Hagstrom Megin Black Gloss

I wanted something that could handle high gain power chords as I joined a new functions band recently and didn’t have anything to cover that type of sound (my other guitars are a Fender Strat and a Gretsch G5655TG, as I previously played in a 50s rock n roll band). I could have gone for a safe Epiphone or PRS (budget was around £800) but then I saw this and thought it was more interesting and obviously cheaper. The long scale neck is more similar to my Strat which I’m used to but playing wise it feels more like an SG in terms of neck placement and body size/weight. It’s really simple which is what I wanted and I think it sounds really good. Played it at a gig the other day and had a very hot output and sounded beefy but with clarity, which is all I could ask for really. When you look closely you can see a few cosmetic issues like the scratch plate and neck not being joined perfectly, but these are small things that no one in a crowd will notice. I was a bit disappointed by its condition upon delivery. It had a lot of dust and marks on the body and knobs, and the neck was quite warped. I’m assuming it had been on display near a window or something. All of it was sorted with a good clean and setup, but other guitars I’d ordered from Thomann were pretty much ready to go out the box, so it just surprised me a bit. All in all, a good looking, interesting guitar that sounds good for overdrive rock tones and is very good value for money.