Hagstrom Viking II P

Bought it new in July 2009, presumably was also made in 2009.
Vintage Sunburst model, specs on Hagstrom's site.
The neck seems to be one piece with the sustain block, which goes roughly 2/3 to the end of the body.
Bought it mostly to dleve into the P90-style sound. The pickups are alnico 5...

Plugged into VOX DA5, Crate Profiler 5, and 80's Peavey Envoy 110(with Eminence 10" Copperhead).
Regardless of amp, the Vkg II P sounds great in all pickup positions.
Tone controls are quite useable throught their range and add character one way or another.
Sound is rich. (any of my) Amp's tone settings do make a significant and audible difference, which is good stuff for finding sounds, but can get tiresome to simply nail one sound.
Strings are distinguishable (clean or dirty), harmonics are medium-rich and there's lot's of usable sustain. Sustain would probably be better with a set neck and a full-length sustain block.
Seems easy to feedback if close to amp, but controllably at all times - but generally I play at low-ish volume settings, so thing may be different in other situations.
It can get really thin-bright, so tone adjustments are a must from the start.
In comparison to my Epi Dot Studio (which I think is trully a miracle of a guitar) the sound seems less "open/airy" but still plays just as well.
I will soon have a go at Blackstar HT-5 ministack, but since it sounds great on the Solid State amps, I expect it to be even better with the HT-5.

Finish is immaculate, looks far better than the pictures.. Very nice detail mother-of-pearl around the neck head. Frets not shining, but overall nicely and evenly finished.
Guitar was setup nicely, action was more on the high side, but overall just fine.
One hight-adjustment screw on the neck pickup was not screwed properly, so I cannot use that anymore...

It is a semi-acoustic guitar, and I guess it needs care when in live settings/surroundings.
The hardware seems heavy duty and reliable nonetheless, so I wouldn't worry about it.
The strap button is one of the bolt-neck screws, which may be inconvenient for some, or may get caught up in clothing when gigging. Not sure if it could affect the neck-bolting if there's a lot of jumping during a gig.
Either strap from the neck or reposition the strap button. Then again I don't really mind, I'm not gigging in this age anymore...I leave it to the Stones..

It's brand new guitar, spotless, almost faultless, so I haven't tried that yet.

Been' playing on and off for about 25 years now, been in bands, but I'm now mostly playing at home, (endlessly) riffing and composing for fun.. I work mostly with clean and overdriven sounds up to 70's style distortion maybe a tad on the Sabbath side regarding any heavy gain settings.
I use mostly reverb and delays, occasionally Wah and other modulations.
Overall I think it's a superb guitar. If Hagstrom work's out some minor details I think it would be even better.
I would probably buy another, if this one was ever lost, broken, or burned!

Body : Carved Basswood Body [ Neck ] UltraLux Maple Bolt-on Neck [ Fingerboard ] Resinator Fretboard with Pearl Dot Inlays [ Truss Rod ] H-Expander Truss Rod [ Tuning Keys ] Hagstrom 15:1 Die Cast Tuners [ Scale Length ] 24.75??? Scale [ Pickups ] 2x Hagstrom H90's [ Selector ] 3-Way Toggle [ Bridge ] Long Travel Tune-O-Matic with Stop Tail Piece [ Controls ] 2x Volume / 2x Tone
Made in China but totally top notch construction.

Great single coil sound. Not plagued by those full bodied jazz tones that come out of most 335's. It's an acoustic twangmister!

Almost perfect set-up. No complaints.

Everything seems solid but I always gig with a back up.

I've been playing over 30 years. Always wanted a 335. Actually I have owned a few over the years but always end up selling them because they are a bit heavy in weight. This guitar is much lighter than most due to the fuller acoustic chamber (the center block runs only to the bridge.I'm guessing it's a little over 7 lbs.Love the p90 pick-ups. Although I love to listen to jazz I preferr alot more twang on my own guitars. This guitar sounds and feels awesome.

This is a Chinese newly made reissue of the guitar Elvis used in his 68 come special except it has a hardtail.
22 frets,laminated basswood ES semihollow type body,2xvolume,2xtonecontrol,3 way toggle switching 2 Hagstrom P 90 pickups.
You`ll find a sustainblock underneath the PU not at full lengths but ending aprox under hardtail.

Artdeco type of tuners with the Hagstrom name on them hold the guitar in tune 15 to 1 ratio on a slim neck that almost remains the same thickness all the way up. 24. something scale lenghts make it very effortless to noodle all night with my relativly short stubs.

I play in a 3 piece cover band with a dummer and bassplayer and we do a lot of different styles from Amy to ZZ Top through a 76 blackfaced Deluxe Reverb with a Celestion Gold in it.Small pedalboard -Bosstuner-T.Rex Comp-Zendrive-Keeley Bluesdriver-old Guyatone Delay, that`s it!
The guitar is exceptionally quiet but I don`t use the pedals maxed out.
This guitar is not a jazzbox really, it lends its sound more toward good ol`Rock`nRoll with a light inherited twang.having said that, if you use the front pickup with slightly rolled off tonecontrol you get a nice woody sounding Bensonish Jazzsound.
Both PU on is perfect for strumming Steve Earl songs, clean or slightly overdriven,mmmhhh!
Stepping on the Zendrive, backing off the volume on the bridge pickup
and you`ll get a "Addicted to Love" rythmnsound full of rawness that only a semi can deliver with all the dynamics you can wish for.
The Viking has loads of sustain,making the Comp reduntant for overdriven solos and every note rings out clearly with good definition. The neck is fast and great for smaller hands,love it.

I brought the action down just a little, fret number 8 was buzzing,tapped it into place,perfect!Aside from that, the rest of the fretwork is absolutly spot-on.
PU`s needed a bit of adjusting too, the treble side was a good bit louder as I discovered at the gig i did the day the guitar arrived.no big deal...!
The glossfinish is flawless as is the workmanship, I kid you not when I say that you will think you are holding a guitar in your hands that feels way more expensive than what you paid for.It got lots of mojo and for 350.- Euro it must be one of the bargains of the year

yes,yes,yes,yes,yes and yes

N/A

I`ve been playing 35 years or more..
my other guitar is a Gretsch SSLVO which is the measure for all good things and yes, if I would lose the Viking i`d get another one pronto.
I am not to keen with the PU switch situated on the lower bout and I`m thinking about moving it.Also, Hagstrom could have used reverse polarity PU to cancel hum with both PU on.
Playability, great looks, sound and feel is all there and for that price it is unbelievable good value,highly recommended