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tjon901 « Classic Swedish Semi-hollow »
Published on 06/23/11 at 09:18Hagstrom has been around for nearly 100 years. At first they made accordinons and in the 50s they switched to guitars. They had some of the most original designs of the time. They took features from more well known guitars and changed them up and added their own style to them. The original company closed down in the mid 80s but it is back now. The guitars are not made in Sweden anymore they are made in China. All the parts are still built by Hagstrom. The Viking is a Semi-Hollow design that comes in many different colors. It is similar to a Gibson 335. It has the Gibson 24.75 scale length so your fingers still take to it instantly. It has Hagstrom made pickups and two tone and two volume controls. It has a floating tail piece that adds some style and a unique sound to the design. It has a maple body with a maple neck. The Deluxe model gets flamed maple all around. Even the tuners are made by Hagstrom. It has a cool composite fretboard that is as smooth as ebony. They call it their resonator fretboard.
UTILIZATION
The composite fretboard is a dream to play on. Ebony is my favorite wood for fretboards because of its smoothness and this composite resonator fretboard is just as smooth. It has Hagstroms proprietary truss rod design which allows the neck to be very thin. This makes the guitar very easy to play but the neck remains stable. The neck is thin and flat. You will forget you are playing a big 335 style semi-hollow guitar. It feels like an 80s shredder when you are playing. The flat fretboard allows you to get the action as low as you dare and you can bend notes forever. This is a great combination of old style looks and modern playability.
SOUNDS
The unique floating bridge helps the sound a lot. Since all the wood on the guitar is maple you would expect it to sound very bright. The floating tail piece helps level out the brightness and get you a nice darker jazzy sound from the guitar. The medium output pickups help get a vintage vibe from the sound also. You can still get some twang from the guitar but it is cool and muted. With high gain it can sound a little thin due to it being a semi-hollow. It will kinda make you sound like Ted Nudgent.
OVERALL OPINION
If you are on a budget and are looking for a Gibson style semi-hollow guitar this may be for you. The sound is muted and jazzy so it wont bite your head off. Hagstroms are not played by everyone either so you will stand out in the crowd. Not every good guitar is made in America. The Swedes know how to build a guitar too. This guitar is a great combination of old school looks and sound with great modern playability. Plus it plays way better than a 335. It has a very modern feeling neck and a smooth fretboard. The Gibson players may get jealous. If you are looking for a Semi-hollow that is something different than your typical 335 this is a good option.
UTILIZATION
The composite fretboard is a dream to play on. Ebony is my favorite wood for fretboards because of its smoothness and this composite resonator fretboard is just as smooth. It has Hagstroms proprietary truss rod design which allows the neck to be very thin. This makes the guitar very easy to play but the neck remains stable. The neck is thin and flat. You will forget you are playing a big 335 style semi-hollow guitar. It feels like an 80s shredder when you are playing. The flat fretboard allows you to get the action as low as you dare and you can bend notes forever. This is a great combination of old style looks and modern playability.
SOUNDS
The unique floating bridge helps the sound a lot. Since all the wood on the guitar is maple you would expect it to sound very bright. The floating tail piece helps level out the brightness and get you a nice darker jazzy sound from the guitar. The medium output pickups help get a vintage vibe from the sound also. You can still get some twang from the guitar but it is cool and muted. With high gain it can sound a little thin due to it being a semi-hollow. It will kinda make you sound like Ted Nudgent.
OVERALL OPINION
If you are on a budget and are looking for a Gibson style semi-hollow guitar this may be for you. The sound is muted and jazzy so it wont bite your head off. Hagstroms are not played by everyone either so you will stand out in the crowd. Not every good guitar is made in America. The Swedes know how to build a guitar too. This guitar is a great combination of old school looks and sound with great modern playability. Plus it plays way better than a 335. It has a very modern feeling neck and a smooth fretboard. The Gibson players may get jealous. If you are looking for a Semi-hollow that is something different than your typical 335 this is a good option.