Gibson Nighthawk Yes or No

[chef42974]

I know nothing about these Guitars? Does anyone own or have owned one that tehy can tell me if they are worth $800 It looks to be in very nice condition. I have not played it.

Thanks

[LOSTVENTURE]

I remember that they didn't sound like any Gibson I had ever played. If you haven't played one in person, I can't say that I'd recommend it.
Don

[dspelman]

The "custom" variant is on my shortlist (this is the version that Epiphone is selling for $399, but the original Gibson is what I'm after).

It's definitely not an LP clone, so don't look for those kinds of sounds from it. The scale is 25.5" and you've got three different kinds of pickups (some have just a pair of humbuckers, though) going. On the one I'm looking for, there's a mini humbucker at the neck, a single coil size pickup in the middle and a slanted humbucker at the bridge.

It's not going to sound like a Fender, either.

[WildeStarr]

I always thought these were ugly as all hell. So many great guitars out there that are beautiful, so why buy/play an ugly one? I generally won't play a guitar if I don't like the way it looks. Of course, whats ugly to one guy.....

[BigSwifty]

It also depends on which variant you’re looking at. The original 90s ‘Hawks are completely different from the new ones. The 2009 model is different from the 2010/2011 models as well. I have a ’97 Standard (Firebird p/u in the neck, slant hum in the bridge), and it’s a very bright sounding guitar, almost abrasively so at the bridge. The 2009 “reissues” have a P90 in the neck and a 498T in the bridge, and do have a Les Paul-esque sound to them, but because of the 25.5 scale length, they do not feel anything like a LP. The 2010/2011 variants have a Burstbucker 1 and 2 with a single-coil blade pickup in the middle, with coil taps for the two ‘Buckers, and those sound different still.
They’re also small guitars, not a lot of “meat” like a Les Paul, and actually feel a bit more like an SG when you’re holding one.

[HOT-BRIT]

try it out see if it works for you

[b-squared]

I'd buy one, just for the fact is sounds different than other Gibsons...I think it'd be a pretty versatile instrument.

BB

[Ace1432]

they remind me of being a proverbial 'swiss army knife'. i mean you've got a mini hum in the neck, a fat single coil in the middle and a SLANTED hum in the bridge.

i mean, TBH they arent on my list to get, but they look like they could be fun.

[Serial]

I'd pass myself. I think they're hideous, bodies are VERY small and the pickup combination is silly for what I'd use (or rather not use).

My guitarist got an Epi version for his fourteen year old daughter. I think it's a great guitar for someone like that because of the size, etc.

[zontar]

For that price, I'd check it out and if the guitar speaks to you and tells you it's yours--buy it.
Otherwise pas.

But there variations to the Nighthawks--so you might prefer a different type.

[dspelman]

I guess I'm a bit different when it comes to these; I've already got half a dozen "real" LPs and another four or five that have minor differences. It's like having a closet full of identical grey suits. So guitars that have something *other* to offer appeal.

[icantbuyafender]

The blueshawk with the P-90's is the way to go.

Best of the 'hawks, if ya ask me.

The body is appealing, Im just not too keen on a longer scale guitar tho.

[zontar]

Originally Posted by dspelman

I guess I'm a bit different when it comes to these; I've already got half a dozen "real" LPs and another four or five that have minor differences. It's like having a closet full of identical grey suits. So guitars that have something *other* to offer appeal.

My guitars are each different.
I do have LP copy & a LP Custom, but they're not really the same--the copy is not as good, and it will eventually have better pickups (including a P-Rail for a truly different sound)--but it is the one I use for open G, so that is the main thing I want different.
If I like it too much for standard tuning, I won't have an open tuning guitar.

[#1MetsFan]

Originally Posted by icantbuyafender

The blueshawk with the P-90's is the way to go.

Best of the 'hawks, if ya ask me.

The body is appealing, Im just not too keen on a longer scale guitar tho.

I know I'm bumping an old post in an old thread, but I thought it was worth posting.

For the record, the blueshawk did not have P-90 pickups. It had Blues 90 pickups, which only look like P-90s because they have the same soapbar casing.

pickups

With magnets rather than screws for pickup poles, the Blues-90 pickup is obviously different from Gibson's traditional P-90 soap bar, but the differences go far deeper, Riboloff explained. "On a Blues-90, the core of the pickup is the actual magnet mode whereas on a P-90 pickup, the core is steel with the magnet placed beneath it, he said. "This, in effect, will give the Blues-90s a narrower, more precise magnetic path to pick the strings up with. The result is a faster attack. On a P-90, the steel tends to warm up the sound more and gives you a fatter sound. I was going for more of a brighter tone with a faster attack than a P-90. Also, to increase the high end of the pickup and get more of a traditional single coil sound, the coil of the Blues-90 pickup has fewer turns of the coil wire."