$50 canoe paddle?

[Uncle Hanky]

Get it. You don't want to be up a creek without a Hondo bass.

This made me chuckle.

OP, don’t listen to the naysaying chowderheads. If all else fails, pick up a cheapo neck and throw it on. Good for coffee shops, couches, rough bars, and definitely a big help if you find yourself stranded in an unsanitary tributary without sufficient means of locomotion.

 

[micguy]

If the neck adjusts, you must.....OK, my rhyme machine ain't working this morning, but if the truss rod adjusts, it's a project, and $50 isn't much, assuming you could use a beater bass. If the truss rod doesn't adjust, it's firewood.

 

[dalkowski]

I worked in a store that carried Hondo II. One of the co-owners (the "Don Rickles of music retail") referred to the line as "Hondo Also." Their Dano Longhorn knockoffs were pretty great.

 

[AboutSweetSue]

I’d buy it.

 

[markjazzbassist]

based on logo that's likely a 1980 or 1981. i have a hondo guitar ES335 style, they are quality. they were an american company that wanted to make decent quality instruments so they had the Samick factory in Korea manufacture their instruments. They also had like a 1 year run of making them in Japan. For the price it's a yes and no brainer from me.

 

[Wfrance3]

if the truss rod works and you like how it plays, pay the $50 and enjoy your new bass. I'd go through it and make sure anything electronic was sound. On a passive bass, that's a cheap fix if you can solder. Pots and a little wire are pretty inexpensive.

 

[deepestend]

That's pretty much where I'm at with it. Never seen this type of truss rod nut before.

View attachment 3274358
Are there four of those holes to allow adjustment without taking the neck off? Or is it just the two holes to put an allen wrench through to tighten? Seller says he didn't have a tool that fits it.

That's the kind that Sadowsky has... or similar. Just find any metal rod that fits and see if it turns.

 

[dan1952]

Even if the rod is maxed out, you could heat treat it. I've straightened some really badly warped necks.

 

[Fender_Bender]

If 50 bucks isn’t going to break you then it’s worth a look. Like Gilmour said, some penetrating fluid in there and wait a day or not two. It’s more likely that the owner has no clue of how the rod works. If the spoke wheel can be screwed off you can put some grease on the threads and maybe put a washer underneath to gain more adjustments.

 

[TolerancEJ]

I was hoping the thread topic was either A or B.
A) Someone documented the building of a 2-string bass on a canoe paddle.
2 String Paddle Bass

B) Kala Paddle Bass
Paddle Bass - Kala Brand Music Co.

 

[smcd]

I dunno, why throw $50 down the drain? Those old Hondo basses sound terrible, usually weigh a ton, and the build quality is dodgy. Go on GC's website. They've got a Washburn on there for $49.99 that is guaranteed to be a much better instrument.

 

[Maxdusty]

This made me chuckle.

OP, don’t listen to the naysaying chowderheads. If all else fails, pick up a cheapo neck and throw it on. Good for coffee shops, couches, rough bars, and definitely a big help if you find yourself stranded in an unsanitary tributary without sufficient means of locomotion.

I've heard Jazz basses make for better paddles though.

 

[wmhill]

If you've ever been up sh*t creek without a paddle, this would have been a deal.

 

[rtslinger]

Not a bad buy if the truss rod works go for it.
I owned a Honda Professional series earlier on not a bad bass had Dimarzio pickups. The Professional Series was introduced, featuring higher-end Japanese-made models, produced by Tokai and Matsumoku (Only the Professional Series models were made in Japan)

 

[deepestend]

How's the weight? If it's both a canoe and a boat anchor, I'd pass.

 

[BruceNH]

He's got a guy driving down to look at it ahead of me. If he doesn't take it, I'll stick to my $40 offer and see if he takes it. It would be good platform to build a replica Geddy Lee Teardrop P-Bass of Regret model from.

EDIT: Scratch that. Wrong neck color.

 

[hrodbert696]

For sale locally. Hondo II H830


View attachment 3274333
Usual age wear - loose 1/4" jack, scratchy pots, etc. Seller says he couldn't get the truss rod to turn. Not sure if he tried with the neck on or off. Listed at $85. Offered $40. Said he'd take $50.

Don't need it but can always use a new project to keep me out of trouble.

Thoughts?

That would make a terrible canoe paddle.

I was hoping the thread topic was either A or B.
A) Someone documented the building of a 2-string bass on a canoe paddle.
2 String Paddle Bass
View attachment 3274731
B) Kala Paddle Bass
Paddle Bass - Kala Brand Music Co.
View attachment 3274732

That would make a pretty decent canoe paddle.

 

[TheDominoKid]

I'd be in for $50!

 

[tr4252]

O.P., I presume the strings were loosened before you (or whomever) tried to turn the nut.

Maybe some former owner cross threaded the nut on the rod and that's why it is stiff. Or maybe it's just a little rusty. If you can get the nut off, I'd run a tap through it just to chase the threads, and see if it's free enough to use. Or get a new one; once threads are damaged they loose a lot of their integrity. Offshore maker indicates it is probably metric, no big deal.

One useful idea somebody told me once is to place the neck on a couple of soft wood blocks and press or gently clamp it to straighten the neck and take some of the thrust load off the nut before attempting to turn it. Penetrating oil as mentioned above is also good.

Good luck!

Tom

 

[Diamond_Dave]

Certain fecal waterways

The Fecal Waterways. One night only!

To your question—$50 if you want the project. I was looking at a cool, 1960s offset-waist Kent bass on sale for cheap here locally, and I figured I’d buy it if the truss rod turned. But…no truss rod. The neck was a banana. I didn’t want the project and passed.