Hondo Chiquita Travel Guitar

I bought it around 1993 (used)and its pretty much in the same shape and condition(clean) & never been altered. I think it was made in Japan, but I,m not sure. It has only one control volume(cream color)...I like single volume control instruments, one passive humbucker pickup (cream )and I think it's a D'Marccio Super-Dist. I would guess it has an alder body..."can anyone tell me" ?,Hot-Rod Red w/ cream binding (along the higher side of the body only) and 23 fret rosewood fingerboard. The bridge style is String-thru body. Tuners are maybe Grovers /pat.'s, and I'm kinda out of practice...I don't know what scale it is. Oh, its never had a case or a gig-bag(... sorry! I've hardly taken it out of my home).

Its great for practice @ home, job, on a plane, etc. A Pignose piggyback is what I juice it up with and it sounds great. Its low tone distortion is very full. It a straight-a-head little rock guitar.

Its a pratice/ travel in the back seat guitar!!!! Action, fit, & finish doesn't matter, ...a least for now. It looks and feels very strongly, well built.

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I've played sence 1965. I own Fender, Boogie, and tube amps & piezo electric & acoustic instruments.
Overall, i like this guitar. I like all kinds of srting instruments and I'm willing to read about other peoples as well.

like the category list hints at;"what features"; but small, portable,and near bullet proof construction all make the top of my list. i bought mine (banana yellowwww), used for my young children to belly up to, but its so much fun to play they gotta take a number.patched through an effects rack and a decent amp gives this little gem plenty'o punch.

i was pleasently suprised when i first heard this baby box plugged in.it seems you can make it do and do and do.

though bought used, it seems this guitars' finish was perfect when new,(it looks great in yellow). as mentioned in previous reviews the unbalanced feel for me is overcome w/a short strap slung over my right shoulder only. it cradles very nicly in the crook of my right elbow. using the heavy strings called for by "hondo" dose intimidate my kids, but being pedominatly an acoustic player, they seem fine to me.

like i said earlier BULLETPROOF1

it is what it is but surely more than it seems

The other review of this guitar describes it pretty well. Mine's a bit older though... it has one humbucker, and a volume control. Simple but it works. I've seen these in wood finish, and mine, which is red. I should mention that the body of this guitar has an unusual, funky design that has to be seen to be understood. It's very small, very portable. You could easily play this in the car. And yes, the weight does seem a bit off balance but it's nothing to worry about.

Since all you have is one pickup and a volume knob, there isn't much variety in the sounds. However, you'll be quite surprised about the quiality this thing can come out with. I use it with a 10" practice amp and some effects; you'd never be able to tell that the sound is coming out of such a small guitar. Only a 7 because you can't really change anything on the guitar soundwise.

The frets are small, but still feel natural. The alignment and everything seems fine to me, and this thing's over 20 years old. I bought it from someone I know, and he was the only owner. As far as I know it never even had to be repaired or anything. However because of its age some of the chrome parts are becoming tarnished and such. 6 because the metal is probably cheap, but it still plays fine.

You can pretty much tell about this catagory from the rest. 20 years old and its still standing without major repairs.

Never had to deal with them but I don't think I could even find them if I had to.

If this were lost or stolen I'd definitely get something just like it. Hook this thing up to a small battery powered amp, and you've got awesome portable sound. This is the perfect thing to get if you want a guitar to bring on trips (even in the car!), or school or whatever you want!

This guitar is currently made by Erlewine Guitars in Austin, TX. They sell it new for $565 list w/o a case or gig bag. It was designed in 1979 by Mark Erlewine and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. It's the guitar in the opening sequence of the movie "Back to the Future" where Michael J. Fox blows up a large amplifier speaker. I purchased mine, made by Hondo, in March 1998 at a Guitar Show in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. I'm unsure of the manufacture date, but would guess 1982-85. I've mostly seen these in yellow (get it banana fans?), but mine is a natural wood finish. The Hondo has a single coil and a humbucker with a 3-position switch. Volume knob only, no tone control. The new Erlewine models only have one humbucker. It has 23 frets and a 19" scale. Weight is 4.25 lbs. It's 28 inches in length, a foot shorter than a strat, says Erlewine. You have to use special string guages: .013, .017, .024, .036, .046 and .056.

There's only two things I dislike about this guitar...the small size of the frets and the weight imbalance...the neck and headstock are heavier than the actual body. It has a good sound for what it is. A very fun little gem to own as a collector and player.

I bought it used, so I can't comment on Hondo's factory settings.

It's a very sturdy little guitar. I had little respect for Hondo before buying this guitar, but they did a good job on this one. I'd use it live as a backup.

I bought a case for the Chiquita from Erlewine Guitars for $89. I got a flyer saying the case was $84, but when I called they wanted $115 saying that was a limited time price. The flyer said prices subject to change without notice, so I guess that meant subject to change QUICKLY without notice. I mentioned something about false advertising and got the case for $84. You can also buy an amp for $60 list, or a gig bag for $40. Erlewine says no returns after 30 days from invoice and without their authorization. Also, the Hondo didn't fit the Erlewine Chiquita case. I had to do some minor alterations to the inside of the case.

I like this guitar a lot. I think I got a great deal considering Erlewine wants $565 for a new Chiquita. If you want to see what the Hondo Chiquita with two pickups looks like, it's on page 205 of the book Guitar Stories, Volume One by Michael Wright. Erlewine's also making a guitar endorsed by Johnny Winter called The Laser that looks cool. I heard a rumor Erlewine did a copy of Don Felder's "Hotel California" white doubleneck Gibson SG for the Eagles Hell Freezes Over Tour because Felder didn't want to take the Gibson on the road. Erlewine makes fun guitars, but their prices are high for novelty instruments.