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

This is episode #2 in a series where I am modding a Squier Sonic series Bronco short scale bass. How good sounding can I get this budget friendly bass?
In this unsponsored video, I will feature the Seymour Duncan Hot Rails (neck) humbucker pickup (SHR-1n for Strat). This pickup is a drop-in replacement, as it was originally designed for a Stratocaster electric guitar.
We will also explore the advantages and disadvantages of series vs. parallel wiring and will listen to their tonal differences.
Basses were recorded direct through a Line6 Pod Go with the identical settings (GK800RB model). They were level matched, with the exception of parallel wiring example, but no EQ or compression was added in post.
Link to Guitar Guts video on series and parallel wiring: • Seymour Duncan Humbuck...
00:00 Intro
00:32 Seymour Duncan Hot Rails as drop in replacement
01:37 Series vs Parallel wiring discussion
03:44 Intro to the track
04:43 Track A-B comparison
07:16 Assessment
jonathanwong.bandcamp.com

[@josephbania4564]

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]

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!

[@SiddharthBasrurOfficial]

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]

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

[@LMaia14]

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]

Thanks for watching!

[@Actionmom69]

Should i get a Bronco or precision?

[@jonathanwong458music]

@@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!

[@Arcade1959]

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

[@jonathanwong458music]

My pleasure! Thanks for supporting my little channel!

[@OtaconNachos]

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]

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

[@OtaconNachos]

@@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]

Right on! Hope you enjoy your modding journey!

[@georgegandara6054]

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!!!!👍🇨🇱

[@jonathanwong458music]

That's so awesome so hear! Hope you enjoy them!

[@willistaylor4077]

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]

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!

[@JDavidFall]

I really like all the different pickups you’ve tried In this but I still prefer the stock pickup. I know it’s cheap but I prefer the sound of it to all The others. Crazy

[@jonathanwong458music]

Not crazy at all! I’ve mentioned that the stock pickup has a unique growl and grind to its tone! Just the noise and hum I don’t like, but it’s part of the charm of single coils. Thanks for watching!

[@Asmuk]

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

[@jonathanwong458music]

That’s wonderful to hear, thank you! More to come in the series!

[@alrightythen214]

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

[@jonathanwong458music]

Thanks so much for watching! I hope it's fun for all.

[@michellaudinat7107]

Great ! the parallel produce also an interesting tone

[@jonathanwong458music]

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

[@vasifazan1162]

Thank you for this informative video ❤

[@jonathanwong458music]

Thanks for watching and for the encouragement!

[@generalepictv]

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]

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.

[@bignick8121]

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]

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.

[@drummergirl0018]

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]

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]

Awesome, thank you! @@jonathanwong458music

[@jonathanwong458music]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@SandauxBeats]

Thaaank youuu!!!

[@jonathanwong458music]

Thanks for watching!

[@StevenDoyleLuke]

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

[@jonathanwong458music]

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!

[@sl0wsn4il]

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]

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!

[@yobhsiFehT]

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

[@jonathanwong458music]

Thanks for watching! Although not with the Duncan, I made a video where I put Thomastik flats on this Bronco! Here's a link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYnQo4l6hLeHlbM

[@kingbabynogravy4915]

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]

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!

[@trappenweisseguy27]

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

[@jonathanwong458music]

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

[@Arcade1959]

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

[@jonathanwong458music]

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

[@willistaylor4077]

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. 👍🎸🎶❤️

[@jonathanwong458music]

More potential choices to come! Thanks for watching!

[@Barry101er]

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

[@jonathanwong458music]

It’s a good combo! Thanks for watching!

[@ignacioantonioaedosepulved453]

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]

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]

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

[@jonathanwong458music]

@@ignacioantonioaedosepulved453 good luck to you!

[@ignacioantonioaedosepulved453]

@@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]

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

[@Arcade1959]

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]

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!

[@mukund161]

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

[@jonathanwong458music]

That’s really clever! Thanks for watching!

[@paulbucklebuckle4921]

🤗

[@jonathanwong458music]

Thanks for watching!

[@Arcade1959]

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

[@jonathanwong458music]

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

[@Arcade1959]

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

[@jonathanwong458music]

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

[@Arcade1959]

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

[@jonathanwong458music]

@@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!

[@journeyquest1]

Series full tone for me.

[@jonathanwong458music]

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

[@journeyquest1]

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

[@jonathanwong458music]

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.

[@larryn2682]

The parallel mode wiring is not true humbucking.

[@jonathanwong458music]

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!

[@choowie92]

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

[@jonathanwong458music]

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]

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

[@ramblr1959]

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

[@VivaSepulchre]

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 🤷🏼‍♂️