Hagstrom Swede Guitar Repair - Need Advice!!!

guitarister · Post by **guitarister** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 6:21 pm

So would a fat pat combined with a power/crunchy rails sound good or do you still think it'd be too hot in Mahogany? In terms of the DiMarzio's I also like the DSonic model and it's a bit lower output. Do you think an equivalent GFS and a fat pat would sound better or you think it'd still be too hot? Do GFS even have a comparable model? Thanks Tim.

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 6:27 pm

I'd just avoid rails pickups in general.

guitarister · Post by **guitarister** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 8:31 pm

Hey, thanks for the link to the truss rod bit. I took a very careful look at my Swede and the truss nut still it there - it's just so small and thin that it's easy to mistake... well and it looks considerably different than standard nuts. That link helped a lot.

In terms of the pickups, the med. output pickups I like a lot were the FRED and the Fat Joe. Any knowledge offhand what would be nearest that GFS has? I'm shooting them a note about it too. Hopefully they won't tell me "crunchy rails" again. Since it's mahogany, you're probably right that it'd end up sounding craptastical with a high output.

guitarister · Post by **guitarister** » Wed May 07, 2008 4:50 pm

Crap, just got the bridge and it's the wrong size. Now what?

I guess I could try drilling a bigger hole but then it might not line up...

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Thu May 08, 2008 7:52 am

Post a photo of the bridge you bought, plus the bridge posts on your guitar.

guitarister · Post by **guitarister** » Thu May 08, 2008 4:44 pm

Here are the pics: bridge and pole pics

It doesn't line up right for one and the hole appears to be way too small. I brought it into Guitarcenter and they took a look at it. They pulled down a couple bridges. They said a Les Paul will work, but it needs the right thread for it. I scoured the web, but I couldn't find any places selling screw-in pole pieces like that, let alone ones of that thickness.

The diameter of the bottom of the screws is ~6mm give or take a hair.

A genuine Swede bridge will be significantly more expensive so I would prefer not to have to go that route, but I guess if there's no other options... If possible, I'd like to just do that and get the right size thread for it (so fat on the bottom like that and with the correct top for the les paul).

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Thu May 08, 2008 9:09 pm

You screwed-in the posts and sat the bridge on top of them, like this?

What happens when you try that?

guitarister · Post by **guitarister** » Thu May 08, 2008 9:21 pm

Wait, so you're saying the bridge just goes on loose and the string tension is supposed to keep it in place then? I contacted a guy in Sweden who had a bridge that actually screws down (of course several times the price though).

The Swede pics I saw made it look like the bridges were supposed to be screwed down though...

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Thu May 08, 2008 9:37 pm

Not the one on your Swede!

Spot the difference:
1) 1973 Swede, like yours.
http://www.vintage-guitars.se/1973_Hags ... 851193.htm

2) 1978 Swede, like that guy probably has
http://www.vintage-guitars.se/1978_Hags ... 021582.htm

guitarister · Post by **guitarister** » Thu May 08, 2008 9:41 pm

Ok, so it looks like that actually works that way. I guess I haven't seen an instrument bridge that doesn't screw down since my classic orchestra days in grade school. Now I just need a nut.

I contacted graph tech and they recommended the

pt/pq 6000
pt/pq 6010

nuts.

The actual nut (from the Hagstrom UK forum) was:

Lenght = 42.5 mm
Height = 7 mm (middle) 6mm(Low E) 5.5 mm (High E)
Width = 5.5 mm
E-to-E Spring Spacing = 36 mm

Would that pose a problem because those all are too thin or can I just toss in a spacer in between it and the headstock?

guitarister · Post by **guitarister** » Thu May 08, 2008 9:44 pm

timhulio wrote:Not the one on your Swede!

Spot the difference:
1) 1973 Swede, like yours.
http://www.vintage-guitars.se/1973_Hags ... 851193.htm

2) 1978 Swede, like that guy probably has
http://www.vintage-guitars.se/1978_Hags ... 021582.htm

You are correct, sir. His is the later version. Interestingly, I had him check the post and spacing and it would fit on the Swede I have, but it's probably not worth 2x the price. According to him, the newer one was used from 1974-1983. So it appears they're interchangeable maybe? Is there any benefit to the newer version over the old bridge?

Thanks for bearing with me on this. Finding unique parts can be a pain and I appreciate all you've done in terms of stearing me in the right direction.

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Thu May 08, 2008 9:47 pm

No problemo, just looking forward to seeing what yours looks like when it's back together!

guitarister · Post by **guitarister** » Fri May 09, 2008 11:20 pm

Here's the bridge installed... a little bit ghetto-looking (holes are actually bigger than the nobs, but seems to snap in place anyway)

Is it better for me to try to get a precut for a Gibson or just get one cut for it? How much does it usually cost to have one cut at a shop (haven't needed to before)?

guitarister · Post by **guitarister** » Sat May 10, 2008 7:36 am

I'm thinking of trying the (crunchy rails || fat paf || crunchy pat) and a dream180 on this baby. What do you think? Or maybe a set of dream180's for the look. Do you think that'd give me enough crunch though?

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Sat May 10, 2008 8:43 am

The correct amp will give you the crunch you're after. Anything high-output will just give you bad sound.

guitarister · Post by **guitarister** » Sat May 10, 2008 3:18 pm

So then maybe a set of Dream180's might be a good choice? People seem to say they're pretty versatile and low-med output. Or maybe one of those and a Fat Paf?

guitarister · Post by **guitarister** » Sat May 10, 2008 7:00 pm

One other question I had is about the space under the neck. I know people said that Swedes tend to be a little more than normal on neck spacing, but I was wondering if I need to adjust the following or if it'll adjust when I string up the guitar. Normally I would assume that it needs to be tightened more, but I wasn't sure if that's just the way it is with Swedes. I don't want to tighten it if it's already the right position, but if it's off I obv. want to correct it.

The bottom of the neck has a white border so the black between that and the body is the space I'm talking about.

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Sat May 10, 2008 9:20 pm

Sorry I don't know what you mean at all. Don't tighten or adjust anything related to the neck. Assume it's fine as it is.

guitarister · Post by **guitarister** » Sat May 10, 2008 10:35 pm

What I mean is that I thought you wanted the neck to be flush with the body, but there's actually space between the neck and the body... like a gap where the bottom of the neck normally meets the body. So I wasn't sure if that was the normal distance on Swedes or if it was something I need to adjust. I could probably fit several playing cards underneath it.

What do you think in terms of pickups. Would 2x Dream 180's go well or maybe 2x Fat Paf's or possibly 1 of each?

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Sun May 11, 2008 7:10 am

Anyone else tried these pickups?