Another rescue, older hondo

[monradon]

Here is another older mando I found and cleaned up with new tailpiece and a cobbled bridge out of rosewood and ebony. #Really has a nice bark to it now maybe this is the one I will learn to play on. In fact when I got it I thought the fingerboard was ebony it was so dark but after cleaning up its a nice rosewood fingerboard , zero fret with brass frets that cleaned up nice. #I removed the pickguard which was screwed to the body, which I do not care for and it opened up the sound so all in all I was glad I rescued this. Awhile back I had a chance to pickup three Ashton Bailey tailpieces and boy I wish I had more. #This is the second mandolin I have put them on and even I can hear the difference.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l271/monradon/Picture011.jpg

Here is the bridge I made for it the original was like a dowel stained black with no inotation or good slots for the strings.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l271/monradon/Picture009.jpg

Here is a phot of the original bridge and rusty tin tailpiece

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l271/monradon/Picture001-1.jpg

[Bill Snyder]

What does the tailpiece look like from the other side? You might be able to sell it.

[mandolirius]

<What does the tailpiece look like from the other side? You might be able to sell it.>

For what? Five bucks?

[MikeEdgerton]

For what? Five bucks?
If he gets that for the tailpiece he should do a happy dance.

[Bill Snyder]

Well that is about what a new, cheap Gibson style goes for at International Luthiers Supply. (http://www.internationalluthiers.com/otherparts.php)
Same price at International Violin as well.

[brunello97]

Kudos to you for your efforts (and thanks for sharing the photos). #It is nice to see clean work of this nature in light of the many over-inlaid, heavily lacquered 'renovations' to older Italian bowlbacks we've seen on ebay coming out of a few Asian chop-shops. # Yours are probably better sounding and playing now then when they were new.

But you, sir, need to start picking. Pronto!

Mick

[monradon]

Send 5.00 and I will throw in the bridge. Guys from the emails I am getting I did not know Hondo was back in business I thought they went belly up in the late 80's ?? The old gentleman I got this from bought it in the 70's he thinks about 74 or 75 was not sure but it is not one of the new ones. My guess in came out of Japan not Korea ??

[David Newton]

Hobbit.
Nice work on putting that one back in service.
Now, I need to speak to you about straightening up the shop a little...

[MikeEdgerton]

It most likely came out of Japan in the 70's - 80's period. Hondo is simply a brand name owned by an importer, it is not a manufacturer. That same mandolin can be found with numerous brand names on it including Strad-O-Lin (believe it or not).

[monradon]

Dave that is clean, you know I have heard some Strad-O-Lin that sounded good !! Not a old Gibson but still a nice sound. Had a player try it today and it can bark with someone who knows how, so pleased with the out come. Think I will keep this one. Got another from the 70's that needs some tweaking see what that sounds like ??http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Entropium]

Long shot after 16years, but I just got a used Hondo HMAN-30 mandolin and am trying to figure out what the original saddles were that came on these Hondo's.
Can't see any of the photos above, so does anyone know what the original saddles were? My Hondo came with a curved saddle. But a workshop teacher took one look and said the fretboard was flat, not radiused, so the saddle should be straight too, not curved. Any ideas?

[MikeEdgerton]

Long shot after 16years, but I just got a used Hondo HMAN-30 mandolin and am trying to figure out what the original saddles were that came on these Hondo's.
Can't see any of the photos above, so does anyone know what the original saddles were? My Hondo came with a curved saddle. But a workshop teacher took one look and said the fretboard was flat, not radiused, so the saddle should be straight too, not curved. Any ideas?

Does it look like any in these pictures (https://www.google.com/search?q=hondo+site:mandolincafe.com&client=firefox-b-1-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj7tv6umrL6AhWkj4kEHePzB_wQ_AUoA3oECAEQB Q&biw=1401&bih=788&dpr=1)? It would b easier if you could post a picture of your mandolin.

[Entropium]

Thanks Mike for the quick response, and sorry for my slow addition of photos. I don't quite have the hang of this site and didn't see you'd responded.
Credit the Hondo for full-blown post-pandemic MAS. So it's even more of a good-to-learn-set-up-on instrument now. With guidance from Rob Meldrum's great guide, I sanded the bottom of the bridge to make much better contact with the top. This already improved the sound.
I know I could buy another bridge/saddle, but this one would just go to waste, so I'm thinking I might try flattening the top then sanding into wedge. Nothing ventured, ....?
Here are the photos of the HMAN30 and bridge.
208991
The label inside says “HONDO Est. 1969, Hondo Guitar Co., Charleston, SC, Model#HMAN30, Made in China”
The site https://samick.fandom.com/wiki/Hondo%27s_History dates the logo as 1981-1988, though a few sales listings for this model say "70's era".
The music store I bought this from said they wouldn't normally sell such an instrument but had it as a trade-in. They said (warned?) I'd be trading up quickly if the bug set in.
I'm still curious to find out what bridge/saddle it came with originally.
Also whether the "nato back and sides" (found in a web listing, and thanks to another thread learned is "Eastern mahogany") is likely to be solid wood or laminated plywood.