Hagstrom Retroscape Impala
I am very much in love with old 50ies/60ies designs, especially the cheap brands of the era, but the sad truth is that a lot of those guitars, although charming, are crap.
They look good for promo pics, and are probably usable if you are into noise-rock or James White-ish stuff, but will be useless if you like playing in tune and without fret buzz.
Luckily, some brands have started reissuing vintage models built to modern standards.
Such as the Hagstrom Retroscape Impala:
Mind you, this is a tame version of the model (tame + impala... get it? never mind, read on).
The original Impala was even weirder than this:
The Impala was produced between 1963 and 1967. Only 1123 units left the factory making for a particularly uncommon instrument. The eight-switch push-button tone controls give "18 tonal effects" as described in the 1966 Hagstrom Catalogue, whilst the sliding volume control allows for "fast adjustments".
The modern version has kept the overall neck and body shape, vibrato style and Space 1999 switches, but without the flashy colors. Too bad.
I'm not over the moon with the choice of finishes available: Tobacco Sunburst, Black Gloss or Cherry Sunburst, nothing too wild here.
Still, at around 700 Eur, the Impala is a nice proposition if you want a retro sixties vibe but a playable guitar.
Sound bites:
Specs:
https://www.hagstromguitars.com/electric-guitars/impala.html
More info on the originals:
https://www.fetishguitars.com/hagstrom/condor-corvette-impala/
http://www.vintageguitarandbass.com/hagstrom/catalogues/1966_index.php
They look good for promo pics, and are probably usable if you are into noise-rock or James White-ish stuff, but will be useless if you like playing in tune and without fret buzz.
Luckily, some brands have started reissuing vintage models built to modern standards.
Such as the Hagstrom Retroscape Impala:
Mind you, this is a tame version of the model (tame + impala... get it? never mind, read on).
The original Impala was even weirder than this:
The Impala was produced between 1963 and 1967. Only 1123 units left the factory making for a particularly uncommon instrument. The eight-switch push-button tone controls give "18 tonal effects" as described in the 1966 Hagstrom Catalogue, whilst the sliding volume control allows for "fast adjustments".
The modern version has kept the overall neck and body shape, vibrato style and Space 1999 switches, but without the flashy colors. Too bad.
I'm not over the moon with the choice of finishes available: Tobacco Sunburst, Black Gloss or Cherry Sunburst, nothing too wild here.
Still, at around 700 Eur, the Impala is a nice proposition if you want a retro sixties vibe but a playable guitar.
Sound bites:
Specs:
https://www.hagstromguitars.com/electric-guitars/impala.html
More info on the originals:
https://www.fetishguitars.com/hagstrom/condor-corvette-impala/
http://www.vintageguitarandbass.com/hagstrom/catalogues/1966_index.php
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