Hagström Viking
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Hagström Viking was the first semi-acoustic guitar manufactured by
Hagström Hagström () is a musical instrument manufacturer in Älvdalen, Dalecarlia, Sweden. Their original products were accordions that they initially imported from Germany and then Italy before opening their own facility in 1932. During the late 19 ...
. It was originally launched in 1965 and was built until it was discontinued in 1979 a few years before Hagström closed down their manufacturing in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
. The Viking is currently being reproduced by the Hagström brand.


1965 to 1979

The Hagström Viking was the first semi-acoustic guitar built by the Hagström company. It was launched in 1965 alongside Hagström's new 12-string guitar and two bass guitars. Two years later there was a twelve-string model launched simple called the Viking 12 and the Viking II Deluxe which featured gold plated machine heads and adjustable bridges. In 1967 Hagström player
Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...
's "Nifty, Tough & Bitchen" advertising agency was hired to promote the Hagström brand in the USA. This resulted in three print ads: "Nifty", "Long and Slippery", and "Folk Rock is a Drag", and a radio spot: "Long and Slippery". In 1968 Hagström got much publicity when
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
played a Hagström Viking at the Elvis Presley Comeback Television Special for N.B.C. in the USA. Al Casey played a Viking II in the orchestra and was asked by producer
Bones Howe Dayton Burr "Bones" Howe (born March 18, 1933) is an American record producer and recording engineer who scored a string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, often of the sunshine pop genre, starting in 1965 with The Turtles (band), the Turtles cover o ...
if Elvis could borrow the guitar for the appearance. According to Elvis's drummer
Hal Blaine Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. ...
it was considered a lucky charm by Elvis. To take advantage of this Hagström used pictures of Elvis with the Viking in ads until Elvis's manager advised them not to. In 1972 the Viking I N replaced the original Viking; it was slightly reworked with two humbuckers replacing the original single-coil pickups and a new headstock called the ducks foot which previously had been used on the Hagström Swede. At the end of 1975 Schaller machine-heads replaced the older Van Ghent. From 1977 to 1978 all guitars featured Schaller machine-head with special butterfly design from Jimmy D´Aquisto. In 1979 the Viking was discontinued and four years later the Hagström plant in Sweden finally closed its doors.


2004 to present

As of 2004 the Hagström brand has been resurrected and is currently marketing models based on the popular Swedish designs including the Viking. The new lineup is being produced in a dedicated plant in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, and includes four Viking models: the Viking, the Viking DeLuxe, the Super Viking and the Viking IIP. The Viking and Viking DeLuxe are fairly similar while the Viking IIP has several differences to allow a lower price. In 2008
Dweezil Zappa Dweezil Zappa (born Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa, September 5, 1969) is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor. He is the son of musical composer and performer Frank Zappa. Exposed to the music industry from an early age, Zappa develo ...
joins up with Hagström to recreate the ads and to recreate some of his father's music in the "
Zappa plays Zappa Zappa Plays Zappa is an American tribute act led by Dweezil Zappa, the elder son of late American composer and musician Frank Zappa, devoted to performing the music of Frank Zappa. History The band debuted in 2006 with shows in Europe, Cana ...
" tour.


Notable users

*
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
- 68 Comeback Special *
Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...
-
The Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as the Mothers) were an American rock music, rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an ...
*
Dweezil Zappa Dweezil Zappa (born Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa, September 5, 1969) is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor. He is the son of musical composer and performer Frank Zappa. Exposed to the music industry from an early age, Zappa develo ...
-
Zappa plays Zappa Zappa Plays Zappa is an American tribute act led by Dweezil Zappa, the elder son of late American composer and musician Frank Zappa, devoted to performing the music of Frank Zappa. History The band debuted in 2006 with shows in Europe, Cana ...
* Pat Smear -
Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
,
Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...
and the Germs *
Uno Svenningsson Uno Svenningsson (born 1 July 1959 in Hagelstorp, Sweden) is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter and guitarist, who has been active in music since the late 1970s. He was the singer in the pop group "Freda'" in the early 1980s and early 1990s, and th ...
- (Swedish singer/songwriter) *Johan Persson -
Hovet Hovet (formerly known as Johanneshovs Isstadion or, in English: Johanneshov Ice Stadium) is an arena located in the Johanneshov district of Stockholm ( Stockholm Globe City) which is mainly used for ice hockey, concerts and corporate events. It ...
*
Tim Armstrong Timothy Ross Armstrong (born November 25, 1965) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. Known for his distinctive voice, he is the singer/guitarist for the punk rock band Rancid (band), Rancid and hip hop/punk rock supergroup T ...
-
Rancid (band) Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California, in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, former members of the band Operation Ivy, Rancid is often credited (alongside Green Day and the Offspring) as being among t ...
*
Ginger Wildheart Ginger Wildheart (born David Leslie Walls; 17 December 1964), sometimes known simply as Ginger, is an English rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career as a guitarist in the Quireboys, but is best known as the fo ...
-
The Wildhearts The Wildhearts are an English Rock music, rock band, formed in 1989 in Newcastle upon Tyne. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as the Beatl ...
, Hey! Hello!, solo, and various side-projects
Al Muir - Trunkshot


External links


Official siteAlbin Hagström websiteHagstrom Viking Video


References


UK Hagström siteVintage Viking specs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hagstrom Viking Semi-acoustic guitars