The H-II and H-III were introduced in 1965, so 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of these iconic guitars. Known for their quirky switches and easy playability, they quickly achieved wide popularity. Favorites among punk and grunge bands looking for a hard-rocking individualist statement, their audience is also quite diverse: from artists like Joe Satriani, whose first guitar was a Hagstrom H-III, to Aaron North (of Nine Inch Nails) who still has H-IIs and H-IIIs in his guitar arsenal. Many people have been asking for these classics to be re-issued, and we at Hagstrom are happy to comply with lovingly recreated and updated versions of these great classics.
A comfortably profiled Canadian Maple neck is bolted to a hand-selected American Alder body insuring that the original attack and “bite” of the H-II and H-III is maintained. The classic 6-in-line Hagstrom headstock design, used for the first production of H-IIs and H-IIIs, has been slightly updated, and the “Vintage Tremar” has been re-engineered for functional improvements without sacrificing its original appearance.
Hagstrom has taken great care in recreating the original pickups, and the new “Retro-S” pickups do an excellent job of matching the originals’ sonic glory. Gain-shaping functionality is enhanced by incorporating Hagstrom’s new RC-Circuit into the volume control, which allows for volume reduction without the loss of that high frequency “shimmer”.
We are proud to offer the H-II and H-III once again to Hagstrom fans worldwide in 2015, the 50th anniversary after their first introduction.
