HAGSTROM “Jimmy” . 1977 Very Rare early model. D'Aquisto. Collectible.

HAGSTRÖM  ·  “JIMMY” D’AQUISTO

The Oval-Hole Model — Designed by James D’Aquisto

1977  ·  Sunburst·  Extremely Rare (≈356 Built)  ·SN 53-987066

International Guitar Museum  ·  Home of the Richard Davis Collection

This guitar is offered by the International Guitar Museum of Durham, North Carolina, which now houses the Richard Davis Collection — one of the world’s largest and most deeply curated private assemblages of vintage and custom guitars. It is a Hagström “Jimmy” archtop in sunburst, designed by the legendary American luthier James L. D’Aquisto and built by Hagström of Sweden — and it is the scarce oval-hole version, the rarest of all the Jimmys. It is accompanied by full IMIR provenance documentation and a Certificate of Authenticity.

Museum founder and curator Rich Davis offers his personal assessment:

“Hagström guitars are among my very favorite pieces to collect — I believe I own the largest Hagström collection in the world outside the Hagström Museum itself, and they are magnificent instruments. This is the first I’m offering, and many more will follow. It’s a fitting one to begin with: the oval-hole Jimmy, designed by James D’Aquisto — the man trained by, and chosen to succeed, the great John D’Angelico — is the rarest of all the Hagström Jimmys. A Swedish factory built it, but D’Aquisto’s hand is in every line of it.”

Why This Guitar Matters — James D’Aquisto, Heir to D’Angelico

In the world of archtop guitar making, James L. D’Aquisto (1935–1995) stands among the immortals. A jazz guitarist, he apprenticed from 1952 to John D’Angelico — perhaps the greatest archtop maker of all time — sweeping floors and running errands before learning, piece by piece, the whole of the master’s craft. As D’Angelico’s health failed, D’Aquisto did more and more of the building; when D’Angelico died in 1964, D’Aquisto carried the work forward under his own name and became, from the late 1960s until his death, widely regarded as the finest guitar maker in the world. In a haunting coda, D’Aquisto had long feared he would die at the same age as his mentor; he died in 1995 at fifty-nine, exactly as D’Angelico had.

Today his own hand-built archtops are among the most coveted instruments on earth, selling into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Offered honestly, this guitar is not one of those: it is a Hagström factory instrument that D’Aquisto designed, not one built by his own hand. But it carries his design language — the asymmetrical headstock, the two-point pickguard, the elegant proportions — and it bears his name in pearl on the head. For the collector, it is a genuine and far more attainable way to own the work of a master, in one of its rarest factory forms.

Hagström of Sweden — From Accordions to Archtops

Hagström is the great name in Swedish instrument making. Albin Hagström founded the firm in 1925 in Älvdalen, importing and then, from 1932, manufacturing accordions — becoming one of the largest accordion makers in the world. When the guitar boom arrived, Hagström was ready: it built its first electric in 1958, famously finished in the sparkling pearloid celluloid left over from its accordion line. The company became known for genuine innovation — the H-Expander truss rod and some of the fastest, thinnest necks in the business — and for distinctive models like the Viking semi-hollow and the Swede. Hagströms found their way into remarkable hands: Elvis Presley, Frank Zappa, and Jimi Hendrix, who played a Hagström eight-string bass.

It was Karl-Erik Hagström, Albin’s son and successor, who brought James D’Aquisto to Sweden at the end of the 1960s to design a line of archtop jazz guitars — and the result, the Jimmy, became the crown of the entire Hagström run. Hagström ceased production in 1983; original Swedish-era instruments are now sought-after collectibles, with a devoted following that holds an annual Hagström festival in Sweden each June.

The Oval-Hole Jimmy — The Rarest of the Line

The Jimmy debuted in 1969 as a downsized sixteen-inch archtop with f-holes and twin pickups. About 480 were made in that first run — effectively prototypes, because Hagström intended to move production to its Bjärton factory, which closed before that could happen, and the project paused. In 1976 Hagström called D’Aquisto back to refine the design and get the line properly into production, reintroducing the Jimmy with block inlays, laminated birch bodies, and a “Designed by Jimmy D’Aquisto” inlay on the headstock.

Then, in 1977, Hagström introduced a distinct new version: a Jimmy with a single oval soundhole and a single floating pickup mounted at the top of the hole, in place of the f-holes and twin pickups. This oval-hole Jimmy is the rarest form of the model. Against roughly 1,200 of the f-hole version made across the whole run, only about 356 of the oval-hole guitars were built before the Jimmy was discontinued in 1979. This guitar, made in 1977, is one of those few hundred — the scarcest expression of D’Aquisto’s Hagström design.

About This Guitar

A 1977 Hagström Jimmy in sunburst, in the rare oval-hole configuration: a single oval soundhole with a single floating pickup. The sixteen-inch archtop body and neck are laminated birch in the manner of the reintroduced line, with a bound rosewood fingerboard and pearl block inlays, the asymmetrical D’Aquisto headstock carrying its “Designed by Jimmy D’Aquisto” pearl inlay, a two-point Florentine pickguard, and the cast “harp” trapeze tailpiece. The neck is slim and fast, as Hagström necks always are, and the guitar gives the warm, articulate, jazz-and-fusion voice these were built for. It presents in very good cosmetic condition and plays beautifully. One honest note for the originality-minded: the tuners have been changed to vintage Grover “Patent Pending” sealed tuners.

Specifications

Brand

Hagström (Sweden)

Model

“Jimmy” — oval-hole version

Designer

James L. D’Aquisto

Year

1977

Serial

53-987066

Rarity

Oval-hole Jimmy — ≈356 built (1977–1979)

Soundhole

Single oval soundhole

Body

16 in. archtop; laminated birch; single cutaway

Neck

Birch, slim profile

Fingerboard

Bound rosewood, pearl block inlays

Pickup

Single floating pickup at the soundhole

Headstock

Asymmetrical D’Aquisto design; “Designed by Jimmy D’Aquisto” pearl inlay

Pickguard / Tailpiece

Two-point Florentine pickguard; cast “harp” trapeze

Tuners

Changed to vintage Grover “Patent Pending” sealed (non-original)

Finish

Sunburst

Condition

Very good cosmetic; plays great

Case

Included

Condition

In very good cosmetic condition, with the usual dings, dents, and scratches of an instrument that has been played and enjoyed. Functionally it works and plays great. The one disclosed change from original is the tuners, which have been replaced with vintage Grover “Patent Pending” sealed tuners. Maintained in climate-controlled, museum-grade conditions. Includes case. [Curator to confirm any further wear notes prior to issuance.]

Provenance Statement

This specimen is offered directly from the exhibit collection of the International Guitar Museum, Durham, North Carolina.

From the Richard Davis Collection. This instrument comes from the Richard Davis Collection — one of the world’s largest and most deeply curated private assemblages of vintage and custom instruments: more than 900 guitars and 200 amplifiers spanning 225+ brands from 12 countries, assembled over 27 years. The collection holds exceptional depth in Hagström, among the largest such holdings anywhere outside the Hagström Museum.

Attribution. The instrument is a Hagström “Jimmy” archtop, designed by James L. D’Aquisto and built by Hagström of Sweden in 1977, in the rare oval-hole configuration, serial number 53-987066. It is offered on that documented basis as a Hagström factory instrument of D’Aquisto’s design.

Why provenance matters now. The market has spoken decisively on what documented provenance and genuine rarity are worth. At Christie’s landmark Jim Irsay sale in March 2026, instruments with documented history realized $94.5 million — 136% above estimate. For a scarce instrument bearing the design and name of a revered maker, rarity and chain of custody are inseparable from value.

Institutional-grade documentation. This instrument is accompanied by a formal Certificate of Authenticity and a transferable Title of Ownership registered with the International Musical Instrument Registry (IMIR), Luxembourg — providing clear chain of custody from the Richard Davis Collection forward.

When you acquire from the Richard Davis Collection, you acquire the provenance with the instrument. That value transfers with the title — and it does not expire.

Available exclusively from the professionally curated, internationally renowned Richard Davis Collection — accompanied by Certificate of Authenticity and Title of Ownership issued by the International Musical Instrument Registry (IMIR).