Guitar of the week #80 - Hagstrom Super Swede Special Run
This is truly a swingin' axe.
Take the Hagstrom Super Swede. This guitar is from a brand you've probably heard of before, and it's available in a very nice finish called Champagne Sparkle. In addition, it's got shiny hardware that works very nicely with the color.
The single-cutaway shape certainly won't be confused with a Gibson Les Paul because of the extra chrome bits on the body, distinctive headstock shape, and distinctive tuner buttons.
Think of this guitar as to what would happen if you put Gibson and Gretsch design together, as this guitar does take design cues from each and makes it work quite well.
Is the body and neck bound? Yes.
Does the sparkle finish cover the entire body both for the front and back? Yes.
Are the pickups real-deal P90s? Yes.
Quick specs
Remember, this is a Hagstrom, so this is good stuff.
- Mahogany body
- Carved maple top
- Mahogany set neck
- "H-Expander" truss rod (allows for super-low action)
- Resinator fingerboard with 15" radius (yes, 15, that's not a typo)
- 22 medium jumbo frets
- GraphTech TUSQ nut
- "Long Travel" Tune-O-Matic bridge with Hagstrom stop tailpiece
- 18:1 tuning keys
Like I said, you do get the good stuff when you buy Hagstrom.
The Swedes know how to build guitars
Hagstrom is a Swedish brand and they've been around since 1958 if you can believe it. If you know this brand at all, you're probably thinking, "Wait a minute. I thought Super Swede models only came with humbuckers". Ordinarily, yes they do. But the one pictured at top is a special run model in Champagne Sparkle with P90s.
...meaning when you look around, one will pop up with glorious P90s in it even now and then. But it should also be said the humbucker versions are glorious too.
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Published 2016 Oct 19