An Arctic Guitar Blast from the Past

Here is a rare chance to own a true and unique piece of guitar history. Jerry Lee’s Music Store in St.Marys, Georgia has two “almost one of a kind” Hagstrom’s Super Swedes for sale. Here is the story of Swedish guitar brand Hagstrom’s revival and the four handmade Super Swede models, exclusively produced for introduction at the 2020 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California last January.

Hagstrom History

In the early days of the electric guitar there were few brandnames that originated outside of the US. At the time the first electrically amplified guitars saw the light in 1932, Hagstrom had just started building its line of accordeons. But by the early 1940s the company expanded into the production of acoustic steel string and classical guitars. When during the 1950s and 60s, the electric guitar began taking its prominent position in global popular music, Hagstrom started making their first electrics, not in the least a result of the Swedish instrumental rock band the Spotnicks topping the charts globally with titles like Amapola and Orange Blossom Special.

There was a growing demand for electric guitars and Hagstrom was primed to deliver to the Scandinavian markets. Of course with the typical north country flair of quality at a reasonable price (think IKEA), they delivered a wide range of models starting in 1958. And all of these guitars were covered in sparkling celluloid, which was previously used in accordions.

Most of the original models were fairly traditional in shape, using either an equal double-cutaway style or a rounded-off Les Paul shape. Most came with four single-coils pick-ups in a position that made them look like humbuckers. Some models also had a white pearl neck and a clear Perspex fingerboard. Hagstrom-built vibrato units were optional extras on most models.

The guitars also usually came with a dizzying array of rollers and push-button selectors to split the pickups and change the sounds. The guitars were extravagant, and were not met with a great deal of success initially. Players preferred the simplicity of the relatively uncomplicated American instruments from Fender and Gibson, rather than the flashy finishes and complicated controls offered by Hagstrom and other brands like Eko, Hofner and the huge assortment of fledgling Japanese makers.

Production of high-end instruments Moves back to Sweden

Original Hagstroms have a huge cult following due to their rarity and originality, to the point that there is a Hagstrom festival in Sweden for the first few days of every June. For their die-hard fans it is very good to see this old brand back in action and following the request of thousands of Hagstrom fans, the company decided in 2018 to bring production of the Northern Series back to Sweden, (at least) for their Flagship Series – the Swedes and Super Swedes.

Only Four Super Swedes Made for the 2020 NAMM Show

In 2019 the company manually produced four Super Swede’s in two distinctly different colors for the January 2020 NAMM Show in Anaheim California and outfitted them with modern electronics. At the last moment the company decided not to feature these four unique, high quality instruments at the show and instead Jerry Lee got his hands on two of these magnificent, hand made, guitars. YOU’RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING UNIQUE? HERE IS YOUR CHANCE: Hagstrom Super Swede LTD Edition – Only Two Made

Own one of these guitars and be in great company with the stars from yesterday and today. Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Cat Stevens, Bjørn Ulvaeus(ABBA), Bob Seger, Joe Perry, Randy Meisner, Steve Hackett, Billy Gibbons, Kurt Cobain, David Bowie, Larry Coryell, and many others are known to have played a Hagstrom at one point in their careers. Foo Fighters Pat Smear (see picture), who owns reportedly one of the largest collections of Hagstroms in the world, and says they’re the best road guitars he ever played.