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Electric Guitar Problems
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Milla Lekarariba
Rattini Tribe
Minmatar Fleet Alliance
#1 - 2012-02-06 16:12:27 UTC  |  Edited by: Milla Lekarariba
Hi

I have recently purchased a cheap guitar on ebay (mainly because I just loved the colour)

It is a 30 year old Hondo Strat H-76 (yeah I know not the best of makes apparently)

The issue I am currently having is that it did not come with a whammy bar, so I purchased one, and fitted it, no problems. however it turns out that there appears to be a problem with the bridge, it will only let me 'pull' the whammy bar, and not push it.

Now normally I could most likely figure a work around, but I play Hank Marvin style stuff which requires extensive use of the whammy bar!

Now first off, what could the issue be? and how much am I looking at for a repair?

It has no problems tuning, the only other slight issue is that the cable plug in socket is a little lose so generates some feedback when moving the guitar...
Telegram Sam
Sebiestor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#2 - 2012-02-06 16:35:30 UTC
I used to have a Hondo Les Paul copy that wouldn't stay in tune. The woodwork on them is pretty good, but the hardware is kind of crap. The good news is Hondos are kind of actually kind of collectible these days. So if I were you I'd sell that one back on ebay and get what you paid + shipping, maybe more. Then go for a used Yamaha EG-112 or Yamaha Pacifica. They're solid, they sound great, and they're amazingly cheap. Or for maybe a few more bucks, anything made by Agile Guitars.

Or if you want to keep your Hondo, you could try taking the bridge off and just messing around with it. They're pretty simple mechanisms, you could probably see what's not letting it rock forward. Same with the noisy cable jack. Just tighten it down with a screwdriver, or unscrew it and take a look. Don't be afraid to take your guitar apart. They're simple devices, you can't hurt things unless you start disconnecting wires and moving them around.

If you get that fixed at Guitar Center or somewhere like that, you're probably looking at $50 and up for the guy's time. For cheaper guitars, it's usually a better option to just replace them instead of putting more money into them.
Micheal Dietrich
Kings Gambit Black
#3 - 2012-02-06 16:43:44 UTC
Strange, I used to have some cheapo that I bought off a friend where I could only go forward on the bar. I always thought that was how it was meant to be.

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Milla Lekarariba
Rattini Tribe
Minmatar Fleet Alliance
#4 - 2012-02-06 18:31:19 UTC
Micheal Dietrich wrote:
Strange, I used to have some cheapo that I bought off a friend where I could only go forward on the bar. I always thought that was how it was meant to be.


yeah I think the old fender bridges were like that, if I remember right
Telegram Sam
Sebiestor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#5 - 2012-02-06 23:21:36 UTC
Milla, I forgot one thing. Probably the first thing to check is the springs. They're attached to the tremolo unit and pull it back into place after it's been rocked forward or backward. For some reason, the springs tend to have been diddled with or replaced by previous owners. (Maybe they get old and slack over time). I'd start by checking those. I'd detach the springs from the bridge and see if it will rock forward with them off. On Strat-style guitars, the springs are under the big plate on the back.