Up for sale, a 1960's Hagstrom Viking I in excellent condition and in perfect working order. As Hagstrom's premier semi-hollowbody instrument, this Viking has an elegant look and clean lines reminiscent of a Gibson 335 or Trini Lopez (given the six on a side headstock). Very similar in both era and features to the guitar played by Elvis on the Comeback Special, this Viking has a tone that is very round and clear, with both sinewy, twangy snap and warm, wooly low end. While the bridge pickup is chimey and bright without being brittle, the neck position has great oomph and fullness while maintaining clarity. Both pickups balance well in terms of output, and perhaps the best sounds come from this Viking when both pickups are engaged and the neck pickup is rolled off slightly to maintain a crisp, percussive edge. Weighing in at 6lbs 2oz, this Hagstrom is very easy on the back, and even when strummed acoustically the sound is sweet and vibrant. We've had this Hagstrom professionally setup here at our shop, Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, and the instrument boasts fresh 10-46 nickel strings, low action, and solid intonation.The neck is Hagstrom's famous "King's Neck" which refers to the slender and easy to play profile, with their "Expander Stretcher" truss rod. The profile is very slim and fast with original frets that are slender and low, as per Hagstrom factory spec. The guitar shows virtually no fretwear, the neck is very straight, and the action can be set quite low without any buzzing or dead spots. Given the very flat fretboard radius, bending notes is also a breeze, and the plain strings sing out in the higher registers, sustaining clearly even when bending beyond a full step. The binding on the fretboard is original and clean as well, aside from one tiny and cleanly replaced piece adjacent to the 13th fret on the treble side. The nut is original and measures 1 5/8" in width. On the headstock, the original tuning machines are intact, turn smoothly, and hold pitch as they should, and the original "Hagstrom" raised logo is complete and present as well.All of the electronics work as they should, with individual Volume and Tone controls for each pickup wired to a three-way pickup selector switch. The wiring harness and switch are modern replacements, while both pickups are the original single coils, before Hagstrom made the switch to the "N" suffix model with humbuckers in the late '60s. In terms of hardware, all of the original parts are present aside from a set of new witch hat knobs, including the stock thick beveled pickguard with sliver pinstriping, the original floating bridge, and the chrome trapeze tailpiece with the Hagstrom crest. The neck plate retains the original serial number and clean chrome plating.Cosmetically, this guitar is stunningly well kept, with a rich and unfaded sunburst and some finish checking on the back. There are a few tiny finish chips on the edge of the headstock, and light wear on the bass side of the body in the pick path. The nickel plating on the bridge saddles and tailpiece also show faint surface patina. This wear is of course extremely minimal and this Viking is a clean and very original example.This is an original vintage Hagstrom, made in Sweden, and not to be confused with the newer reissues, which don't even come close to the real thing!