Hagstrom Concord I

Looking for a semi-acoustic bass (had Fender Coronado II in mind but they are very rare in The Netherlands) I run up to a Hagstrom Concord I bass.
It's a 1968 short-scale (just a tiny bit longer than my F MusicMaster Bass)sunburst bass made in Sweden. 21 frets - rosewood fretboard. As I am told it has a laminated top - two f-holes. The body is ES335 style. It's a passive bass with two pick-ups. Two volume - two tone controls. The tone control dimmishes the bass and activates the highs when turned back.
Hagstrom necks are know to be very slim due to their very sophisticated truss-rod design. The neck is in very good condition. Have a look at a Hagstrom Concord bass at perso.wanadoo.fr/hagstrom/ click on basses and then go to concord - concord of the late sixties.

I don't always take this bass to gigs. You can't play too loud with this bass. Feedback will come in. In small venues, small gigs this bass is all right. I play this bass through tube amps - like Fender Bassman and London City (dutch). I think you can play a lot of old styles like rock and roll, sixties and country/blues with this bass. No funk or other modern things. (at least I can't). The sound varies from dark and booming to bright and punchy. My Fender basses have more sustain so I have to adjust my playing style a bit when I play this bass.

The only flaw on this bass is that it doesn't intonate. The bridge doesn't allow to much adjusting. This bridge falls into two holes in the body of the guitar and is kept tight by string tension. I don't like a bad intonated guitar so this is what I did. I let the bridge rest with one foot in the body (G -side) the other foot (on both feeth the saddle bar rests) I took out. Now I could put the bridge in an angle (a longer E string). But nothing to rest the saddle bar on. A friend of mine made an adjusted foot (doesn't go fully through the bridge) and so the saddle bar has two resting points. The bridge does still cover the hole in the body and I have an intonated bass

Well this bass survived 34 years. It's in perfect condition. It is well made. I don't take this bass without taking one of my Fender basses. Due to possible feedback problems.

Customer support indeed!!!! The Hagstrom guitar production in Sweden stopped in 1983. I had some questions. I'm still writing with Karl E. Hagstrom. Very nice and helpfull man. There is a club of old Hagstrom factory workers. Look for the Swedish Hagstrom website.

I'm playing from 1967. Not professional. But I had my share. Playing rock and roll and sixties related music. I play on tube amps from the lovely Fender Bassman 20 to the Fender StudioBass Combo. Also have a London City 50W and a 100W (EL34) - killer amps for Bass!! If this bass was stolen I would be very sad. Only 2800 were made, shipped mainly to Europe, Canada and the USA. I don't think I'll find another one. Price paid a bit to high. But love is blind, especially when it's love at first sight. Well at one of my recent gigs there was a wide window at the opposite of the stage. It was dark outside and the window was reflecting me and my semi-acoustic Hagstrom on stage in the spotlights!
Big time, big time!!