Hondo II J200 Copy

[JamesB]

[VintAxe]

Hi James and welcome to the Forum.

The Hondo II brand name was introduced in 1974. I've got a 1975 Hondo catalog in the acoustic guitar section and all models are designated by an H and 2-3 numbers so your guitar isn't one of the very early models. This is a good thing since it took a few years to get the quality of the instruments up to snuff.

Based on your research, I think you are safe in concluding you have a late 70's model. The fact that your guitar is stamped Made in Korea and from the late 70's indicates it was most likely made by Samick. Take a peek inside the soundhole and see if your Hondo has scalloped bracing. This type of construction would be consistent with late 1970's Samick techniques. Here is an example of what I mean:



Just as a bit of trivia, in 1979 over 790,000 Hondo instruments were sold worldwide. They were busy.

[JamesB]

Hi Steve, and thanks for the rapid response.

Not sure how good my knowledge is of scalloped and non-scalloped. Just had a look, and they seem like straight braces to me. They do taper down at both ends to a thinner point but are straight in the middle.

That's a helluva turn over for 12 months production!

Cheers

James

[VintAxe]

I added a picture to my original post to clarify what I mean by scalloped. I just saw a reference to Hondo using scalloped bracing in the late 70's and thought that might help us date it. The fact that your braces are not scalloped doesn't mean it's not late 70's especially since the builders may have been trying to imitate the build characteristics of a J200.

[JamesB]

Great, thanks Steve, that's what I thought scalloped was but wasn't sure.

Nope, they're definatley straight then. I assume that the original J200's were staright braced then?

From what we've come up with I'm also happy that this is a late 70's build.

Lovely looking guitar though for 30 years plus. The usual buckle rash and wear and tear but structurally sound.
I'm a 'lefty' and bought this in the hope that I could convert it, knowing the only sticking point would be the scratchplate.
Couldn't really tell until I had it delivered but as feared, it's a pretty thick, heavy one so a clean removal will be tough. Left handed floral scratchplates are rare as rocking horse poo so I'm out of luck there. Plus I think there'll be a significant sun-tan there too due to the age & wear.
Think I might spend some time restoring it and re-sell - could make a few £'s too as there aren't too many (new) J200 copies in the market these days other than Tangelwood & Epi's

Thanks very much for your comments and help.

James