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Hagstrom Viking Standard, Review

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Anybody want to chime in on whether I can get a truly aggressive punk/metal sound out of a semi-hollow such as the Viking?

I know bands such as Tiger Army (if anyone knows who they are....) use semi-hollows to good effect. I believe their guit player uses a Gretsch Duo-Jet.
 
Vik Power, here is a vid (of NOT me) getting some punk tones out of a red Viking like mine at between about a half minute to a minute and a half in.


I think it can, especially with a pedal like the Rabid Rodent DVM built for me.
 
Not sure about punk/metal out of a hollowbody, but this guy can get pretty heavy with one :dude:
776px-Alex_Lifeson4.jpg
 
sunvalleylaw said:
Vik Power, here is a vid (of NOT me) getting some punk tones out of a red Viking like mine at between about a half minute to a minute and a half in.


I think it can, especially with a pedal like the Rabid Rodent DVM built for me.
Click to expand...
:bravo: :AOK: :bravo:


That was excellent! Any ideas on amp/effects this guy might be using?????

I just read last night that Tim Armstrong of Rancid is a big Hagstrom Viking user as well so.....
 
No I have no idea what he was using. Double click the vid above and it will take you to youtube and you can see if he says, or ask him. I did not know that about Rancid, but it does not surprise me. You can get feedback so easily, semis are good tools I think for making loud, punkish noise.

That is a cool Lifeson pic too Trev!
 
sunvalleylaw said:
No I have no idea what he was using. Double click the vid above and it will take you to youtube and you can see if he says, or ask him. I did not know that about Rancid, but it does not surprise me. You can get feedback so easily, semis are good tools I think for making loud, punkish noise.

That is a cool Lifeson pic too Trev!
Click to expand...


Thanks for the tip about double clicking on the youtube link. I didn't know that it worked like that. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like any of that info is included. The guy does have a website though and I'll do some further research there......
 
Viking Power said:
I wouldn't have guessed that Lifeson played one! :dude: Very cool!
Click to expand...

That, my friend, is the one-off 355 that Gibson gave Mr. Lifeson at the end of a factory tour in '77. In an interview, Alex said he almost cried when he saw his name engraved on the truss rod cover. It's a beaut, for sure!
 
That is, if anything, a very beautiful guitar. Nice review! Now, if only I had a bunch of extra cash lying around...:rotflmao:
 
I was wondering how you like this guitar now that you've had a chance to get to know it a bit more. I've already paid for one from an eBay seller named Tim (Mauery, I think). I've talked with him on the phone and I think he might be the same guy that you mention in the thread. I believe he lives in Salisbury, MD. I can't really change my mind about the purchase but I was wondering if the guitar has performed to your expectations and how you like the sound and quality of the guitar now that you've had it a while.

By the way, I'm a new member to the forum and I am learning without an instructor. I currently play an Alvarez AD60 acoustic and have been playing for about 3 months. I haven't even purchased an amp to use with the Hagstrom but will probably buy a small Fender Frontman practice amp to start with. Musician's Friend has 4 of these amps ranging from 10 to 25 amps and from $60 - $100. Any info or advice will be appreciated.
 
Last edited:
Bluenote

I got the Viking Deluxe the same time SVL got his Viking Standard. We both got them from Tim and he gave us a more than fair deal.

I just got around to changing stings on mine and now I'm playing it a lot more. It has held tuning well. The neck is very stable and a gas to play. If you are looking into one from Tim I think you'll be happy with your purchase. The Vikings that I've had my hands on have been very well crafted and if you do buy from Tim he has very good customer service.
 
Bluenote said:
I was wondering how you like this guitar now that you've had a chance to get to know it a bit more. I've already paid for one from an eBay seller named Tim (Mauery, I think). I've talked with him on the phone and I think he might be the same guy that you mention in the thread. I believe he lives in Salisbury, MD. I can't really change my mind about the purchase but I was wondering if the guitar has performed to your expectations and how you like the sound and quality of the guitar now that you've had it a while.
Click to expand...

Hi Bluenote! Welcome! Stop on over and post an intro in "The Fret Players" section. You will get a bunch of warm welcomes and get to know a few folks I am sure. I was out of town this weekend and am just getting around to replying to you.

As Spudman noted, he and I both bought our Hags from Tim. I was quite pleased and the review above tells it. Well, a year later and I feel the same way. Expectations, sound and quality fully met, and exceeded frankly. I did not think I was going to get this nice a guitar when I ordered it. The guitar sounds great, plays great, and was exactly the right second electric for me to buy. I suspect and bet you will be pleased. It will be fun for you to play around with blending the bridge and neck pups, playing full neck and full bridge, and messing around with the tone knobs. Lots and lots of tones in the clean section. And then when you feel like getting dirty and rocking it up, it will take you there fast. Sustain for weeks! Lots of fun for sure, and it has not diminished in the first year's ownership.

It is a good season for this guitar, as I am doing jazzy/bluesy versions of Christmas tunes, going for smoky jazz tones with a bit of sparkle. And mine is a good color for the season too. Have fun! :happy EDIT: BTW, what color did you get?

Oh, and re: the amph, I would say save just a little more and get a Vox DA-5 at least, or just a little more yet and get a Peavey Vypyr 30. Lots to play with there, and a good sound for the money. More versatile than the really little frontman amphs I think.
 
Thanks everyone for responding. The guitar arrived yesterday and I was able to briefly check it out in the evening after work although as I mentioned I don't yet have an amp to plug into. The one thing that I noticed right away was that one each of the tone and volume knobs was loose. Aside from prying the pot shaft wider at the top I think the solution to the problem would be to replace the knobs as an easy fix. The loose knobs just seem to have a bit too large opening. Does anyone know if these pot shafts are course or fine splines? Also, just wondering if you guys registered your guitars with Hagstrom for warranty purposes?

Aside from the loose knobs the guitar looks great and for the money it looks like a lot of guitar. I'll post again about that once I have played it (with my limited abilities).

I'll gladly accept any advice on fixing the loose knobs and what the spline sizes are.

Thanks for the welcome Sunvalleylaw and I will try to post in the newbie section with an intro soon. BTW, I have the red Viking. I actually found Fret.net by doing an image search for Viking on Google and pictures of your guitar came up from this site.
 
If those shafts are split then gently take a flat blade screwdriver to them and very carefully put a little pressure in the split to make it wider. It doesn't take very much. If they are not split then try Teflon plumbers tape around the shaft and then put the knob back on. It shouldn't take much of this either.
 
Thanks for the response Spudman. The pots have the split shaft so I'll try to widen them a bit.
 
new GEAR GAS

1st I learned about Collings Guitars
then Heritage Guitars
now these GAS AND MORE GAS i NEED TO HIT THE LOTTERY REAL BAD. LOL
 
Here is a pic of me with the new Viking that I bought from Tim. I'm still deciding on the amp and giving that Peavey Vypyr that Sunvalleylaw recommended some serious thought.
vbimghost.php
 
Sweet! Looks very familiar. :AOK Re: the amph, make sure you go play one, and also a Vox AD 30 or something like it. I like the Peavey a lot, but when you go play it you will probably need to tweek the pre-sets it has dialed in, unless the shop has already done so. At least I did. They tend to come set up to be oversaturated with gain. Have fun with that new axe!
 
Thanks for the info. It may be difficult to play that particular amp without traveling maybe an hour or more.. The music shops in the area have limited showroom stock but I'll do some calling around about it. It is part of the reason that I shop online so much (cost savings can be substantial also).

I was wondering if this is the amp that you have and also what you think of the smaller Peavey Vypyr 15. As far as output for a live performance I don't anticipate that happening any time too soon so I am thinking of this first amp as a practice amp really. The other difficulty with my selection process is that I've never owned or really played much electric guitar so I don't know what features are valuable in an amp. With the limited playing that I've done all that I can really hear is that adjusting the guitar's tone controls changes the sound from low to high (like bass/treble) and reverb creates an echo-like effect? I'm not sure what too much gain would sound like.

I would like to achieve a David Gilmour-like sound (as much as I can without a Strat) for playing some of the leads that he has written over the years that I will be trying to learn at some point. Otherwise I don't have a desired sound in mind. I think that I should be able to play clean jazz tones with the Viking also? I'm unsure how to manipulate sound through the amp/distortion box stuff so anything you can suggest would be a great help if you might have the time to give me a bit of advice on it.
 
My advice is to find a solid state amp, used, on craigslist. Look for something 20w or more. I ended up with a Fender Stage 1000 (1 x 12, solid state with digital flanger, reverb, tremolo, delay etc) with a foot pedal. I've been really pleased with this amp. It was basically brand new, I got it for $200.

An SS amp with some digital effects or models will be good to mess around with and discover your sound. The digital effects are great to play around with, to see what you like. I didn't fully appreciate my Fender amp until I got a Blackheart Little Giant...I had read so much hype about tubes that I continually second guessed the Fender. I was wrong. I use the Fender more often than my LG.
 
Thanks for the suggestions and info Commodore 64. I got a recommendation for the Peavey Vypyr 30 from Sunvalleylaw and I think it was good advice. I've been playing the amp now for a few days and still exploring all of the options. So far it has been nothing but pure enjoyment. I really like the versatility of the Vypyr. At this point I don't play out so it is everything that I need and I think it will serve me well as I am developing my skills.
 
Robert said:
Blaze, that's a Viking II. Ugly headstock! Beyond that, I don't know what the difference are compared to the regular Viking.
Click to expand...

A Viking II has a bolt on neck rather than set neck. That much I know. The specs are otherwise different too in some respects, according to Hagstrom's site. It might be a fine guitar for all I know, but it is not the same as the Vik Standard or Deluxe in specs.
 

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