Hagstrom

[olrocknroller]

While we're discussing "off-brand" guitars, I'm going to plug another brand that has a far higher ratio of "great" players in the ranks...Hagstrom. The Viking is a thin hollow-body with great 'bucker pickups that will blow off any Gibson you want to put up against it... Like Les Paul's? Get your hands on a Hagstrom Super Swede, and you'll never look back. Fully switchable 'buckers that allow you to make Strats and Tele's run for the hills, then out-mellow any Gibson out there. For my experience with guitars, which includes just about anything out there that has strings on it, best bang for the buck is a Hag!

IMHO, that is...

olrocknroller

[dubtrub]

I split off your post so as to not hijack the Les Paul thread. New topics are always welcome.

[stl80]

I have a mid 60's Hagstrom II and I love it. Low action and great tone.
Jim

[Dennisthe Menace]

Mel would love THIS ONE!! It's TRI-POWERED!!

[MWaldorf]

Mel would love THIS ONE!! It's TRI-POWERED!!

Please Dennis, three pickups yes, but sunburst? no.

[olrocknroller]

Mel would love THIS ONE!! It's TRI-POWERED!!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... om_III.jpg

That's a beauty! Mine's a '67, but I have hot-rodded the electronics to Seymour-Duncan P-Rails...super hot, and switchable every different whichway (about 13 combinations)... I also replaced the tuners with Steinberger gearless tuners and the Hag tremolo with a Fender Jaguar unit...much smoother! In minty stock condition these guitars are selling for around $700.00 to $900.00.

olrocknroller

[jfine]

I've heard good things about the new Hagstroms, but I haven't tried one yet. In the '60's, they were more expensive than a Harmony or a Japanese import--that 3-pickup solidbody would have been around $150-$170 new here in the US, or about the price of a Fender Esquire, and a little more than a Gibson SG Junior. Guild used Hagstrom bridges and tremolos on their solidbodies, and early-mid-'60's Guild basses had Hagstrom bridges and pickups. I remember wanting one of those 3-pickup Hagstroms back in the mid-'60's--they had real nice necks on them--and they also made a nice electric 12-string back then. Actually, I wouldn't mind finding one of those today...

[eltuce]

I had a 60s Viking that I really liked but sold just 'cause I wasn't playing it much at all. I still have an Impala and a 70s HIIN. Both are very cool guitars, especially for the money. The Impala is a little kooky with all those switches and it's easy to knock it into a different setting. It also seems only one setting really sounds good to me. That being said the neck has a nice comfortable taper much like the Viking did. The HIIN is a rock solid rockin' machine with a nice chunky neck. Ahh, and of course they aren't getting much play time either so I may list one this weekend to fund some other fun purchases. I know, I'm constantly contradicting myself with my love of both slim and chunky necks, go figure.

-Tommy

[LOSTVENTURE]

I don't know the model Hagstrum that I saw around 1965. The rythem player in one of the bands that I was in had it. All I remember was tha the thing was covered with switches and had a neck that was so small it made the Mosrite feel like a baseball bat.
Don

[JimPage]

Hey!

A pal in college gave me a red-naugahyde fronted Hagstrom and I carted that thing around for years. The neck was great; slimmest, fastest neck I have EVER seen on an electric guitar.

I tried yanking off the naugahyde so I could maybe stain or paint the wood under it, and quickly discovered that the naugahyde was hiding some TERRIBLE lumber.

So I thre aay the body, took the Hagstrom neck and stuck it on a cheap MIJ Les Paul copy and had a very playable and fairly good-sounding electric. Gave it to one of my photo-lab techs in the mid 1980s.

There used to be store in this area that had some of the late 1960s Hagstrom basses and I came close to buying one of those a couple of times. Very retro and with a nice neck, too.

--Jim