Show Full Spec Comparison
Squier Sonic Bronco Bass | Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI | |
---|---|---|
General | ||
Brand: | Fender Squier | Fender |
Year: | 2023 | 2023 |
Configuration: | S | SSS |
Strings: | 4 | 6 |
Made in: | Indonesia | United States |
Series: | Sonic | Vintera II |
Colors: | White, Black, Red | Blue, Red |
Left-Handed Version: | No | No |
Body | ||
Type: | Solid Body | Solid Body |
Body Material: | Poplar | Alder |
Bridge: | 4-Saddle Standard | 6-Saddle Vintage-Style Adjustable with “Floating” Tremolo Tailpiece |
Neck | ||
Neck Joint: | Bolt-On | Bolt-On |
Tuners: | Die-Cast Sealed | Fender Vintage-Style |
Fretboard: | Indian Laurel | Slab Rosewood |
Neck Material: | Maple | Maple |
Decoration: | Pearloid Dot | White Dot |
Scale Size: | 30" | 30" |
Shape: | Bass C Shape | Bass Mid '60s C |
Frets: | 19 Narrow Tall Nickel Silver | 21 Vintage Tall Nickel Silver |
Fretboard Radius: | 9.5" | 7.25" |
Nut: | Synthetic Bone | Synthetic Bone |
Nut Width: | 38.1mm (1.5'') | 41.9mm (1.65'') |
Electronics | ||
Bridge Pickups: | Fender Vintage-Style Bass VI Single-Coil (Single Coil / Passive) | |
Middle Pickup: | Fender Vintage-Style Bass VI Single-Coil (Single Coil / Passive) | |
Neck Pickup: | Ceramic Single-Coil (Single Coil / Passive) | Fender Vintage-Style Bass VI Single-Coil (Single Coil / Passive) |
Switch: | 0 Way | 3 Way |
Knobs: | Dome | Dome |
Pickup Mods: | None | None |
Volume Controls: | 1 | 1 |
Tone Controls: | 1 | 1 |
Hardware | ||
Strap Lock: | No | No |
Hardware Color: | Chrome | Chrome |
Show Diagrams Comparison
Reasons to Get
Squier Sonic Bronco Bass over Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI
Reasons to Get
Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI over Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass
Other Key Differences
Squier Sonic Bronco Bass vs Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI
Shared Features
Squier Sonic Bronco Bass vs Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
Common Weaknesses
- Neck-Through Build
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Weight Relief
- Retainer Bar
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Price History Comparison
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Hand Size Comfortability
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass favors large hands more than the Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI.
Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass:
Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI:
Beginner Friendliness
Both meet 5 out of our 6 criteria items for beginner friendliness. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players. If you're looking for your first bass to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.
New Player Friendliness
Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Short scale
- Comfortable neck
- Narrow nut
New Player Friendliness
Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI- Comfortable shape
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.
Woods Used in Both
Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.
Woods Used in the Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass
There are many types of Laurel, but East Indian is the most common for guitar building. Its color can vary from dark to light brown with black lines. Many people find its tonality similar to Rosewood, which favors the warmer frequencies. Find out more about Laurel.
Poplar is a cheaper and heavier alternative to Alder wood. It terms of tone, it emphasizes the low-end and has cutting mids. It's relatively soft compared to most body woods. Find out more about Poplar.
Woods Used in the Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI
Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.
Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.
Winner: Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI.
Pickup Configuration
The Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass has an S configuration while the Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI has SSS pickups.
A single single-coil pickup is not a configuration commonly found in modern electric guitars because it lacks versatility. But if you only want a guitar that sounds very thin and twangy, this might be good enough.
On the other hand, SSS is perfect for players who like to play clean. The definition you get between notes and the crispiness is unmatched by most other configurations. You can still use it for distortion, but you won't get the same kind of output and power compared to a humbucker, and the hum they produce also makes them less adequate for high gain.
Pickups Quality
The Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI pickups from a more specialized brand than the Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass. Its pickups should give you a fuller, richer sound, although it all depends on what type of music you're going to play. We recommend these pickups for Funk and similar genres.
Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.
Preamp Circuit
A preamp in an electric bass functions as an electronic circuit that acts as an interface between the bass's pickups and the amplifier. Its main purpose is to amplify and customize the bass's initial signal before it reaches the amplifier, offering enhanced control over factors like tone, volume, and sound attributes. Preamps typically come equipped with tone adjustments, equalization options, and sometimes built-in effects, empowering bass players to fine-tune their sound to suit their personal preferences and the musical environment.
Both basses have a Passive preamp.
Passive: A bass with a passive preamp lacks an onboard electronic circuit for tone shaping and signal boosting. Instead, it relies solely on passive pickups and basic tone controls, typically consisting of volume and tone knobs. Passive preamps don't require an external power source like batteries, making them low-maintenance and dependable. While they offer a simpler and more straightforward tonal character, passive basses are appreciated for their warm and vintage sound, often favored in genres like classic rock, blues, and funk. They are an excellent choice for musicians who value the simplicity and timeless appeal of their instrument's tone without the need for active electronic components.
Winner: Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI.
Versatility Comparison
Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
The Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI gives you 3 switch options while the Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass gives you 0. This means that the Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Neither of them come with some kind of coil split or pickup mod option. This makes both lacking in terms of versatility.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass compares to the Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass is built in Indonesia while the Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI is made in United States.
Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.
The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.
Winner: Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI
Nut Material
If you want your bass to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
In this case, both have Synthetic Bone nuts. Bone is the best natural material for guitar nuts. However, its tonal properties can be inconsistent. That's the problem that synthetic bone fixes. This is much better than using a plastic nut because the nut is more slippery—which helps with tuning stability—, and it gives your open strings rich harmonics.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass's are Die-Cast Sealed while the Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI's are Fender Vintage-Style
Winner: Tie.
Neck Joint
Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a bass is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.
Both have a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass
- Synthetic Bone Nut
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- No Expensive Woods
- No Top Brand Pickups
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Active Preamp
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Retainer Bar
- No Strap Lock
Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Synthetic Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Active Preamp
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Retainer Bar
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a bass might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a bass feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI has the wider nut with 41.9mm (1.65'') vs 38.1mm (1.5''). This is a 3.8mm (0.15'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
In this case, both have a scale length of 30".
This is a scale used for baritones and guitars with more than 6 strings. Since the scale is so long, the tension of the strings will be higher. This means that bending will require a lot more strength than with a shorter scale. However, it also allows you to use really low tunings without causing fret buzz and without needing to increase your string gauge too much.
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
Both the Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass and the Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
Fretboard Radius
Most bass fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass.
Fret Size
The Fender Squier Sonic Bronco Bass has Narrow Tall frets, which should be taller than the Fender Vintera II '60s Bass VI's Vintage Tall frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.