Not an SG certainly not a Strat, The Hagstrom H-IIN was a major player if only they'd had the money to market them like those mentioned above. Even Selmer Magnavox and Ampeg couldn't afford to push the Hagstroms the way they deserved to be...

If you've collected old guitars before, you'll know the feeling of opening up the box and seeing the vista before you.

Long before Microsoft.

Long before Chinese Hagströms.

Hagstra la Vista baby!

Go to 'H Range' Visitors Page

Ok so we've got the reasoning out of the way; so why "Dusty"? Quite simple really, because this example belied it's own specialness through in one sense having enjoyed the limelight for all those years on display since 1973... and yet it had never been played!

So plenty of dust and fine surface dulling but not a ding or crack a blemish or scratch in sight. Along with it came the shipping box that took it from Sweden to Indiana USA. The guitar strap (still wrapped) and the hang tag were there, ready to swing the old girl from the retail wall display. After confirmation from a very good Hagstrom friend that indeed the condition was just as I've described, and that everything worked as new, the arrangements were made.

I had no plans to make a purchase right now, but when presented with the model you'd like to add 'just when the time is right' but it happens just when the time is wrong... what do you do? You take a deep breath, you come to a fair and honest agreement and do it. There's no picking and choosing your moment when it comes to your elusive desires...

Why is the OT (without Tremolo) version the one I wanted? Well to many people's minds, this model is far advanced of the predecessors that also bore the name H-II, and really needed an upgraded tremolo system to cope with it's ability. If none was available, then you are better off without one. Hence the H-IIN-OT is considered superior to the tremolo version for playability - and staying in tune of course. Let's face it, many good players prefer to trem with the strings themselves rather than swinging an ol' whammy bar anyway.

So here it is, from 1973 a strange batch qty of 210 made alongside a further 69 with tremolo. Yes there were other batches between the 1971-1975 years of production, and maybe a few more were mixed in with the trem' version batches that ran from 1970 to 1976, but why did they run a small batch run like 279 in total? Maybe there was a special order, a special purpose... yes maybe these were all kept waiting for an owner to come along 36 years later to make her twang!