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1979 Hondo Fender-copy bass value?

QORC

QORC

Aug 22, 2003
3,882
3,813
Elberon, New Jersey
#1
I have my original bass - a black Hondo - a fender rip off. Got the usual amount of nicks and such, but plays decently. Been sitting in my basement for years after I moved on to better stuff years ago. Anyone have any idea what I should be able to get for this on ebay? I see so few. I'd love to unload it. It's just taking up space.
 
#5
QORC said:
I have my original bass - a black Hondo - a fender rip off. Got the usual amount of nicks and such, but plays decently. Been sitting in my basement for years after I moved on to better stuff years ago. Anyone have any idea what I should be able to get for this on ebay? I see so few. I'd love to unload it. It's just taking up space.
Click to expand...
do you have any pics? and would you be willing to ship to canada im looking for a project bass
 
#6
Hey guys. I got really nostalgic recently I just bought my first bass-- A Hondo Fame Series 830-- off of ebay. It's in the mail.

Anyway, there is not a lot of info on these basses on the web. I cannot remember if it is Japanese or Korean. I think it's MIJ, but can anyone viewing this post who owns one confirm that for me?

Meanwhile, I am excited to get this thing. I have not had mine since 1986 or 1987. I cannot remember what it plays like. I just remember being so over it once I got my first "good" bass but my teacher kept telling me the Hondo sounded great. We'll see... :hmm:
 
#7
I am still looking for 'my first bass" a JC Penny semi hollow.
I did prurchase off of E-Bay my first guitar and I found my second bass that I used for years a Decca.

Keep it, it will remind of of whers you came from.

Best of Luck,
Wesley R.
 
#9
funny thing is, at the time, I thought it was the boobies!

But picking it up a few months ago, years later, now owning good guitars, I realized what a piece of crap it was. Sentimental, yes. No longer wanting this guitar, yes.

Sold it to a guy here who's going to totally remake it - a fun project I don't have the time for.
 
#11
There's a name I haven't heard (want to hear) in a while.

Theit quality was horrid.

I had one as a back-up and eded up turning it intoa fretless then re-finshed the body.... you don;t want to learn to do stuff like that on Fender!
 
#12
I've still got my Hondo from circa 1980-81. I paid a whomping $50. It was a short scale Candy Apple Red with a single P-bass style pickup. The action was so high, it was more suitable for shooting arrows that it was for playing.

A few years ago I repainted it an Electric Blue lizardskin. I put some new pickups and tuners in it and fixed the action. It now funtions as a piccolo bass.

Current estimated value? Still $50!!
 
#17
The late 70s-80s Hondos (Hondo II, Fame, etc.) were imported from Korea by IMC (a company based in Texas). They did import a few "high end" models built by Tokai in Japan (easily IDed by "Tokai" stamped on the metal parts!), but almost all were Korean.

Trust me, I used to live in Korea in the late 70s and you could buy them in the local music shops for $35.

What really put Hondo on the map was when they started using real DiMarzio pickups which were a huge improvement over the terrible Korean made pickups.

Chinese imports didn't become common until the 1990s by which time Hondo was long gone.
 
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#18
Here's a little follow up.

So my Hondo finally came today. I just put new strings on and gave it a setup and I have to say, it is a great bass, especially for the money. I cannot believe I ever got rid of mine back in the day. I guess I was just so over having a generic bass that I could not appreciate it for what it was-- a rock solid player.

So a quick review of my bass. The strings though body feature is great and that bridge has a lot of brass on brass adding further to the sustain. But I have to say that the neck on this bass is the best feature by far and to me is worth more than the price of the whole bass. Just feels like butter in your hand. I dropped the action down LOW, loosened the truss rod, and the action just got lower and lower with no buzz. I can still keep going but I decided to stop at least for tonight.

There is no indication as to whether this bass was made in Japan or Korea so I will trust that it was made in Korea. Also, there is no visible SN do I cannot even attmept to date it. Does anyone know if either of these quetsions can be answered by looking in the guts of this thing?

Overall, I think that this bass blows a MIM Fender P out of the water. Better overall engineering and feel. The only negative is the plywood body, but honestly, I am not sure how much of a difference that makes. Does it reduce snob appeal or actually dramatically effect the tone? Don't know. This bass sounds pretty much like a punchy, classic P Bass with lots of attitude and better feel. Give yours a thorough set up and you'll see.

Anyone reading this post want to sell me theirs for $50? It could be fun to have another one of these to hot rod! :cool:
 
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#19
I've had a black Hondo since 1990. I bought it used, a lefty. It has been a very good bass for me since then. I added SD QP pups and it has great punch. I'll never sell it. It's like the old jalopy with 300k miles that just starts every morning and gets you there.
 
#20
I'm seeing Hondo Basses for way more than $50 guys.
I'm a Fender precision collector and I had a neighbor just moving out and gave me an late 70's. Hondo Fame, Sears Silvertone acoustic, and an Eb30 Bass amp.
Merry Xmas and Happy Birthday to me. Never had imagined this happening to me!
 

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