With a relatively thin 1¼” (3.5cm) body, the Fantomen is beautifully balanced and surprisingly lightweight. A 25.5” (648mm) scale provides a slightly sharper attack amd more sustain than classic 24.75” scale guitars. A neck joint design that provides total, unrestricted access to all 22 frets will meet the needs of even the most virtuosic player.The goal was to equip the Fantomen with electronics that would allow for a varied tonal pallet ranging from classic, vintage colors to screaming metallic brilliance.
Hagstrom worked with Swedish pickup guru Johan Lundgren, designer of pickups used by artists such as Meshuggah’s Mårten Hagström (no relation!). Lundgren recommended two different humbucker designs: No. 2 in the neck position and No. 5 in the bridge position. The result covers an immense expressive range; from smooth, warm tones to the kind of attack and intense dynamic output that would satisfy the demands of even the most extreme musical styles. Each pickup can be split to single-coil mode by means of push/pull switches incorporated into the tone controls for even more sonic flexibility. This guitar speaks with many distinct voices.
