I’ve had my Hagstrom Swede for 13 years now. The electronics have held up very well. Over time, the binding around the fret board began cracking. However, this doesn’t affect playability and is purely cosmetic. The action of the strings naturally want to be high if you’re using light gauges. I recommend the guitar to jazz and blues players. You can pull off some rock and roll leads but the cutaway doesn’t allow easy access to the higher frets. The guitar neck feels “slower” in comparison to similar Gibson Les Pauls designs. Great for rhythm playing or jazz/blues playing. The tone switches are very ideal for rhythm and blues. Overall, decent quality for a China guitar.
Don't listen to the whiners below. I wanted to know about the guitar and you told me all about it. And... "Gibson doesn't like when other people copy their stuff...especially when they are doing it better than they (Gibson) are." That made me laugh out loud for real. :)
The Hagstrom! It's a LOT better than the Epiphone in every way. Sounds better, plays better and has been put together with much more attention to detail.
My wife's cousin has a room full of Hagstroms from all eras including amps, basses and accordions. A magnificent collection. I jammed with him and his dad when we visited them in Sweden, and it was awesome. I bought a Swede in a blue finish and it is a great guitar. The neck is great. Probably the easiest guitar to play that I own. It compares well to the ESP and Gibson Les Paul that are in my collection and I picked it up for 20% of the cost of the big namews. Go the Haggie!!
I owned an original Hagstrom Swede from '76 for about 15 yrs. Finally replaced it with a new Swede. After an initial set-up it plays great. Love the super 58 p'ups, resinator fingerboard, and I would play this over most Les Paul's. The body seems to be a little wider than a Les Paul (to answer your question)... A Les Paul has a narrower width.
I have an original Swede from the 70's, its a unique and very well made guitar. My son plugged it in one day and started to shred his style of music and we both looked at each other and said wow! It plays modern metal really well. Of all my Gibson's and Fenders, he said this is the one guitar of mine he wants. The pick ups are really something to hear on this baby!
Thanks for the review. I just picked up a gold top version of this guitar and absolutely love it! I agree with your Gibson comments. If I were an alien and landed on earth I might just think that Epiphones were copies of Hagstroms and the price of most Gibsons would leave me perplexed when played side by side. Dig the Ovation in the corner as well!
In my opinion it is. It's a more soild guitar and it has better pickups. You don't need to upgrade this one at all. If I got an Epi I would change the pickups straight away.
Random question, where do Swedes get their wood supply for guitars ? Are old growth forests in Sweden or Russia available or scarce because of wars ? (p.s. see a used one red Hagstrom Swede 6/5/18 $400.)
John Howe It was all imported. There are a few small builders that experiment with local woods today, but in really small scale. I like the Finnish brand Flaxwood that uses wood fibres from Finnish trees.
I forgot to mention that the neck is made of mahogany. That I would normally consider to be bad durability-wise, but here you have the H-expander so there will be no problems.
Hey dude Kerry Livgren moved back to Topeka a while back I met the band when I was 15 at steam music. He used a swede for a while I saw him and asked if he still had his swedes and he said yes he uses them in his studio. I thought you would dig that peace.
I have owned three Swedish and one Chinese swedes in my long playing career. They are great guitars. Imagine the guitars body is like a woman's torso. The Gibson feels like a very fit dancer when you hold her, the Swede feels like the same dancer, with a doughnut habit. I have always preferred chubby girls. The sound of the new Chinese ones are to my ears superior but the Swedish originals were of superb build quality. Trouble was that no popstars ( except Abba and Larry Coryell) endorsed Hagstroms. Thanks for giving the proper pronunciation of Hagstrom. Great review, as always.
Basically the same guitar with less bling. No bindings and such. It also has different pickups but I don't think they sound very different from each other.
Had 2 Hagstrom's basses in the 60's. 1st was one of the plastic type ones. Sounded decent even though plastic & Naugahyde type stuff. #2 was a wood red bass in red. I still miss it. These appear to be of much higher quality though. they sold like hotcakes around the NW USA. Glad I stepped backwards on your vids.
+greatvanzinni Yes they made all kinds of stuff. It's interesting to think about that some of the plastic ones are from the same age as the classic Strats and Les Pauls. I really liked the J-bass that they made and are making again.
My first solid body electric guitar was an absolute mint 1970 Swede in a beautiful cherry finish that I got back in 1985 for a Christmas present. I loved that guitar! Unfortunately, It got knocked out of the stand and it busted the neck and fretboard beyond repair. ( I will always miss my old Swede and I hope to get another one some day.
SwedishGuitarNerd I don't even know how it fell to be honest with you. I just remember hearing a loud BAM / TWANG! At first, I thought it wasn't that bad until I picked it up and saw a big crack going across the back of the neck and headstock and pieces of fret board broken off. I took it to the local guitar repair shop hoping it could be brought back to life but they said it wasn't worth fixing. :(
@@SwedishGuitarNerd no shade at your production Quality! It was very informative and well made. Just hard to capture how great the detail work is and with good cameras it often looks plasticy wich it isnt irl. I was totally amazed when i saw it irl for the first time.
I bought 2 Hagstroms last year- a Swede and a HL550 jazzbox for under $600, not including the cases though. If I had bought an Epiphone Les Paul deluxe for $650 + shipping I'd have a made in China Gibson copy and no jazzbox! I want to get a Viking and maybe a Viking Baritone next... :0) btw it took about an hr or so to polish my frets. No issues with the frets on the HL550. These guitars can play like butter.
I would go as far as to say that I wouldn't trade my Swede for a Gibson Les Paul. But maybe that's because I'm left handed and a Gibson LP is really insanely priced
Hagstrom swede all day, I had an lp studio and my blem swede plays so much better. Super fast neck, nice and slim and the pickups are pretty hot. Better parts than an epi and around the same price point. Grabbed mine brand new for $360 shipped about 4 years ago
nja om jag ska vara ärlig så har jag alldrig spelat en superswede men jag har för mig att jag hört nånstans att den är mindre än Gibson Les paul som är mindre än en Swede
lol du ar konstig min van :-) I acquired a 1972 Hagstrom Swede about three weeks ago it rocks. I also have a 1978 Hiin You sound just like min polar Karl living Haninge. Skal
Finally, an intelligent and useful review. Thank you!
captainvideo2 Thank you for the nice comment!!
I’ve had my Hagstrom Swede for 13 years now. The electronics have held up very well. Over time, the binding around the fret board began cracking. However, this doesn’t affect playability and is purely cosmetic. The action of the strings naturally want to be high if you’re using light gauges. I recommend the guitar to jazz and blues players. You can pull off some rock and roll leads but the cutaway doesn’t allow easy access to the higher frets. The guitar neck feels “slower” in comparison to similar Gibson Les Pauls designs. Great for rhythm playing or jazz/blues playing. The tone switches are very ideal for rhythm and blues. Overall, decent quality for a China guitar.
Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences!
Don't listen to the whiners below. I wanted to know about the guitar and you told me all about it. And... "Gibson doesn't like when other people copy their stuff...especially when they are doing it better than they (Gibson) are." That made me laugh out loud for real. :)
Mark Stratton Thanks a lot man! I really appreciate your comment!!
Pro tip: you can watch movies at InstaFlixxer. Me and my gf have been using it for watching lots of of movies recently.
@Winston Huxley Yea, been watching on InstaFlixxer for years myself :)
@Winston Huxley yea, I've been watching on InstaFlixxer for since december myself :D
@Winston Huxley definitely, I have been using InstaFlixxer for months myself :D
The Hagstrom! It's a LOT better than the Epiphone in every way. Sounds better, plays better and has been put together with much more attention to detail.
Very thorough- I'm sold!
It's one great guitar!
I've wanted one of these since I watched footage of Larry Coryell playing a model in the 70s.
William Sullivan It's one of the best affordable Les Paul-style guitars at the market!
My wife's cousin has a room full of Hagstroms from all eras including amps, basses and accordions. A magnificent collection. I jammed with him and his dad when we visited them in Sweden, and it was awesome. I bought a Swede in a blue finish and it is a great guitar. The neck is great. Probably the easiest guitar to play that I own. It compares well to the ESP and Gibson Les Paul that are in my collection and I picked it up for 20% of the cost of the big namews. Go the Haggie!!
I owned an original Hagstrom Swede from '76 for about 15 yrs. Finally replaced it with a new Swede. After an initial set-up it plays great. Love the super 58 p'ups, resinator fingerboard, and I would play this over most Les Paul's. The body seems to be a little wider than a Les Paul (to answer your question)... A Les Paul has a narrower width.
I have an original Swede from the 70's, its a unique and very well made guitar. My son plugged it in one day and started to shred his style of music and we both looked at each other and said wow! It plays modern metal really well. Of all my Gibson's and Fenders, he said this is the one guitar of mine he wants. The pick ups are really something to hear on this baby!
For the time (and style of guitar) it had a rather slim and fast neck. A radical design back in the 70s.
Great review one of the best I have heard ,I bought 2 hagstrom because of your reviews , the pat smear and the swede and I love them both thanks
Rick Frier Really?! I'll have to tell Hagström :) They are making really good guitars, so you've made the right choices in my opinion.
Thanks for the great information! I've been looking at these for a bit now...
thanks for the review and I hope you recover soon from your head injury
Thanks for the review. I just picked up a gold top version of this guitar and absolutely love it! I agree with your Gibson comments. If I were an alien and landed on earth I might just think that Epiphones were copies of Hagstroms and the price of most Gibsons would leave me perplexed when played side by side. Dig the Ovation in the corner as well!
Thanks for watching! Yes I'd pick a Hagström over any Gibson. Great playing and sounding instruments!
In my opinion it is. It's a more soild guitar and it has better pickups. You don't need to upgrade this one at all. If I got an Epi I would change the pickups straight away.
Yes I'm sure it will. It has a slim and playable neck and it sounds great!
Random question, where do Swedes get their wood supply for guitars ? Are old growth forests in Sweden or Russia available or scarce because of wars ? (p.s. see a used one red Hagstrom Swede 6/5/18 $400.)
John Howe It was all imported. There are a few small builders that experiment with local woods today, but in really small scale. I like the Finnish brand Flaxwood that uses wood fibres from Finnish trees.
I forgot to mention that the neck is made of mahogany. That I would normally consider to be bad durability-wise, but here you have the H-expander so there will be no problems.
Hey dude Kerry Livgren moved back to Topeka a while back I met the band when I was 15 at steam music. He used a swede for a while I saw him and asked if he still had his swedes and he said yes he uses them in his studio. I thought you would dig that peace.
john keithley Awesome! The Swedes are great stuff.
Yes the necks are slimmer and yet more solid. The few Hagstroms I've tried besides this one have all had rather rough fret edges.
Great guitars, only brand I don't change the stock pickups in :-)
True story: Last year I bought a set of used Hagström pickups to upgrade a guitar. They're THAT good!
@@SwedishGuitarNerd Can't beat that Hagström growl!
I own a goldtop Hagstrom Swede and they are fantastic guitars. Far better than the three Gibsons I've owned. A lot of guitar for under £700.
Yes it's a different beast compared to the Gibsons I agree.
I have owned three Swedish and one Chinese swedes in my long playing career.
They are great guitars. Imagine the guitars body is like a woman's torso. The Gibson feels like a very fit dancer when you hold her, the Swede feels like the same dancer, with a doughnut habit. I have always preferred chubby girls.
The sound of the new Chinese ones are to my ears superior but the Swedish originals were of superb build quality.
Trouble was that no popstars ( except Abba and Larry Coryell) endorsed Hagstroms.
Thanks for giving the proper pronunciation of Hagstrom. Great review, as always.
milowagon Thank you!
You forgot Elvis in the Comeback Special 68. You can't ask more than that.
Yes it is like a regular trussrod. Only beefier!
I guess the 'H-expander' can't be adjusted, like regular truss rods?
Basically the same guitar with less bling. No bindings and such. It also has different pickups but I don't think they sound very different from each other.
Had 2 Hagstrom's basses in the 60's. 1st was one of the plastic type ones. Sounded decent even though plastic & Naugahyde type stuff. #2 was a wood red bass in red. I still miss it. These appear to be of much higher quality though. they sold like hotcakes around the NW USA. Glad I stepped backwards on your vids.
+greatvanzinni Yes they made all kinds of stuff. It's interesting to think about that some of the plastic ones are from the same age as the classic Strats and Les Pauls. I really liked the J-bass that they made and are making again.
+SwedishGuitarNerd Looking at their site I totally forgot. My older Bro had the original 8 string. I see they're making it again. Thanks!
My first solid body electric guitar was an absolute mint 1970 Swede in a beautiful cherry finish that I got back in 1985 for a Christmas present. I loved that guitar! Unfortunately, It got knocked out of the stand and it busted the neck and fretboard beyond repair. ( I will always miss my old Swede and I hope to get another one some day.
SwedishGuitarNerd I don't even know how it fell to be honest with you. I just remember hearing a loud BAM / TWANG! At first, I thought it wasn't that bad until I picked it up and saw a big crack going across the back of the neck and headstock and pieces of fret board broken off. I took it to the local guitar repair shop hoping it could be brought back to life but they said it wasn't worth fixing. :(
What you think its a better choice between a Ephiphone Les paul and a Hagstorm Swede?
IT FEEELS AMAZING IRL CAMERAS DONT DO IT JUSTICE ITS A Magical guitar
My old 2008 camera certainly doesn't!
@@SwedishGuitarNerd no shade at your production Quality! It was very informative and well made. Just hard to capture how great the detail work is and with good cameras it often looks plasticy wich it isnt irl. I was totally amazed when i saw it irl for the first time.
YES! It would be awesome for that I think!
I have a Swede and a Super Swede, both made in China, so I can confirm that the Super Swede does have the longer scale length.
Which of them do you prefer? Does the scale length affect the sound?
I bought 2 Hagstroms last year- a Swede and a HL550 jazzbox for under $600, not including the cases though. If I had bought an Epiphone Les Paul deluxe for $650 + shipping I'd have a made in China Gibson copy and no jazzbox! I want to get a Viking and maybe a Viking Baritone next... :0) btw it took about an hr or so to polish my frets. No issues with the frets on the HL550. These guitars can play like butter.
I liked the Dot a lot too. Myself I have even removed the pickguard on my big hollowbody Yamaha AE500..
What year was this one made? I'm considering buying a used Swede from `77. Any experience with it? Great video!
+Erkahove This was a newer 2010/2009 Chinese-made one. The 77 is made in Sweden!! It's better than any Gibson LP from the 70s that's for sure.
+SwedishGuitarNerd Thanks
I own a hagstrom swede and I love it
I'm happy for you!
Semi-hollow guitars are naked without pickguards !
I have and Epi dot and I love it ! It's perfect :)
Yeah the Ultra is little more metal-oriented I think. Haven't tried it myself though.
Yes I agree! It's at another level.
Is this the 2012 Euro made version?
That's because we're too focused on the gear and technology. I'd love to start rocking again. Any London-based band is welcome to approach me :)
Thanks for watching!
I would go as far as to say that I wouldn't trade my Swede for a Gibson Les Paul. But maybe that's because I'm left handed and a Gibson LP is really insanely priced
i have the swedie what`s the difference?
The Swede made a lifetime strat player switch. Way nicer than anything big G makes. A lot of guitar for the $
Yes I liked it better than any Gibbo I've ever tried!
Best part is I paid less than half the price for a new Swede. SWEET!!!
@@jamieforbes3661 That's a DEAL!
How much does it weigh ?
That is mega-cool!! I want it!!! :)
Is this bad boy beeter than an epiphone les paul?
That's possible. I usually wear that when I play live :)
Hagstrom swede all day, I had an lp studio and my blem swede plays so much better. Super fast neck, nice and slim and the pickups are pretty hot. Better parts than an epi and around the same price point. Grabbed mine brand new for $360 shipped about 4 years ago
Good review. Very good.
+SRNF Wow! Thanks!!
I've always wanted one... I think it was mainly because of the "strom" name haha
+Mykal Anstrom And then you add the dots to your name as well - Anström :)
Mykal Anstrom you should get one I just got one today it's really good
I don't like the pickguard, but this bridge is nice !
that is indeed, a really swede guitar!
Villy Ramos A Swede playing a Swede!
Är du säker? Är det inte bara den längre halsen som förvirrar?
Haha! :) Who doesn't want more of a viking-sound?
What language is that??
the ultra has a smaller body(to small if you ask me) and somewhat "hotter" pickups.
It's like Volvo built a guitar
Yeah that sounds familiar. And Elvis!
Yes it is a true Gibson-killer!
nja om jag ska vara ärlig så har jag alldrig spelat en superswede men jag har för mig att jag hört nånstans att den är mindre än Gibson Les paul som är mindre än en Swede
mahogany is a dense wood, and I guess there is no chambering, so, yes, heavy...
Never met a nerd who could acutally play..
lol du ar konstig min van :-) I acquired a 1972 Hagstrom Swede about three weeks ago it rocks. I also have a 1978 Hiin You sound just like min polar Karl living Haninge. Skal
You should be nicknamed "The Sassy Swede".
All cool guys remove the pickguard anyway
I can't tell if this guy even likes the guitar
This guy does! You're probably confused since I point out the bad parts as well as the good parts. You don't see to much of that on UA-cam..
I respect it.
Really? Play that thing !
too bad made in fucking Korea. i owned the SG style hag back when they were made in Sweden. wish i had kept it.
Skål!
a shmoke hand ha panncayke
Beautiful guitar. Experiencing huge problems with buying one in Russia, unfortunately.
+Сельдь Норвежская What a shame! They are wonderful guitars.
Too much talking. Play it, man!
No this is the far-east version
super swede är mycket mindre
Didn’t play it lol