HAGSTROM TREMAR VIKING DELUXE VS GIBSON MIDTOWN CUSTOM

[GiancoHG]

Hi to all.

 

After some research and getting to pick two great finalist, i feel that i must ask for advice between this two axes !

 

I'm a guitar player looking to improve my sound with an excellent guitar that throws clean warm and bright beautiful sounds, like Radiohead's last album or some Atoms for peace songs

 

it might work in a pleasant way with some delay or reverb aswell.

 

HAGSTROM TREMAR VIKING DELUXE

• Body: Semi-hollow contoured ply flamed maple
  
• Neck: Canadian hard maple, set
  
• Fingerboard: Resinator fretboard with Hagstrom pearl block position marks
  
• Fretboard Radius: 15
  
• Trussrod: H-Expander
  
• Tuning Keys: Hagstrom 18:1 die-cast
  
• Scale Length: 24.75" / 628 mm / Graph Tech Black Tusq XL 43mm nut
  
• Pickups: 2 x Hagstrom HJ-50
  
• Pickup Selector: 3-way toggle
  
• Vibrato: Hagstrom Tremar
  
• Bridge: Long travel tune-o-matic with Hagstrom trapeze tail piece
  
• Controls: 2 x Volume, 2 x Tone
  

VS GIBSON MIDTOWN CUSTOM

 

- Classic thinline, semi-hollowbody shape

- Dual Gibson Burstbucker pickups

- Innovative Richlite ® fingerboard

- Solid mahogany with specifically carved chambers

- Nitrocellulose finish for vintage look and more open tone

- Vintage style with chrome tune-o-matic bridge, keystone tuners, and block inlays

 

 

 

So, what would be your advice? which of them would be the right pick?

 

 

Thanks! This is my first post.

 

 

 

[WRGKMC]

Some Vintage Hagstroms made in Sweden and Germany are worth allot. They are whole different animals from the ones being made in China.

 

I believe a closer match of quality would be a Hagstrom vs an Epiphone.

 

The Gibson is twice the price and will likely retain its value and even go up in value over time as most do. I don't even think there would be much of a contest as you suggest. You'd really have to have a bad case of gas to not recognize Gibson is a much higher quality instrument.

 

It really comes down to how the neck fits the hand for me however. Many guitars can look great and have great specs but if it doesn't fit my hand just right, I'm never going to be able to make it sing as well as I'd like.

 

After that comes tone, then ergonomics, then looks. I can usually make a guitar with bad tone sound better with pickup changes if the issue is electronic.

 

Ergonomics is important too, especially as I get older. I spend allot of time recording in a studio and a comfortable guitar makes for less fatigue.

 

Looks is only important when I play out, and many times not even then. I'm there to have people watch me play, not stare at how elegant the instrument looks.

 

I know when I go see a band play I'd rather see some guy ripping up a $20 Silvertone with lame sound quality vs some guy who thinks a $3000 instrument will hide the fact he cant play.

[GiancoHG]

Thanks, i really appreciate your feedback as you are a experienced player i think!

 

for me tone is first, i can adapt me to different necks

 

however...i do believe cheaper instruments can standout over high end ones in terms of sound.

 

For example...i'm not blind to see here that a gibson 335 has more full sound than the chinese viking hangstrom, (the swedish one must be difficult to find)

 

 

 

but, what do you think? for me it's an impressive comparison.

 

 

i forgot ...i can get gibson midwtown standard in 850$ and the hagstrom cost 750$ without case...haha, not crazy, but i'm still hesitating.

 

Regards!

 

budget: 1000$

[6down1togo]

Unless you have the disposable income for a 335, the Hagstrom is a very nice guitar. I owned a Hagstrom Superswede for a couple years and it was a very good guitar and a cut above an Epiphone. Personally, I would go with a trapeze (non-tremar) Viking and put on a Bigsby.

 

The Hagstrom necks are very thin (shredder thin) with flattened C profile so you have to like that kind of neck. The fretboard is very nice and will easily fool you into thinking you are playing an ebony board. Their quality is very good and their pickups better than Epiphone.

 

I am not a Midtown fan. I don't like the flat top or the Burstbuckers. I prefer an arched top and back and full sized body in the style of a 335. They seem more resonant and airy in sound. The hogged out mahogany body of the Midtown sounds way more Les Paulish than 335.

[t_e_l_e]

from the look i would go with the midtown... from sound i really don't know.

 

[Chordite]

In the vid the Hagstrom is definitely brighter and fresher which fits your demand list better since you seem to want a "jangly" component available. The gibson could just be on older strings of course but I would think anyone putting out a video would put new strings on both in the cause of fairness.

Personally I would go with the hag, knowing I could roll off the tone a bit if I wanted. I have had hagstrom solid bodies but never a semi.

A good store won't mind you spending a bit of time on a quiet weekday playing and deciding between guitars

[Verne Andru]

I have a Hagstrom Viking, non-tremar, and can attest that it's a fabulous guitar. Extremely well built and it balances well on a strap.

 

I think the big differences, from a players POV, will be the neck and balance. The Gibson will have a chunkier neck and, if true to other 335's, have a bit of neck dive. I have no experience with Burstbuckers, so can't say one way or other.

 

I am absolutely in love with the Hagstrom neck, but understand it's not for everyone. I wasn't a fan of the Hagstrom pickups, so they got swapped for a set of P-Rails. That makes this an extremely versatile axe, from a tonal POV.

 

Resale? Gibson would have the edge there.

[ballhawk]

I own the exact Hagstrom you are considering. Agree with Verne's take almost 100%. I modded mine by drilling holes in the tailpiece to make restringing easier ( I dislike the bigsby style pegs). I tried a vibramate but the pegs were the only thing on this guitar that were not done right. they seemed a liitle too short. If GFS had had their bigsby type trem at the time i would have probably just done that.

 

I won't comment on the tone because it is subjective ad I change pickups on almost every axe I have because I am a tinkerer.

 

If was not concerned with resale and got a decent deal on mine anyhow.

[GiancoHG]

Finally the Gibson Midtown Standard has arrived! let me do a quick review

 

i was very lucky, just 740 dollars like new! no scratches

 

PROS:

 

clean tones are superb, warm and rich and pleasant, with distortion it really bites,

bridge it's very comfortable

bigsby it's way cool and add new sound possibilities

top quality

 

CONS:

 

I feel some sustain lacking, i'm hoping an advice here,

note : i haven't turned up the volume amp to maximum

 

-i know, semihollow not solid, but throw a tip here please-

 

the richlite fingerboard ...hmm, a matter to get used to

 

 

Thank you all for your advice, this is my first Gibson

 

 

 

[jtr654]

If I were you I'ld go Midtown Custom for only a $100 more than the Hagstrom.

 

[ballhawk]

Wow. 3/4 of a year later! Good luck with it.

[DeepEnd]

Congratulations. Happy New Guitar Day.

 

. . . I feel some sustain lacking, i'm hoping an advice here,

note : i haven't turned up the volume amp to maximum . . .

The first thing that occurs to me is to ask how old the strings are and what brand. You may be able to improve the sustain with new/different strings. A setup couldn't hurt either. No clue what amp/pedals you have but a touch of reverb will improve apparent sustain as well.

[thatsbunk]

HNGD... Good price & a Bigsby too! Did it also come with the case? If so your really scored.

 

As Deepend mentioned, a string change may be in order if your sustain is lacking. I own a couple of guitars with Bigsbys & find you need 10's at a minimum... anything lighter & they won't play nice together.

[DeepEnd]

Thanks. I hadn't thought of changing gauge. I don't use a trem and didn't think of it as a factor.