Hondo H1000 A/E Bass

Hondo Acoustic Electric Bass, model H1000.
Four string, 2x2 headstock config, Spruce top, Rosewood fretboard, under saddle Piezo pickup, AEQ 401r preamp with 4 band EQ.

I'm a multi-instrumentalist, and a need arose early last year for an acoustic bass. Searching Ebay, this was the least expensive one I could find that had a pickup and preamp. I use it in an acoustic trio setting, and I either run direct or through my POD XT Live. It has a nice upright bass sound to it, but the preamp gives it some consistancy and presence. It has a nice tone that meshes nicely with acoustic guitars. Every acoustic bass I've ever played has feedback issues, but I managed to combat that surprisingly well by filling the body with styrofoam packing peanuts and capping the hole with a Feedback Buster. You heard it here first.

WHen I took it out of the box (purchased new from an Ebay supplier) it was a hot week and the neck was bowed pretty severely. This is one of the few acoustic basses I've seen where the neck meets the body at the 17th fret, so the exposed neck portion is REALLY long. It has an adjustable truss rod, so I was able to crank it back to earth over the course of a few days of delicate adjustments. All the basic construction was in order otherwise. The tuners are relatively small but function fine. The output jack is to the side, so the bottom strap button is just that. I added a strap button to the heel of the neck - you'd have a heck of a time using a strap that ties at the headstock considering the neck length.

First off, I've been unable to find an affordable case or gig bag for it - the neck is about three inches longer than the standard acoustic electric bass. That said, I've toured with it (carefully) a couple of times and it survived well. The electronics are rather reliable, and once I got the neck at a tolerable action it has stayed put.

Haven't dealt with them - it came with a one year warranty, and I would have tried to utilize it immediately had my own neck adjusting efforts failed. I try to altogether avoid the customer service of mass production companies if I can help it - I try to buy things I can fix if I need to.

I've been a touring player for 19 years on various instruments. I'm relatively new to playing bass professionally. My electric is an OLP Music Man 5 string - another inexpensive-yet-effective value purchase.
I use the Hondo live about once a month - it has a decent unplugged tone even with the hole covered and body filled. The only feedback I get from it now is the occasional sympathetic note, and every acoustic bass does that occasionally.

Two annoyances: the strings have to be installed from inside the body - the bridge holes aren't designed for ball ends and bridge pins. Also, the saddle that came with this bass was a standard guitar saddle complete with the molded indentation for a guitar's B string. I had to file that part off the saddle so that it wouldn't interfere with the D string on the bass. A cheap and somewhat dumb feature, but easily defeated. Hondo throws these things together pretty quickly, and all things considered they are pretty decent instruments, but be prepared to uncut some corners.

Hondo Acoustic Electric Bass, model H1000.
Four string, Spruce top, Rosewood fretboard and bridge, under saddle Piezo pickup, AEQ 401r preamp with 4 band EQ.

Natural finish, jumbo body, jumbo frets.

Bass came with a 9 volt battery, allen
wrench for the truss rod, and inexpensive guitar cord.

Did not come with a case or bag.

Acoustically the guitar sounds pretty good. Played with a pick or with
fingernails it can be loud enough to play along with an acoustic guitar or
two, but like any AEB, please don't expect a miracle.

As far as plugged in, I was absolutely amazed at how great it
sounds. Like most acoustic electric basses, it can feedback a great deal if you are not careful, but thankfully the popular "Feedback Buster" ($7.95 shipped on ebay) fits perfectly in the soundhole and works like a charm on this model. I do not think anyone considering this bass would be dissappointed at all with the amplified sound.

Natural wood finish, binding on top side.

Cosmetically there is a small spot, about 1/16 of an inch, on the back heel of the neck
where perhaps there was a bubble in the finish, otherwise the bass looks
stunning. I should mention that upon
arrival the bass had a several "spots" on the body, particularly on the back,
that I thought were defects in the finish. But it turns out they were smudges and I simply wiped them off.

There were a few pieces of wood chips and some sawdust inside the guitar body that I had to take the time to clean out.

The string action I felt was unnecessarily high. The truss rod wasn't exactly "loose" but I have to say I turned it two full turns (1/4 a turn a day for about a week) before I was satisfied with the straightness and relief of the setup. This made a huge improvement in playability and intonation and was the biggest step, in my opinion, of this piece going from a fair knock-around bass to an honest good player.

At that time I also replaced the crude bronze strings that came on the bass to Elixir Nanoweb Acoustic Bass strings. When I
did this I took the time to superglue the wiring harness
"sticky" mount that was flopping around loose inside the body.

I should mention here that the strings have to
be installed through the bottom of the bridge, meaning that you have to
reach into the soundhole to thread them when you change strings. This may not be a big deal to most people, but just know when you're playing that big show and a string breaks it's going to take a few extra minutes to loosen all the strings to allow your hand to reach into the sound hole to patiently thread the new string.

In my opinion, the lack of setup is probably the biggest area that is affected by the low price of this bass. If you do your own setup, or know someone who does, then a little cleaning and truss-tweaking goes a long way here. If you are expecting to open the box and head right to the jam you may be better spending more money or buying something from a local music store already set up.

Thick neck, much like my Fender P. Stays in tune very well, and I haven't adjusted the truss rod since the initial setup 8 months ago. Also, I am still using the original 9 volt battery that came with the bass.

Playing bass 20+ years
Other equipment- too much!

I'm amazed at the attention this bass gets from my band (we play americana/blues/country) and the many guest musicians that I often jam with, both from the novelty of an acoustic bass and the really good sound. My main bass is a Fender P strung with TI flats, so the bright acoustic sound from this bass makes a distinctive contrast to my usual classic "heavy" sound. This is a very fun instrument to have around and seems to open more opportunities to play bass...at the campground, in a church setting, the "unplugged" coffee shop gig, etc.

I was thinking of ordering a gig bag for it but honestly now that I have
it set up I like it so much I want to find a hardshell case for it. The case will likely cost as much as the bass itself, but I
like it just that much.

This bass, the Hondo H1000, was made in China probably in 2004, the year that I bought it from an Ebay seller. It has 24 frets and 4 strings, a single pick-up.
A gig bag came with the bass and a cheap cord which I don't use. I paid about $169.00 for it.

This is my first and only acoustic bass guitar so I have nothing to reference it to, but I like it a lot. My main band at this time is a Country band. I don't play it on stage but when we travel I'll take it on our tour bus so that when we go over some songs I can now do the same instead of just watch the other guys on their acoustic guitars.
I did hook it up to my amplifier and it was susceptible to feedback so I had to turn it down. I was told that I needed one of those "hole covers".
When playing along with the other guitarists, low notes get drowned out easily. I don't like the way the strings feel. They are round wounds and though I put lubricant on them my fingers don't seem to slide up and down them like they should.
Overall it accomplishes the task that I needed it for, to be able to practice and play along without an amplifier.

there was some buzz in the first three frets on a couple of strings when I got it. I attempter to adjust the truss bar which seemed to make some difference. I will probably need to have someone experienced do some adjustments at some point in the future. Otherwise, I could not find anythings wrong with the bass, it plays well overall and I like it. If something would happen to it I would buy another for the same price or less.

I've only had the bass for about 6 or 8 months but I believe the bass would withstand some live playing but at this time I am not using it for that purpose. I don't know the name brand of the hardware but it looks like the same tuners that I've seen on other basses costing considerably more.
It only came with one strap button, I bought and added one for the front part of the strap.
I adjusted or attempted to adjust the truss myself, so it may not be correct but it seems to be playing satisfactorily for me.

I have not dealt with the company and have had no need to get in touch with them. I did not care about the warranty since I got it so cheap although I do remember the seller did guarantee it would be what he said it would be.

I've been playing bass for 40 years. I have 4, 5 and 6 string electric basses, an Ampeg electric upright and an acoustic upright which can be seen on my website at www.tchoward.com . I have played fulltime in the past but now play mostly on weekends.
I would buy the same bass again. I don't love or hate anything about it. It accomplishes what I bought it for. It plays with out an amplifier and I don't need a van to carry it as I do my acoustic upright. I have never played any other acoutic bass guitar so I have nothing to compare it to.

Your standard, 4-string, non-cutaway A/E bass. Has onboard controls with an equalizer and presence and a battery meter. Mine came with a 10 foot cheapo cord as well. I bought this just to play around with, so it has everything I needed.

This thing really sounds nice for the price. I had wanted an acoustic bass for awhile, and played many expensive models in the music stores. I bought this without playing it because it was so inexpensive, and I was suprised with not only the sound, but also the inital fit and setup. It does have some minor buzzing on the 3rd string, but I imagine I could get rid of that with some tweaking. The pickup is not the best, but still picks up the full range of the instrument.

Like I said upstairs, the factory had it set up rather well. Aside from the buzzing, which was really minor, the bass played very well. I haven't noticed any major flaws in the finish, and everything seems to be put together well. Again, I was quite suprised at this for the price.

I've had it for 6 months without incedent. I don't know if I'd use this thing as my primary instrument, but I'm also sure I would never use any instrument without a backup. I'm just paranoid. My band is going to do some acoustic shows, and I'm going to have my bass player use it, but this will only be a once-in-awhile kind of thing.

Since it came from eBay, I'm pretty sure Cust. service is non-existent, but I've never dealt with them.

I'm a guitarist, I bought this bass to mess around on and to work on solo stuff. For the price, it can't be beat, it's a great instrument for personal use. It's easy to play and looks nice, and sounds better than the price. If you're looking for a solid begginner A/E, look no further. It also arrived at my house in 2 days after ordering it, and that was nice too.

Made in China.
24 Frets, 4 string Acoustic/Electric.
You have a Volume, Midd, Low, and Presence.
Active electronics, Nato neck alder body, and rosewood fretboard.

Sounds great. I was surprised by how good this guitar sounds. Unplugged it has a full rich sound. It has great resonance, holds notes out. Be careful when playing plugged in. It tends to reverberate too much.

Action is a little high, but still easy enough to navigate the neck.
You can see a gew minor finishing flaws in the laquering and such, but nothing detremental to the playability.

This part is a moot point, seeing how I never intended to use this instrument for any more than acoustic jamming with friends.

Been playing for over 12 years, this is my first acoustic bass. I bought it because it was an affordable option and it really hasn't let me down. If I were going to buy an acoustic bass for stage, I would have spent more money. But, with this one, I am not apprehensive at all about taking it camping and such. It's really a great buy for the money.

This is a very good bass. it waz made in americaand has a spruce laminated top. 24 frets, 4 band eq, mahogany sides and back, NATO neck, natural finish, Die cast Hondo locking tuners, Rosewood f-board, and comes with 9 v battery for eq, cable, and truss rod wrench.

It sounds like bitch. Its very good.You can play classical to rock to metal on it!Not noisy att all.Rich and full aound amp on or off. I would reccomend this bass for the stage and studio!.

The action is awesome. Very smooth play. One thing the E string rattles against the pole its tied on. Maybe because its not tied tight enough.

This bass is very durable. Its made by a rising star brand and has a warrenty.

Havent dealt with them

Awesome guitar nice looks and great sound.
Like a vintage transam only cheaper.