Hagstrom Swede:
One of our favorite Les Paul-ternatives
comes from Scandinavia, in the form of
Hagstrom’s venerable Swede model.
Hagstrom has been making really cool,
distinctive guitars since the fifties, and the
company’s Swede line has really earned
its keep among players that dig the LP
shape and sound, but want something a lot
more affordable and more progressive in
feel and intent. The Swede has the familiar
singlecut shape, carved mahogany top,
set neck, dual humbuckers, and 24.75-inch
scale, but with a few key features to set it
apart. Among these is an advanced truss
rod system called the H-Expander, which
along with the space-age, ebony-like wood
composite Resinator fretboard, allows for
a surprisingly thin, ultra-stable neck, super
low action, and a nimble feel. It looks like
a Paul, but it can shred like an Ibanez RG!
The Hagstrom Swede is also notable for
its elegant, ultra-fine tuning machines,
excellent stock pickups, and three-way tone
filter switch. For around $600, it’s a helluva
lot of guitar. Did I mention that TRW’s own
tone guru Andy Martin uses one?
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TONE TALK //
Paulternatives for the Working Player