The Last Bass Outpost

Gear Discussion Forums => Other Bass Brands => Topic started by: Denis on December 23, 2010, 06:54:12 AM

Title: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: Denis on December 23, 2010, 06:54:12 AM
This is kinda cool.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Hondo-880-Deluxe-Explorer-Bass-John-Entwistle-/110627135758?pt=Guitar&hash=item19c1e4210e#ht_1262wt_194
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: Dave W on December 23, 2010, 09:01:00 AM
A must for any Entwistle collector!  :rolleyes:

It's nothing like Entwistle's.
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: nofi on December 23, 2010, 10:41:39 AM
but it's a "vintage" hondo.  :rolleyes:
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: TBird1958 on December 23, 2010, 11:05:04 AM


As Tom (Heslin) would say " '80s Hondo Def Leppard thing"  ;D



Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: Droombolus on December 23, 2010, 11:21:23 AM
Quote from: nofi on December 23, 2010, 10:41:39 AM
but it's a "vintage" hondo.  :rolleyes:

Using "vintage" and Hondo in one sentence defies any grammatical rules I've ever learned .......  ;D
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: Highlander on December 23, 2010, 01:27:52 PM
There's a lot of us round here that could be considered "vintage"... ;D
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: FlatEric on December 23, 2010, 02:53:16 PM
Oooooooooh

I wonder if any Royalties are due to the maker of the Original ExplorerBird. . . . . . .  ;D

Mmmm ;)

Peter. . . . . .  . ? 8)
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: Highlander on December 23, 2010, 03:40:55 PM
You'll p*ss Carlo off by mentioning the "R" word...

I'd probably say, "in the style of..." ;D
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: godofthunder on December 23, 2010, 04:23:11 PM
For import stuff back in the day these were not bad....................not great either. They went for about 100 bucks or so. I saw a unmolested one in black locally for $119.00. I passed nothing to get all worked up about unless maybe for sentimental reasons.
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: Dave W on December 23, 2010, 04:54:41 PM
I've never been impressed by any Hondo although there are worse basses out there. It just floors me that something that's nothing like anything JAE played would claim him as a selling point.

For his next act he'll probably offer a basswood-bodied bolt-on EB-0 copy with a P pickup and skulls painted all over it as a "must for any Jack Bruce collector."

Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: Denis on December 23, 2010, 05:01:24 PM
When I saw Man...Or Astroman? recently the bass player, who's played Danelectro Longhorns for years was playing a Hondo Longhorn this time. After the show I asked him about it and he said that the old Danos were rather fragile and sort of rare to be played they way he plays them so he put an original Dano lipstick pickup in the Hondo and it sounded great.
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: Dave W on December 23, 2010, 05:07:59 PM
Was it a hollowbody? The only Hondo Longhorn I've ever seen in person was a solidbody. More durable than a Dano, for sure, but there's no way a lipstick pickup would make it sound like any Dano.
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: nofi on December 23, 2010, 07:14:32 PM
i played a bronze colored hondo longhorn with a p bass type pickup. it was heavy and solid body. i have seen a few more over the years so i know it was not a one off.
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: ilan on December 24, 2010, 04:22:23 AM
12lbs., pass.
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: Droombolus on December 24, 2010, 04:31:13 AM
Quote from: Kenny's 51st State on December 23, 2010, 01:27:52 PM
There's a lot of us round here that could be considered "vintage"... ;D

Hell yeah but no one here is called Hondo .......  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: Nocturnal on December 24, 2010, 10:37:11 AM
Quote from: Dave W on December 23, 2010, 05:07:59 PM
Was it a hollowbody? The only Hondo Longhorn I've ever seen in person was a solidbody. More durable than a Dano, for sure, but there's no way a lipstick pickup would make it sound like any Dano.

I saw a Hondo Longhorn before as well. From what I remember it seemed like a solid body. Don't remember it being overly heavy tho.
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: Sven on December 24, 2010, 11:13:08 AM
The neck on that Explorer is a Hondo, but I don't think the rest of it is. The body and bridge look just like the Condor Explorer I had. Mine was black and also had a spiderweb on it (a different one). The white color of this headstock doesn't match the white on the body. My Condor had a Fender-shape headstock.
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: Nocturnal on December 24, 2010, 03:23:30 PM
Here is another bass that the seller is using the JAE example. Not sure how this guy is making the connection:

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/msg/2128486977.html
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: gearHed289 on December 24, 2010, 03:33:23 PM
Quote from: TBird1958 on December 23, 2010, 11:05:04 AM

As Tom (Heslin) would say " '80s Hondo Def Leppard thing"  ;D

Ha! Yes, these basses are my main reason for building the deep cut Fenderbird instead of an orange Explorerbird.  ;D John's gift of a finished body helped too.
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: Dave W on December 24, 2010, 07:00:21 PM
Quote from: Nokturnal on December 24, 2010, 03:23:30 PM
Here is another bass that the seller is using the JAE example. Not sure how this guy is making the connection:

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/msg/2128486977.html


You don't remember JAE playing a Chinese made Jazz/Jaguar style hybrid?  :P 
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: Highlander on December 28, 2010, 05:06:16 AM
He had a lot of stuff... easy to miss... ;D
Title: Re: Hondo Explorer bass
Post by: dadagoboi on December 28, 2010, 05:36:53 AM
Might have been one of the few basses he DIDN'T play at least once.