As you can see it looks like a LP, pretty much made of the same woods. But it has a extra filter switch in front of the pick guard. You flip it up it filters out some higher tones, giving it a deeper sound. Middle is no effect, flip it down and it filters out lower tones giving it a more bright or trebly sound. The top switch works like a Paul, and the bottom switch will change the sound in all 3 positions the top switch can be in.
So on your Paul, top switch up you get a deeper sound, if you then flip the bottom switch up also. You get Deep Dark Bluesy tones. Put them both down you can get some pretty bright tones. Top switch up, bottom switch down a middle sound. I've never had anyone tell me they didn't like it.
There's a video on youtube of Joe Walsh playing one live
Rocky Mountain Way.
The Hagstrom family use to make Accordions then when they started making guitars.
Funny you should ask this today, I just got an email from a person on this site today. I pasted it below.
"Hey, saw your post about the Hagstrom....bought a super swede about 2 weeks ago.....loving it, awesome guitar for the price. I wanted that les paul type sound without the high price....and got it!!! "
Sender of above email, if you see this, thank you, I'm glad your enjoying it.
Maggior,
I hope you get a chance to try one, but be warned, don't leave home without the money to buy it, you will not be going home alone. The Viking guitars are also very nice. The swede was built to take on Pauls in the market and Vikings were built to take on Gibson 335's. The HJ500 is a thick hollow body with a jazzy zone.
