Hondo H-76

This is a Strat copy from 89' - My father gave this guitar to me when I had to sell my strat to get some $$. It sat for over ten years with almost no play. Someone had put a pretty nice Fender decal over the Hondo label (actually sanded the hondo off.
*** If you get one of these thinking of upgrading with Fender parts (i.e. pickguard, neck) BEWARE- it will not fit without modification. The pickguard holes and neck width are differant!)Overall though the stock stuff isnt bad aside from the goofy headstock design

The origianl pups actually have great tone! They sound alot like what you'd get in a 57' RI - pretty punchy and hot. Good for clean/Blues. Not enough power for metal or heavy rock, but you can get a "cream" sound very well.
I purchased some David Gilmour EMG's - the whole prewired pickguard but found the pickguard wouldnt line up- holes or neck joint so I removed the new pups from there pickguard and used the old one onlyto find the five way slot wasnt big enough, so I had to not put in the rear screw so it could achieve the 1st switch slot. I am going to fill the screw gap and redrill a new one.. You may have to rout out the pup holes a bit to if you want to replace them. Now the thing rivals my black beauty for tone. I have another strat with syemour duncans S-S-H in in it and The EMG's are AWSOME! Totally worth it.

The fisnish has ages quite nicly - the plastic has gotten that aged Yello look (my guita was pearl with a whith pickguard. The bridge is heavier than you'll get on a squire, but the saddles are cast so they aren't the best out there. The neck played very nicley aside from a buzz n the first fret that I think came from a slight warp in the neck from sitting. Truss rod wasnt super responsive.
I purchased a Fender neck with an ebony fingerboard due to that buzz, but found that the hondo neck joint is narrower than the standard Fender size so it wouldnt fit. I rounted out the neck joint, waxed the new neck, bolted it up and injected epoxy behind to fill any imperfections. Removed the neck and painted over the joint with some pearl white acrylic and it looks pretty good. The Fender neck looks alot better than that hondo headstock! Just know you'll have a project on your hands!

This thing is bulletproof built. Body is Agathis I'm pretty sure- Not plywood or composite. (agathis sounds alot like Mahongony- I think thats actually wat it is - industrila grade mahogony) People may knock it , but its very heavy and in my opinion has great tone. The only think that sucks quality wise are the tuners, but with the neck replacment I used some Fender Sperzles anyway so it didnt matter.

Yeh, I doubt it exists.

I have owned several Gibsons, and three Strats, and scoff if you may but this is the guitar I reach for to do everything from recording to playing out. It has amazing tonal character, aside from the tuners is built like a tank- and if your willing to put a little upgrade work into it you'll one hell of a nice guitar. With the mods Ive put into to her it turns heads and ears everywhere I go.The only reason wouldnt give it a perfect 10 was that the dimensions arn't Fenders so replacing parts isnt easy. You can listen to her sound at www.myspace.com/resonantseptember song called "296.04"

Hondo H-76 1989 model Stratocaster copy, black gloss finish with white pickguard, 3 single coil pickups, tremolo,5 way selector switch,rosewood fingerboard. Nothing fancy here. Very basic.

This is where it get interesting though, I absolutely LOVED all of the pickups that it came with, but unfortunately the bridge pup died of natural causes and the middle was damaged beyond repair while changing the pickups out in a previous reworking of the guitar.

The original pups were quite noisy but is to be expected from single coils, however this guitar when I bought it new already had a naturaly "Fenderish" sound to it acoustically before I even plugged it in, and plugging it in revealed the neck pickup especially to sound more like a Fender than any I've ever had, and I've had a lot of Fender Strats.

I originaly bought this guitar as a backup but is my main guitar now and run it through a Boss GT-8 and a Marshall VS-8040 combo amp.

I changed the middle pickup with a Fender a few years ago and the bridge pickup just last week from a Fender to a BKP pickup (great pickup called a Trilogy), this guitar now sounds better than ever, and I play all styles of music with it.

Everything about this guitar except for the pickups was fairly average and I hated the look of the headstock, so I sanded the black face off of it, and trimmed the headstock to look more like a Fender with a clear finish, before adding the finish I even found a lifesize Fender headstock in a Guitar Player mag -cut it out and added it to the head (lol)it even has a serial number with the correct dating of 1989, and being that Hondo started in 1969 makes this a 20th anniversary guitar, I made a wooden plate to fit over the rusting neck plate to commemorate the year and that this is in fact a Hondo H-76.

I also changed the original tuners early on in 1990 for locking Sperzels, which it badly needed. For the guitar to be 18 years old now the finish has held up well and still has the most comfortable neck (another reason I was drawn to it) of any guitar I've ever played. Still has the original pickguard and other hardware, the pickup covers and knobs are nicely yellowed now with age.

Don't think I've ever known what kind of mystery wood it's made of ,possibly alder..but it's one solid guitar.

The last I heard Musicorp had bought out Hondo but also one of the original owners that started the company in 1969 has the Hondo name again and is producing instruments. I don't think I'll bother him.

I've been playing since around 1968 and have had many Fenders, but this thing beats most of em believe it or not, granted..I had to do some work on it but the sound was really already "in" that guitar, I'm grateful I still have the original neck pup in it and have better replacements for the others now. Oh ..another thing, when I bought it, it had a ridiculously long tremolo bar that I cut about in half and added a steel tip to, like some of the newer David Gilmore Fenders.

This guitar is an old friend that I will always have.

Standard Stratocastor style hardware, was manufactured in July 1988 (still has the original factory inspection sticker. Bright orange finish, could have possibly been red when it was first manufactured. Standard factory single coil pickups which have yellowed with age, as have the volume and tone knobs. Neck is as straight as the day it was made, defininatly a solid guitar!

i bought this guitar with the intention of taking it to peices are replacing the existing pickups with these noiseless Ibanaez pickups which were also off an 80's strat. I am so impressed with the sound quality that im just going to keep it stock! Has no noise issues whatsoever and unlike other cheap strats, there is tonnes of tonal versatility via the pickup switch. I play many different styles such as blues, classic rock and country and this guitar seems to suit these styles well. Sounds great run through my marshall 100dfx and through my ibanez 60's fuzz pedal. this guitar is great for Hendrix/Clapton sort of stuff due to the width of the neck allowing big bends. the scariest thing is I have started to play this more than my late sixties les paul special.

Paint has chipped in places, plastic has yellowed, pickup selector switch missing (isnt a problem, adds to the character). Good action, isnt too close, just a good height. One of the heavier guitars I have played, good solid body and neck.

It does withstand live playing, my band mates thought it was strange I was playing a guitar that I payed $100 for. Probably could use it without a backup, but I'd always have another reading. If only beginner guitars were still of this quality (my Samick LS-10 is a joke, despite the fact they are technically the same manufacturer).

No idea, way to old to be under warranty! Im pretty sure they got bought out.

If this guitar was stolen I'd probably come to my senses and go back to my les paul. Is probably the best strat copy I have come across, would be difficult to find another one with as much character. I do wish mine had come with the tremelo arm, maybe its a blessing it didnt!

Strat style with adequate strat style hardware. It has all the features you'd expect of a strat. I'm not crazy about the look of the head.

Electronics are wired and shielded for pretty good noise reduction

I was given mine by a friend after it sat for years in a basement or garage. It seemed that they magnets in the pick-ups had deteriorated. I replaced them with fender vintage 60 at the neck and Tex Mex at the middle.

The sound on mine is now fine for a strat. I think that a better nut would improve the sustain.

Although the neck had probably never been adjusted, I was able to adjust the neck, block the tremelo, and intone it easily. It is right on. The tuning holds just fine. I find that the guitar is extremely playable. The selector is now worn but I just live with it. The jack is fine. I do seem to be wearing down the frets fairly quickly. However, I have no doubt that they are all correctly installed and finished.

The coating on the neck seems to be chipping away. I'm not sure that its that bad a thing. I don't gig, but I don't see why this couldn't be gigged. It is fundamentally very solid and I believe, reliable.

I could never figure out who even made this guitar. In any case, there's been no call for customer support.

I actually like this guitar a lot and reach for it a lot more than I do my Les Paul Personal. (although the Les Paul never ceases to amaze people). The Hondo is simply easier to play. With a little tweaking as necessary these are commendable guitars. The neck, Rosewood over Maple, I believe, is very good. I think a better nut is in order on mine. I would not sell this guitar except in the circumstances of being then able to buy on of the better Stratocasters, such as a good 57 reissue. For someone who is handy and wants something to play rather than talk about, these are good guitars at their going prices.

I've had this damned machine since 1989, my parents bought it for me when I was 10 years old and it was brand new. ?79!
The H-76 is made in China and originally came in awful red, nearly black and dirty metalic white shades. Mine was red.
21 fat frets, strat shape and electrics.

I believe the body to be basswood, its two peice. I know this as mine is currently stripped down, looking somewhat 'Rory Gallagered'

The tuners were die-cast and fairly reliable, the original nut was really poor plasic. the nut was replaced pretty quickly and I replace machineheads as they fail with anything that fits.

The neck is nice and fat, with about rounded v profile and the rosewood board isnt bad quality concidering the price. It has about a 12" radius.

The finnish on the neck is very thick and shiny polyurethene. I dont wish to think what this does for the tone, I'm sure purist's would tell you it smothers it.

Pretty standard strat style bridge blocked off in the floating position with 2p coins and wood. It never really worked to well as a trem, the tuners are so poor it always went out if you so much as looked at it.

I've read on here that other users have a problem with noise! My pickups are stock with the middle and neck swapped over to a give neck and bridge selection on the five way switch.

There is no noise no matter what Amp I used, it sounds great through just about any pro amp setup. Rich and warm and full of tone. The neck pickup is my favourite, with the others used to vary the quite uniform tone of the guitar.

Its great clean and chrunches up really nice due to quite a high output from the pickups when used with a nice valve amp.

you cant expect a ?79 guitar to arrive set up ready for clapton to play! It was really poor and needed intonation, bridge float, nut cut adjustments and fret dressing. Great to learn guitar-tech work on!

No real flaws other than the nut, which was poor quality anyway and soon got replaced.

This is still my main guitar, yeah the finish has gone (especially on the headstock where it used to say 'Hondo'), its got odd tuners and control nobs and a graphite nut.... But its better than a mexican, japanese or even some of the USA standard strats for tonal quality and neck playability. I have loads of expensive guitars in my collection, and have playes lots of my friends expensive guitars over the years but I come back to this one everytime.

When it comes to durability I think the neck configuration has a lot to do with it, it has a maple neck, with a rose board, and a rosewood skunk stripe truss channel, keeping the neck true and straight no matter what the conditions.


Hell, you can throw the thing out of a car and the strings dont even break!

There must be thousands of these machines made everyday in china in the late 80's and my parents didnt even buy it from an instrument dealer.

....So all in all, I would say zero customer support.

Probely made in the late 80s,,came with a gig bag off of e-bay, but fits pretty snug. The guitar was in very good shape when I got it, so that tells me it hasn't been played much. I can see why,,,was hard to keep in tune, so I've made a slide guitar out of it & my opinion of the sound completely changed.

Like I said,,playing it straight was nothing to show off,,,but tuned in open E it became another ax,,,,,sounds great as a slide.

Finish is in good shape,,,because I don't think it was played all that much,,,& only by me when music is played in the cord of E.

Heavy,,,good for self protection if you are attacked,,,would probely knock somebody out if you hit them in the head.

Good question,,,I just don't know.

I don't play often anymore,,but I know what a good slide is supposed to sound like & this guitar has that sound.

I'm guessing this thing was made in the '80s, who knows when or where. It's got 21 big frets on a rosewood fingerboard. Basically the exact same setup as a strat, which is why I got it.

To be honest, this guitar far exceeds the expectations I had for it. I got this thing to be my experimental guinea pig to rip apart and fix up, but when I plugged in at home it produced a very distinct tone that I haven't heard from many strats. Very warm and dark neck pickup with a powerful and trebly rear, and all the tones inbetween. I don't know if I'm going to replace the pickups or not!

Okay okay, it's got some issues here. The nut is practically in shambles, some idiot tried to glue the hell out of it to fix it and it's a mess. But for a few bucks I can fix that. The paint isn't disgusting, but not what I would call mirror shine perfect. It's black so it's not that bad. As far as the neck, I'm in heaven. The neck on this thing is like a trunk, and you can bend the hell out of the strings ( it reminds me of the SRV sig. strat neck ).

Can't say until I put my hands on it, I'm hard on equipment. It looks solid and weighs a ton so I think it'll last a while.

I don't even think they are in business anymore...if they are they aren't doing too well.

I've been playing guitar for about 3 years nonstop. I know just about everything there is to know about sound, how to get someone's sound, and what is good and what is crap. The fact is if you are skilled you can make a Squier Bullet through a Crate 5 watt practice amp sound killer. All these guys knocking gear probably need to consider what music they are trying to play, or look at themselves. This guitar is great if you are trying to get a strat sound at a VERY low price, or just trying to do a cheap custom guitar.

This is an ordinary, run-of-the-mill Strat copy made in Japan, as I hear it, probably in the 80's. It's a solid body (not really sure how many pieces or what kind of wood, probably alder) with a 21 fret rosewood fingerboard. The pickups are in a S/S/S configuration with a 5-way selector, 1 volume and 2 tone knobs. The neck is about a medium width, I guess, and the frets are a little fatter than a Squier. It's a Strat copy, what else can I say?

I'm currently learning to play, and I have a Peavey Audition Chorus amp that I use with it. It sounds a little bland on the "raw" sound setting, but it works surprisingly well with the chorus setting. It can be a little "meaty", with some distortion, but all in all, it's decent. The bridge pickup is very bright, and the neck pickup is full and somewhat dark. I like the bridge/middle or straight middle settings the best. It has a surprising range of sounds it can produce through those little single-coils.

I got this guitar used, and the nut was kinda worn out on strings 5 & 6. The frets show some wear, but they've still got quite a bit of life left. Just today, though, I got a broken Squier Affinity Strat with a good neck, and I put it on the Hondo body (hehe). The Squier necks are a little fatter than the stock Hondo neck, but they do fit with a little coaxing :) It didn't quite fit all the way down, and there's a 1/8 inch gap between the end of the neck and the neck pocket, but the Strat-style compensating bridge takes care of that. Just so you know, though, I am currently fixing the Squier body (has dents that I'm fixing w/putty, then I'll repaint it), and I'll most likely put the Squier neck back on the right body and just use the Hondo as a backup.

The pickups are rusty, but they still work. The screws are rusty, too, but they can easily be replaced. The tremolo is not entirely dependable, unfortunately. It seemed to work okay with the stock neck, though, so it may just be that the Squier neck is still settling in (probably, since I fiddled around with the truss rod a little).

Now, the overall finish is okay, but there are some small chips (hey, it's used). I chipped off some of the finish by "forcing" the Squier neck on it, but I just colored it in with a Sharpie (The guitar is black, BTW), and now only I'll be able to see it, unless someone knows to look for it.

I think it is a dependable guitar, even with the old neck. It sure looks good with that Squier logo on it though :) It will probably withstand live playing, just don't treat it like a yo-yo. Take care of Hondo, and Hondo will take care of you. The strap buttons are solidly sttached to the guitar, but my strap falls off whenever I pick the guitar up, though it stays put while I play. I would use it gigging with my friends (we just sort of play along with some background music) without a backup, but that's cause I wouldn't jump around...not with the guitar, anyway :) The finish might get worn off, but remember, you can't play the shine.

I have no idea how to contact the company. I never needed to. It guitar works well enough for me.

I've only been playing for a few months, but I have 2 other guitars: an Abilene acoustic dreadnought (I love this guitar! Sounds great!), and a Wilson classical (it's a good one, too...sounds warm and can fill the room easily). This is my only working electric (I have several parts lying around, including the Squier body--at least I'm making some progress on that one). If it was stolen, I would probably buy a better name brand (used, of course), rather than get another Hondo. It's not bad, but I'd rather go up the qaulity ladder, not stay the same.

This is an early to mid Eighties Japanese made guitar in remarkable condition Aside from what dings at the arm side of the guitar body (That is: the place where your arm rests when playing), some pick scratches and a few chips at the fingerboard where the frets have sprung out due to working of the wood (I've had more Hondo's and they all had this problem.), the guitar is in a near mint condition. My guitar is a black-and-white strat copy, nothing out of the ordinary. When changing the strings after I got it home (which improved the sound hugely), I took a look under the scratchplate and discovered that is wasn't a plywood body as I'd expected it to be, instead it seems to be made out of Alder. The guitar has a medium weight and so far the only points of critisism is from the dull finish and the crummy tuners.

The Hondo's pickups are wider than a stock strat ones and they produce a beefier sound than a stock Fender's. They hum and they distort, but hey that's single coil pickups for you. It pulls a convincing Stevie Ray and that fat baseball like neck can handle some serious abuse (I tried shifting it but couldn't do so) This guitar is better made than the other Hondo's I used to own. In overall I was impressed But I guess that if I want to get the full potential out of this guitar than a Pickup swap will be Inevitable, Seymore Duncan comes to mind.

Like I said, The finish is the weak point of Hondo, all of the others I had from this brand chipped one time or another, as for set ups, I do those myself.

This guitar has that undescribable "Something" as soon as I picked it up I knew that this one is a killer. I haven't used it live yet, I first will have to change the tuners before taking it out. But the body feels like it can take a good beating and as I said before the neck is so tight that I can't shift it, no matter how hard I try.

Not sure when it was made but I'm taking a guess at the 80s? I've had it for like a few days. It's clearly made over seas... 5-way selector, single coil pickups, 2 tone knobs. Red... crappy finish, strat body, i'd say average size neck.

Well... where to start... It's horribly noisy through a 15 watt practise amp, slightly less though my 40watt tube driver. Has no tone when played clean, sounds like white noise when distorted. Let just say that I'm considering lighting it on fire at my bands next gig.

I got this in not so great shape. I've totally redone the guitar and either I suck at it or it's jsut a crappy guitar. I bought this guitar cheap as a fix up project rather then screwing up a good guitar... It plays ok though

I'd never gig with this guitar without a back up. Mainly because I want to burn it. And the finish on it blows. Seems sturdy at least

I've been playing something like 4 years. I've got 2 guitars already, both Yamahas. One's acoustic one's electric. I love them both very much. I bought this guitar dirt cheap off ebay as a fun project to fix up and well I fixed it up and it's ready to burn or sell. It'd be an ok guitar just for someone to learn on but you should really learn on an acoustic anyway. In a real jam you could use it on a gig... but you'd be better off cancelling I do believe