Hagstrom - HJ500 Natural

The Hagstrom HJ500 Natural is a hollow-body, archtop jazz-style electric guitar designed for guitarists seeking a warm, rich and nuanced sound.

Its hollow body lends itself to a playing style where touch and dynamics take centre stage, whether you’re making a melodic line sing, building a chordal accompaniment or playing a walking bass line. The HJ500 thus naturally finds its voice in jazz, but it is also capable of venturing beyond this genre when you push your playing towards a more rock-oriented sound.

Its history gives it a distinctive character. The HJ series is the result of a collaboration between Hagstrom and the renowned American luthier James ‘Jimmy’ D’Aquisto, which began in 1969 and continued for nearly ten years. This influence is particularly evident in the guitar’s design and its asymmetrical headstock, originally designed by D’Aquisto. The HJ500 carries on this legacy in a version tailored for today’s guitarists, with a hollow-body construction in Canadian maple and a press-contoured top that contribute to its acoustic character and warm response.

The two Hagstrom HJ-50 pickups give the HJ500 plenty of versatility to range from a soft, round tone to a more assertive sound. The 3-position switch allows you to quickly select the desired setting, whilst the two volume and two tone controls give the guitarist the flexibility to shape their sound to suit their playing style, amplifier and the song. The 24.75" scale length and the Canadian maple neck with Resinator™ fingerboard complete a design crafted for comfortable playing and nuanced expression. Whether you’re into jazz standards, sophisticated chord progressions or a freer style of playing, the HJ500 gives you plenty of scope to let your personality shine through.