Specifications

Manufacturer:
Hagstrom, hagstromguitars.com

List Price:
$1,160.00

Originally published in Guitar World, February 2010

With its super-fast action, versatile tones and incredible vibrato, the
Super Swede Tremar is a great choice for players who prefer a modern feel but also want a plethora of classy vintage sounds.

I have to admit that when I found out that Hagstrom was sending me a Wild Cherry Super Swede, I was hoping for something more along the lines of Christina Lindberg (Google her) than a guitar. However, the guitar and the girl have so much in common that I wasn’t disappointed in the least—both are Swedish beauties that debuted in the Seventies, and both have extremely enticing, sexy curves that beg to be caressed.

The Super Swede single-cutaway solidbody resembles a Les Paul with a more bodacious, voluptuous body. The new Tremar model is a modern revival of Hagstrom’s cult classic, once favored by Larry Coryell, Daryl Stuermer (Jean-Luc Ponty, Genesis) and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA. However, it comes with a new Bigsby-style vibrato and roller bridge and has an updated look, thanks to its Wild Cherry and Cosmic Black Burst finish options.

FEATURES

The Super Swede Tremar has a thick mahogany body with a carved maple top and a flame maple cap. The set mahogany neck delivers Hagstrom’s famous low action and slim, fast feel, while its composite Resinator fingerboard looks and feels like premium ebony. However, Hagstrom has done away with the funky zero-fret found on Seventies Super Swede models in favor of a self-lubricating graphite nut. Two Hagstrom Custom 58 Alnico 5 humbuckers are wired to individual volume and tone controls, and a coil-tap switch accentuates treble and twang. The Tremar vibrato and roller bridge is an engineering marvel that looks and feels like a Bigsby but dives deeper and absolutely refuses to go out of tune.

PERFORMANCE

Although the Super Swede Tremar looks similar to a Les Paul, its longer 25 1/2–inch scale and steeper neck angle enhance the guitar’s treble, twang and dynamic response. With the humbuckers in standard dual-coil mode, the pickups deliver fat, singing “Pearly Gates” midrange with added treble bite. Shift into split-coil mode and the Tremar comes very close to Gretsch Duo Jet territory, begging you to yank on its wiggle stick for a retro rockabilly roll in the hay.

THE BOTTOM LINE

With its super-fast action, versatile tones and incredible vibrato, the Super Swede Tremar is a great choice for players who prefer a modern feel but also want a plethora of classy vintage sounds.

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