Hagstrom Fantomen Cosmic Black Burst

Hagstrom Fantomen Cosmic Black Burst review

The Hagstrom Fantomen Cosmic Black Burst is a set-neck electric guitar built around a mahogany body and neck, with a figured maple top. Its specifications point to a familiar full-scale format, while its pair of Lundgren Design Alnico-2 No. 5 humbuckers and push-pull tone controls give it a broader range than a conventional two-humbucker setup. The supplied field impression backs up that promise, describing tones from clean, bright sounds through thicker, creamy overdrive and into heavier rock and metal territory.

At a listed price of 777, the Fantomen occupies a space where details such as pickup quality, control flexibility, and bridge adjustment matter. The available information does not include measured output, weight, setup condition, or a direct comparison with other guitars. Those limits make it sensible to focus on what the specification and playing feedback actually establish.

Body, neck, and playing dimensions

The body and set-in neck are mahogany, paired with a figured maple top in Cosmic Black Burst. This combination gives the instrument a traditional construction recipe, though the supplied information does not establish how its materials translate into a particular sound. The finish is listed as Black Burst in the general specifications and Cosmic Black Burst in the detailed description.

The 648 mm scale is equivalent to 25.5 inches, with a 43 mm nut width. The fingerboard and nut are listed as Resinator Wood, and the fingerboard has pearloid block inlays. There are 22 medium jumbo frets. These are concrete layout details, but they do not tell us how the neck profile feels in the hand, since no neck shape is provided. Players who care about a specific profile should check the guitar in person before buying.

Hagstrom's H-Expander truss rod is included in the design. The provided specifications do not give further information about its adjustment method or setup range, so there is no basis for a more specific claim about maintenance or neck stability.

Pickups and controls

The Fantomen uses two Lundgren Design Alnico-2 No. 5 humbuckers, one at the neck and one at the bridge. Two volume controls and two tone controls provide individual adjustment, while the tone controls have push-pull switching. The field feedback identifies this feature as coil tapping and praises its usefulness, reporting that the guitar can move from very clean, bright tones to warmer, thicker sounds and full-on rock and metal voices.

That range is the central practical appeal here. The controls offer a way to change the pickup response without changing guitars, and the reported clean tones suggest the split setting is worth exploring beyond high-gain use. The feedback is subjective and does not specify amplifier settings, pickup heights, or which control combinations produced each sound. Treat it as a useful player impression rather than a guarantee that every rig will deliver the same results.

The guitar has no tremolo system. For players who prefer a fixed bridge, that removes one mechanism from the setup. Those who rely on a vibrato arm will need to look elsewhere.

Bridge and hardware

A Long Travel Tune-O-Matic roller bridge provides an extended intonation adjustment range. That is a specific design feature aimed at giving more room for intonation adjustment than a standard travel range. The supplied details do not describe saddle material or tuning stability, so those points remain unverified. Hardware is chrome, and the listed strings are D'Addario EXP-110 gauges.010 to.046.

What to consider before buying

• Versatility: The two humbuckers and push-pull tone controls have positive field feedback for clean, rounded, and heavier sounds.
• Scale and fret layout: The 648 mm scale, 43 mm nut, and 22 medium jumbo frets provide useful sizing information, but no neck profile is listed.
• Fixed bridge: There is no tremolo, which suits players wanting a fixed setup but not those who need a vibrato arm.
• Included accessories: Neither a case nor a gig bag is included. Two suitable cases are listed separately, both sold separately.

The Fantomen has been available since March 2024. Its item number is 587303, and the sales unit is one guitar. For a buyer seeking a mahogany, set-neck instrument with named Lundgren humbuckers and coil-splitting controls, the specification is compelling on paper, and the supplied playing feedback suggests the switching is genuinely useful. The main caveats are practical: no bag or case is bundled, the neck profile is unspecified, and the tone report is not a controlled comparison. Try the controls through your own amplifier if possible, especially if clean split-coil sounds are a priority.