Hagstrom experts?

1nten5e

My lad was left this a few years ago by his great grandad on his mums side, he strung it lefty when he got it but he doesn't play it really, just hangs on his wall.....I reckon it's 60's definitely but as you can see it's had a bucker bodged into the neck position at some time....it it possible to get the right pickup for this guitar still? I'll need to have a look under the humbucker to see if anything has been cut away......God forbid....cheers

DeeTee

What a cracking heirloom. Have you tried contacting Hagstrom directly and asking for more information? A lot of guitar companies are happy to help with vintage questions.

rpr

Theres a  resource site here--http://www.hagstrom.org.uk/

ICBM

Looks like a late-60s Viking.

http://www.hagstrom.org.uk/images/Catalogue60/66Viking/66Viking.htm

Sadly it's a certainty that the top has been damaged, from the size of the humbucker and the new screw positions.

timhulio

Yep this is an early Viking I. They later switched to bridges with wooden bases, which results in a less bright sounding guitar. The original Swedish Hagstrom company stopped making guitars in 1983, and the current company is completely unrelated and just use generic hardware, so they won't be able to get you an original spec pickup, even if mounting it was possible.

I've got a red one from 1967. Heres some pics. As you can see, the original pickup hole will have been enlarged to fit the humbucker on yours. I also reckon your tuners have been replaced.

http://www.fredric.co.uk/blog/88-Hagstrom-Viking-I-pickup-adventures

DeeTee

@timhulio - Interesting, thanks! When you say that they use generic hardware, what do you mean? I thought they used their own pickups, not least because they always sound bright to me (in a good way). Are they just rebadged items made by somewhere else?