Inner label with (c)1981 International Music Corp text
This model has also been seen with the brand name "Seville" on the headstock. The improvements made to the bound variant of the H935 leads me to believe that this is the earlier of the two Hondo-branded models. There is evidence that H935s were manufactured into the 1990s so the label cannot be used as an accurate indicator of the year of manufacture. The label inside the guitar states, as with all H935s after this period, that the guitar is "©1981 International Music Corp". On my own H935, they have no evidence of the DiMarzio logo (photos to be added next time I take the guitar apart) and I have no evidence to suggest Hondo were still using DiMarzio pickups at this point. This slightly unusual shape is no doubt a result of pre-manufactured parts with a more traditional Gibson "open-book" shape that had to be modified (rather than thrown away at great financial loss) in order to avoid legal action from Gibson who, in the late 1970s, threatened Japanese manufacturer Ibanez with a lawsuit pertaining to the copying of Gibson headstock shapes and original guitar designs (Fender also threatened similar action). The headstock is the modified Hondo II shape - essentially a Gibson shape with chunks cut out. The "Circle H" logo was used to denote the brand. It also sported an ABR-1 style tune-o-matic bridge and a stamp on the truss rod cover stating the model details and Deluxe Series status. The Hondo Deluxe Series H935s featured a walnut finish with a symmetrical tiger flame in the wood grain or a plain top with vintage sunburst or lightburst finish, open coil pickups and "gold" hardware. It shares similar traits with the Matsumoku-made Epiphone Rivieras of the time such as the witch-hat knobs and skinny tune-o-matic bridge. The H-1030 was likely a high-end 335-style copy. The Gibson-y copies were handled by the Matsumoku factory while the more Fender-like guitars were made by Tokai. The Hondo Professional Series were made in Japan at the end of the 70s and into the very early 80s. What a way to start an article on Hondo 935 guitars than with a model called the H-1030?! But in the interests of chronology. Years of manufacture: Suspected approximately 1979-1981 This has no bearing on the precise date of manufacture, though is obviously very likely to be after 1981, perhaps as late as the early 1990s.
All Hondo H935s have a copyright sticker that says 1981 on it. In 1983, all production is supposed to have returned to Korea, though some Korean production appears to have started before this date. It has been stated that Hondo made guitars in Japan from 1974. It could even be said that the intention was to copy the very earliest Gibson designs with particular attention paid to the detail of the "Mickey Mouse" ears on the body. They are all based on the Gibson ES-335 shape. The H935 model was released in several variations.
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