Gibson Trini Lopez

Here's another one that a friend brought in to show off.  Yes, the same guy that had the Supro amp, the lap steel, and the National Belaire.  Some people have all the fun.  This is a Gibson Trini Lopez from the mid-sixties,  a semi-hollowbody with a distinct look that sets it apart from its closest cousin, the ES-335.  Trini Lopez sang mostly pop and strummed with a bright, infectious feel, but the eye-catching diamond soundholes and inlays of his signature guitar have given it a cult following amongst well-off rockers like Dave Grohl and Noel Gallagher.

The owner swapped out the original pickups for these high-output coil-tappable beasts sometime in the 80s, though he swears he's got the original pickups squirreled away somewhere.  These pickups have have a good tone, though they do look a little conspicuous next to that yellowed binding and checked, aging finish!  Also - that amp in the back is one of ours; a nice little small-wattage Gibson Skylark with built-in tremolo.

As you can see, the headstock is similar to the ones used on the Firebird models.  I don't know how well you can see from this picture, but a "friend" of the owner's apparently took it upon himself to drill extra holes in the headstock, to change the tuners to a "3x3" arrangement.  The holes have been filled in since then, but yeesh, with friends like these... Still, this is a fantastic old Gibson; a little piece of history that you can still play!

Hagstrom Viking

Found another old one.  This is a Hagstrom Viking from the late 60s,  a Swedish-made semi-hollowbody guitar from a company that was one of the first electric guitar builders in Europe.  In the late 60s Hagstrom had their profile in the United States raised with considerable thanks to two things.  First, the company had the endorsement of the great Frank Zappa, who appeared in a series of print and radio ads for many Hagstrom models.  Second, the King Hisself was featured strumming on a borrowed Hag in his famous '68 Comeback Special.
 

But what about this particular model?  Well, the headstock logo has held on through the years (the only other Hagstroms I've seen in person have had them flaking off), though most of the finish has worn off the back of neck.  That seems to be a common problem with Vikings, though with a neck this slim and fast its easy to see how they can become "well-played."

The pickups are single-coils, unlike the later humbucker-equipped models that were even more shamelessly copping an ES-335 vibe.  These single coils still sound very dark and jazzy, though.  A very cool guitar with a positively regal style and sound.