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Hagtrom Deuce Update


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update to 'Hagstrom Deuce' thread I started in the guitar area of the forum.

I tried out the Deuce at gigging volume on Saturday morning. I brought it out for the last few minutes having done most of the rehearsal with my usual Jackson Soloist.

I was also trying out the Line-6 pod 400 signal processor (with the custom tones I had tailored to each guitar). Not an ideal situation to introduce 2 major changes at once, which is why I used the trusty Jackson for all but the last few minutes of the practice/jam.

Jackson Soloist: The Line 6 worked out great. The extra volume brought forth more treble than I had expected. I was able to compensate using the guitar tone control. It worked perfectly. The extra ‘gain’ I had anticipated was there and in just the right proportion. No need for any tweaks of any sort.

The Hagstrom Deuce: It worked out very well. A little louder & more distorted than the Jackson, so I may go back in (to the Line 6 unit) to back off the gain a little for the dedicated Deuce patch. The main exercise was to try out the Deuces pickups and they sound absolutely fine & better than expected.

My electric guitars are now configured to the Line 6 pod to use the neck pickups exclusively. On the Soloist this a single coil and on the Deuce a split (HB) coil. They both sound excellent. Definitely the best sounds I have ever used.

There is still a little work to do on the Deuce. This is the message I sent to Simon the luthier before the practice.

Subject: sows ear into silk purse.

Hi Simon, Re: Hagstrom Deuce . You did its first set up in February. It’s the least of my guitars but I like it. I’d like to improve it and make it into a reliable gigging guitar.

1/ The pickup selector switch worked loose again. Part of the problem was that the cavity was not machined deep enough so there was insufficient thread poking through to engage the nut. So I replaced the washer with a thinner one. This works ok but the switch just feels cheap & nasty.

2/ The jack socket also worked loose a couple of weeks ago. I tightened it carefully because I could feel the wiring rotate beneath. I suspect this is also sub-standard.

3/ Frets. Although ok. I think they might be improved. A flatness check & fret levelling where required. The artificial fingerboard sound is deceptive though. Acoustically it’s loud and trebly and this accentuates the least bit of fret noise. This is not transmitted through the pickup however, and the notes ring clear when amplified.

4/ Pots, capacitor, shielding. Check over & replace if necessary.

5/ I will be trying out the Deuce in a Studio at gigging volume on Saturday. I hope to be able to evaluate the pickups properly then.

I do think the Deuce will work out fine as a proper working guitar. As originally said, the carcass of the guitar is good. A few mods will improve confidence & reliability.

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