Here for sale we have an incredibly rare and historic modified Hagstrom H-III Scandi electric guitar in Sunburst finish. Hagstrom is a Swedish musical instrument manufacturer founded in 1925, originally producing accordions. In 1958 the company began manufacturing electric guitars, pioneering the production of electric guitars outside of the US. In 1983 the company closed its doors after being priced out of the market by cheaper brands being made in Asia. Hagstrom were reluctant to cheapen the brand with poor quality instruments, and decided to close down. In 2004 the brand was revived, producing updated versions of Hagstrom's original Swedish designs.
The serial number & specification of this instrument indicate that it was made as part of the first batch of instruments produced in 1976. The production run number '896' was specifically designated for '76, and in conjunction with the presence of Hagstrom 'Amplifier-Style' controls knobs & headstock devoid of any inlay other than the 'Hagstrom' logo, we can be confident that this instrument was indeed produced in 1976. The Scandi was only produced for a few years until '80, meaning that only around 500-600 units were produced. A bolt-on construction is employed, and comprises a Northern European Ash body, Ash neck & 20 fret Maple fingerboard. Chrome hardware is fitted including a 'block stop' tailpiece, Adjusto-matic style bridge with roller saddles & Schaller sealed tuning machines. A pair of proprietary Hagstrom single-coil pickups are installed, along with an aftermarket humbucker in the bridge position. These are wired to a trio of rocker on/off switches, independent volumes & a master tone control.
The Ash neck plays very well. The profile is really rather slim, even by modern standards. This means that big stretches & speedy playing are a breeze. The Maple of the fretboard is pleasant under the fingers, and delivers a smooth & durable playing surface to explore. With a 9.5" radius, chord playing & melodic solo lines are equally comfortable & practical. The dual cutaway design of the body affords unrestricted access to the upper frets, whilst the contours of the body sit comfortably in the arms in both seated & standing positions. The controls whilst extensive are easily accessible without intruding on the playing experience.
The amplified tone of the proprietary Hagstrom single-coils is both warm & clear, with a nicely rounded frequency response that provides plenty of power for pushing your melodic lines to the front of the mix. When driving the amp there's plenty of grunt on offer, providing a lovely crunch sound that works brilliantly for country, rock & blues. The humbucker in the bridge displays a lower output, which works nicely for bright strummed chordal passages. The extensive controls provide plenty of tonal options whilst remaining simple enough to operate whilst playing. A seriously cool & unique vintage instrument.
Please be aware that for international buyers import fees are not included in our postage and packaging cost, this only covers the cost of the guitar being sent to you. Import fees will be charged by Customs upon the guitar's arrival in the recipient country. Due to Brexit, this also applies to EU buyers. We advise checking the total import cost with Customs as this is not information we are able to accurately provide.