Anyone play Hagstrom guitars?

[brettk7]

My step-dad has a vintage Hagstrom Viking from the early-mid 60's, and its really bad ass.

Its the only one I have ever seen that has a neck like his. It's literally red?! The body is like a 2-tone sunburst, and it has the big Fender-ish headstock too. That they probably go sued over. I believe its a viking?


Anyways, I know they have a nice Les Paul-ish guitar that looks pretty bad ass. I haven't got to play one yet though. Anybody got one? Or any!?

[dennistruckdriver]

YouTube - Cordell Jackson "The Split"

[Harpozep]

A store local to me sells them.
Alpha Audio Works

I saw five Hagstrom Swedes there today. Nice retro guitars.
My first guitar was a Hagstrom Swede. It was stolen from the shop I was buying it from before I paid it off.
So I never really owned it. I bought an acoustic instead.

[M.T. Pockets]

Had to sell my 65 Viking last year due to hard times.

Here's a clip I played over a backing track provided by MLP's own DKirwan



http://www.tomburch.net/audio/TOM_BU...ubmble_Pie.m3u

[Roman Rist]

I have had about 3 or 4 Hagstrom swedes. Love em!

[EpiClassic1790]

My first solid-body was a black Hagstrom-III. I honestly don't remember what I did with it. Nice neck. Clever switches. And it was cheap back in 1967.

[brettk7]

My step-dad's viking is like that, but the headstock is DEAD on like a Fender big headstock and its red? The rest of the guitar isn't though.

I'll try and get some pics up sometime!

[captain tightpants]

Buddy of mine's got a gorgeous vintage Swede, plays like butter. Never played anything quite like it.

[needlespauls]

Originally Posted by M.T. Pockets

Had to sell my 65 Viking last year due to hard times.

Here's a clip I played over a backing track provided by MLP's own DKirwan



http://www.tomburch.net/audio/TOM_BU...ubmble_Pie.m3u

Great tone and playing!

[M.T. Pockets]

Thanks mucho

[brettk7]

I'd also like to add that back in the day, my step-dad removed the mini-humbuckers and routed the body out to accept Gibson 57' Classics.

It is definitely a sweet axe, I'll try and get some pictures.

[brettk7]

Originally Posted by M.T. Pockets

Had to sell my 65 Viking last year due to hard times.

Here's a clip I played over a backing track provided by MLP's own DKirwan



http://www.tomburch.net/audio/TOM_BU...ubmble_Pie.m3u

If you don't mind me asking, how much did you sell it for?

[M.T. Pockets]

A bit more than I paid for it. I'll have to look back to be sure, but I think it was in the $500-$600 range. Mine had the tuners changed out before I got it, missing the pickguard and original case.

What REALLY peaked my interest in Hagstrom was this:

I worked at the Post Office, circa 1999. My nephew wanted to learn to play so I was looking for him a guitar. A co-worker had a Hagstrom I that he had purchased new in 1963 for sale. Been playing it in church all those years. Even had the original hippy guitar strap he bought with it.

Said he'd take $35 for it.

I bought it and gave it to my nephew with the understanding if he lost interest and didn't learn to play, he had to give the guitar back.

He didn't, and did.

I put it on Ebay with no reserve and a starting bid of 99 cents.
It sold for $350.

Now, I'm not a financial genius by any means, but that caught my interest.


EDIT: I gave the hippy strap to a young Hendrix freak I've had the pleasure of knowing all his life.
Figured it was the least I could do for him being the one to carry the torch.
I'd given him a 92 MIJ copy of a 54 Strat a few years earlier.
He plays the shit out of it.
It's a right handed Strat.
He's a lefty.

Seems to work out OK.
He'll be 16 in a few weeks.
Plays circles around me.
Them's the breaks.

[brettk7]

Originally Posted by M.T. Pockets

A bit more than I paid for it. I'll have to look back to be sure, but I think it was in the $500-$600 range. Mine had the tuners changed out before I got it, missing the pickguard and original case.

What REALLY peaked my interest in Hagstrom was this:

I worked at the Post Office, circa 1999. My nephew wanted to learn to play so I was looking for him a guitar. A co-worker had a Hagstrom I that he had purchased new in 1963 for sale. Been playing it in church all those years. Even had the original hippy guitar strap he bought with it.

Said he'd take $35 for it.

I bought it and gave it to my nephew with the understanding if he lost interest and didn't learn to play, he had to give the guitar back.

He didn't, and did.

I put it on Ebay with no reserve and a starting bid of 99 cents.
It sold for $350.

Now, I'm not a financial genius by any means, but that caught my interest.


EDIT: I gave the hippy strap to a young Hendrix freak I've had the pleasure of knowing all his life.
Figured it was the least I could do for him being the one to carry the torch.
I'd given him a 92 MIJ copy of a 54 Strat a few years earlier.
He plays the shit out of it.
It's a right handed Strat.
He's a lefty.

Seems to work out OK.
He'll be 16 in a few weeks.
Plays circles around me.
Them's the breaks.

Yeah my step-dad for some reason thinks his hagstrom is work like 5-6k

And tells me stories about how Guitar Center offered him 2k trade-in, which I guess are just stories.

[M.T. Pockets]

I have never seen a Hag bring that much.
Do an Ebay search and educate him.
They come up pretty often.
The one that brings the most is the Viking II like Elvis used in his 68 TV special from Hawaii.

The Hag 1 like I was talking about is creeping up, but no where near 5-6K.
The Swede is a highly sought guitar, but I haven't kept up with prices on them.

My neighbor thinks his Les Paul is worth a MINT!

If the guitar was mint, it might be, but the top has been sanded so badly it messed up the carve. Tuners and pups have been changed. Refinished with an ugly mahogany stain best I can tell.
It was several years before I even asked to see it.
He kept telling me he had a 65 Les Paul that was worth a lot of money.
I knew Gibson didn't make Lesters in 65, but he's a bass player so I took that into consideration when he talked about it. You know how bass players are. They get really upset and their feeling get hurt if you disagree with them.

When I asked to see the guitar it turned out to be a 54 Les Paul Standard.

Made my hair stand on end and my toenails curl.

I'd love to have it, but it just isn't worth the quarter million dollars he thinks it is.


A guitar is "worth" what one person is willing to accept for it and another is willing to pay for it, when it comes to intrinsic value.

If it's a guitar that inspires you to play, it's priceless, but only to you.

Get some pix of the guitar and tell us the model and year it was made.

I could be way off base and I'd hate for him to sell it to cheap on my say so.
Unless he sells it to you.

Screw that....I've given a bunch of guitars away and I don't even have a stepson.

He should give it to you unless he's playing it on a regular basis.


You can tell him I said so.

[brettk7]

Originally Posted by M.T. Pockets

I have never seen a Hag bring that much.
Do an Ebay search and educate him.
They come up pretty often.
The one that brings the most is the Viking II like Elvis used in his 68 TV special from Hawaii.

The Hag 1 like I was talking about is creeping up, but no where near 5-6K.
The Swede is a highly sought guitar, but I haven't kept up with prices on them.

My neighbor thinks his Les Paul is worth a MINT!

If the guitar was mint, it might be, but the top has been sanded so badly it messed up the carve. Tuners and pups have been changed. Refinished with an ugly mahogany stain best I can tell.
It was several years before I even asked to see it.
He kept telling me he had a 65 Les Paul that was worth a lot of money.
I knew Gibson didn't make Lesters in 65, but he's a bass player so I took that into consideration when he talked about it. You know how bass players are. They get really upset and their feeling get hurt if you disagree with them.

When I asked to see the guitar it turned out to be a 54 Les Paul Standard.

Made my hair stand on end and my toenails curl.

I'd love to have it, but it just isn't worth the quarter million dollars he thinks it is.


A guitar is "worth" what one person is willing to accept for it and another is willing to pay for it, when it comes to intrinsic value.

If it's a guitar that inspires you to play, it's priceless, but only to you.

Get some pix of the guitar and tell us the model and year it was made.

I could be way off base and I'd hate for him to sell it to cheap on my say so.
Unless he sells it to you.

Screw that....I've given a bunch of guitars away and I don't even have a stepson.

He should give it to you unless he's playing it on a regular basis.


You can tell him I said so.

Nah, he plays it pretty regularly. So far, I have inherited a vintage Sunn Concert Bass Head that he thinks is God's gift to amplification (I hate it and pretty much every other solid-state amp ever). The Hag is mine when he dies haha and so is his Crate full-stack (idk remember the model... but it was cheap and solid state, likes it a lot, so thats all that matter. It can collect dust and look cool in the future haha).

I generally like that Hag a lot, it has a REALLY nice neck on it.


ps. It's pretty hard to educate somebody that can't be educated. He is right ALWAYS, in his head. He calls me a "fucking idiot" for liking tube amps over solid-state, thinks my EC-1000 "is ESP shit," and talks all kinds of random other bullshit about guitars, cars and other things. I'm not gonna try and tell him a DAMN thing he can be in his own little world. I know what the deal is, and that is all that matters lol

[M.T. Pockets]

Originally Posted by brettk7

I know what the deal is, and that is all that matters lol

You got it right

[dwagar]

I remember playing some Swedes back in the 60's. I thought they were fantastic guitars to play, but had the impression the pickups sucked. Back then, we knew nothing about changing parts. It didn't even cross our minds that it'd be a possibility.

I remember I thought at the time that a Swede with humbuckers might be the ideal guitar.

[Roman Rist]

Here is the last one I had. I disappointed my girlfriend by selling it.

It was bonestock and the mintiest I have ever owned or seen.

[M.T. Pockets]

That's a beauty for sure

[brettk7]

Originally Posted by M.T. Pockets

That's a beauty for sure

+1 for sure!