Description
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The Gibson Nighthawk was a family of electric guitars manufactured by Gibson. Introduced in 1993, the Nighthawk represented a radical change from traditional Gibson designs. While its maple-capped mahogany body and set neck were reminiscent of the classic Gibson Les Paul, the Nighthawk incorporated a number of characteristics more commonly associated with Fender guitars. But the Nighthawk was not a commercial success and production of all models was discontinued in 1998 after only five years.
In July 2009, Gibson revived the Nighthawk with models models are faithful to the design of the original Nighthawk. This Nighthawk is from December 2011 and features a solid mahogany body and two humbucking pickups – a BurstBucker 1 and a BurstBucker 2. It has a coil split function available via the tone knob. And it is finished in stunning Gibson Gold – the same as the classic Goldtops from a bygone era.
The Nighthawk was one of Gibson’s most unconventional guitars. Back in 1993 when the Nighthawk first hit the scene, its longer scale length, coil-tappable humbuckers, and angular single cutaway body shape struck a lot of diehard Gibson fans as a serious departure from the traditional style. The model did not sell in huge numbers before being discontinued in ’98. A funny thing happened over the next decade as Nighthawks found their way into the hands of a new wave of guitarists via pawnshops, and people started to realize just how cool this oddball Gibson could be.
The Nighthawk’s scale length is Fender’s standard 25 ½” rather than Gibson’s usual 24 ¾”. This important difference, which requires greater tension for a given gauge of strings, makes the guitar feel more like a Fender from a playing perspective and adds to the tonal similarities. The Nighthawk’s body is closer in mass to a Fender guitar than a typical Gibson Les Paul, and the string-through-body bridge is similar to that of the Telecaster.
This Nighthawk is basically a new guitar that happens to be seven years old. It’s as close to NOS (new old stock) as you can get. It has been played sporadically at home, and shows absolutely no sign of player wear whatsoever. It plays well and sounds great – certainly a variation to your average Gibson electric. It would suit a Fender player who likes that 25 ½” scale and a lighter mass, albeit with a Gibson vibe, superb sounding humbuckers with coil tapping, and that timeless Goldtop finish.
Comes is its original deluxe Gibson gig bag in new condition.
