NAMM Preview: Hagstrom Reissues Start Shipping

SuperSwede (Click for a close-up)

HJ-600 (Click for a close-up)

The legendary Hagstrom line will be officially relaunched at the 2005 Winter NAMM Show. The classic brand, now being manufactured and distributed by American Music & Sound (AM&S) under license from AB Albin Hagstrom, has just begun shipping.

The newly manufactured Hagstrom line benefits from the advances in materials and manufacturing technology that have occurred since the guitars were last produced in Sweden in 1981. The reissued models feature fingerboards manufactured from a homogeneous wood composite material that maintains a strong fundamental harmonic and eliminates wolf tones, offering ebony-like articulation with none of the associated problems, such as shrinkage or cracking, according to the company.

All new Hagstom electric guitars include the company's patented H-Expander truss rod. Providing tension at either end and running the entire length of the neck, the rigid yet lightweight alloy truss rod allows for a very low action and thin neck. Ensuring accurate tuning, Hagstrom's exclusive 18:1 gear ratio machine heads are also included on all electric models.

A self-lubricating graphite composite nut provides increased sustain and vibration through improved transfer of energy to the neck, while the hard tropical mahogany tone woods used on the body produce a warm, mellow sound. On some models, sustain is further increased through the use of the FCS-1 full contact bridge system, which offers more contiguous contact. Driving the guitar body with uninhibited string energy also generates maximum tone and sustain, so the Hagstrom block stop tailpiece is employed to deliver the maximum vibration into the body. North American Hard Rock Maple and a hard polyester finish, harder and more dense than standard polyurethane, complete the instrument.

AM&S has launched a web site for the new line of Hagstrom guitars at www.hagstromguitars.com, where visitors can learn more about the reissued models as well as the long history of these well-respected instruments. Owners will be also able to register their guitars and find information on the original Hagstrom 10 year warranty offered on all new guitars.