You're Welcome...I made this the first few days of 94...Monday, Jan, 3 was the first production day. I believe this was made on Jan 4, 1994. I was able to run 500 bodies, 500 fretboard, and as many necks as I could do in 8 hours. I was the only machinist in solid bodies dept. I programmed, setup, and ran the fixtures, the bodies front/back, and inlay pockets on all fretboard. All of Gibson's machine operators had to be trained and went to learn what I had been doing for 16 years already. Gibson hired me to cover for 6 men. 2 per shift for 10 months. I will never build another guitar again. 125k...I'm done.
I own a 3-pickup 'special' version born ~1993. Yes, very bright, quite Strat-like, with some Tele sounds, even. Still feels like an LP without all of its drawbacks. Sound engineers love it in a mix.
Trogly: I don’t know much about this model so I’ll just give you a brief rundown. Also Trogly: proceeds to give a lengthy and comparative list of various models. You’re a champ, Austin. 😊 Also, this is one Gibson model that I wish hadn’t been discontinued. Always liked the looks of them and the few I’ve played have been fun.
Quite bizarrely after looking all over the internet I was always confused by the "most versatile guitar ever" people until this video. His chart single handily did a better job than Gibson or anyone else at explaining how to work this damn guitar. Hilariously though he didn't get it until after playing as his demo showed. The split function (up) gives you all five strat sounds. The Humbucker (down) setting makes 1-3 a LP with a Tele switch. Position 5 gives you the remaining tele (bridge and neck) sound and four the number 2 super Strat sound. Literally he tested the guitar's number 3 setting and hit the push pull pot which went from just the single coil in the middle to the neck minihumbucker. About as different a sound as possible which confused him endlessly.
Almost bought a Nighthawk about a year ago. Nowhere near as gorgeous looking as this one and only the 2 pickup version in black finish but... I read some reviews and backed out before making an offer as I thought "I have Fenders... why but a Gibson version of a Fender?". Having watched Trog's review now I think I was right (and maybe wrong lol) to not get the Nighthawk. I still want to try one if I ever get a chance though and kudos to Gibson back then for actually trying to innovate a bit rather than - as they are today - simply rolling out more and more expensive versions of their greatest hits. That CST-3 that Trog reviewed - now that is one for any collector 100% 😊
I was working at a very small music store when this came out but for some reason we got to be a gibson dealer. I still remember we had a huge cardboard cutout of Joe Walsh and Don Felder holding one while saying "Only a Gibson is good enough". This wasn't a guitar for hard rocker. I think they were going for the country market with this guitar.
Back when I bought my first Les Paul in 1996 & before Gibson’s were in ALL the small shops. We had a small music store in downtown Libertyville in 93-94 who carried SG’s, Les Paul Specials in TV Yellow but I don’t recall ever seeing any full on Les Paul standards in it only a life size standup of Joe Walsh playing a Cherry Sunburst Les Paul. That store was literally the size of a one car garage.
Growing up in Nashville, my guitar teacher was signed with Gibson. I remember being at his house when the first Nighthawk arrived. Must have been 92ish. It was the most beautiful guitar i had ever seen. I have one now, with that setup, and its the best guitar ive ever played. You mentioned the Blueshawks being hollowed. I was a teen, but i swear i remember them saying the Nighthawk had a cavity on the left side that kinda mirrored the cavity with the electronics, just not visible. I could be remembering totally wrong but maybe worth checking them to see if any had it
Nancy Wilson helped design this model back in the 1980s. She even has one of the original prototypes of the guitar from way back then. That is why she got both the Fanatic model and the Epiphone signature model. She should get a little credit for that.
This is what I was going to jump on here and comment about. I think I read about this in Guitar World magazine? A very cool endorsement having Nancy Wilson get behind it.
@@stringspicksandfiddlestick6388 That's funny seeing that their first #1 was sung by...Nancy and recorded while she had a bad cold or the flu. Not taking anything from Ann at all because she was and still is an incredible singer but you can't just toss Nancy to the side like that it's just wrong.
@@RayC234 I'm moving out of Seattle. It would be nice to run into either of them before I leave. I did run into Lee Oskar pumping gas at Costco. My wife says she saw Dave Mathews on the street once. Didn't know Nancy sang that song. I do know she sings backup. Ann was a babe and still is a babe in my book. Nancy was added to the band after Ann. I love them doing The Battle of Evermore on UA-cam.
Cool, a couple of days ago I was helping a friend hunting for reviews on Epiphone Nancy Wilson Fanatic when thinking, "Gee, I wish Trogly reviewed this guitar, I just need to tell my friend to watch the review and that's all he need to decided whether to buy it for his daughter." Now all I need is to show him this since the Epi is based on this guitar. Kudos for Trogly!
I know this is coming three months after your comment but ...that Nancy Wilson epi model is great. Real ebony fingerboard and a 25.5 scale length can't be beat: I don't know if any other Epiphone/Gibson has both of those specs. Maybe a really high end L5 or super 400. To me the epi played like a cross between a tele and a Les Paul
I always liked this guitar. It was a Swiss Army of sounds. It always seemed like a moderately priced guitar for the guitarist who can only afford one good guitar but wanted many.
I tried one of these freaks back in 1994 at the local guitar store. And it was considered to be a very special instrument. I had to remove any clothing that could scratch the surface, AND wash my hands before they let me go anywhere near it. Now, like you, I was a bit underwhelmed by its tone (still am) but the neck is one of the most comfortable I've ever felt. It's thin and buttery smooth, and so good that even a novice player will sound like they know what they're doing while holding it.
I have the one we gave to Bob Welch when I worked at Gibson. Same model and finish. It's actually a fun, nice guitar. These were designed to compete with Telecasters, hence the "Nashville Tele" three pickup offering, string-thru, tele scale, etc. Gibson, being in Nashville, wasn't popular with country players in Nashville. Ouch. The idea was to make something. JT is a genius, and did a great job, and little known fact, was a lefty, so handmade a lefty for himself, and the only other person to get one was Elliott Easton. I took care of a lot of the marketing, using artist for ads, getting them on album covers, in videos, etc. They were a hard sell back then, dealers wanted LP Studios and LP Standards and we were really, really pushing these. I know way too much about these, and the eventual Blueshawk, which fortunately was released after I left the company.
Thank you man, that guitar (the 2-pickups model) is dear to me because it was released when I was a teenager and back then I could see it everywhere in magazines, on album covers as you said ( Joan Osborne's "Relish" in particular), on stage in European summer festivals (there was a Dutch female rock singer called Anouk, whose guitar player used one), and on TV in my homecountry which is France: we had a "late show" sort of thing called Nulle Part Ailleurs which had its own rock band and the guitar player whose name was LOL had a Nighthawk . It defines the 90s to me, the way I experienced them.
I have the Epiphone Custom Reissue. The headstock was broken off and someone was throwing it away. I got it for free and repaired it and refinished it. Very cool guitar. Especially for free.
I've seen a really big resurgence of these on the used market for some reason. I've found a bunch in shops recently so I've been able to try some out and I gotta say, they're absolutely killer guitars. I honestly prefer them over Les Paul's, since you get adjustable saddles and a 25.5" scale. Much more comfortable to play and the tonal variety you get is awesome. Gibson should bring these back again.
I have what I think is a 1996 Nighthawk SP3, correction, 1998, that is no binding on the neck or headstock but binding on the body and dot inlays on the fingerboard. It seems to me you got confused about the push/pull and the selector. In humbucker position the, the selector is; bridge ( as with a Les Paul), then both humbuckers, then neck humbucker; then position 4 is bridge humbucker and middle and position 5 is both humbuckers split( like a Telecaster). With the push/pull in split mode the selector is as a Strat. I have had this guitar for around 20 years, and I love it. Great to see on your channel.
I have been waiting for this episode... I own a 92' Gibson Night Hawk and I absolutely love it. To me it is Gibson's answer to the stratacaster. It has Gibson style, It has all of the tones of a strat(and more), it feels really elegant compared to a strat (imo), although it does feel different from my main guitar*, it is pretty comfortable to play. When I want to go for the strat or get that sound (that my other Gibson's can't do) that's my go to guitar. I used to have a stratacaster and honestly I wasn't a fan of it. *My main guitar is a well loved 86' Gibson Les Paul Custom that I bought new for $600, and have played almost everyday since. So yes definitely is a players grade guitar and not a collector. Throughout the years, I have had to change almost all of my electronics and hardware (fret's, tuner's, pickup's bridge, pot's) due to the hard wear and tear I put it through. I have played the finish mostly off the neck and it feels perfect as is. I personally don't think it's in that bad of condition... I think of it as well loved🤪(if you would see it you might faint or get really mad, or who knows love it lol). It has been my trusty friend and companion for 36 years. And It's the perfect guitar for me. Other guitar's: Gibson Explorer Gibson SG Epiphone Korina Flying V Fire it up!!!
Hi Andy i had a special 3pu and for me it was the perfect guitar for the gigging covers muso,like you im not a strat fan and i used this for years and really thought gibson had cracked it here. I wish it was reissued again as the kneck on mine broke and never was succesfully repaired as it kept breaking, a star guitar that never really cought on but if you used one you just had to love it.
@@stephenkennaway9326 here is a good story about the guitar -When I got my Night Hawk the headstock was broken. my old bass player and his brother were working at the recycling plant and someone dropped it off (through it away), they saw a Gibson case took a quick look and stashed it in their car. They opened it up and found the headstock was broken and it was given it to me. I had it repaired, it looks flawless (@ the repair) & if you didn't know about the repair you would not know. I call it my karma guitar (if I ever have to get rid of it, I will give it away to someone I deem deserving of it), It's definitely one of my favorite guitars.
I'm watching this again because I miss my Nighthawk. It's currently in the shop, getting a new neck pickup & a setup. That will finally finish up that mod project. For anyone curious about replacement options, Seymour Duncan makes 2 different angled bridge pickups, a '59 & a JB with 4 conductor wiring (JB was my choice). I chose the Seymourized Mini Humbucker for the neck, since it's one of the only 4 conductor minis available. The only replacement option I know of for the middle pickup is the Sentell Dayhawk, but it sounds fantastic! Also, fun fact: the lower bout is the same shape as an SG, so Nighthawks fit in SG cases.
I have one of the Epiphone custom reissues in Fireburst, the three-pickup version from the early 2010's, not the current two-pickup Nancy Wilson version. It is specced out pretty much identical to the one in the video. Same pickup layout, same push-pull tone pot to split the humbuckers, same fretboard inlays, same "pineapple" inlay on the headstock, same flame maple top (a veneer on mine of course), and same binding. About the only differences are chrome hardware instead of gold (which I prefer anyways), a rosewood fretboard instead of ebony, and Grover tuners with chrome tuning keys instead of the vintage-style Klusons. It really is a quirky and unique guitar, I love it. It is such a weird mish-mash between a Gibson and a Fender. Strat-style 25.5" scale length and wiring, and the slant bridge humbucker with a Tele-style backplate, but with a modified Les Paul-style body, and set-neck construction with a mahogany body and maple top. It is quite lightweight and thin, and is a lot of fun to play. It was a lot of guitar for the $399 asking price when new.
Peach of a nighthawk. I have a ‘97 Blueshawk and I love it. These guitars should have been more popular particularly in a studio setting. Very versatile.
I only ever played one and really liked it. I have a triple soapbar guitar with Nashville Tele wiring and it basically covers everything the Nighthawk can do, so I didn't buy it, but if you can find one and you play anything in that country/country rock vein, it's a good pick. Especially if you want to stand out from the Tele players.
I was visiting SF for a week in 2010 from Australia. On a working holiday, I was determined to take a guitar home with me. I really didn't know what I was looking for, just something with character from a reputable brand. I had a very modest budget, and I didn't much like anything new that I saw in my price range. I'd always wanted a Gibson/Les Paul, but was pretty sure I wasn't going to find one of those that I could afford. I'd never even heard of the Nighthawk, let alone seen one. Anyway, after scouring a few big shops, I found a tiny little shop in a back street (no doubt some of you know the shop) with a '94 ST3. A little aged but in VGC overall, with original hardcase, good price. Played it for 5 minutes and I had to have it. Someone asked me recently, if I had to choose between the NH and my early '80s Fullerton Tele, which would I keep? Very hard to answer that, but probably the Tele as it was my first solid body guitar, bought when I could barely play a couple of riffs. The 3PU 'hawk is just so versatile and easy to play. Many here dismiss it on tone, but for me it just means cranking the amp a bit harder, which is more than fine with me. Plenty of good tone there if you drag it out. I've had it 13 years now and don't think I could ever part with it.
I have a 1998 Blues Hawk in Chicago Blue with a Meastro Tremelo. I think I still have the original flyer from the dealer that says B-90 Pickups. The price on them new along with the Night Hawk was like $650 new. I remember that's what I paid for my Blues Hawk. The night Hawk may have been $750. I was to fixated on buying my Blues Hawk. Still have it 24 years later with no plans to ever part with it.
The Nighthawk is such a cool model. I've got a 2014 Epiphone Nighthawk Custom reissue that's one of my favorite guitars to play. It's been modded a bit with a JB in the bridge & a Sentell Dayhawk in the middle position. Very versatile instrument for sure.
Whoa- I had never heard of the dayhawk pickup! how do you like it? as you know the middle one is hard to find a replacement for, since it mounts differently than most. its also noisey, so im curious..
@@guitarcrap4523 It's a great sounding pickup! I opted for the stacked version, so there's none of the noise the stock one had. Beautiful, clear tone when used on its own, and plays really well with the JB in the bridge.
I just picked up a Gibson All American G II that uses two of the same single coil pickups in your guitar, but one is missing. Thanks to you I now know I can replace it with a Day Hawk!!
Very nice nice job describing most know versions. I love Nighthawks, to me, its one of the last innovative Gibsons model that ocurred in my actual life. I lusted in the 90s so much for one and later In my 20s could finally own one. I have owned the most relevants, there is a lot of variation in neck profile so its really important to try before buying. Currently I own the one like in the video but only has 2 pickups and is firre sunburst, I made a custom wiring and switching system plus installed a Chameleon pickups that has the ability to morph into single, P90 and humbucker. One last thing, you can install any bridge humbucker pickups you want, its very simple to do it ones you get the correct slanted plate. These guitars are so underrated and much better than any SG IMHO
I mean its cool, but these are just normal superstrat type features in a single cut body. If you wanted one so bad, a luthier could have replicated one easily for s decent price
I have the Epiphone Nighthawk Custom Reissue in the same color. Looks very close to the one you presented. It's a very nice little guitar. I also have a 1998 Gibson Blueshawk with the 'Blues 90' pickups and the dummy coil in the back. The Varitone circuit on the Blueshawk is interesting. Both are fun diversions from the norm. I have a PRS Vela that falls into that category.
I love the PRS Vela. The neck pickup of the Vela is similar to the Dynasonic from the 1950s Gretsch. Les Paul the man loved the Dynasonic pickups and installed them in a couple of the earliest Gibson Goldtop Les Paul guitars. Gibson would not stand for a Gretsch pickup being installed on a Les Paul so they designed the AlNiCo Staple pickup as a Dynasonic replacement for Les Paul the Man. The Type-D Singlecoil in your PRS Vela is a fantastically dynamic single coil. Kind of like a marriage of a Gibson P90 and a Telecaster bridge pickup. Gosh, guess I got a little worked up about the Vela pickup, I just need to get myself a PRS Vela and be done with the lusting!
@@hkguitar1984 I went with the satin semi-hollow. I really love that neck pickup. It has some body to it. But it is not muddy at all. Sort of a muscular strat neck pickup sound.
I have the Epi version of this exact setup except the tuners aren't the classic type. I love mine. I can record demo versions of new stuff and never change guitars no matter what sound I need.
I have the Epiphone version in sunburst. My friend has an amber Epiphone, and my other friend has a blue Gibson blueshawk. All great players and versatile.
I bought the standard version in 1993. Of my collection, I just love it. It’s not going anywhere. Light, versatile, lovely neck. Fun. I fully believe the NH is as well conceived and executed as the LP or SG or 335.
This was Gibson's answer to the "what if a LP and a Strat had a kid. The pickup and control layout is clear about that. Also, it sounded fairly close to an old Strat that I once had. Also close to my current Tele. Almost forgot, I played almost only Gibson/Epi for 28 years. A few exceptions along the way of course. But I've studied and wanted one for a long time.
So glad to see this video! I have a '93 Nighthawk 2-pup standard, same finish. It's such a versatile guitar in feel & sound, from almost a Tele to meaty Gibson, and it's beautiful to look at. I also have a year 2000 Blueshawk in Chicago blue w/maestro tremolo, and while I really like the Nighthawk, the Blueshawk is my favorite. The Blueshawk matches many of the Nighthawk body/neck specs (but semi-hollow body ), and has great P-90 pickups, plus a 6-way varitone switch that can be engaged with a push/pull tone knob (so 21 different distinct tone variations are possible). The Blueshawk is the one that gets first call for gigs, but I still won't part with the Nighthawk--the neck carve & scale length make it such a playable guitar. Thanks again Trog!
Same, I have a 93 Special (so the "Les Paul Studio" version so to speak) and it's brilliant. Tracked down a great condition Epiphone reissue (the Custom, like in this video but in the burst finish) and it's really excellent as well. They put Grovers on the reissues which I actually really like, and if anything they're maybe a little easier to wrangle than the keystone LP style tuners on my USA one. Stunning guitar that is perenially overlooked.
Normally I’m no fan of gold hardware outside of a black beauty, but this looks nice. I was still learning guitar when these came into my local shop, was never a Les Paul/single cut fan (I did like the Les Paul DC though), but these were nice… not that I was able to afford a Gibson as a teenager. I’m just glad my shop wasn’t all protective about it like “No, don’t touch the Gibsons! Don’t even look at them!” I mean they did lock up the Custom Shop models, but those were all close to $10 price tag guitars! (I don’t think they ever sold more than two or three of them in the four years I was hanging out there.)
As some astute viewers have mentioned, there is something askew with the wiring of this particular example--it does not conform to the wiring diagram as it should, and both the pickup readings and the operation of the switch confirm that it is not wired as designed. I have one of these, and it does conform to the pickup diagram, with the push-pull tone knob up providing the typical Strat pickup selections, and the knob down providing an unusual set of tones. With the tone knob down, you get the usual three tones from a two-pickup Gibson, a Tele-like 2-pickup tone and the unique combination of the minihumbucker with the middle pickup. Mine also is bright-sounding, which makes it come through nicely in a mix, especially as a rhythm guitar.
I’ve always thought the Les Paul and Strat being the polar extremes of the solid electric guitar world, the pickups, the shape, the weight, the layout, the bridge, the headstock- all diametrically opposed. Not entirely convinced you can have the best of both worlds, just compromises on what each guitar does best.
J.T. Riboloff wasnt the only designer of this model. It has Henry's fingerprints all over it and was one of his "babies". The reason why there are so many hawk models after the initial launch was because, if you were the product manager of the time, it was not a good idea to let Henry's baby fail. So, many attempts were made to keep the model alive. Nobody on the inside of Gibson liked that model much, and I dont recall music stores loving it either, nor the salesforce.
I have a '93 Sp2 and there are no push pulls on it. Original wiring. I think that maybe they incorporated some of the tone options in the 5 way since there were just the 2 pickups. I love it, it's one of my favorite guitars, it's definitely a road dog though, all the chips, dings and the obligatory headstock repair that comes with someones main player
Ha ha! Me too! Just got up at 3:30 AM to check, like “No way I missed that for 28 years!” Nope, I didn’t
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I have the Epiphone version of this guitar (never seen a Gibson one) and love it. But can’t find any info about the pickups, though I believe the middle is a ceramic, as used in the M series.
THEY HAVE THE ST3 IN CHICAGO QUILTED MAPLE BLUE SUPPOSEDLY THERE ARE LESS THAN 100 GUITARS MADE IN THIS SCHEME The Chicago quilted Maple blue that I possibly would sell has never had a pick across the strings and still has the original strings it came with brand new and was a Namm display guitar that has coil split on the volume and tone pot they need to reformat UA-cam to where you can post pictures in the comment section
I owned a first run Nighthawk in a beautiful red. Everyone loved the looks of the guitar, but no one could get a good tone out of it. Now I understand why. We were running it in the single coil set up. No one told us there was a push pull switch. Plus, I was running it through a solid state Valve State Marshall. (Don't get me started on that.) We finally came to the conclusion that the guitar wanted to be a coffee table, not a guitar. I eventually traded it for a 1978 Les Paul with mini humbuckers, Grover tuners, and a ton of buckle rash.
had epi version of this sold last year..kinda surprised how soft the market was..if you could only have one guitar these would be a contender for sure!
I've had both the Gibson Nighthawk SP3 and a PRS 509, as well as some other 3 pickup PRS variations and a few Epiphone nighthawks. The Gibson Nighthawk does the Jack-of -all-trades thing better than ANY of the others. It has a little different wiring scheme than the Epiphone version, giving it more tonal variety and making it more versatile. The folks that complain about it not sounding as good as strat, tele, or Les Paul, just aren't trying to dial it in, which isn't that hard. You may have to make a few adjustments on the amp. If you can only have one guitar, I highly recommend the Gibson Nighthawk.
Youth............I do remember it fondly In 1975 I just had to have a Sunburst Les Paul like Ace Frehley..........LOL, I was 13 years old. I worked 3 Summer jobs at once and by 1977 I'd saved up enough for a brand new Les Paul Deluxe. Regrets for selling that Les Paul, if I ever find it I'll have to somehow buy it! I still have the pink Warranty Registration card! My eyes are peeled for S/N 398812, its a cherry sunburst Les Paul Deluxe with a big ding on the middle of the top (drummer was twirling his stick when he lost control and it his the guitar (I hadn't had the guitar a week yet when it was introduced to a drum stick!)
The lightest Gibson ever made. The brightest Gibson ever played...That was the tagline in the ads. I remember when these first came out and wanted one so badly but I wasn't even allowed to get a job because my grades sucked. The inlays on this one and the parallelogram inlays on one of the others were especially cool. They had the Les Paul shape so they reminded me of Slash without being a carbon copy of his guitar. The sound leaves something to be desired though. Its just not chunky enough.
Ive had a black NH Special since 1995. Its my go to guitar and pound for pound, which includes versatility, weight, function, comfort, and staying in tune, the best guitar I own. If I were to start gigging again, it would be the guitar I headed out the door with.
This guitar always reminds me of that old song Mindbender...'My Mama was a Gibson, my Daddy was a Fender, that's why they call me Mindbender'. Splitting that mini or firebird pickup basically gives you a lipstick pickup - a single rail inside a metal case, it does really jangle in S or H mode. The middle pickup is the best sounding to me, but the neck HB was very sad in both modes.
Thanks for the review, I did not know Gibson made this style guitar. While it is a bit quirky, I really like the tonal options. Hot for rock but with the coil splits you can tone it down for country, blues or jazz. I am a, earlies soft rock, blues, country style player so I think this guitar would suit my playing style, But my wallet doesn't like it...lol The middle split and neck middles is my favorite.
Yeah it ain't your "typical" Gibson but THAT is the point isn't it? The ONE word I would use to describe my NightHawk is..."Versatile" and THAT in itself is worth the price of admission. The "Landmark Series" are few and far between to find, came in a variety of colors and had TWO Mini Humbuckers. IF you can find one you'll pay a pretty penny for it. Amazing guitar are incredibly underrated. They need RESPECT! :). FYI...these fit in SG cases...trust me. :)
Just so cool to see how far Trog's has come been watching since my other UA-cam profile when you were under 50k now it's 230 plus n rising, with daily content. Man's a guitar trading n collecting machine.
That might have originally been my guitar. I bought it because it was smaller than a LP, and I'm on the smaller side. Beautiful guitar, but I never really enjoyed it as much as I thought I would. I ultimately sold it to the other guitar player in my band, and he subsequently sold it. Not that my guitar was the only one in that color...but it could have been mine.
I’ve wanted a 3-pickup Nighthawk Custom since they came out in the early ‘90s. I was at the NAMM show the year they were introduced, and my impression was that Gibson was trying to do their version of a Nashville Telecaster. Since a 3-pickup Tele is close to my ideal guitar, of course I was interested, but I couldn’t afford a Nighthawk. In the ‘90s, in Northern California, live music gigs were disappearing faster than you could say, “Whoops, there goes another one!” and even country gigs were switching from bands to DJs. As I recall, Nighthawk Customs retailed at around $1500, and they were really hard to find-I think I only saw one at a dealer when they were available. Nighthawk Standards (same guitar as the Custom but less fancy; they had ES-345-style double-parallelogram inlays) were scarce too; I think I’ve only seen one of those as well. Most of the Nighthawks I’ve seen were Specials (single-layer binding and dot inlays, most of those were 2-pickup models; I want a 3-pickup Custom!) Although I’d take a Standard in a pinch…Gibson didn’t do a very good job of getting Nighthawks into stores-I’ve seen more Blueshawks than I have Nighthawks. About 2012, there was an Epiphone Nighthawk Custom announced, but they’re gone now too-I’ve never seen one of those! Despite the internet, you’ve still got to get guitars in stores if you want to sell any. And Epiphone recently did a Nancy Wilson (from Heart) Nighthawk Standard, dubbed the Fanatic, but that’s only available with two pickups. Drat! I’m still looking for that Custom, but I’ll bet they’re going for a lot more than $1500 these days, when you can find one!
That's one Les Paul you rarely hear of. Always wanted to try one. My preference being on the blues hawk. I like the color the black light change that top to. Would make a very interesting color if they could achieve it. Kind of liking the color the controls turned too. Both of the guitars I have that incorporate coil split being from different manufacturers you have to pull up to split the coil. Don't know about anyone else but I'm getting space invaders vibes from the fretboard inlays.
First impressions? I absolutely love the way that guitar sounds I wish it was mine. I don't care what it shaped like I don't care what the pickup configuration or the wood I just I'm talkin about the way that this damn thing sounds it's amazing
I own one and it's a great guitar. Since it's so treble sounding you need to boost the mids and bass on the amp then you can get some really nice tones out of it. I have even got jazz tones out of it. There isn't much real difference between the Epiphone model and the Gibson since I have both. The pickups on the Epi version actually sound a bit better. It is a comfortable guitar to play and definitely will turn heads when you use it.
Thanks for checking one out!! I'm still kicking myself in the butt for passing up an Epiphone version that was a barely used Fireburst finish from around 2014. It sounded really really good!! The de.aler offered it to me for $279.00. I was out of state and had flown into the area for work, so I had no way to take it home. He offered to ship for me and I didn't do it.......Duh :-(. This poor guitar seems to be either loved or loathed. Keep up the great reviews!!! Bryan
My SG Special is also a 1994 and has the similar serial number. I was told it was a '91-2 when I bought it, but that model was not made at that time. It was confusing until I read about the anomaly.
A friend had a 3 pick up version. He wanted a Les Paul, but in highschool this was all he could afford. Bought it for $500.00. I loved it. Always wanted one. He still has his and won't part with it.
They're fantastic guitars, and while I like watching Trogly's deep dive into guitars, He's better with the specs than actually getting a good tone out of anything. I had a Nighthawk and I never heard it sound as bad as this video.
I'm downsizing so, I just got rid of one. I hope I don't regret it. It was a great guitar. Mine was just a plain top in tobacco burst. Getting rid of it was a really tough decision. It was a Jack-of-all-trades guitar and it did those things very well. I could get Les Paul and Tele tones from the bridge. Firebird and strat tones from the neck. Strat tones from the middle. It had a few more tones from the 5-way switch. It would do a really good Telecaster middle position tone. It was a great guitar. I think the people who don't like them, don't like the look or how thin it is, or the scale length. They'll come up with all kinds of reasons that really boil down to cork sniffing. If you're looking for just one guitar to cover multiple bases, you could do a lot worse than the Gibson Nighthawk.
I had a "Blues Hawk" back in the 90s.. the pickups are *not* P-90s, they are the same size, but have magnetic pole pieces, more like a Jazzmaster pickup. Very anemic, and the dummy coil gave the instrument a weird and unpleasant muted yest whistley quality. I removed the dummy coil and Vari-Tone and had Lindy Fralin re-wind the coils, hoping to get a more P-90 type sound. It just never seemed to have any real "vibe", though..
The impression that I got from this guitar with the scale length and the bridge. is it would be what you would have if history were changed between Gibson and Fender. in which case it would have been the Fender Les Paul or the Gibson Stratocaster in an alternate reality. it's not a guitar that I would go out of my way find. although it has an ability to get some different tones from it.
I own a two-pickups 1996 Nighthawk Standard in Trans-Amber finish. It's a killer guitar. I also have two Les Pauls (2002 Standard and a 2000 Classic) as well and the nighthawk holds its own all day, everyday. It's just very different, kind of like a Telecaster on steroids.
FWIW I don't think the description of the pickup selector scheme in this video is correct, but I'm also suspicious that the guitar in the video has been modified not to match the original schematic, too. Check out Wikipedia for a diagram of how the original Nighthawk pickups were configured--I own an ST3 and it matches the diagram. Tone knob up is the same 5 settings as a strat, tone knob down the first 3 positions are the same as a 3-pickup Gibson (B, B/N, N), then 4th is middle & humbucker bridge, and 5th is "forbidden tele" single coil neck and single coil bridge. The only combos not available are neck humbucker/middle and all 3.
Cool guitar, but the flat top makes the tiger stripe look like bad wallpaper in an old house. I've never cared about aesthetic. Until now, ha. Reissue with a carved top, Fender scale length, 24 frets, compound radius, no wallpaper. Love the wiring. Great show.
Tell me that you actually got married and are still together. I once sold a Chevy El Camino that I just loved, because my live-in girlfriend at the time wanted me to. She left not long after. I sure do miss that car.
I played one of these in the 90s and recently i tried out the Epiphone model of this and I love the guitar. Id buy one if I didnt already own too many hehe.
You're Welcome...I made this the first few days of 94...Monday, Jan, 3 was the first production day. I believe this was made on Jan 4, 1994. I was able to run 500 bodies, 500 fretboard, and as many necks as I could do in 8 hours. I was the only machinist in solid bodies dept. I programmed, setup, and ran the fixtures, the bodies front/back, and inlay pockets on all fretboard. All of Gibson's machine operators had to be trained and went to learn what I had been doing for 16 years already. Gibson hired me to cover for 6 men. 2 per shift for 10 months. I will never build another guitar again. 125k...I'm done.
I'd be more interested in your stories than most of the channels on here about Gibson guitars and promise to sub if you put some content up..
125K Guitars? You sir are a farking LEGEND! :)
Thank you for your service!
I own a 3-pickup 'special' version born ~1993. Yes, very bright, quite Strat-like, with some Tele sounds, even. Still feels like an LP without all of its drawbacks. Sound engineers love it in a mix.
Trogly: I don’t know much about this model so I’ll just give you a brief rundown.
Also Trogly: proceeds to give a lengthy and comparative list of various models.
You’re a champ, Austin. 😊
Also, this is one Gibson model that I wish hadn’t been discontinued. Always liked the looks of them and the few I’ve played have been fun.
Quite bizarrely after looking all over the internet I was always confused by the "most versatile guitar ever" people until this video. His chart single handily did a better job than Gibson or anyone else at explaining how to work this damn guitar. Hilariously though he didn't get it until after playing as his demo showed. The split function (up) gives you all five strat sounds. The Humbucker (down) setting makes 1-3 a LP with a Tele switch. Position 5 gives you the remaining tele (bridge and neck) sound and four the number 2 super Strat sound.
Literally he tested the guitar's number 3 setting and hit the push pull pot which went from just the single coil in the middle to the neck minihumbucker. About as different a sound as possible which confused him endlessly.
Almost bought a Nighthawk about a year ago. Nowhere near as gorgeous looking as this one and only the 2 pickup version in black finish but... I read some reviews and backed out before making an offer as I thought "I have Fenders... why but a Gibson version of a Fender?". Having watched Trog's review now I think I was right (and maybe wrong lol) to not get the Nighthawk. I still want to try one if I ever get a chance though and kudos to Gibson back then for actually trying to innovate a bit rather than - as they are today - simply rolling out more and more expensive versions of their greatest hits. That CST-3 that Trog reviewed - now that is one for any collector 100% 😊
Kind of a bad tele
I was working at a very small music store when this came out but for some reason we got to be a gibson dealer. I still remember we had a huge cardboard cutout of Joe Walsh and Don Felder holding one while saying "Only a Gibson is good enough". This wasn't a guitar for hard rocker. I think they were going for the country market with this guitar.
do you remember those being advertised with Framton in the guitar mags around 1988-89. I wanted 1 but never got 1
Dio's guitarist played one Rowin was his name from UK.
They were advertising them in Music City News, certainly a Nashville country scene magazine in that era.
Back when I bought my first Les Paul in 1996 & before Gibson’s were in ALL the small shops. We had a small music store in downtown Libertyville in 93-94 who carried SG’s, Les Paul Specials in TV Yellow but I don’t recall ever seeing any full on Les Paul standards in it only a life size standup of Joe Walsh playing a Cherry Sunburst Les Paul. That store was literally the size of a one car garage.
I always thought they were a “ country music “ guitar . I didn’t like them when they came out but I sorta dig em now .
Growing up in Nashville, my guitar teacher was signed with Gibson. I remember being at his house when the first Nighthawk arrived. Must have been 92ish.
It was the most beautiful guitar i had ever seen. I have one now, with that setup, and its the best guitar ive ever played.
You mentioned the Blueshawks being hollowed. I was a teen, but i swear i remember them saying the Nighthawk had a cavity on the left side that kinda mirrored the cavity with the electronics, just not visible.
I could be remembering totally wrong but maybe worth checking them to see if any had it
Nancy Wilson helped design this model back in the 1980s. She even has one of the original prototypes of the guitar from way back then. That is why she got both the Fanatic model and the Epiphone signature model. She should get a little credit for that.
This is what I was going to jump on here and comment about. I think I read about this in Guitar World magazine? A very cool endorsement having Nancy Wilson get behind it.
Nancy Wilson would be nowhere without her sister. Ann has the voice.
@@stringspicksandfiddlestick6388 That's funny seeing that their first #1 was sung by...Nancy and recorded while she had a bad cold or the flu. Not taking anything from Ann at all because she was and still is an incredible singer but you can't just toss Nancy to the side like that it's just wrong.
@@RayC234 I'm moving out of Seattle. It would be nice to run into either of them before I leave. I did run into Lee Oskar pumping gas at Costco. My wife says she saw Dave Mathews on the street once. Didn't know Nancy sang that song. I do know she sings backup. Ann was a babe and still is a babe in my book. Nancy was added to the band after Ann. I love them doing The Battle of Evermore on UA-cam.
@@ThatHuskyisCrazy I don't think either of them live in Seattle anymore. Ann Lives in Florida and Nancy I think lives in California.
Cool, a couple of days ago I was helping a friend hunting for reviews on Epiphone Nancy Wilson Fanatic when thinking, "Gee, I wish Trogly reviewed this guitar, I just need to tell my friend to watch the review and that's all he need to decided whether to buy it for his daughter." Now all I need is to show him this since the Epi is based on this guitar. Kudos for Trogly!
Hi there. See Foxys Guitar Show UA-cam Channel he did a review on the Nancy Wilson Fanatic yesterday
I know this is coming three months after your comment but ...that Nancy Wilson epi model is great. Real ebony fingerboard and a 25.5 scale length can't be beat: I don't know if any other Epiphone/Gibson has both of those specs. Maybe a really high end L5 or super 400.
To me the epi played like a cross between a tele and a Les Paul
I always liked this guitar. It was a Swiss Army of sounds. It always seemed like a moderately priced guitar for the guitarist who can only afford one good guitar but wanted many.
I tried one of these freaks back in 1994 at the local guitar store. And it was considered to be a very special instrument.
I had to remove any clothing that could scratch the surface, AND wash my hands before they let me go anywhere near it.
Now, like you, I was a bit underwhelmed by its tone (still am) but the neck is one of the most comfortable I've ever felt.
It's thin and buttery smooth, and so good that even a novice player will sound like they know what they're doing while holding it.
I have the one we gave to Bob Welch when I worked at Gibson. Same model and finish. It's actually a fun, nice guitar. These were designed to compete with Telecasters, hence the "Nashville Tele" three pickup offering, string-thru, tele scale, etc. Gibson, being in Nashville, wasn't popular with country players in Nashville. Ouch. The idea was to make something. JT is a genius, and did a great job, and little known fact, was a lefty, so handmade a lefty for himself, and the only other person to get one was Elliott Easton. I took care of a lot of the marketing, using artist for ads, getting them on album covers, in videos, etc. They were a hard sell back then, dealers wanted LP Studios and LP Standards and we were really, really pushing these. I know way too much about these, and the eventual Blueshawk, which fortunately was released after I left the company.
Thank you man, that guitar (the 2-pickups model) is dear to me because it was released when I was a teenager and back then I could see it everywhere in magazines, on album covers as you said ( Joan Osborne's "Relish" in particular), on stage in European summer festivals (there was a Dutch female rock singer called Anouk, whose guitar player used one), and on TV in my homecountry which is France: we had a "late show" sort of thing called Nulle Part Ailleurs which had its own rock band and the guitar player whose name was LOL had a Nighthawk . It defines the 90s to me, the way I experienced them.
........I wondered if ESP were coming into the competition factor, like, the body shape..... 23:11
I have the Epiphone Custom Reissue. The headstock was broken off and someone was throwing it away. I got it for free and repaired it and refinished it. Very cool guitar. Especially for free.
I've seen a really big resurgence of these on the used market for some reason. I've found a bunch in shops recently so I've been able to try some out and I gotta say, they're absolutely killer guitars. I honestly prefer them over Les Paul's, since you get adjustable saddles and a 25.5" scale. Much more comfortable to play and the tonal variety you get is awesome. Gibson should bring these back again.
I have what I think is a 1996 Nighthawk SP3, correction, 1998, that is no binding on the neck or headstock but binding on the body and dot inlays on the fingerboard. It seems to me you got confused about the push/pull and the selector. In humbucker position the, the selector is; bridge ( as with a Les Paul), then both humbuckers, then neck humbucker; then position 4 is bridge humbucker and middle and position 5 is both humbuckers split( like a Telecaster). With the push/pull in split mode the selector is as a Strat. I have had this guitar for around 20 years, and I love it. Great to see on your channel.
I have been waiting for this episode...
I own a 92' Gibson Night Hawk and I absolutely love it.
To me it is Gibson's answer to the stratacaster. It has Gibson style, It has all of the tones of a strat(and more), it feels really elegant compared to a strat (imo), although it does feel different from my main guitar*, it is pretty comfortable to play. When I want to go for the strat or get that sound (that my other Gibson's can't do) that's my go to guitar. I used to have a stratacaster and honestly I wasn't a fan of it.
*My main guitar is a well loved 86' Gibson Les Paul Custom that I bought new for $600, and have played almost everyday since. So yes definitely is a players grade guitar and not a collector.
Throughout the years, I have had to change almost all of my electronics and hardware (fret's, tuner's, pickup's bridge, pot's) due to the hard wear and tear I put it through. I have played the finish mostly off the neck and it feels perfect as is. I personally don't think it's in that bad of condition... I think of it as well loved🤪(if you would see it you might faint or get really mad, or who knows love it lol). It has been my trusty friend and companion for 36 years.
And It's the perfect guitar for me.
Other guitar's:
Gibson Explorer
Gibson SG
Epiphone Korina Flying V
Fire it up!!!
Hi Andy i had a special 3pu and for me it was the perfect guitar for the gigging covers muso,like you im not a strat fan and i used this for years and really thought gibson had cracked it here. I wish it was reissued again as the kneck on mine broke and never was succesfully repaired as it kept breaking, a star guitar that never really cought on but if you used one you just had to love it.
@@stephenkennaway9326 here is a good story about the guitar -When I got my Night Hawk the headstock was broken. my old bass player and his brother were working at the recycling plant and someone dropped it off (through it away), they saw a Gibson case took a quick look and stashed it in their car. They opened it up and found the headstock was broken and it was given it to me. I had it repaired, it looks flawless (@ the repair) & if you didn't know about the repair you would not know. I call it my karma guitar (if I ever have to get rid of it, I will give it away to someone I deem deserving of it), It's definitely one of my favorite guitars.
(I forgot to mention my Night Hawk is a Tobacco Burst).
Hey, Austin… I’m the one that bought that Nighthawk case. It has been happily housing my ‘96 Gibson Nighthawk ever since. Thanks!
Cool, 'Your 96 Nighthawk deserves a case.
I'm watching this again because I miss my Nighthawk. It's currently in the shop, getting a new neck pickup & a setup. That will finally finish up that mod project. For anyone curious about replacement options, Seymour Duncan makes 2 different angled bridge pickups, a '59 & a JB with 4 conductor wiring (JB was my choice). I chose the Seymourized Mini Humbucker for the neck, since it's one of the only 4 conductor minis available. The only replacement option I know of for the middle pickup is the Sentell Dayhawk, but it sounds fantastic! Also, fun fact: the lower bout is the same shape as an SG, so Nighthawks fit in SG cases.
I have one of the Epiphone custom reissues in Fireburst, the three-pickup version from the early 2010's, not the current two-pickup Nancy Wilson version. It is specced out pretty much identical to the one in the video. Same pickup layout, same push-pull tone pot to split the humbuckers, same fretboard inlays, same "pineapple" inlay on the headstock, same flame maple top (a veneer on mine of course), and same binding. About the only differences are chrome hardware instead of gold (which I prefer anyways), a rosewood fretboard instead of ebony, and Grover tuners with chrome tuning keys instead of the vintage-style Klusons.
It really is a quirky and unique guitar, I love it. It is such a weird mish-mash between a Gibson and a Fender. Strat-style 25.5" scale length and wiring, and the slant bridge humbucker with a Tele-style backplate, but with a modified Les Paul-style body, and set-neck construction with a mahogany body and maple top.
It is quite lightweight and thin, and is a lot of fun to play. It was a lot of guitar for the $399 asking price when new.
Peach of a nighthawk. I have a ‘97 Blueshawk and I love it. These guitars should have been more popular particularly in a studio setting. Very versatile.
I only ever played one and really liked it. I have a triple soapbar guitar with Nashville Tele wiring and it basically covers everything the Nighthawk can do, so I didn't buy it, but if you can find one and you play anything in that country/country rock vein, it's a good pick. Especially if you want to stand out from the Tele players.
I was visiting SF for a week in 2010 from Australia. On a working holiday, I was determined to take a guitar home with me. I really didn't know what I was looking for, just something with character from a reputable brand. I had a very modest budget, and I didn't much like anything new that I saw in my price range. I'd always wanted a Gibson/Les Paul, but was pretty sure I wasn't going to find one of those that I could afford. I'd never even heard of the Nighthawk, let alone seen one. Anyway, after scouring a few big shops, I found a tiny little shop in a back street (no doubt some of you know the shop) with a '94 ST3. A little aged but in VGC overall, with original hardcase, good price. Played it for 5 minutes and I had to have it. Someone asked me recently, if I had to choose between the NH and my early '80s Fullerton Tele, which would I keep? Very hard to answer that, but probably the Tele as it was my first solid body guitar, bought when I could barely play a couple of riffs. The 3PU 'hawk is just so versatile and easy to play. Many here dismiss it on tone, but for me it just means cranking the amp a bit harder, which is more than fine with me. Plenty of good tone there if you drag it out. I've had it 13 years now and don't think I could ever part with it.
ive been hoping for one of these for so long
I have a 1998 Blues Hawk in Chicago Blue with a Meastro Tremelo. I think I still have the original flyer from the dealer that says B-90 Pickups. The price on them new along with the Night Hawk was like $650 new. I remember that's what I paid for my Blues Hawk. The night Hawk may have been $750. I was to fixated on buying my Blues Hawk. Still have it 24 years later with no plans to ever part with it.
The Nighthawk is such a cool model. I've got a 2014 Epiphone Nighthawk Custom reissue that's one of my favorite guitars to play. It's been modded a bit with a JB in the bridge & a Sentell Dayhawk in the middle position. Very versatile instrument for sure.
Whoa- I had never heard of the dayhawk pickup! how do you like it? as you know the middle one is hard to find a replacement for, since it mounts differently than most. its also noisey, so im curious..
@@guitarcrap4523 It's a great sounding pickup! I opted for the stacked version, so there's none of the noise the stock one had. Beautiful, clear tone when used on its own, and plays really well with the JB in the bridge.
I just picked up a Gibson All American G II that uses two of the same single coil pickups in your guitar, but one is missing. Thanks to you I now know I can replace it with a Day Hawk!!
Very nice nice job describing most know versions. I love Nighthawks, to me, its one of the last innovative Gibsons model that ocurred in my actual life. I lusted in the 90s so much for one and later In my 20s could finally own one. I have owned the most relevants, there is a lot of variation in neck profile so its really important to try before buying. Currently I own the one like in the video but only has 2 pickups and is firre sunburst, I made a custom wiring and switching system plus installed a Chameleon pickups that has the ability to morph into single, P90 and humbucker. One last thing, you can install any bridge humbucker pickups you want, its very simple to do it ones you get the correct slanted plate. These guitars are so underrated and much better than any SG IMHO
That sounds unique and way cool🤟🏼
I mean its cool, but these are just normal superstrat type features in a single cut body. If you wanted one so bad, a luthier could have replicated one easily for s decent price
Always liked these. Thanks to the person who bought this one for letting you review it for us. Happy Memorial day.
Ditto
I own 2 of them. 95 fire burst and 97 Mojave burst landmark series. These are absolutely amazing guitars and comfortable to play.
I have the Epiphone Nighthawk Custom Reissue in the same color. Looks very close to the one you presented. It's a very nice little guitar. I also have a 1998 Gibson Blueshawk with the 'Blues 90' pickups and the dummy coil in the back. The Varitone circuit on the Blueshawk is interesting. Both are fun diversions from the norm. I have a PRS Vela that falls into that category.
I have the Epiphone as well in sunburst. Light and nimble. A swiss army knife of guitars. To me it rocks hard.
I love the PRS Vela. The neck pickup of the Vela is similar to the Dynasonic from the 1950s Gretsch.
Les Paul the man loved the Dynasonic pickups and installed them in a couple of the earliest Gibson Goldtop Les Paul guitars. Gibson would not stand for a Gretsch pickup being installed on a Les Paul so they designed the AlNiCo Staple pickup as a Dynasonic replacement for Les Paul the Man. The Type-D Singlecoil in your PRS Vela is a fantastically dynamic single coil. Kind of like a marriage of a Gibson P90 and a Telecaster bridge pickup. Gosh, guess I got a little worked up about the Vela pickup, I just need to get myself a PRS Vela and be done with the lusting!
@@hkguitar1984 I went with the satin semi-hollow. I really love that neck pickup. It has some body to it. But it is not muddy at all. Sort of a muscular strat neck pickup sound.
@@mikedwiles Sounds really great Mike, especially in the semi-hollow.
I have the Epi version of this exact setup except the tuners aren't the classic type. I love mine. I can record demo versions of new stuff and never change guitars no matter what sound I need.
I have the Epiphone version in sunburst. My friend has an amber Epiphone, and my other friend has a blue Gibson blueshawk. All great players and versatile.
I bought the standard version in 1993. Of my collection, I just love it. It’s not going anywhere. Light, versatile, lovely neck. Fun. I fully believe the NH is as well conceived and executed as the LP or SG or 335.
Hardest working man on UA-cam!
True
I'd love to own the Epiphone version of this ... nice
I’d rock that. Gorgeous.
This was Gibson's answer to the "what if a LP and a Strat had a kid. The pickup and control layout is clear about that.
Also, it sounded fairly close to an old Strat that I once had. Also close to my current Tele. Almost forgot, I played almost only Gibson/Epi for 28 years. A few exceptions along the way of course. But I've studied and wanted one for a long time.
So glad to see this video! I have a '93 Nighthawk 2-pup standard, same finish. It's such a versatile guitar in feel & sound, from almost a Tele to meaty Gibson, and it's beautiful to look at. I also have a year 2000 Blueshawk in Chicago blue w/maestro tremolo, and while I really like the Nighthawk, the Blueshawk is my favorite. The Blueshawk matches many of the Nighthawk body/neck specs (but semi-hollow body ), and has great P-90 pickups, plus a 6-way varitone switch that can be engaged with a push/pull tone knob (so 21 different distinct tone variations are possible). The Blueshawk is the one that gets first call for gigs, but I still won't part with the Nighthawk--the neck carve & scale length make it such a playable guitar. Thanks again Trog!
Same, I have a 93 Special (so the "Les Paul Studio" version so to speak) and it's brilliant. Tracked down a great condition Epiphone reissue (the Custom, like in this video but in the burst finish) and it's really excellent as well. They put Grovers on the reissues which I actually really like, and if anything they're maybe a little easier to wrangle than the keystone LP style tuners on my USA one. Stunning guitar that is perenially overlooked.
Normally I’m no fan of gold hardware outside of a black beauty, but this looks nice. I was still learning guitar when these came into my local shop, was never a Les Paul/single cut fan (I did like the Les Paul DC though), but these were nice… not that I was able to afford a Gibson as a teenager. I’m just glad my shop wasn’t all protective about it like “No, don’t touch the Gibsons! Don’t even look at them!” I mean they did lock up the Custom Shop models, but those were all close to $10 price tag guitars! (I don’t think they ever sold more than two or three of them in the four years I was hanging out there.)
For me the middle pickup stole the show. They should have just slapped three single coils in that beauty.
I have a 2013 Epi Custom. I replaced the saddles with graphite pieces and I absolutely love this guitar!!!
Good playing as always
As some astute viewers have mentioned, there is something askew with the wiring of this particular example--it does not conform to the wiring diagram as it should, and both the pickup readings and the operation of the switch confirm that it is not wired as designed. I have one of these, and it does conform to the pickup diagram, with the push-pull tone knob up providing the typical Strat pickup selections, and the knob down providing an unusual set of tones. With the tone knob down, you get the usual three tones from a two-pickup Gibson, a Tele-like 2-pickup tone and the unique combination of the minihumbucker with the middle pickup. Mine also is bright-sounding, which makes it come through nicely in a mix, especially as a rhythm guitar.
I’ve always thought the Les Paul and Strat being the polar extremes of the solid electric guitar world, the pickups, the shape, the weight, the layout, the bridge, the headstock- all diametrically opposed. Not entirely convinced you can have the best of both worlds, just compromises on what each guitar does best.
Alan Greenway .. Well said! 👍
I agree, a guitar made to do it all but does nothing great.
I have wanted a blueshawk for a long time. I don't understand why these weren't more popular.
J.T. Riboloff wasnt the only designer of this model. It has Henry's fingerprints all over it and was one of his "babies". The reason why there are so many hawk models after the initial launch was because, if you were the product manager of the time, it was not a good idea to let Henry's baby fail. So, many attempts were made to keep the model alive. Nobody on the inside of Gibson liked that model much, and I dont recall music stores loving it either, nor the salesforce.
I have a '93 Sp2 and there are no push pulls on it. Original wiring. I think that maybe they incorporated some of the tone options in the 5 way since there were just the 2 pickups. I love it, it's one of my favorite guitars, it's definitely a road dog though, all the chips, dings and the obligatory headstock repair that comes with someones main player
Ha ha! Me too! Just got up at 3:30 AM to check, like “No way I missed that for 28 years!” Nope, I didn’t
I have the Epiphone version of this guitar (never seen a Gibson one) and love it. But can’t find any info about the pickups, though I believe the middle is a ceramic, as used in the M series.
THEY HAVE THE ST3 IN CHICAGO QUILTED MAPLE BLUE SUPPOSEDLY THERE ARE LESS THAN 100 GUITARS MADE IN THIS SCHEME
The Chicago quilted Maple blue that I possibly would sell has never had a pick across the strings and still has the original strings it came with brand new and was a Namm display guitar that has coil split on the volume and tone pot they need to reformat UA-cam to where you can post pictures in the comment section
My friend used to get a musician's friends catalog back in early '90s.
Gibson was selling nighthawks in it.
I still drool over these guitars.
Cleanest one that I have seen in 30 years. I have a '95 Standard in Fireburst. Great guitars that have been overlooked for decades.
I owned a first run Nighthawk in a beautiful red. Everyone loved the looks of the guitar, but no one could get a good tone out of it. Now I understand why. We were running it in the single coil set up. No one told us there was a push pull switch. Plus, I was running it through a solid state Valve State Marshall. (Don't get me started on that.) We finally came to the conclusion that the guitar wanted to be a coffee table, not a guitar. I eventually traded it for a 1978 Les Paul with mini humbuckers, Grover tuners, and a ton of buckle rash.
had epi version of this sold last year..kinda surprised how soft the market was..if you could only have one guitar these would be a contender for sure!
I've had both the Gibson Nighthawk SP3 and a PRS 509, as well as some other 3 pickup PRS variations and a few Epiphone nighthawks. The Gibson Nighthawk does the Jack-of -all-trades thing better than ANY of the others. It has a little different wiring scheme than the Epiphone version, giving it more tonal variety and making it more versatile. The folks that complain about it not sounding as good as strat, tele, or Les Paul, just aren't trying to dial it in, which isn't that hard. You may have to make a few adjustments on the amp. If you can only have one guitar, I highly recommend the Gibson Nighthawk.
Love that flame maple top and gold hardware..beautiful Trogly..Great video thanks.
75 V (fat headstock) has a nut width: Nut Width (in): 1.581
As old as I am I remember pineing away for the Nighthawk and the blues Hawk. The blues Hawk was what I actually wanted the most when I was young
Youth............I do remember it fondly
In 1975 I just had to have a Sunburst Les Paul like Ace Frehley..........LOL, I was 13 years old.
I worked 3 Summer jobs at once and by 1977 I'd saved up enough for a brand new Les Paul Deluxe.
Regrets for selling that Les Paul, if I ever find it I'll have to somehow buy it!
I still have the pink Warranty Registration card! My eyes are peeled for S/N 398812, its a cherry sunburst Les Paul Deluxe with a big ding on the middle of the top (drummer was twirling his stick when he lost control and it his the guitar (I hadn't had the guitar a week yet when it was introduced to a drum stick!)
Woot woot Trogly's 🙌
The lightest Gibson ever made. The brightest Gibson ever played...That was the tagline in the ads. I remember when these first came out and wanted one so badly but I wasn't even allowed to get a job because my grades sucked.
The inlays on this one and the parallelogram inlays on one of the others were especially cool. They had the Les Paul shape so they reminded me of Slash without being a carbon copy of his guitar. The sound leaves something to be desired though. Its just not chunky enough.
I've always wanted to get my hands on one of these. Seems like it would be very versatile.
I was reading an article about this guitar where they mentioned that this guitar will be back, but now made by Epiphone
Ive had a black NH Special since 1995. Its my go to guitar and pound for pound, which includes versatility, weight, function, comfort, and staying in tune, the best guitar I own. If I were to start gigging again, it would be the guitar I headed out the door with.
This guitar always reminds me of that old song Mindbender...'My Mama was a Gibson, my Daddy was a Fender, that's why they call me Mindbender'. Splitting that mini or firebird pickup basically gives you a lipstick pickup - a single rail inside a metal case, it does really jangle in S or H mode. The middle pickup is the best sounding to me, but the neck HB was very sad in both modes.
Cool nighthawk!
Thanks for the review, I did not know Gibson made this style guitar. While it is a bit quirky, I really like the tonal options. Hot for rock but with the coil splits you can tone it down for country, blues or jazz. I am a, earlies soft rock, blues, country style player so I think this guitar would suit my playing style, But my wallet doesn't like it...lol The middle split and neck middles is my favorite.
Yeah it ain't your "typical" Gibson but THAT is the point isn't it? The ONE word I would use to describe my NightHawk is..."Versatile" and THAT in itself is worth the price of admission. The "Landmark Series" are few and far between to find, came in a variety of colors and had TWO Mini Humbuckers. IF you can find one you'll pay a pretty penny for it. Amazing guitar are incredibly underrated. They need RESPECT! :). FYI...these fit in SG cases...trust me. :)
I always thought these were super cool guitars but I was sadly never able to try one. Thanks for the full demo!
Just so cool to see how far Trog's has come been watching since my other UA-cam profile when you were under 50k now it's 230 plus n rising, with daily content. Man's a guitar trading n collecting machine.
The more I watch it, the more I think of an Eclipse! The cutaway, the belly cut, the neck profile, the thin nut... 😅
I love the Hawk model. The only solid body with humbuckers of the bunch.
That might have originally been my guitar. I bought it because it was smaller than a LP, and I'm on the smaller side. Beautiful guitar, but I never really enjoyed it as much as I thought I would. I ultimately sold it to the other guitar player in my band, and he subsequently sold it. Not that my guitar was the only one in that color...but it could have been mine.
I’ve wanted a 3-pickup Nighthawk Custom since they came out in the early ‘90s. I was at the NAMM show the year they were introduced, and my impression was that Gibson was trying to do their version of a Nashville Telecaster. Since a 3-pickup Tele is close to my ideal guitar, of course I was interested, but I couldn’t afford a Nighthawk. In the ‘90s, in Northern California, live music gigs were disappearing faster than you could say, “Whoops, there goes another one!” and even country gigs were switching from bands to DJs. As I recall, Nighthawk Customs retailed at around $1500, and they were really hard to find-I think I only saw one at a dealer when they were available. Nighthawk Standards (same guitar as the Custom but less fancy; they had ES-345-style double-parallelogram inlays) were scarce too; I think I’ve only seen one of those as well. Most of the Nighthawks I’ve seen were Specials (single-layer binding and dot inlays, most of those were 2-pickup models; I want a 3-pickup Custom!) Although I’d take a Standard in a pinch…Gibson didn’t do a very good job of getting Nighthawks into stores-I’ve seen more Blueshawks than I have Nighthawks. About 2012, there was an Epiphone Nighthawk Custom announced, but they’re gone now too-I’ve never seen one of those! Despite the internet, you’ve still got to get guitars in stores if you want to sell any. And Epiphone recently did a Nancy Wilson (from Heart) Nighthawk Standard, dubbed the Fanatic, but that’s only available with two pickups. Drat! I’m still looking for that Custom, but I’ll bet they’re going for a lot more than $1500 these days, when you can find one!
That's one Les Paul you rarely hear of. Always wanted to try one. My preference being on the blues hawk. I like the color the black light change that top to. Would make a very interesting color if they could achieve it. Kind of liking the color the controls turned too. Both of the guitars I have that incorporate coil split being from different manufacturers you have to pull up to split the coil. Don't know about anyone else but I'm getting space invaders vibes from the fretboard inlays.
Probably because it's NOT a Les Paul. :)
First impressions? I absolutely love the way that guitar sounds I wish it was mine. I don't care what it shaped like I don't care what the pickup configuration or the wood I just I'm talkin about the way that this damn thing sounds it's amazing
I have a Gibson Nighthawk 12 string, with three mini humbuckers, that’s as rare as hens teeth.
whuuuh? pics please!
@@guitarcrap4523 can't post photos here
I own one and it's a great guitar. Since it's so treble sounding you need to boost the mids and bass on the amp then you can get some really nice tones out of it. I have even got jazz tones out of it. There isn't much real difference between the Epiphone model and the Gibson since I have both. The pickups on the Epi version actually sound a bit better. It is a comfortable guitar to play and definitely will turn heads when you use it.
I've been waiting for an in depth Nighthawk review. Gibson really pushed these in the mid 90's.
Thanks for checking one out!! I'm still kicking myself in the butt for passing up an Epiphone version that was a barely used Fireburst finish from around 2014. It sounded really really good!! The de.aler offered it to me for $279.00. I was out of state and had flown into the area for work, so I had no way to take it home. He offered to ship for me and I didn't do it.......Duh :-(. This poor guitar seems to be either loved or loathed. Keep up the great reviews!!! Bryan
Love the Nighthawk series. Picked up my Nancy Wilson 2011 model. Easily the most beautiful of all the models
My SG Special is also a 1994 and has the similar serial number. I was told it was a '91-2 when I bought it, but that model was not made at that time. It was confusing until I read about the anomaly.
A friend had a 3 pick up version. He wanted a Les Paul, but in highschool this was all he could afford. Bought it for $500.00. I loved it. Always wanted one. He still has his and won't part with it.
They're fantastic guitars, and while I like watching Trogly's deep dive into guitars, He's better with the specs than actually getting a good tone out of anything. I had a Nighthawk and I never heard it sound as bad as this video.
I'm downsizing so, I just got rid of one. I hope I don't regret it. It was a great guitar. Mine was just a plain top in tobacco burst. Getting rid of it was a really tough decision. It was a Jack-of-all-trades guitar and it did those things very well. I could get Les Paul and Tele tones from the bridge. Firebird and strat tones from the neck. Strat tones from the middle. It had a few more tones from the 5-way switch. It would do a really good Telecaster middle position tone. It was a great guitar. I think the people who don't like them, don't like the look or how thin it is, or the scale length. They'll come up with all kinds of reasons that really boil down to cork sniffing.
If you're looking for just one guitar to cover multiple bases, you could do a lot worse than the Gibson Nighthawk.
I have had the 2 pickup model from 93. You have to crank this thing up through a tube half-stack. It's amazing sounding with straight amp juice
Bought a three pick up cherry version with Dot markers in 1996 in a local shop for $650 and still have it. Great guitar, love it.
I had a "Blues Hawk" back in the 90s.. the pickups are *not* P-90s, they are the same size, but have magnetic pole pieces, more like a Jazzmaster pickup. Very anemic, and the dummy coil gave the instrument a weird and unpleasant muted yest whistley quality. I removed the dummy coil and Vari-Tone and had Lindy Fralin re-wind the coils, hoping to get a more P-90 type sound. It just never seemed to have any real "vibe", though..
The impression that I got from this guitar with the scale length and the bridge. is it would be what you would have if history were changed between Gibson and Fender. in which case it would have been the Fender Les Paul or the Gibson Stratocaster in an alternate reality. it's not a guitar that I would go out of my way find. although it has an ability to get some different tones from it.
I was just playing the Epi version and it's fantastic.
Hi Mr.Trogly
I actually like this One
I own a two-pickups 1996 Nighthawk Standard in Trans-Amber finish. It's a killer guitar. I also have two Les Pauls (2002 Standard and a 2000 Classic) as well and the nighthawk holds its own all day, everyday. It's just very different, kind of like a Telecaster on steroids.
FWIW I don't think the description of the pickup selector scheme in this video is correct, but I'm also suspicious that the guitar in the video has been modified not to match the original schematic, too. Check out Wikipedia for a diagram of how the original Nighthawk pickups were configured--I own an ST3 and it matches the diagram. Tone knob up is the same 5 settings as a strat, tone knob down the first 3 positions are the same as a 3-pickup Gibson (B, B/N, N), then 4th is middle & humbucker bridge, and 5th is "forbidden tele" single coil neck and single coil bridge. The only combos not available are neck humbucker/middle and all 3.
Cool guitar, but the flat top makes the tiger stripe look like bad wallpaper in an old house. I've never cared about aesthetic. Until now, ha.
Reissue with a carved top, Fender scale length, 24 frets, compound radius, no wallpaper. Love the wiring. Great show.
Blues Hawk has a poplar body - not alder. Great to see this review 👍
I had one of those for a while, a custom in cherry burst. Sold it to fund an engagement ring round 1998. Ton of great tones in that thing.
Tell me that you actually got married and are still together. I once sold a Chevy El Camino that I just loved, because my live-in girlfriend at the time wanted me to. She left not long after. I sure do miss that car.
Looks cool. The blues hawk looked really cool.
Almost sounds like a Rickenbacker. Bright and jangly. Unusual is right.
I really like several of the tone options on this one. Looks great as well.
The NH is a very overlooked guitar indeed. I've never owned one. However, I've played a custom model and really liked its tone a playability!
Maybe I didn't catch it, but you didn't mention scale length. Aren't these 25.5 scale?
He said multiple times that it was indeed a 25.5" scale length.
@@raytorvalds3699 cool. I didn't notice lol. It explains why it doesn't sound at all like a lester
Troy Grady shreds the hell outta one of these in his “cracking the code” videos…pretty amazing!!!
I played one of these in the 90s and recently i tried out the Epiphone model of this and I love the guitar. Id buy one if I didnt already own too many hehe.
I love these! Never had the chance to play any version of the nighthawk, but it's a purchase I would love to make at some time in my life.
I thought the Gibson nighthawk was originally a Nancy Wilson signature
my silverburst nighthawk studio is a killer guitar. the neck is awesome and the bb pickups are fantastic
Yeah baby!
Congratulations on climbing to the summit of the mole hill. I’m please to award you your Gold Medal.
Congrats paultrombetta