experience!
Thanks for watching!
Check out the Aquila Flat Spiral Strings for U-Bass . . . @@jonathanwong458music
Cool! Thanks, man!
@@jonathanwong458musicKala makes flatwounds for u-basses, if not Aquila makes the new thunderbrown and people are just loving them. I have the thunderblacks and there's a big difference with the whitish big loose strings that came with the instrument.
Looking foward for a video...
Thanks man!
Will see if one comes my way! Maybe I'll find one I can borrow...
If you're putting the 500k pots into the bass, it would be cool if you put the blade pick-up in with the 500k pots as well. In your previous video when you had the blade installed it was kind of mushy compared to the alternatives, but also had less noise. Would be interesting to see whether the 500k pot would bring a bit more brightness back. If so, I could see that being the ticket overall.
Yes! 500k volume pot is on the list. I am toying with the idea of putting a 500k in as the tone pot too. I 'think' the 500k pots will definitely bring brightness back, but I'm not sure it'll be the right kind of brightness. But it's been a while since I've tried, so maybe I'll get hooked to it!
Unfortunately, all the previous rail pickups have since been sold off in order to fund the next set of pickups...
Thanks for watching!
@@jonathanwong458music That's too bad. Even one of those $18 rails pickups with a 500k pots would be a useful thing to hear and understand.
Lace Sensor sounds much fuller and fatter to my ears. Really fills out the sound which will be great in a live band situation. Good upgrade. I would try it with higher value pots before changing it again - if they are 250k then switch to 500k or even 1meg.
Right on! Thanks for watching and commenting! I demonstrated having 500k pots in Ep.16 with a Lace Sensor Blue p/u!
After all your mods and testing I fee like you could answer this better than anyone. Do you know if a mustang split pickup would fit without routing?
Good question! I went back and reviewed some of the measurement photos from earlier episodes. The stock rectangular bronco cavity measures approx 1.75" top to bottom (neck to bridge dimension). The mustang pickup on my Schecter Mustang measures 1.5" in that dimension, so that fits so far. In the side-to-side dimension, you need 0.5" from the centre of the low E string to the edge of the mustang pickup cover. HOWEVER, where it will get tight or not fit is that Mustang pickups have a rounded foot where the screw attaches to the pickguard. So you really need approx 0.75" from the centre of the E string That is where it will either be really tight, or not fit. It's an open cavity on the high string side. You would not need to take out much wood, but it would be tight. You will also need to make a new pickguard.
*The other thing to consider is that the pickup placement may not necessarily be in the standard mustang placement (in the bridge to neck dimension), based on where the bronco cavity is. It would be close, but may not be exact. It matters as pickup placement contributes greatly to tone. So it would depend on how accurate you want it to mimic a mustang.
I was planning on a Mustang pickup series - is putting a mustang p/u in a Bronco something the world wants to see a video on?
Thanks for asking!
PS. Mustang pickups come in 2 sizes- the smaller ‘vintage’ spec and the slightly larger ‘reissue’ shells. My measurements are for the reissue shells.
@@jonathanwong458musicWould absolutely be a cool video to see how the mustang pickups fit. I forget, did you consider putting split p bass pick-ups in? I think I saw somebody who did that. But you are so methodical in your videos. Makes it easier to compare and take away useful info. I ended up getting a mini-p in part because of your videos. But it was a tough choice cuz the Bronco seemed very cool as well.
ok! I will try to add a mustang p/u install to the list!
Yes, I put a few different P pickups in this Bronco bass. Here's a link to the EMG geezers and how I went about it:
ua-cam.com/video/dvF3-hqi3z0/v-deo.html
So what I wonder is: if you put all the work into the Bronco bass to make it sound as good as possible, is it still just not as good or as versatile as a Mustang? I do not understand why one would reach for a Bronco over a Mustang... outside of saving money. At least this one has 4 saddles!
That's a great question. Thanks for asking! I think there could be several reasons why one would go to great lengths on this sort of project:
i) Money. The closest Mustang-style bass (that's a squier/fender and not a copy) is the Classic Vibe (Squier) and in Canada, they are selling for $589 + tax. Oddly, they have been harder to find in stores (there are currently none in my city), so you'll be at the mercy of an online retailer. A bronco is $289. If you add $139 for a Lace sensor p/u or ________, you are still under $450 before tax and it's a totally useable bass sound, as hopefully I've shown in this particular video.
[you've just given me a video idea - comparing a modded bronco to a CV mustang!]
ii) It's fun. Modding basses has been something I've been into and doing since I was a teenager. I put active EMGs, new gold hipshot tuners and a new gold coloured bridge in my Cort 5 and I've been hooked ever since! Gold hardware was all the rage in the 90s! So I guess it's a form of hobby. Could be an expensive one! Modding a cheaper bass somehow feels better than modding an expensive one.
iii) The desire for a specific tonal outcome. Everybody's ideal tone is different and modding might get you there.....emphasis on 'might'. Now whether the audience knows or cares is another story. Whether other bass players think your tone is better, is a touchier subject...
iv) I started modding this Bronco because I wanted a cheap backup bass for when I didn't want to bring my custom F Bass to a gig (eg outdoors, really hot, really cold etc). That coincided with my little UA-cam startup and it's been fun to share a few steps along the way. So it's back to hobby time, for me. Maybe someone else will benefit from it.
I see it as no different than people who mod their Honda Civics (or other car model). It'll never be a Porsche, but if it puts a smile on your face, there are many more harmful ways to spend your money and time on.
I have now made a few different iterations of this Bronco bass that I would happily take over a few real Mustangs. And I've tried most of them!
Thanks for watching, commenting and reading!
@@jonathanwong458music I love my Squier CV Mustang- I have the Chicago Music Exchange FSR Competition bass. I really tried to come up with a good mod, but it seems so complete... I'm making a custom metal pickguard and maybe going to put a Hipshot lollipops on it, but with the monal flats, it's so much fun to play as a mini-Motown bass, but also a Talking Heads machine.
Speaking of, have you ever seen Tina Weymouth's hot rodded Mustang? It has a Musicmaster pickup right up at the neck. To me it makes it unslappable, but I've often wondered if someone put a Bronco pickup in the bridge a la baby PJ.
I'd love to see a more in depth review/comparison of the Fender Mustang Player with the Jazz bridge pickup, as that bass is at a price range I'm not interested in investing in.
I've picked up several Sonic Broncos and it's always made me smile, I was considering the coral for my daughter, but ended up going with the Mini Precision and I let her play my uke bass. At her age, even 30" is too much (and I'll probably start her with my Hofner Club anyway).
I've only seen pictures of Tina's modded mustang. Looks cool! One of my earlier videos was a mustang vs club, Tina style.
ua-cam.com/video/xCG8qN3eZ9Y/v-deo.html
Here's a link for a Player vs CV mustang: ua-cam.com/video/YxdNdpk_qV0/v-deo.html
And here's a link for my initial Player demo: ua-cam.com/video/8dobU3uzzqo/v-deo.html
One of my first short scale basses was a 1st gen offset PJ (which pre-dated the Player and had a rosewood board). It remains one of my favourite basses! I only have the P p/u wired in, and disconnected the switch and the J. TI flats. I think it sounds great. Engineers like it. It's on several albums! Think I paid $650 for it. There's something special in that bass.
It's awesome that you're getting your daughter into bass. None of my 3 kids are all that keen on playing instruments, unfortunately. Not yet, at least.