Hagstrom II (60s) Quick Fix!

[@johowohoj]

Old guitars are awesome!!!

[@breilly66]

Agreed!

[@jfiery]

You consistently bring us something you can't find on other channels. Thanks for sharing this one with us. It's an amazing relic.

[@breilly66]

Cheers J! As always, too kind!

[@promastersonly1419]

Hagstroms are an addiction, at least for me. I have maybe 8 videos on them on my channel. Fun facts: of the 3 screws that anchor the neck to the body, one is a machine screw that anchors directly to the trussroad. Nobody else does that, and I think it adds something. The trem design is pretty amazing, and the one in this video still has the thumbscrew though it's missing the bar itself. It's designed to mate to a detent in the bar, and the idea is you "park" the bar flat when you put it in the case. But for me, the real magic is in the (missing) stock bridge design. It allows you to intonate each string back and forth, height, AND slide them around laterally. That allows you to do what I call a spread bore string spacing, which means you can get more room on the treble strings than the bass strings. A Kahler can do that, but no other bridge really does and it's magical if you dig into it. Speaking of magic, those round shoulder Hag single coils are pretty amazing - the pole pieces are just decorative, it's an Alnico V bar magnet underneath. Lastly is the neck. In a 1965 world where all guitar strings are flatwound 11s, the Hag neck was known as the fastest playing neck in the world. Super flat 15" radius, super thin, small frets even for the period. If you put 9s or 8s on that thing, and set the action super low you can make a real "shredder" sports guitar out of it. Dig this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/anPWh5Jmf5eHZqMsi=JVipV7TnntUAld2H

[@breilly66]

Love this. And absolutely. The neck has seriously contemporary dimensions. More along the lines of an EvH design than Fender or Gibson.

[@promastersonly1419]

@@breilly66 It does. And what's intersting is you'll find those same neck dims on all the other Hagstrom models. The 335-like Vikings, the LP-like Swedes, plus weirder stuff like the Coronado. Like a Saab or a Volvo, Swedish stuff is funky because it's got a tinge of "weird" to it. I blame the 22 hours of darkness.

[@ramsilva]

What a cool piece of history. Interesting commentary on how the hardware was manufactured back then. I love that rounded-edge aesthetic, especially on the bottom hook of the headstock. The shape is reminiscent of fender, of course, but the soft edges set it apart. Thanks for a peek at this beast, B! Hope you’ve been doing great lately.

[@breilly66]

Cheers Ramiro! What a great rig right? All the weird and all of the utilitarianism together. Hope your week has been stellar!

[@tomday7309]

I bought a Hagstrom II in 1971. It spent a lot of time in the case in a closet after playing it for about 6 years when new. I recently fell in love with that guitar again. I pulled it apart to clean the switches and pot and track down a grounding issue. It plays great now and I agree, it was built with care. Those tiny oval head slotted wood screws seem to have held everything together for all those years, but they will rust from sweat and humidity. I noticed the Hagstrom you handled had the same area of paint scratched off the back of the body just like mine. Belt buckles will do that! I painted over the red factory finish with dark metallic blue automotive paint. It looked more like a Gibson SG which I could never afford back then. Thanks for the vid, great to see some other Hags on YT.

[@chrisva4268]

Hagstroms are super cool, the thin and narrow necks on the giitars arent quite my thing, but for the same reason I love the basses, super fast for a guitar players hands. Never realized how nice the hardware is, i always assumed it would be lower quality like a lot of budfet euro builds

[@VintageSound69]

Really nice guitar and great video, never seen a hagstrom before

[@breilly66]

Thank ya Sir!

[@tjchad1]

Guitars like this make me miss my very first electric- Teisco Del Rey. I know it was cheap even back then but I wish I still had it just for sentimental reasons.

[@backpages4910]

When I was a kid, I had a 1964 white Hagstrom II guitar. It was a great guitar, but I traded it for a new 1966 Mosrite Ventures model. I wish I still had them both today.

[@cor-man]

Just discovered the channel and loving it man! Thanks for all the work and detail you share.

[@charlesceb673]

The Hagstrom guitars are incredible. I have a II from '65 and a III from '69.

[@breilly66]

Totally unsung heros.

[@alexraia1377]

Awesome video! Really cool guitars too. I just picked one up for $100. It’s not all original but it’s in good shape. Such beautiful instruments. The H-II B bass version is just as cool, if you can get your hands on one of those.

[@jltrem]

Gotta wonder...is that the original finish? Never seen a Hagstrom (at least an old one) with that color.

[@breilly66]

This one looks like a refin from the 70s. But done well with good product!

[@jltrem]

@@breilly66 Most old Hagstroms I've seen were sunburst, black or red. But yeah, nice refin. When I was a young guy (born in '52) I kinda didn't care for sunburst because I thought of it as an "old guy" finish. Then as years went by, I came to really like it. Then I realized...it's because I'm an old guy.

[@amslu]

Really cool and insightful video! But it needs a catchy title to attract more viewers

[@joeyjojo8200]

The playing in the background: is that your Twin Reverb Tonemaster again? With the Maestro overdrive? Sounds awesome!

[@breilly66]

It is! Too kind! 🙏

[@brywestwhit]

Another awesome history lesson! On another note: I just bought an AVRI body to build my own JM. I really want some linear checking not the puzzle pieces looking checks. What’s the best method for achieving this?

[@breilly66]

Yes! Welp.... to stay away from puzzle pieces, avoid the compressed air can path. When using the can, the temp swing is too fast and select in it's area. Go for the freezer overnight. It'll allow the linear checking as the temp swings slower and does so over the entire finish and all timber at the same time. :)

[@brywestwhit]

@@breilly66 thank you brother!

[@brywestwhit]

@@breilly66 Freezer method worked beautifully! Just as I wished! One more question: is it safe to sand down the clear coat a bit now that it is checked? I want it to be a bit duller.

[@breilly66]

@brywestwhit Excellent! As far as a post finish sand.... I'd stay away from paper and use light pressure and a light scotchbrite pad. It gives a more natural haze with circular motion use and it doesn't skip any dings or valleys. :)

[@brywestwhit]

@@breilly66 lol! The checking healed overnight. Try again!

[@josephr9930]

Eggselent 🥚🥚🥚