Hondo Guitars, the deceased Guitar company notorious for people loving or hating them. Absolutely no in-between some of these have lasted decades of abuse (seriously) and still play great. Here’s everything I could find about them.
Who Makes Hondo Guitars?
Hondo Guitars were originally made by a joint venture of the International Music Company and Akai. The idea was thought up by Jerry Freed and Tommy Moore. (Friends that started IMC, which had always been involved in the music industry). this was a great partnership, since not only did they both have prior experience in the music business, (Jerry Freed sold all sorts of music equipment and Tommy worked at his dads music shop and had other music ventures as well). But Freed was an excellent salesman and Moore had gone to school for finance. With Akai on their side handling manufacturing…..Hondo Guitars was bound to take off.
And it did, Hondo sold thousands of instruments worldwide. In 1979, they had 485 models and sold 790,000 that year alone. Things were going well.
1985, things changed. The duo had found interest in a new venture. The Charvel/Jackson company. And for awhile Hondo was kinda pushed to the side until Freed started his own business, the Jerry Freed International Company, and picked up the rights to the name. Immediately, Freed launched new models and moved to Stuart, Florida.
All this? Didn’t last long. Four Years Later, Hondo was picked up yet again by Musicorp. (1995)
Musicorp was the company who ended up letting the Hondo name die unfortunately. In 2005, Hondo was replaced by their J.B. Player Instruments.
Is Buying a Hondo A Good Idea?
When buying any guitar, it’s always best to use caution. This is definitely true for Hondos. Even though their guitars are known for their surprising durability (Considering some of these are made of layered plywood – Not even kidding, talk about a let down) Most of these guitars you find will not only be old, but most likely not the best quality (Quality of Guitars back then wasn’t as good as today). Also, materials used (Note: since some of these are 30+ they’re considered vintage as well.)
So, it’s best to check the guitar out completely before purchase. You’ll want to check for cracks, bowing, headstock breaks….every single thing on these guitars must be checked thoroughly.
It’s also equally important to ask for the history of the guitar to find out if anything has been replaced, since it’s so hard to find information on these guitars, you’ll need help from the owner to find out. Which unfortunately, the owner can’t always be there to give it’s history so of course if he is consider yourself lucky.
Once you’ve checked out the guitar to make sure there aren’t any major issues, go ahead and buy it. I’d say 9 times out of 10 this is a great purchase. Here’s why:
(7 Reasons) Buying a Hondo is a great idea.
#7 Great Guitar for non-musicians to jam with
Everyone’s had “That Guy” you know who I’m talking about……the guy who “Used to Play” and really wants to jam with you guys when he’s had a few to many. Having an older durable guitar during times like this……..absolutely awesome. A Hondo can be a great option for this, trust me. You don’t want a non- guitar player or anyone dropping your favorite axe on the floor. Been there before, sucks.
#6 Could be worth a fortune
Some of these guitars have gone for five figures online before. Seriously, go to ebay and type in Hondo Guitars and go to the sold listings, since they’re older they’re becoming increasingly more and more rare. Collectors love having a piece of history like this. Freed and Moore did so much for the music industry owning a Hondo is an awesome piece to have.
#5 Excellent Conversation Piece
If you’re a collector or not, these guitars are obviously vintage just by taking one look any other musician will want to know more about it, I mean that’s why you’re here right? A lot of the models just look really cool to, and the story behind is great to share as well.
#4 Known for Durability
Ok so, the fact these keep showing up proves this. Plus how old they are proves a lot as well, 30 years ago when they were just starting and people were buying these, no one thought they needed to keep these in good condition. They had no idea they’d become collectors items or would be worth anything. So they got banged around a bunch and for them to still be in good condition really says a lot about them. They’re just known to be really dang durable. Which again, is great for the drunk guy who shows up wanting to jam.
#3 Own a piece of History
It’s really cool all the stuff that Freed and Moore did with IMC, I especially thank them for their part in Jackson which is one of my favorite brands of guitar. Owning a Hondo is owning a piece of that history, and not to sound really geeky but I think that’s neat.
#2 Most Likely Extremely Cheap
Most likely, you’ve found this in a basement, pawn shop or garage sale, for a crisp 20$ you should be able to get your hands on one of these and any time you found a decent guitar for that kind of a deal is a huge steal.
#1 Hard to find increases chances of this being worth something in the future
As time goes on, these guitars are becoming rarer and rarer. 20 years from now and one of these might be worth 50k who knows. Right now, there are ones selling for 10-20 so there’s a high possibility of it. Of course, certain models are only worth a couple hundred dollars and you’ll find a lot of those as well. Just check sold and current listings on ebay first if you’re only looking to make a quick buck.
Conclusion:
Go ahead and get one! Seriously you don’t have anything to lose, as long as the Hondo is in good condition. Like I said before any time you can pick up a working guitar for cheap you should. And at the very least if you don’t like it, you can give it to a nephew. (I was given my first guitar by my Uncle, and that was one of my favorite gifts I’ve ever gotten.)