Hondo 11 Professional - Matsumoku?

Anyone know anything about this guitar. I just picked it up this week. Its absolutely gorgeous. Dark wood stained, bolt on neck, similar to SG shape and sporting two cream MMK 45's (original fitment). It has a very Matsumoku type serial number 1040312 (1981?) on the neck plate but that is all it says (No Japan or Matsumoku). Only two knobs, a pickup switch and a mini toggle coil tap switch.

It is obviously a quality instrument and cost me very little, so I'm well chuffed.

Hoax

If the MMK45s are original, I would say it's a Matsumoku guitar.

Some of the better Hondo's were made at matsumoku during the early 80's called " II professional" range. Various copy's of the big F + Gib's all went under the professional name, "professional"= better made guitars. Only made for a couple of years. Nice one!!

Hi Hoax,

I have a couple of old Hondo's, a Gibson L-5 copy called a Fatboy in need of a lot of TLC, and a replica of the short lived Fender Lead II guitar which is undergoing a full rebuild, the serial number of this one is 1080565.

From what I could find Hondo were the first company outside the USA to factory fit DiMarzio pickups in some of their higher up models back in the early 80's, many of them got robbed of them later on. I also have a book which mentions that Tokai had a hand in machining the solid bodies on the bolt neck guitars for a short time at the start of the 80's. It would be interesting to find out if Matsumoku had anything to do with the Hondo brand aswell?

This catalogue scan might be worth a look to see if yours is on it. You just need to scroll past them cheap looking Aria things, never heard of them? (only joking people!!! ) -

Hondo (& Aria!) catalogue scan

Mines the black one with two single coils on page 2.

DAN.

That's great Dan thanks! Ive found the little bugger its the H1010 model and its walnut finish so it must be H1010WA as referred to in page 2. You are a diamond!

As I said before mine has MMK45's a standard so I reckon that it probably is a Matsumoku item.

PS Yours is a smart lookinhg little axe as well.

Cheers

Graham