Hagstrom Swede Mandarin Burst

I love this guitar, and am very glad I bought it. There are a few negatives that must be aired, so I thought I better start with the positive bottom line in case you don't read it all.

I already own a limited run Hagstrom Super Swede I bought 2nd hand and it's one of my favourite guitars, so when looking for a new 'gigging workhorse' guitar I was over the moon when the Mk3 Swedes & Super Swedes came out - these guitars tick every box on my "ideal guitar spec" wish list. However, my other Hagstrom was a European built model, so I was slightly apprehensive about ordering one of these.

The basic guitar seems well built and finished (feels nice and solid, paint/lacquer etc all really good), but unfortunately there were some quality issues with the final assembly/bolt-on bits. One of the two volume knobs had fallen off, the other came off in my hand, the toggle switch was at a really weird angle (easy fix, but still poor), and one of the strap buttons (the lower one, which I don't actually use fortunately) had been fitted wonky. I'd like to think this was a one off, but the one example I managed to lay my hands on in a shop had similar issues with the knobs, and the jack socket was loose. The edges of the scratch plate are a bit rough in my opinion too and make it seem a bit cheap and tacky, but that might just be me being picky. Similarly, some of the other plastic parts seem slightly low budget - nothing wrong with them so to speak just feel a bit cheap/basic - though I guess if you're gonna cut costs anywhere, this is the area to do it. The control knobs are pretty nice though (once fastened properly!).

Minor quality/assembly issues aside, this thing rocks. It's a beast of a single cut (it is NOT light), really deep resonant sound, but the clarity and definition is there too and the sustain is really impressive. Stock pickups are pretty decent, better than most stock humbuckers at this price point (at least to my taste - I tend to prefer clarity over grunt), though I think I agree with some other reviews that it could probably do with the AlnicoV in the bridge from the Super Swede. The neck isn't the thinnest (though for a gigging guitar I feel that's not necessarily a bad thing) and I think the hagstrom marketing is a little misleading given how thin some modern 'thin' necks can be these days. However, I find it comfortable to play, and actually better than my thinner necks for continuous barre/power chord playing. The composite fretboard material is weirdly smooth and lovely for playing lead on, and the sculpted heel feels great and does what it's supposed to do; miles better than a traditional single-cut heel joint. Out-of-the-box playability was ok but not great, probably about what you'd expect for a far-east made guitar. However, after a little attention to fretwork and setup from my usual luthier, it's an absolute joy to play.

In conclusion, I think this is a great guitar, and well worth sorting the minor issues for. Sounds amazing, looks great, feels good to play, so the quality issues are a real shame as without them it would be an easy 5 stars.