VIHC.net VAN ISLE HARDCORE BOARD

They seem pretty solid for a mid priced guitar and I'm thinking about buying a Swede. But before I do I'm wondering if anybody here knows anything about them and if they're worthwhile or not. The extra toggle switch seems like it could be interesting and from what I've heard the tail piece is a bit different from a standard stop tail piece and it helps keep the guitar in tune and makes it so that if you change sting gauges you don't necessarily have fiddle around setting it up as much, but as I've never actually played one myself and I'm not much of a gearhead I'd like to get some other people's opinions.

yo zach! I was thinking of buying a hagstrom swede a while ago until I got real and realized I shouldn't be buying more guitars because I'd be an idiot to own more than 4 again. hagstroms are sweet. julie doiron uses one and has probably one of my top ten fav tones of all time. do you know if this hagstrom is vintage or newer? they stopped making them for a long while then recently started doing reissues. I wonder if it's the one I saw listed on craigslist about two months ago. the vintage ones are a better investment, as far as reselling, but the craftsmanship doesn't badly suffer on the newer ones like the case is for other guitar brands. from what I understand, they're weighted a bit differently. look up julie doiron if you want to see some clean or only slightly dirty examples of it being used. I'm not sure how high gain the stock pickups are, you might want to switch them out for your style of hardcore. not sure what you're paying but you know the deal, check ebay, haggle, be nice, yadda yadda. I have no input on the tail piece. I didn't dig up much complainin' in my research.

also all my above information is from seeing and hearing them and reading up on them but I have never actually played one and that should always be the main selling point of a guitar. but you knew that. just chippin' in the bits that I know. I also talked to sean of tempest about hagstroms and I can't remember offhand what he said. I think a friend of his has one.

I've owned 3 Hagstroms, including a Swede...and all of them have been decent guitars. Then again...I can't play worth a shit and play a guitar like a percussion instrument, etc. The older Hags were great for trashy rock'n'roll, or clean sounds (they made models that played and sounded like same period Fenders and Mosrites)...the newer ones have different pickups and are capable of heavier sounds. There's a guitar shop in Bellingham that has a buncha different Hags....good prices too, if you're headed down that way anytime soon.

(new) Suedes are a great guitar for the price, as long as you go mid-to high on their level. I'd definitely try and stay in the "Vintage" Collection if you can. The Select and Ultra series seem really shotty, and don't feel all that great from the couple ive played.

As tyler said they used to be made and then stopped, and now they're back. As with many guitar companies that go this route, the old ones (like what Julie Doiron plays) are more desirable, as they were built in different "times". But thats not to discredit some of the new ones as they are good guitars that are not American Made, and thus, do not cost 10000 dollars.

Before I found my fender for super cheap, I was looking into getting a Hag, and in the future when i decide 4 guitars is not enough, they're something I'll consider again

EDIT: and if youre looking for a place locally that has them, Gordie's is a dealer, and he's a good guy. so keep that in mind

I'm really really into the Tremar series. I'm a vibrato junkie though, so don't take my word for it. I think that the Swede would be a great guitar for heavy tones too. Although, I personally like the Viking. Really forward thinking in terms of the truss rod, too.