The manufacturer of Hondo/Hondo II branded instruments was Samick, which had its main facilities in South Korea, but also operated a facility in Japan. Well, Hondo is a brand, not a manufacturer. So would the satellite facilities be producing otherwise identical models, presumably apart from any MIJ markings? And which factories are known to have done this? Though obviously there were various brands, like Hondo, which although usually made in Korea did produce a few models in Japan. Maybe of interest that the TR Cover appeaers to have had an oval transfer in Gold about 50mms wide but I can't see any script, logo or writing on it!!Īny help you can give would be much appreciated. Here are tons of pics showing hardware, binding, markers and T/R Cover. Only 1 or 2 years old so dating it to around 1982. And most important of all is it a bolt on neck? In order for those with the knowledge to have a go at identifying it you'll need to post much bigger and better photos, showing in detail all the hardware, the body binding, the fingerboard inlays etc. Most "brand" names were those of the importers rather than the manufacturers and the actual factory that the instruments were made in depended on who was doing the best deal for a certain level of quality at the time. The problem with identifying Far Eastern copies is that the name that was on the headstock and place where they were manufactured change depending on the year. This was not bought from, but, from pictures and other sound tests on YouTube, I would say this is the same process and equipment that they use (though they can throw a real B5 vibrato on there for you for an additional cost) for almost $400 cheaper.Was it new or second-hand when you bought it? This is a lot different from other replicas. I did the measurements and found that these pickups provide enough room that actual single-coil Rickenbacker pickups placed on rubber half grommets would fit snugly. Rickenbacker 325 With 5 knobs, White pick guard, Black (64) Rickenbacker 325 With 4 knobs, Gold pick guard, Black (58) Rickenbacker 325 With Body Glossed Natural Wood Rickenbacker 325 With only Fretboard Glossed Gator Guitar Case (Actual Rickenbacker cases are insanely expensive, this link is to the case that you see in the pictures). Grover Open-Back Tuners (At the time Amazon had the cheapest options)ĭaddario Flatwound Strings 12 gauge (Cheapest I can find online, which is WAY cheaper than going to a local music store) I applied many layers and sanded a different part as I rotated applying bondo and sanding.Įxtended Jack Plate (original seller doesn’t have any more, but Winfield does make them for twice the price I got mine for)īurns Knobs (I bought mine in 2013, though it looks like they’re out now)ĪLTERNATE BURNS KNOBS FROM REVERB (I have no idea how good these will be)Įlongated Pick Guard (got mine white and painted it gold to match the same color of gold as the truss rod cover): I alternated between applying bondo to the headstock and the top horn, as well as the cracks in-between the back of the guitar and the rest, making it very smooth. This was the main reason I didn’t order the guitar with the body painted. From pictures I noticed that actual Rickenbacker 325c58s have a sharper top horn than the Chinese made replica. The only place I didn’t sand it to match was the upper horn. I came back the next day and finished sanding the edges of the now glued-on back to match the body. It was also summer in a workshop so the temperature probably helped the glue set up a bit faster. Even though I didn’t wait the specified length of time, I made sure the glue was set up enough to not have the pieces sliding around when sanding.
Again, I didn’t wait the full 24 hours for the glue to completely dry before sanding the edges a bit. Not waiting the full 24 hours for the glue to dry, I glued the back to the guitar and clamped the whole thing.