Hagstrom Viking

NelsonP

Can anyone tell me about these guitars. Are they any good? Any issues? How do they compare to other similarly priced semi's?

Like this one:
https://www.hagstromguitars.com/electric-guitars/viking-gold-top.html

NelsonP

So, no-one has experience of these it seems?!

earwighoney

17mm thin neck!

NelsonP

earwighoney said:

17mm thin neck!

Good spot. That's Ibanez wizard thin.

rpr

I had a Viking Rextone for a bit, neck is slim, but wide, flat radius, you could probably shred on it.....
It was good quality, aside from the pots and switches, which were a bit wobbly and no doubt a PITA to change.
Quite a versatile guitar, pickups were pretty low output, quite jangly and single coil like

NelsonP

Bumping this for any further opinions....

Iamnobody

I’ve seen a couple on sale here so hopefully you’ll get some input. You could try searching to find those threads and ask those sellers for their thoughts? 

NelsonP

@ennspek ;
@notanon ;
@daveyh ;
@chickenchaser ;

Any views?

benecol

@timhulio to thread please, Hagstrom questions on aisle four.

fields5069

The "artist" vikings have slimmer necks than the regular I think, although a general feature of Hagstrom is the H-expander truss rod which gives added strength and so allows for a thinner neck. I had a Swede once and I don't remember being put off by the neck.

skullfunkerry

NelsonP said:

earwighoney said:

17mm thin neck!

Good spot. That's Ibanez wizard thin.

It's thinner - the Wizard III is 19mm at the first fret

TheMarlin

I think Hagstrom are great guitars.  The modern ones are way better built than the vintage models, and features are updated to modern spec.  I had the Super Swede 3xP90 with Tremar - the neck was slim (though did not feel anything like a Wizard), but it was wide and very easy to play. I like a chunky neck, so much, I've grown one myself - this neck isn't chunky, but has nice shoulders - that plus the width gave it a great feel in the hands - no complaints from me.  The special design truss rod meant that the neck was super solid, and tuning was very stable. The Tremar (made for Hagstrom by Bigsby) was quite lovely, and needed noting doing to it.  One thing I didn't like so much was the rotary pickup selector - I much prefer an inline one where I can look and see where we are, or at least feel it.  Rotary left me guessing...

I'd put them on par with Reverend for quality, better factory setup than a Gretsch Electromatic, better quality hardware too.

I ended up selling it for one reason, the P90's were too hot for my taste.  Otherwise, was pretty much my perfect LP style guitar. 

I'm currently gassing for another Hagstrom, an Impala in black - or possibly a Condo, but I'm not sure what value the additional pickup brings.  Sometimes, more choice is worse than less.

Anyway, buy with confidence - excellent solidly built guitars, and particularly good prices on the used market!

daveyh

I am about to put up my sons Viking. I think its a brilliant guitar, 335 but with its own thing going on. The neck is towards the thin But it doesn't feel that thin to me, in fact its quite similar to my Firebird

birtner

I had a Viking and a swede once. The Viking was pretty good. It was a dark sounding guitar but you could dial that out with the amp. The necks are thin and fast which wasn’t a problem for me until I tried to swap mid gig to my r9 Les Paul which did put me off for a couple of songs. The pickups are decent as is the quality. Will probably need a set up (possible nut filing) but most guitars do. I sold because I fancied a change is all but if one came my way I’d be quite happy about it. Saying that I did prefer the swede because that frequency switch thing it has, when set to boost the mids, was pretty awesome. There’s a video in which Luther Dickinson shows his guitars off including a Viking and he couldn’t say enough good things about it so if they’re good for him.....

ennspek

I had one and really liked it. There were no quality issues, looked and sounded great. As above I don't remember the neck feeling particularly thin but it was a long time ago. I have a vague recollection of the fingerboard feeling a bit scratchy when bending.
Thumbs up from me in general.

NelsonP

This is good. Keep 'em coming folks!

timhulio

The thin neck Viking is just for the Paramore guy. Don't get confused between the reissues and some of the vintage models which had the so-called King's Neck, which was famously very thin and narrow. It was used on stuff like the Hagstrom II/III and the Viking with single coils. The original Swede and Super Swede had normal necks.

@benecol I've not really tried many of the new Hagstroms. I had an F300 which was okay. And tried the Viking which I liked, but these were just after the brand came back in the mid 2000s. 

They've finally done a decent reissue of the Elvis Viking II, which has got to be worth a try.
https://www.hagstromguitars.com/electric-guitars/viking-series/67-viking-ii.html

chickenchaser

I've never actually owned one, but I have played a few. The first one I played was probably 10 years ago and it was a Viking deluxe. Absolutely lovely and it made me want one. I still plan on getting one, but will probably buy a baritone. I just havent got round to buying one!

merciful-evans

I haven't played a Viking, but I have a Deuce from 2015 (no longer produced). It also has Hagstrom Custom 58s (as with Viking bridge PU) which I like v much. Fully wax potted. Quite dark but rich sounding.

As said elsewhere, the only down side is likely to be the circuitry. I had mine rewired + output socket + pots + switch. That done, its now as gigable & reliable as anything else I use. 

You will have a flat (15" radius) fingerboard, and a wide (1.69" at nut) neck. The synthetic FB material is hard and durable. Played acoustically, you'll hear a high tinny overtone. It doesn't get through or affect the amplified sound at all. 

All the Hagstrom branded hardware (tuners / pickups etc) on the guitar is all good, as is the body & neck.