Nice but whot th'

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-MatsumoKu-VANTAGE-Memphis-ARiA-PRO-GUITAR-MiJ-/260592925247?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Guitar&hash=item3cac8c7a3f


What is this?

Possibly a Vantage VA800, or a Gumika copy of a Vantage; pretty hard to tell at this distance but it looks nice...

That is a Hondo Professional H1030N. Check out THIS link for a picture, with some info on THIS page.

If anyone's interested, I found the whole catalogue HERE, over at bossarea.com, hidden with some Aria catalogue scans.

If I remember correctly, Hondo was one if not the first company to fit DiMarzio pickups as standard in some of their guitars. Not sure if this guitar has them, the catalogue doesn't make any mention of it.

DAN.

Thanks boys. Nice tasty guitar for the price, no?

Definitely a tasty guitar! "I'd buy that for a dollar!"

Over the years Hondo got a reputation for just making cheap bolt neck, plywood copies but it's simply not true. Sure, they did make budget stuff which was poor and seemed to get worse through the 80's, but the Professional range was all about top quality constructed instruments.

Look at it this way, that's a set neck guitar with the body and neck both using a multi-laminate construction, it also has a solid brass bridge and nut, not something you could do on the cheap! I'd like to know what them pickups are, the seller reckons they're MMK 61's!?! Hondo had tie's with Samick in the 70's but no connection with Matsumoku that I can find?

DAN.

If it does have MMK61's then it's not a Hondo....

double post

What the heck is it then. A mats with sundry Hondo-style plastic bolted to it? I'll ask the dude to confirm the MMK-61 story with a photo.

The plot thickens....

I still say it's a Hondo, the headstock and TRC are a match for the one it the catalogue, but I have noticed something strange.

If you zoom in on the close-up with the bridge shown, it looks just like the Aria "Ray Bridge" as used on my Cardinal Series CS250! It's minus the chrome finish and the saddles seem like a standard Strat type but it looks very very familiar?

So, what the hell is going on then? Is there a tie-in between Hondo and Matsumoku that I've not come across before, Hondo sub-contracting work to Uncle Mats maybe? Or did they just rip off other companies details! Someone out there must know.

DAN.