A curious, clumsy, charming start
This evening, the newly adopted 2025 Squier Sonic Bronco Bass got into action immediately after arriving with two strings. The experiment thus began.
I dropped in the .100 and .080 Darco strings, fired up Bass Chops with the Mosky Beta Ultra, and went hunting for riffs. At first the Bronco felt like a puzzle missing pieces — everything I tried sounded half-familiar and half-foreign. But that awkwardness had its charm; it forced me to think differently, to reach for intervals and patterns I’d normally ignore.
Then curiosity won and I rerouted her into Emerald Room, sprinkling a little Secret Path reverb. The Russian Muff was a no-go — all mud, no mystery — so I ditched it and leaned on Team Medic, using its boost and drive like two polite assistants instead of one loud guest.
Somewhere in all that, an A major progression bubbled up. Simple, but satisfying. The kind of musical moment that feels like a door quietly clicking open.
Today wasn’t about nailing the Sandman tone. It wasn’t even about finding “the sound.” It was just the Bronco and I learning to walk together — awkward, fun, and surprisingly musical. A fine start, and a reminder that sometimes stripping things down leads to something worth keeping.
The real Sandman experiment?
Another day. No rush. The Bronco’s already whispering ideas.