Squier Affinity Bronco Bass - Low Effort Bass, Low Effort Review -LowEndLobster Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 เม.ย. 2021
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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.
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 :)
Very high best quality video seen ever i have! But as always, great work Lobster!
Becoming my favourite bass channel lately
The thumbnail, beard, cat, lobster claw hand is what I never thought I need to see in my life. Great, honest review.
I could let a lot of those deficiencies pass but... single ply pick guard?! Monsters.
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.
Hey there! Great review as usual lobster, how does is compare with harley bentons? Is it a better mod platform than them ?
A good bass to practice modifications such as pickup,bridge and tuners.Looking forward to any mods you do on this 🎸🎸🎸
Thanks for posting 👍
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
This bass + hot rail pickup + DR strings = perfect
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!
That guitar says fender, but its produced by Fisher Price.
LOL Thanks Ricardo!
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!
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.
I Luv my Squire Bronco bass , it's fun to play , sounds good , and is well made. Not changing , or moding it at all.
I'm torn between buying this one and a hofner violin bass. Which one do you recommend?
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
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. th-cam.com/video/Z3rBdym4xQQ/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/5q2hMwhM0L8/w-d-xo.html
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 !
What do you Guys think is better for intermediate bass player?
Bronco Bass or Ibañez TMB100 Bass?
🤔🤔🤔
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!
Would love to see the outtakes on this video!!
This vs the Tallman TMB30? Looking for an affordable short scale for my music production and small gigs
What's the weight this bass please?
would the neck be usable on a different body ? shortscale, slimC neck is nice
That's a great question! I'm not sure of the answer. Most likely yes with some modification, but YMMV
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.
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.
At what price point would you recommend this? I see one posted in my area used for $150 and was on the fence; I could really use it to track bass lines and I am not super committed to bass playing.
Excellent Lobster cheers from.Liverpool.Uk
I love this bass. It's a blast to play.
Thank you for petting the cat.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What do you use for the drum backing, is it a BeatBuddy?
Yes, Beatbuddy mini v2.
I love how the wall behind you is covered with expensive basses
;P
Was there any noise from the single coil pickup?
Yes
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 ;)
original pickup and strings?
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.
Let’s freaking gooooo dude
WOOO!
it would work for a kids 1st bass, but I don't see it being more than that. And as always, great review dude.😁
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 bass is fun I got one a have been modding the heck out of it
This was my first ever bass! I want to get another and plop some new pickups in it.
A... A new pickup
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?
I want one just to carry around lol. You should review the squier mini p bass.
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
You sir just saved me from bying this used for 140E (i thought it would be a bargain)you earned your like.
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
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
Do your recommeded Glarry or Donner even offer a short-scale bass? I can't find any online.
I think it's genuinely difficult to make the economics work at that price point. The market for short scale basses is quite small, yet they cost almost as much to manufacture and distribute as the long scale instruments.
@@innocentoctave Yes. I find it interesting that Ibanez currently makes 165 different models of bass and 300 models of guitars. They make at least 3 short scale bases.
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 ;)
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! 😁👍
If you’ve still got this bass I’d love to see you bring it back for a crazy mod project.
That doesn't sound bad at all to be honest. A good bass for modding or relicing.
Cool shirt!
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.
Did someone fall in love with that shirt? I need one in my life!!
That bass actually sounds pretty good. Amazingly. Can't be much fun to play though.Thanks for the good review.
Thanks Mark!
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
All time great thumbnail
XD Thanks!
Dude. You are so funny with your bronco sounds. 😂🎸😎✌️
Thanks Rick :)
Have you ever reviewed a Conklin GT5 bass?
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!
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
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.
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.
Great!
Thanks :)
Hey lobster glarry just released their own version of this bass if you wanna check it out. I wonder if its better for its price point compared to the bronco and the glarry comes with a 4 saddle bridge.
Why do I like that glassy rickenbacker neck pickup thing it has
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
I would replace the bridge since it two strings per post instead one for each string.
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!
I am a beginner and I think is a very cool bass quality / price made in Indonesia
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
"this bronco is pretty basic"
bassic
bass-ic
see what i did there?
yknow what, nvm
EYO ;P
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.
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!
At last! Been waiting for cat!
Thanks Paul :)
mine has a 41.3 mm nutwidth instead of the 38.1 mm stated on their website. Fender is doing the Gretch thing...
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
But can it meow using the tone control?
XD
Man I love the thumbnail 😂😂😂
Thank you!
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?
The old music master bass also had a 6pole pick up
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!
I've been considering one of these for some time now ( by time I mean enough money). I'd imagine it would be a nice step up from a crappy plywood violin bass
Thanks Possibly! Honestly, anything's a step up from that - but you can still do better for $200 than this bass IMO.
you should make a vid on the new sonic bronco
Best thumbnail by far 😂😂😂
Thanks ;P
It sounds light. Like papier-mâché light.
What interface do you use Lobster? 🦞
Focusrite Scarlett 4i4
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
Mod it with the Seymour Duncan SCPB-3 pickup and a high mass bridge and ultra lite tuners
I believe the Music Master simply had the guitar pickup as well… so the reason behind the Bronco having a guitar pickup
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.