OK, the Gretsch pickup is now mounted in the Bronco - and it's a success! It doesn't have quite the roar that that my Gretsch 2202 Jr. Jet does, but it's definitely fuller and deeper than the Strat-type pickups.
I first determined placement of the pickup by centering it under the strings upside down....when it looked right, marked its outline on the PG with a red wipe-off marker. Since this pickup has a trim ring that's black, I decided to keep it and mount both. That also meant I had more freedom to leave the sides of the cutout in the PG less than perfect.
Opened up the PG...drilled holes in the PG for each corner of the trim ring and for the pickup depth adjustment screws. Mounted the trim ring and pickup so i could see whether there clearance issues with the body cavity.
Under the PG, I did need to create about 1/2" more space on the E- string side. Both the pickup adjustment tab and the trim ring screws ran into interference. Fortunately there's a lot of room under there. A Dremel, patience and repeated test fittings did the trick. This picture was taken when part-way done; I took about twice as much material out as is shown in this pic, eventually moving the entire end of the cavity about 1/2" farther over. I also had to Dremel out one recess on the other side of the cavity for the top screw on the G string side...that recess is about where the angle cut is in the cavity.
Here's before, with the S-D Hot Rails Strat pickup:
Here's after (...how do you like the V8 emblem? Found it in a car parts store...liked it):
Personally, I think Fender ought to offer a humbucker option for the Bronco!
