Product: Hagstrom Futurama 3
Price Paid: 8 (pounds uk) used
Submitted
05/28/2006
at
05:30pm
by
Pablo
Features
:
8
Early sixties made in Sweeden. It's a 22fret solid body strat concept but definitely different to a strat. 3 separate pickup switches so you can pair neck and bridge,which is interesting, there are High and Tone filter switches and also a 'mute' switch, not to silence but to cut harshness,(think brass mute). There is a trem but use it with reserve or lose tuning!.The bridge raises and lowers and has back and forth but not up and down per string. no worry cos the curve is set right anyway.
The plastic pickguard assemply holds all the electrics so you can lift out the whole shebang complete and work on it, nice.
Sound
:
9
For passive electronics the range of tones is amazing, from mellow bluesy to sharp funk. I find it great for that 60s jangly sound. My strat isn't trebbly enough to do that! Its opened up styles of playing I couldnt get before. 60s guitar 60s noises Great!
Single coils but plenty of foil screening inside so not as noisy as some I've tried. The bridge pickup seems a bit weak requiring 30% more gain than the other two but fine once wicked up.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
7
The finish is not as smooth as the american stuff, the neck feels like wood not super smooth laquer but it is slim and still easy round the 12th. Its a repaint in the obligatory red so I can't comment on the original body finish.
Reliability/Durability
:
9
So far it's holding tune and working well. My only worry is the platic font panel which is currently unmarked so I'm paranoid about cracking it as it is an irreplaceable molding, not cut from sheet.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Not used any customer support but some good web pages around including a circuit diagram which I used to rewire it.
It had been thrown into the recycling centre for want of strings and a soldering iron. Oh lucky me!!!
Overall Rating
:
10
Playing for 30 years Peavey Falcon (best guitar ever) Eko Ranger and a Franconia Les Paul copy.I picked this up to renovate and sell, but I think it stays for life because I ain't gonna get some of those sounds anywhere else! Now I can understand why silly money is changing hands for them
It has to be ten for value-- Twenty bucks!!
