iGuitar Issue 6 Featuring Steve Howe & Michael Angelo Batio.
iGuitar issue 6 featuring interviews with YES guitarist Steve Howe and
Metal Extreme shredder Michael Angelo Batio. Be sure to check out the Free guitar lessons in this Issue as amongst our regular guitar lessons Michael Angelo Batio teaches you how to play Alternate Picking on guitar. Jamie Humphries provides a style feature on Show to play guitar like Steve Howe.
REVIEWS_GUITAR REVIEWS
Hagstrom’s new Swedie represents yet another interpretation of a classic electric
guitar design - the single cutaway solid body. It’s also an entry point to the Hagstrom
range. It offers classy looks, good specifications and an attractive price.
But can it pass the Tom Quayle test?
Hagstrom began making guitars in Sweden
way back in 1958, starting out with the very
modern looking (for the time) Standard, De
Luxe and De Luxe A. Production continued
until 1983 with a variety of models and,
despite never quite cracking the international
big time, the individualistic company
pioneered some interesting design ideas
and, along the way, secured a few Grade A
artists using their guitars - including no lesser
beings than Joe Walsh, Kurt Cobain - and
Elvis Presley. Original Hagstrom guitars have
become collectors items over the years, as you
might imagine!
In 2004 Hagstrom returned as a brand
- not exactly the original company, but
following the original’s ideas and with family
involvement. The plan was to embrace the
Hagstrom heritage while reflecting modern
trends in technology and production
techniques. As you would expect, production
no longer takes place in expensive Sweden,
but all the raw materials for the guitars are
sourced from the USA and Korea, which
should make Hagstroms a cut above some of
the mass market brands.
126
SRP £393.19/$899.99 STAR RATING
CHECK THE SPEC
iGuitar Magazine Issue 6
The Swedie model we were loaned for review
is a relative newcomer to the range and leans
in terms of both its name and inspiration
on the highly respected Hagstrom Swede.
Despite being an entry-level model (in
Hagstrom terms), it impressed us in every
way with its construction and build quality.
It features a mahogany body with mahogany
top, matched to a mahogany neck and
Hagstrom’s trademark ‘Resinator’ fretboard.
As we’ve said, this is one of the cheaper
guitars in the Hagstrom range but its price
tag certainly doesn’t reflect the quality of the
instrument. Everything feels expensive and
solid, with a flawless build and finish. The
corner cutting, normally associated with
lower cost guitars, simply doesn’t feature here
and the frets, neck and body are all superbly
put together with no cracks, flaws or warping
to speak of. There are no flame or quilt
veneers to add sparkle and flair, just a simple
opaque finish to keep costs down, with five
colours to choose from. Everything about
this guitar says quality and value for money.
The design is obviously vintage - in fact very
60’s - but the unique headstock and body
shape make it stand out from the crowd.
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