Hondo 830P Fame Series Bass

This was my third bass purchased, and the first proper lefty, in 1986. Precision stylee, forearm and beergut contours, single split pickup, vol, tone and jack. It's a ply body. Anyone who says "maybe alder or ash" has never lifted the pickguard. It has a surprisingly good tobacco burst (matching headstock) and the top veneer of the ply has a decent grain. The black scratchplate developed a small crack near the jack very quickly, but never got worse. Great big, string through body bridge regularly snapped strings where they arched over the saddles.
Maple neck with maple fingerboard (my favourite type) came with Grover tuners. Neither the traditional Fender type, nor mini Schaller M4 style of machine head. Open gears. 20 frets (definitely one too few, at least) and a slimmish C profile which is comfortable. I haven't measured it, but the nut width seems to be the stock P type 1+11/16". Walnut skunk stripe and single action truss rod, operated from the headstock. Rating is a balance between some decent hardware and the inherent tedium of a P-copy.

This is not, by any stretch, the sound of a Precision. The combination of a ply body and maple fingerboard gives a bright tone and the pickup has no real bottom end. The onboard tone control, like many ply basses, has little effect and soon got me looking for an EQ pedal. A compressor was also required to combat uneven response and total lack of sustain (string-through bridge on a ply body? Teats on a boar, anyone?)

Took it straight from the shop to rehearsal. Almost immediately had to switch back to the Kay I was using (yes, it was so bad I switched to a Kay). The intonation was awful and those massive saddles were a pig to move. Correcting that resulted in an action that could slice boiled eggs. Fret buzz from the E-string on 1st fret. Truss rod adjustment meant shifting those saddles again. The paint and laquer was very good, though. Only a few flakes despite a number of slides to the floor. Fretwork decent, and hardy.

As mentioned, the finish was solid, but I need to play the thing - not look at it. It was very poor at holding tune, mostly because the neck was hard rock maple like Bon Jovi is hard rock music. Soft as shite, you could hear the pitch change as the bass acclimatised to ambient temperature. I was soon searching for a tuner to go with the EQ and compressor, and spares of every string. That music shop was glad it sold me the bass, I bought a shedload of stuff to compensate. I never trusted it to gig alone. Because of the neck, it rates worse than it should.

In those days, you bought a hound of Baskerville proportions and the music store guys shrugged, said "they all do that" and went back to widdling all over a PRS they didn't have to pay for. Not like today's upstanding sales assistants.

This 18+ year old bass is still sitting upstairs. For some reason, I polished it up and put a new set of Elites on it. It got relegated to emergency (dire emergency) backup duties after I bought an Aria SLB2a. Even as a quick ideas bass, ready to grab 'cause it wasn't treated to a case, it failed because the neck had wobbled again. It looked good (for the price), certainly compared with the pointy, gonky Aria. But I'm still fond of the Aria - the ugly bugger that wouldn't let you down and did it's best. The Hondo was the one that looked sweet but spat in your beer when you weren't looking.
Why did I buy it? It was the first affordable lefty I'd ever seen (you kids today - you don't know you're born).
Anything I wish it had? A neck that could stay straight longer than a crack dealer on probation. Nobody in their right minds would seek another one of these out when a new Stagg, Encore, Johnson etc eats it. Judging by ebay, there's a lot of barmy nostalgics out there.

1986 Korean made, 20 frets, 4 strings, basic P-Bass copy, Maple neck, rosewood fretboard, one vlume, one tone control. Passive electronics, not sure what the body is made of, some say plywood, but I think it's gotta be swamp ash or alder, sounds too good to be anything else.strings through the body, massive steel and chrome-plated brass bridge, Grover titan Bass tuners. included a gig bag.

From the time that I got this bass, It needed a little bit of adjustment to the pick-ups in order to get enough sound out of it, but once it was adjusted man oh man! for a cheap axe, this puppy can crank. it has a bit of a growl in the low end, with plenty of brightness with the tone rolled up. I have used it on stage and in the studio, but it has got a little bit of hum from the stock pickups at high volume. I have used it now for about 16 years w/o a rewire or retrofitting. I still call her my baby.

It was set up with a very high action from the factory, had to lower it alot for my tastes, but it wasn't that hard to do. The pickups had to be raised just a bit to get the most out of them. I am getting ready to install a new set of pick-ups and give her a facelift. but it's lasted through some of the hardest playing and road gigs you could put a bass through for almost 18 years now. the finish is still holding out well, just a few minor dings, when it's cleaned and detailed it still looks like a new one.

As I said before this bass has been my baby for almost 17 years now, we've been through alot, and I'm still using it. although I lost a grover on the high E string and am still looking to replace it, (nasty little spill at my guitarists house) I have used this baby hard for 16 years, without a backup, it was well worth my money. the only thing that I would change would be to equip it with locking strap buttons.

A great bass for the money, and after 16 hard years I'd do it all over again, She's been a good and reliable friend, and now I'm gonna try and make some modifications (the pick-ups are still good, but I want a little more) I doing a comlete refit on it just because I think it's about time for one.

Series 830 P-Bass clone from mid to late 80s, exact DOB is unknown since I swapped an old Tele copy for this bass. Twenty frets, four strings, frets are much nicer than those found on the Squire series but not quite as nice as a Fender. The top has a classy dark burgundy stain with a nice wood grain underneath. Head stock is a matching enamel with glossy sheen. The "gold" plating on the big Grovers has worn a bit, so the silver beneath is showing through a bit. I had to repair a few dings and scratches. The strings looked as if they were installed by a six year-old kid- very sloppy. Very smooth and nice maple "Hondo slick" neck. The passive pickups look like the original Hondo jobs. They sound O.K. but the plastic covers are kind of thin and ill fitting. Strings through the body with a massive industrail grade bridge. Nut is a bit worn on the E string, but quite playable. I might cut a graphite nut soon. Volume and tone controls were a bit scratchy from lack of use, but they got cleaner after a few dozen rotations from stop to stop. Cord socket is a bit loose and noisy when bumped. The weight and contour fit are fine although a small bloke like McCartney might find it a bit heavy for stage work. It's a "big boy" bass.

This bass sound fine with either two finger plucking or picking. I am not sure about slapping. I am new to that concept. Good for alternating bass country or rock style- "thump, thumpty-thump". A little hum from the electronics but very tolerable. All guitars and basses should be rewired at least once a decade. The solder connections come loose and the wires decay over time. This bass sounds quite fine for it's age and "economy" bass purpose. The sound is quite adequate for maintaining downbeat rhythym count for a band. Picking can also produce some fine noises. A fine econo bass for stage or garage studio. I wish the cord socket was on the bottom edge instead of next to the knobs.

The neck required a slight adjustment to bring the action down a bit. The wood is very nice and I have seen older basses and guitars in much worse shape. The pickups may need slight raising but I am going to leave that to a shop pro. The frets are great but the nut is a bit worn. The tuning keys probably took a little too much acidic perspiration from a nervous player. A small ding in the wood near the socket might be a clue as to why the socket is a bit loose. Looks like somebody once caught the edge os a cabinet or door casing. I have initited a ding repair. This bass looks marvelous now that I have put a little sweat and elbow greese into cleaning her up. I like her so much that I am going to give her a name- Maggie. "She's got red hair and freckles on her neck, but she sounds so sweet and she's shaped like a gal! So I love her so!"

The Fame Hondo Series 830 Bass is a sturdy piece of work. Mine is a bit old, so I won't complain about the wear and tear that she has endured. She is reliable and I must admit that I got what I paid (swapped)for. An inexpensive but good quality musical instrument. The finish wear on the grovers is purely cosmetic and this bass stays in tune quite well. The strap buttons are solid and the properly installed new strings transformed this bass instantly. I am not ashamed to take this bass anywhere in the world. I love her!

This bass is second-hand and way out of any warranty. Like most musical instruments, she needs a little TLC now and then to keep her fit. Hondo has been through some changes over the years, but they made some wise choices in configuring this inexpensive bass. Repairs or upgrades can be easily executed with open market parts. The cool thing about guitars and basses is that you can do things that you would not do with an automobile. You would not put a Mercedes engine in your cheap Honda, but you can put expensive pickups, tuners and other components in a good solid econo bass and therefore improve it's performance substantially witout embarrasing yourself. If you own one of these, do your self a favor and dress her up a bit. You will be rewarded for your investment. Alan's Discount Music is the guy that I traded with and they are definitely a 10!

I have been wearing out guitar strings since 1964. I started messing around with basses more recently. I also have a Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster. I would trade for another Hondo bass if a flood washed this one away. If somebody stole it, I would give 'em a whuppin'. If somebody gave me an expensive bass for free, I would keep it too! This bass has personality, which is something I can't say for the Squire series. Squire is a good deal, but it's vanilla with no chocolate syrup. You can buy better, more expensive basses, but you cannot find a beter value than one of these old Hondos.

Late 80's (maybe '87) P-Bass, purchased new, made in Korea. It's your basic Fender P-bass copy, split P-bass pickups, 1-volume, 1-tone. Neck is all maple with a rosewood strip in the back, 4-bolt with plate. Body is some kind of plywood. Color is black with black pickguard. Bridge appears to be steel with huge brass saddles with strings-through-body. Grover tuners.

Here's a neat feature: it's a lefty. It's the cheapest lefty I could find at the time for a beginner bass. I got to unbox it at the dealer. No instructions, no case/bag, no wrenches.

Nothing really special gets this a 5.

Sound is flat in response, kind of dull - nothing that yells 'character'. I pulled the original pickups and replaced them with Jackson P-Bass pickups. Better. Later, I put in a set of Seymour Duncan Basslines. Much better. Pickguard is shielded so I never got any hum. It's best with tone & volume cranked wide open, or tone cut a tiny bit to dull the fret-clack (ok, so I play heavy)

I wasn't set up well at the factory as far as intonation. The E saddle had to be cranked back so far that the adjustment screw needed trimming to let the string through. Neck had a bit of bow which was no big deal. Kerfs were nicely filled in, dressed, and the neck edges rolled. Nut was fine. Small gap between neck and body at upper bout. Finish was great for a cheap bass.

The Hondomatic as I call it is about 15 years old now. The neck is still perfect & playable. It's been adjusted maybe 3-4 times in it's life. Some of the frets are worn in places but there is no buzz. The headstock shifted slightly over time so I installed a string tree to pull the A & D down over the nut. Maybe the nut is worn a bit? The finish has taken a lot of hits (stage crashes, stand fall-overs etc.) but only as dents- no cracking or chipping of the paint. It still plays great. Some of the pickguard screws have rusted, but hey, that's what sweat does.

At one point in this bass' life, I upgraded it to a 5-string using the Wilkinson kit. The neck held the tension of an extra string with no problems. Later, I got a real 5-string then put this guy back to a 4-string.

Never had to contact the company.

It's plywood, it's a tank, and the neck is really great for a cheap bass. The sound still needs some character. Rewiring the pots & replacing the cap didn't help. I leave the bass sitting in a stand at arms reach so I can grab it at any time. If I lost this bass, I'd buy another of the same kind & use it the same way.

I would recommend this as a starter/experimental bass. It may not have the best sound, but it's solid & has a good neck.

vintage p-bass copy made in about 1985 with grover tuners, maple fingerboard and gold plated hardware. It also had a string through the body bridge and one passive split pickup. I dont know what the body was made of but it had an expensive-looking pretty grain with a transparent burgundy finish.

I dont know if the pickup was ever replaced, but this bass sounds like a good American P-bass, no joke. It sounds good live either through a mixing board or through an amp. Good deep warm tone, combined with the brightness of the maple fingerboard. Sounds better than my Japaneese made squire p-bass.

Problems. Neck had a spot where one of the strings buzzed if I tried to set the action low. Having the fret crowned made the bass played incredibly good, but that one spot still buzzed if you set the action too low. Truss rod not that great, took at lot of work to adjust the neck, even though the results were good. Overall okay.

generally good all around, except for the neck. bows back and forth rather easily. This is a bass that sounds good enough to replace the neck if it ever get too bad. Have used it live without a backup with no problem.

unknown

I sold this bass to a friend in need. I would buy another one if it was a nice color, sounded the same as this one, and was under$150.00.
I had planned to replace the neck on this bass and put a preamp in it.
One of the best-sounding p-bass copies I have heard, and I have heard a lot of them. Pro-sound but crappy neck.