Here we have a unique example from the mid 70s - the Hagstrom Swede was Sweden‘s take on a Les Paul style guitar, with a resonant mahogany body and two humbuckers. These represent a cool way to get into vintage guitars without dropping a fortune, as they were quite well made and are nice to play (certainly lighter than a 70s Gibson!).
This example has seen a few modifications - the pickups have been swapped out for a set of hand wound Thanos PAFs - giving it more of a classic Les Paul tone. The pickup rings are non original, and it has a few extra screw holes where a non original pickguard was presumably mounted. The “mud switch” has been removed as they tend to not sound great, and a dummy switch is in place for aesthetics. The tuners, bridge, tailpiece, frets, etc all appear to be original. This one is a lot of fun to play, and is a refreshing option from a sea of Les Pauls if one were to use it on stage.
Cosmetically it is in nice shape for its age, with the finish still shining nicely and the binding in good shape. There are few dings/scratches/marks/etc throughout from over the years, but nothing unexpected and overall the guitar looks nice. There is a crack around the heel of the body - if you look at photos of other examples, this was an extremely common thing on these guitars. The construction of the neck is actually bolt on, and this doesn‘t impact the integrity of the guitar. It has been setup with D’Addario 10-46s and is all set to rock and roll! I have personally held onto this guitar for a handful of years as it plays nicer than my ‘75 Les Paul, alas my collection of 70’s guitars is getting a bit out hand.
Don’t miss out on the Saab of guitars!