Hagstrom Ultra Max Special

This is a stunner from Hagström: the Ultra Max Special is the quirky lovechild of Hagström's Swede and a Les Paul Custom. With its carved, single-cut body, set neck and three-pickup layout, it takes familiar late-'50s Gibson ideas and pushes them in a distinctly Hagström direction.

The pickup combination is particularly unusual. There is an Alnico 5 humbucker at the neck, a mini humbucker in the middle and an Alnico 2 humbucker at the bridge. They are wired through a five-way switch, with some positions using coil splitting, and controlled by a single master volume and bass-cut control. That makes the Ultra Max Special considerably more versatile than its fairly traditional appearance might suggest: there are bright, funky clean sounds as well as fat humbucker tones for heavier playing, with the different pickup combinations giving the guitar plenty of variation without turning the control layout into a science project.

The bass-cut control is especially useful with three humbucking pickups. Rather than simply rolling off treble with a conventional tone control, it reduces the low-frequency content and can make the guitar noticeably tighter and more articulate, particularly with overdrive or distortion. Combined with the coil-split positions, it gives the Ultra Max Special a surprisingly broad range of sounds for a guitar with only two controls.

The Ultra Max Special was produced as a limited-edition model, and this particular finish is easily one of the most striking versions. It is an impeccably built set-neck guitar with plenty of character, rather than another generic single-cut: a jack of all trades, perhaps, but one with considerably more personality than you might expect.

This example is in excellent condition, with only the slightest signs of play wear and a small wear spot on the back of the neck.

Specifications

• Model: Hagström Ultra Max Special
• Construction: Set neck
• Pickups: Alnico 5 humbucker, middle mini humbucker, Alnico 2 humbucker
• Switching: 5-way pickup selector with coil-split positions
• Controls: Master volume and bass cut
• Condition: Excellent, with minimal play wear and a wear spot on the back of the neck