Squier Bronco bass mods Ep.2: Seymour Duncan Hot Rails pickup. Series vs. Parallel!

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  • Опубліковано 4 лют 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 104

  • @OtaconNachos
    @OtaconNachos 11 місяців тому +3

    Going through your series, supremely useful! I just bought a Bronco and going through the pickup options and you have been a great help!

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  11 місяців тому +1

      Thanks so much for watching and for your encouragement! Still have a few more episodes planned! Stay tuned!

    • @OtaconNachos
      @OtaconNachos 11 місяців тому +1

      @@jonathanwong458musicLooking forward to them! I think your videos have helped me decide to go with a cheap dual rails for the meantime to help with the hum! Maybe I'll try a hum-cancelling '51 P-Bass pickup in the future as well... I also ordered a brass saddle Wilkinson like you have on your permanent mod list. Thanks again!

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  11 місяців тому +1

      Right on! Hope you enjoy your modding journey!

  • @LMaia14
    @LMaia14 Рік тому +8

    This series is so much fun, I'm even considering getting a bronco to try it out. Thank you so much for taking the time to record and upload for us!

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому +2

      Thanks for watching!

    • @Actionmom69
      @Actionmom69 Рік тому

      Should i get a Bronco or precision?

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  6 місяців тому

      @@Actionmom69 I'm just seeing this now (sorry, the app doesn't always give me notifications).
      Re bronco or precision. I think these are 2 very different instruments and it really comes down to which scale length you prefer. Neck comfort and king if you want to play your best, so I'd try the different options out if you can. A precision will always be a welcome member in any bass collection. But it can be a beast to play!

  • @josephbania4564
    @josephbania4564 Рік тому +6

    I'm so glad you are featuring this bass as a mod platform. It is very inexpensive and has lots of potential. I have a white one that I modded the crap out of. I won't list everything I did, but I did make a new pickguard out of mother -of-pearl material, routed it for EMG precision pickup, added a battery box, recarved the neck and sunk it into the body about 1/8 and put on a new bridge (I had a nice one laying around, it's a Stew Mac one, l'm not sure the brand) , I also tweaked several of the frets for level. Now I have a nice light bass that looks good, has killer tone and plays great. Keep up the good work...oh ya, I'm running Ernie Ball cobalt flats 50 to 110, LOVE those strings on a short scale.

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому +6

      Thanks so much for watching! Totally agree, the Bronco is pretty budget friendly. Have a variety a bridges I'm going to try out in the series after the pickups. Unfortunately, with lower price-point instruments, there is considerable variety in quality and outcomes. The white bronco I'm modding has a very nice acoustic resonance and ring to it. I think that comes across on the recording. And the neck is pretty solid. That's one of the reasons I've chosen to mod this particular one. My ultimate goal is to make a stellar (inexpensive) back-up bass for when I don't want to the bring the F bass, or for outside gigs in the rain, haha!

  • @TheChef470
    @TheChef470 2 місяці тому +1

    I love your videos no bells whistles or fireworks just a clean unvarnished example of tone.....well done.

  • @Arcade1959
    @Arcade1959 Рік тому +4

    Thank you for your patience in responding to us and thank you for all your videos

  • @SiddharthBasrurOfficial
    @SiddharthBasrurOfficial Рік тому +5

    Definitely an upgrade from the stock pickup. I bought the Bronco bass a couple of weeks ago and love the playability. Thanks for this series. Been wanting to change the pickup, and it looks like the Hot Rails in series is the winner for me.

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому +1

      It’s a surprisingly comfy neck! Thanks for watching! SD is a good choice

  • @alrightythen214
    @alrightythen214 Рік тому +3

    Hi Jonathan, thanks for making this series, it's really interesting as I am considering a bronco myself

  • @georgegandara6054
    @georgegandara6054 6 місяців тому +2

    Finally decided to buy a Squier Bronco and a Squier P/J Precission .......I have the PJ at home and the other will be delivered next week!!! Awesome bass!!!!👍🇨🇱

  • @willistaylor4077
    @willistaylor4077 Рік тому +2

    This had been a Very Cool series.
    I dare say by the time I'm 60, I'm going to have a room full of Short-scale Basses. 😂❤
    I'm 51 now, with an autoimmune condition and chronic pain.

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому +2

      It was health reasons that put a massive damper on my musical life…that’s how I got into shorties. Now it’s a studio full of them. One for each occasion!

  • @Asmuk
    @Asmuk Рік тому +2

    Thanks for this series. Exactly what i was looking for.

  • @FMBasementStudio
    @FMBasementStudio 3 місяці тому +1

    Greetings. I bought one of the limited edition purple Bronco Bass. I ended up installing the SD Hotrails with a push/push pot to be able to make use of both sounds. I think it sounds good in both modes but I prefer it in parallel. The SD Hotrail drops in with no modification which is a plus for me. I also went ahead and changed the strings for DR flatwounds which gives the bass a nice vintage vibe. I have a full archiving of my modding process on Talkbass if you want to see what I did with it.

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  3 місяці тому +1

      Awesome! Great to here that you are happy with your mods!
      Thanks for watching!

  • @generalepictv
    @generalepictv Рік тому +2

    Hi Jonathan!, I'm loving this series! You are inspiring me to start my own little bass mod project... There are some modifications that I would like to see you doing on this bass: shielding, bridge, and tuning pegs. Also a string change to flatwounds or nylon tapewounds. For the sound comparison, I think it would be great if you could cut the scenes back and forth (3 to 5 secs) between the setups to give us imediate feedback. Keep it up the good work! You got a new subscriber.

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому +3

      Thanks for watching and supporting the channel!
      Without giving too much away....you've read my mind! Up next, shielding with copper tape on both cavity and pickguard (pre & post), more pickups coming, a few different bridges, and then strings (exactly as you've suggested, tapes and flats)!
      As for the back and forth scenes, I plan on making a compilation conclusion video which will cycle through the different parts as you have suggested. Having made the rapid comparisons in previous videos, some viewers found it aurally confusing, hence the relatively longer passes.
      Stay tuned and thanks so much for subscribing!
      PS the sonic series bronco already has an upgraded bridge and tuner set. I’m not sold on the bridge, but the stock tuners are pretty good, and I’m not confident different tuners would result in a sonic difference. They turn relatively smoothly and stay in tune. Look relatively lightweight.

  • @michellaudinat7107
    @michellaudinat7107 Рік тому +2

    Great ! the parallel produce also an interesting tone

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому

      Yeah, a thinner sound, could be used in solos, or for/with different effects
      Thanks for watching!

  • @vasifazan1162
    @vasifazan1162 Рік тому +1

    Thank you for this informative video ❤

  • @XoseGuitar
    @XoseGuitar 25 днів тому

    I'm not hearing any difference you couldn't get easily with an EQ pedal, tbh. Thanks for this series!

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  25 днів тому

      Right on! Thanks for watching.
      You might be able to get a similar tone with EQ, but the noise/single coil hum from the stock pickup would remain, unfortunately.

  • @mr.k905
    @mr.k905 5 місяців тому

    Great video, as usual! The new one in series sounds better indeed.
    I imagine a Muddbucker in neck position would be really cool! Haven’t seen anybody doing this yet, at least not in UA-cam land. I bet this would be a great video many bassists would be interested in.
    Could be a budget option to get the famous Allman Brothers and Grand Funk Railroad bass tones.

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  5 місяців тому

      That’s a great suggestion! Will require some routing, but would be a cool sound. Thanks for watching!

  • @drummergirl0018
    @drummergirl0018 Рік тому +1

    I have an Ibanez Mikrobass I just bought. I have a set of EMG Geezer Butler PJ pickups to put into it. I'm also going to try a set of hybrid strings, 45-100. I'd love to see you do a mod series on the Mikrobass too. Loving your channel, you obviously work very behind the scenes. Thankyou!

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому +1

      It’s in the works! After the bronco series wraps up, I’m hoping to do a Squier mini P mod series, then a Mikro! Timing wise, if all goes to plan, hopefully Dec/Jan-ish?
      Great idea. Stay tuned and thanks for watching!

    • @drummergirl0018
      @drummergirl0018 Рік тому

      Awesome, thank you!
      @@jonathanwong458music

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому

      Hope you enjoy it!

  • @bignick8121
    @bignick8121 Рік тому +1

    This is a great series! Thanks so much for taking the time to put these videos together!
    When you're selecting your guitar pickups for the bronco, are you ordering the neck position or bridge position? Is there a reason as to why?

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому +1

      Thanks for watching!
      This SD is the ‘neck’ version.
      In this bronco series, P bass style pickups are typically ‘neck’ by default. However, the Artec soapbar was the neck version. Typically, the outputs tend to be a bit hotter in the bridge version (as less string orbit by the bridge) or they may be voiced differently for the same reason. Some ‘bridge’ bass pickups are also bigger/wider as the strings have a bit of a spread, wider string spacing at the bridge. Eg the bridge J is wider than the neck J p/u.

  • @Moises_505
    @Moises_505 Місяць тому

    This is a great video. I prefer the SD in parallel wiring, it has the clearest and most defined mid character. The low output is something to contend with though. The series sounds good too, I just feel it might be too boomy and will get lost in a mix

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Місяць тому +1

      Right on! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for watching! Series can be a bit muddy if clarity is what you’re after. Check out the episode on the Lace Sensor Blue!

  • @SandauxBeats
    @SandauxBeats 8 місяців тому

    Thaaank youuu!!!

  • @markvonwisco7369
    @markvonwisco7369 Місяць тому +1

    The series mode sounded best to me. It was a warmer, fuller sound, which is what I prefer on own basses.

  • @kingbabynogravy4915
    @kingbabynogravy4915 Рік тому

    Love that I stumbled across this video…I’m gonna be switching out the stock PUP with a SD hot rail in series… am I understanding correctly the wiring? I’ve got the white and red spliced and taped together…the green and bare going to the black lead…and then the black to the white?

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому

      Here’s a link to SD’s website on humbucker wiring. Every company follows a different colour scheme.
      www.seymourduncan.com/blog/latest-updates/humbucker-wire-color-translation
      For SD, white and red are spliced together and taped as you said. Bare and green both go to ground (Eg case of the pot) and black is the hot lead that goes to the pot terminal.
      Thanks for watching! Good luck!

  • @nishalc
    @nishalc Місяць тому

    Hi, I have a squier bronco that has had a seymour duncan cold rails put in. I was also given a hot rails and I am wandering what difference I will see between these pickups? Thanks

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Місяць тому

      Thanks for watching and asking! I have been told that the Hot Rails will be a little hotter in output than the Cool Rails. As a result, it’ll probably also be a bit more compressed sounding and be slightly less bright as a result.

  • @FunkyFjordy
    @FunkyFjordy 3 місяці тому

    Thank you so much for this series! I recently bought a Mark Bass Yellow little bass (wich looks the same like the squier bronco) and I love it very much. I didnt like the color and gave it a Organge sparkle finish, that turned out nice. They next step is to find a good replacement pickup with more low and less hum :D and got the idea to try the SD hotrails
    I have question about that. Did you use the bridge or neck pickup for this modification.
    I learned that the bridge pickup of de SD hotrails can sound too muddy when you instal is at the mid of neck position of a strat, and now now Im wondering what will be the best choice.

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  3 місяці тому +1

      Hi and thanks for watching! I have a Markbass yellow 'bronco' in for review. Video coming soon!
      In this Bronco mod, I used the neck version of the Seymour Duncan Hot Rail. Definitely added more heft and no noise! It's a different sound than a single coil. Check out the Lace Sensors I filmed too, if you haven't already.

    • @FunkyFjordy
      @FunkyFjordy 3 місяці тому

      @jonathanwong458music thank you so much for you respons! Looking forward to see your review about the Markbass. I will l9ok intoo the lace sensors as well

    • @FunkyFjordy
      @FunkyFjordy 3 місяці тому

      @@jonathanwong458music Ive watched the vid about the Lace sensors this afternoon. Sounds like the blue version can be a good modification for me soundwise. But I would love a pickup with cool looks to. Did you do any content about TV Jones Thunder blades? You makes such good content, I definatly will watch more!

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  3 місяці тому

      Yeah! I quite liked the Blue. More open and less compressed than the Red Lace. Not sure why guitar players have forgotten about Lace sensors. They were everywhere in the 90s, when I worked in a guitar store! In a lot of Fender signature models.
      I haven’t tried the TV offerings yet. They are more atypical in size and I’ve heard output is lower, but they certainly look really cool.
      Thanks for the encouragement!

  • @StevenDoyleLuke
    @StevenDoyleLuke Рік тому

    Like this better, so far . . . and nice wiring job . . . Add some flats and you are good to go.

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому +1

      Too soon to end the series!! Lots more to come. But certainly possible that the earlier efforts will be the winner overall. I'm really looking to create an inexpensive backup bass for more dodgy environments:)
      Thanks for watching, as always!

  • @2002junebug
    @2002junebug Рік тому

    The Hot Rails in series definitely has the best tone! One question I have is: Is that the neck or bridge version of the pickup?
    Also, outside of the EMGs I recommended in the previous video, some people have also recommended the Dimarzio Air Norton S. Like the HR, it is a rail design but doesn’t have as much output. Some say it has a better tone. Great video!

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому +1

      Thanks for watching Ep.2!
      It's the neck version. I forgot to say that in the video. I'll add it to the description. Good catch!
      The EMG is on order. I ordered the S4, as I feel going back to 6 pole pieces in S2 or S3 could potentially be a back step, magnetically. The S4 is a rail design with more lows and low mids (as advertised!) . Will see whether that's true!.
      I have a DiMarzio jazz humbucker I'm going to experiment with. See whether it's worthy of a video shoot. Stay tuned!

  • @Arcade1959
    @Arcade1959 Рік тому

    If you have the opportunity or information, the Vintage Rail and Cool Rail might be interesting to try

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому +1

      It would be interesting. They would be lower in output and likely less aggressive sounding (in comparison to the hot rails).

  • @yobhsiFehT
    @yobhsiFehT 7 місяців тому

    Only thing now would be to hear it with flats 😇😄

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  7 місяців тому +1

      Thanks for watching! Although not with the Duncan, I made a video where I put Thomastik flats on this Bronco! Here's a link:
      ua-cam.com/video/SXmrVDORT_Q/v-deo.html

  • @razinzaidei
    @razinzaidei 3 місяці тому

    Hi, did you change the pot to 500k or you used the original pot (250k)

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  3 місяці тому +2

      Thanks for watching! In all of these episodes, I used the stock/original pots. The stock volume pot went intermittent before the shielding episode, so it was replaced with a CTS 250k. Only in episode 16 did I use a 500k pot, but that was the whole point of the episode! So unless otherwise stated, it's a 250k pot in order to keep as many variables as constant as possible.

  • @ignacioantonioaedosepulved453
    @ignacioantonioaedosepulved453 7 місяців тому

    hello, thanks for these series, are amazing. I recently bought this same pickup for my bronco, However, I don't know why, I sent it to my luthier and now the souund is so weak, I have to turn on my compressor pedal to raise the volume, do you think that it might be the pots or something like that?, did you experience something similar? Thank you beforehand! and take care!

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  7 місяців тому +1

      Thanks for watching and asking! When I had the Duncan Hot Rail in, the output was HOT. The series wiring was louder than the parallel. It's possible that the pots are bad, ...however....another possible scenario is that the pickup is wired incorrectly inside the cavity. It's not fair of me to create distrust in your luthier. But every pickup company has a different colour code for their wiring and it's very easy to mis-wire as a result (unless you consult with the instructions). My suggestion would be to confirm that the wiring is correct first (series is the default wiring on the diagram if my memory is correct). If wiring is correct, could then ensure all the pots are good and well grounded. If that still doesn't sort it out, it is always possible that you have a broken or defective pickup (which is rare but not impossible from Seymour Duncan).
      I hope this is helpful! Hope it's an easy fix for you!

    • @ignacioantonioaedosepulved453
      @ignacioantonioaedosepulved453 6 місяців тому

      @@jonathanwong458music ohhh un going to check that out! Thanks for the answer! Have a nice day! And thank you again

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  6 місяців тому +1

      @@ignacioantonioaedosepulved453 good luck to you!

    • @ignacioantonioaedosepulved453
      @ignacioantonioaedosepulved453 6 місяців тому

      @@jonathanwong458music hello again, at the end the pickup came broken from the factory! Now I'm going to have one in good condition. I wanna thank you for your assistance and time.

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  6 місяців тому

      @@ignacioantonioaedosepulved453 Glad the store or Seymour Duncan is taking care of you! Best of luck with the replacement!

  • @trappenweisseguy27
    @trappenweisseguy27 8 місяців тому

    There’s also the wide range of Lace Sensor pickups that are compatible and don’t have pole piece dropout.

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  8 місяців тому

      I featured the Lace Sensor Red and Blue in later episodes! They sounded quite good! Thanks for watching!

  • @Barry101er
    @Barry101er Рік тому

    Seymour Duncan and series good match. All you need now is gold hardware, lol

  • @mukund161
    @mukund161 6 місяців тому

    How to kill the humming noise of bronco original pickups??

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  6 місяців тому

      That’s really clever! Thanks for watching!

    • @markcouch4235
      @markcouch4235 5 місяців тому

      Look into a noise gate pedal, the Rowin is around $30 new

  • @Arcade1959
    @Arcade1959 Рік тому

    I prefer these Seymour Duncans to the Musiclily Dual Rail Hot Humbucker.
    Certainly the Seymour are more expensive but seem more versatile

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому

      I agree with you! The Duncans are more musical sounding. Thanks for watching! But yeah, ~3x the price of the musiclily

    • @Arcade1959
      @Arcade1959 Рік тому

      @@jonathanwong458music Are the Duncan SCR-1 or SHR-1 ?

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому

      It's the neck version of the hot rail - SHR1N
      (not the cool rail)

    • @Arcade1959
      @Arcade1959 Рік тому

      @@jonathanwong458music SCR-1 / SHR-1 What's the difference between the two please ?

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому

      @@Arcade1959 Both are electric guitar pickups by design and as I understand it, the Hot rail is SD's hottest wound humbucker in a single-sized shell. Higher output. In contrast, the cool rail is a less hot, slightly lower output version of the rail design. I suspect in a Stratocaster type guitar, the tonal differences will be more apparent than in a bass. I've never tried the Cool rail version. Check out SD's website for more info!

  • @Arcade1959
    @Arcade1959 Рік тому

    I notice that the pickup with the parallel wiring has less output than the stock pickup.
    Between the three sounds, I prefer the stock pickup, too bad for the parasitic noise

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому +1

      Yeah, in general, parallel has slightly less output, but you get more highs and clarity in exchange. The parallel sound definitely has its use and could be useful to cut through a dense mix. Just need a little more input gain.
      Thanks for watching!

  • @willistaylor4077
    @willistaylor4077 Рік тому

    Actually, I still quite like both pickups, original stock And S Duncan.
    I would go for the S Duncan pickup, if this was my Bass.
    👍🎸🎶❤️

  • @paulbucklebuckle4921
    @paulbucklebuckle4921 Рік тому

    🤗

  • @journeyquest1
    @journeyquest1 8 місяців тому

    Series full tone for me.

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  8 місяців тому

      Right on! Nice choice. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts!

    • @journeyquest1
      @journeyquest1 8 місяців тому

      @@jonathanwong458music What is a good gauge string for these 30 scale bass?

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  8 місяців тому

      That’s a great question. If you want to ‘string it properly’ with the correct string wound length, then you are limited to what the manufacturers make, which is not much. Unfortunately, most short scale sets are the usual 45-100. A few make a 50-105 (Eg D’addario) and Fender only has their nickel 40-95.
      Might be out of luck if you want a 110 E….
      If you are willing to risk using long/standard scale strings, then you have much more choice. But you do risk string breakage around the tuning peg especially if it’s a smaller diameter peg. The sharper break angles can cause the string to unravel or have the winding snap.

  • @choowie92
    @choowie92 Рік тому +7

    I still prefer the original pickup. 😭I have no taste! 😭

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  Рік тому +2

      The stock pickup has a unique grind to it and I like it too! It’s just the noise…Thanks for watching and commenting!

    • @bobt5778
      @bobt5778 Рік тому +1

      Sure you do, single coil pickups are immensely popular in both guitars and basses for good reason!

    • @ramblr1959
      @ramblr1959 10 місяців тому

      You cant hear the noise while playing. People care too much about instruments being quiet while not playing.

    • @VivaSepulchre
      @VivaSepulchre 8 місяців тому

      The stock pickup has six pole pieces an four strings. I have a Tahitian Coral bronco. Love it but that stock guitar pickup in a bass is rough when trying to distinguish notes 🤷🏼‍♂️

  • @larryn2682
    @larryn2682 11 місяців тому

    The parallel mode wiring is not true humbucking.

    • @jonathanwong458music
      @jonathanwong458music  11 місяців тому +1

      As I understand it (and I may very well be wrong), one of the hot rail coils runs in the opposite direction compared to the other.
      Thanks for watching!

    • @ihopeyourdoggetsaids
      @ihopeyourdoggetsaids 27 днів тому

      Yes it is, it's the same way that the strat is wired in the 4th and 2nd positions. Go ahead and try those and tell me if you hear any hum