The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Electric Guitars

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 05-08-2022, 05:05 PM
David Eastwood's Avatar
David Eastwood David Eastwood is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 7,509
Default NGD, sort of…

A while ago, I asked for pickup recommendations for a 40-year-old Hondo Pro copy of a Fender Lead II

Long story short: I bought this guitar new in 1982, gave it to a dear friend in the UK when I came to the US in 1984, and his wife sent it back to me in 2015 when he unexpectedly passed away.

The original guitar had two single coil Strat-style pickups. Soon after I bought it, I replaced the bridge pickup with a Mighty Mite humbucker, complete with a push-pull coil-tap switch on the tone control.

IMG_1918.jpg

I recently got the urge to give it a bit of a spruce-up. I visited the Sweetwater store in Fort Wayne, IN a month or so ago, and saw a real Fender Lead II on the wall, and decided that that was the direction to go.

So - with a new pickguard from WD Products, a pair of GFS Lipstick pickups, and a GFS wiring harness, I feel like I’ve got a brand-new guitar. It sounds terrific.

IMG_2177.jpg

Next, tuners and bridge. Maybe - I’m having too much fun playing it ‘as is’
__________________
Martin 0-16NY
Emerald Amicus
Emerald X20
Cordoba Stage

Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo

Last edited by David Eastwood; 05-08-2022 at 08:43 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 05-08-2022, 07:33 PM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Coastal Washington State
Posts: 44,927
Default

What a cool old guitar. And what wonderful connections over your lifetime.

I am sorry about the loss of your old friend from the UK. Time has a habit of taking people away, I'm afraid.

Thank you for your story!

- Glenn
__________________
My You Tube Channel
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 05-09-2022, 05:07 PM
David Eastwood's Avatar
David Eastwood David Eastwood is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 7,509
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Glennwillow View Post
What a cool old guitar. And what wonderful connections over your lifetime.

I am sorry about the loss of your old friend from the UK. Time has a habit of taking people away, I'm afraid.

Thank you for your story!

- Glenn
Thanks, Glenn. This guitar means a lot to me, for obvious reasons.

The fact that it’s a joy to play, and sounds terrific too, adds to the pleasure. It’s a Japanese Hondo - Matsumoku-made, most likely - and has a lovely neck.
__________________
Martin 0-16NY
Emerald Amicus
Emerald X20
Cordoba Stage

Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 05-09-2022, 11:41 PM
Marde Marde is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2022
Posts: 17
Default

Hondo! Side Note here:
My second electric guitar was a Hondo (Explorer Body) with Cheap Trick (Rick Nielsen) black/white checker board with a tremolo. Bought during high school in TN 1982-83. Lost this guitar while working in Germany 1992. Sniffle + tear.

40 years later, I am wondering if I will ever learn to play guitar. More tears. TBD.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 05-10-2022, 02:19 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 43,428
Default

David, great way to keep a guitar in your hands, do some mods. Looks like a sweet Hondo.

I recall you mentioning how you got the guitar back in your hands. Although unfortunate circumstances with your friend's death, it's amazing that you now it have it back.

Enjoy!
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 05-10-2022, 04:29 PM
Bob Womack's Avatar
Bob Womack Bob Womack is offline
Guitar Gourmet
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Between Clever and Stupid
Posts: 26,991
Default

Good stuff! The pickups look like lipstick pickups.

Bob
__________________
"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' "
Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring

THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM (my website)
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 05-10-2022, 04:43 PM
David Eastwood's Avatar
David Eastwood David Eastwood is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 7,509
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Womack View Post
Good stuff! The pickups look like lipstick pickups.

Bob
They are indeed, Bob - GFS Lipsticks, designed to fit into a regular Strat-style cutout. They’re also designed for a Strat - neck, middle and bridge. I chose the middle and bridge versions, for a little more oomph, and the fact that the middle one is reverse-wound, so that the combo is hum-canceling. Turns out that that works really well, but the individual pickups are remarkably quiet for single-coils. They sound great too - not bad at all for $60 for the pair.

I also have to give a thumbs-up to WD Music for the pickguard. They were skeptical as to whether the Fender version would fit, but sent me a drawing for me to print out and check. It turned out to be near-perfect - it needs a little relief around the neck, and the mounting holes didn’t all match. I also need to cut out a notch for truss rod access, but that’s easy. All for about $35.

All in all, a very cost-effective refresh for an old friend. John would be well chuffed.
__________________
Martin 0-16NY
Emerald Amicus
Emerald X20
Cordoba Stage

Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 05-10-2022, 05:24 PM
Bob Womack's Avatar
Bob Womack Bob Womack is offline
Guitar Gourmet
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Between Clever and Stupid
Posts: 26,991
Default

I understand the situation of loosing an overseas friend. My best friend in high school was an immigrant from Glasgow, Scotland. We spent hours together exposing each other to music and talking philosophy. After college he decided to move back home. He began a sort of vagabond existence, moving back and forth across Europe and eventually back to the U.S. His mother informed me of his moves, but I usually learned with a with a time lag so my attempts to contact him always seemed to arrive at his last address after he left. He eventually died of an alcohol-related disease without my ever having contacted him.

I've got a few of his albums to remember him by.

Bob
__________________
"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' "
Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring

THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM (my website)
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 05-10-2022, 05:59 PM
FrankHudson FrankHudson is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 4,888
Default

The early Hondo Professionals were built in Japan, and I think later ones were from Korea. From my memory of back in the day the Hondo brand (a US importer, not a manufacturer) had an image of being cheap and low-end quality-wise, but at least with examples I've seen and played and even owned of the "Professional line", very good for the time (It's not like circa 1980 Fender Strats are all coveted expressions of goodness).

Some of them shipped with DiMarzio pickups from the factory. DiMarzio pickups (again in that time) were identified with of the Super Distortion high output humbuckers, but the Fender single coil type ones I played in a Telecaster copy were quite nice I thought then.
__________________
-----------------------------------
Creator of The Parlando Project

Guitars: 20th Century Seagull S6-12, S6 Folk, Seagull M6; '00 Guild JF30-12, '01 Martin 00-15, '16 Martin 000-17, '07 Parkwood PW510, Epiphone Biscuit resonator, Merlin Dulcimer, and various electric guitars, basses....
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 05-11-2022, 02:45 AM
guitararmy guitararmy is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: The Mountain State
Posts: 4,202
Default

That looks great!
I remember seeing an ad for a Fender Lead model in an old Guitar Player magazine featuring Steve Morse…
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Electric Guitars

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:49 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=