Hagstrom - Viking Bass Tobacco Sunburst

The Hagstrom Viking Bass Tobacco Sunburst is a 4-string semi-hollow bass guitar that catches the eye with its looks and, above all, makes you want to let your fingers fly down the neck. With its short scale and semi-hollow construction, it has a personality all of its own: the sort of bass with which you can lay down a rock groove, let a blues line breathe, or play more melodic phrases without feeling as though you’re playing a standard instrument. Its Tobacco Sunburst finish further enhances this vintage character, evoking the era when Hagstrom launched the Concord Bass in 1965, the forerunner of this Viking family.

The 30.75" (781 mm) scale length has a significant impact on the feel. The neck feels more compact than on a long-scale bass, which can be particularly pleasant for moving up and down the neck and for bassists who prefer a more supple feel under their fingers. The Resinator fingerboard, fitted to a Canadian maple neck joined with a full-length mortise-and-tenon joint, delivers a clear and consistent response. The H-Expander truss rod, which runs the full length of the neck, contributes to its stability and allows for a low string action.

In terms of tone, the two Dyna-Rail pickups are at the heart of this Viking Bass’s character. The 6-position rotary selector switch offers a range of configurations, from single-coil modes on the outer coils to humbucking positions for the neck, bridge or neck and bridge combined. This allows you to switch from a crisper, more incisive attack to a denser tone when the bass line needs to carry more weight. The two volume controls and two tone controls then let you fine-tune the pickup blend and the overall tone.

This range of tones is naturally at home in genres where the bass must both support the track and contribute to its identity: 60s-style rock, blues, pop, indie, or more prominent and melodic lines. The Long Travel Tune-O-Matic bridge, combined with the Hagstrom trapezoid tailpiece, also incorporates an iconic element of the Viking silhouette, with a system designed to facilitate access to the strings during changes. A bass for musicians who love instruments with a distinct visual and sonic personality, and who want to be able to adapt their playing style from track to track rather than being confined to a single sound.