Price paid: € 349
Purchased from: Internet Store
Features: Hi everyone! I just got this guitar not long ago and in my opinion it's a secret tip for everyone Who wants to have some quality work done for the money! The F-200 is part of the (european?) Hagstrom Vintage series and I suppose it's china made. (Which model under 800 or so is not?) It features 22 frets on a "Resinator Wood fingerboard" and has a rather short scale (628 mm). The neck is very much D-shaped which suits me perfect and feels awesomely comfortable. It's a full body mahagony guitar with a mahagony set neck (SG style you may call it) with a transparent Cherry finish that is amazing. You can see the wooden surface on every inch and it reflects like a looking-glass!
The body is a sort of a mixture between SG and Strat that looks independent and altogether very nice. The bridge is a Hagstrom patent I think and it delivers the greatest clean tone I ever heard when playing a guitar. It doesn't feature a whammy bar but I got one on my Jagmaster so it doesn't matter at all. You got one Volume and one Tone knob that go very smooth and easy and (guess what! XD) a 3-way toggle-Switch. The output is Strat-like which I prefer...
The pickups are "custom" Hagstrom Alnico 60 Humbuckers in neck and bridge position. They have a huge output but sound clear and bright. Tuners and headstock are also custom Hagstrom style which I like a lot. It just looks good! // 10
Sound: I have to say it sounds just amazing! (honestly) I played it through a Roland Cube 30 and my old Behringer valve amp with and without Boss ds-2 distortion pedal. The sound is so much better than anything I got out of my Jagmaster or my best friend's Epiphone SG 400! You don't have to use the equalizer at all. Just set everything middle and plug in! It rocks like hell!
The clean sound is warm and smooth in neck position, jazzy and bright in middle and amazingly clear and percussive in bridge position! Just like it should be! This guitar has the best sustain I ever experienced! You can play Thunderstruck in the clean channel and it sounds like a Western guitar but works!
The distorted tone is beasty and fat! If you like Airbourne or so...it sounds just like that! Full and rich metal style in neck and very Angus Young in bridge position. The notes don't destroy each other and every single one sounds clear but rocks! I always had problems with the other mentioned guitars because they sounded so "pasty". Forget about this! Altogehter 9 because with an additional tone control you could alternate a bit more...I don't care. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: I've seen only one tiny (2 mm or so) bump on the upper pick up cover but Who cares... you don't even really see it... The pickups and everything were checked at the store but I thing the set it up just right...nothing to improve on this. The finish is just beautiful. I wont give this guitar to anyone Who can't play it and eventually scratches it! It's too good for that! 9 because of the bump mentioned. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar seems to be very stable altough I didn't smash it at anything until now and I also don't want to try... It holds the tune very well and I had to tune it only once after delivery! I would definitely play this one without a backup! The bridge is made of self-lubricating graphite so the strings wont give up early I guess. // 10
Impression: I play different styles and this guitar suits almost everything! I mentioned my Squier Jagmaster, that's a good guitar but forget about it if you have the chance to buy the F-200! My friend always had much difficulties with the neck of his Epiphone SG 400 because it's too heavy and will bump down all the time. The F-200 is very well-balanced in contrast! The tone is brighter and sounds so much better and clear! The fingerboard is fast as hell and you can play it twice better than the other two guitars ("Resinator Wood" as I mentioned (go to Hagstrom webpage, it's explained there)).
My favourite feature is the full, bright and clear tone! I would definitely buy it again because it's worth every single of the 350 I paid for it! I chose it because the features looked good and I liked how the guitar looks! If you search for a quality instrument that most ordinary people can afford but doesn't look like everybody's guitar, get a Hagstrom! You don't only pay for the brand name on this one and as I said, I experienced both a Squier and an Epiphone guitar! The F-200 overtakes them easily! // 10
