Gearwire talks with David Lee, chief product designer for Hagstrom Guitars. Lee talks about the golden days of Hagstrom in the late 1950s, when Hagstrom switched from manufacturing accordions to making electric guitars in response to the sudden popularity of rock and roll. The company stopped manufacturing guitars in the late 80s, but recently restarted production with an updated line of reissues and tributes.

One of the interesting innovations Hagstrom came up with and revived in its current guitars is the patented H-Expander Truss Rod. The H-Expander features "wings" similar to a steel girder in a skyscraper, David says, making Hagstrom necks much more resistant to twisting and warping than conventional necks.