Hagstrom H8 Bass 1969 / Are You Experienced?

Well, what have we here?  This is a Hagstrom H8 Bass, dating most likely from 1969, the 152nd of 250 H8 Basses made that year, in Very Good Restored condition.  But wait a minute. Isn’t the H8 an 8-String Bass?  Yes, it was. The H8 was the first mass produced 8-String bass to hit the market and was used most famously by Noel Redding, Mike Rutherford, and some guy named Jimi Hendrix.  But, the 8 String bass was less suited to finger style play and more to plectrum style, and didn’t prove especially popular.  Hagstrom converted many of these to four string instruments, right in the factory, prior to shipping.  This is one of those conversions.  

You can see that four of the holes in the headstock have been plugged, and a plate has been added to each side of the headstock rear to cover the holes.  Similarly, four of the saddles have been removed from the bridge component of the tailpiece.

This particular Hagstrom has led a hard life.   When it came into the shop, the headstock was split right down the middle, all the way to the first fret.  It has been very carefully glued and the finish touched up as best possible.  You can feel the repair slightly, behind that first fret, but it is smooth and quite comfortable.  Also, the wiring harness was a mess.  Over the years, three of the slider switches had broken, and someone chose to bypass them entirely, rather than replace them.  We opted to replace all of the sliders, and reconnect the wiring as it was originally run. Finally, some of the neck binding was missing and we replaced that.

So, what’s with all the switches?  Hagstrom loved slider switches on their guitars and basses, and they exist sometimes to the point of redundancy.  The switch along the edge of the neck is a simple ON/OFF for the entire instrument, so you can set it in a stand next to an amp and forget about it.  Then, there are four switches above the Master Volume.  L is an ON/OFF for the Low (Neck) Pickup and H is an ON/OFF for the High (Bridge) Pickup.  TONE is a Boost / Cut switch for the Neck Pickup and MUTE is a Boost / Cut for the Bridge Pickup.

The original Van Ghent Tuners on the H8 were very worn and have been replaced with a NOS set of Van Ghents that are period correct and work perfectly.  The pickups are single coil Hagstrom design and have a broad tonal range.  The Volume pot and Jack are original and work just fine.

The really wonderful part of any Hagstrom is the neck.  Hagstrom necks are slim, fast, dead straight, and do not move.  The secret is a proprietary “H” shaped truss rod which brings a greater surface bearing area to the similarly H routed, truss rod channel, and keeps it perfectly straight.  The rigidity of the neck also ensures fantastic sustain.  In my own collection, I play a 1965 Hagstrom Viking 1, something akin to a Fender Coronado, and it has the fastest, sweetest neck of any guitar I own.  The action on this H8 is set at 3/32nds on the E, twelfth fret, and 5/64ths on the G.  It is quick, responsive, and plays without buzzing or fretting out, up and down the board.

This is a fantastic electric bass, with a fast action, punchy single coil tone, and a ton of 1960s mojo.  It ships in a brand new ProRockGear Gig Bag.

Be sure to check out the photos carefully (and zoom in) as I have tried to capture this bass from all angles.

This Hagstrom H8 Bass is sold, AS IS, and is not returnable unless it arrives in a condition other than as described or photographed, here.

Serial Number: 763152

Price: $1700 plus $125 shipping (Lower 48 USA, only)