Question:
I’ve been a hawk owner since ’99 when I picked up my ’97 Nighthawk new in a guitar store I was working part time in. It has been my go to guitar more than any other axe I have owned save for recently with my G&L which I shipped out here to NZ when I moved from England last November. Well now the ‘hawk is back in my hands and after a setup and re-breaking in I am loving every minute playing this thing.
I think it would be good for any other ‘hawk owners on this board (Nighthawks, Blueshawks, Little Lucilles, and even the fabled The Hawk) to chime in with their experiences, axes, loves, hates etc about this now completely discontinued range.
There is a great website about the Blueshawk: , which features various pieces of technical information and handy tips on upgrades and mods etc.
My Nighthawk was my first higher end guitar and it took me a long while before I fully understood it. Indeed I just knew what selector switch positions sounded like not knowing which pickups where on at any given time! I started modding it a lot about 3 years ago after I had tracked down a hardshell case for it off eBay. Mine is the Nighthawk Special 3 pickup version in Heritage Cherry which shipped as standard in a Gibson gigbag. I upgraded the tuners, added strap locks and more drastically modded the bridge with piezo saddles.
I never use the tone pot on my guitars so I had this replaced with a volume control for the piezo signal and had the push/pull pot moved to the magnetic signal volume position. Both are wired to a stereo output jack. So now in addition to the 10 sound combinations I can have a Powerbridge acoustic sound when needed.
One thing that became a problem was strings breaking very regularly at the bridge. The added angle from the piezo bars probably contributed to this. An easy way around the issue is the old wire sheath technique which solved the problem for me.
On the back of the neck I every now and then use OOOO wire wool to rub some bri-wax over the finish in straight line movements up and down the neck. This gives a real nice, smooth playability closer to what you get with a satin finish neck.
I really like the sounds from this guitar – granted I have had it a long time and have got used to them but I don’t find myself disappointed at all. Some of the owner reviews I read mention “it doesn’t sound exactly like a Tele, or a Les Paul” etc and this is the be expected, it isn’t either of those guitars. How many mahogany body, maple capped, mahogany necked telecasters have there been anyway?! ;-)
I’d be very interested to know about mods others have done to theirs and where they find parts such as the range of pickups that were available for this range.

Answer:
I love my Nighthawk Custom!

Answer:
I bought a goldtop Nighthawk Special, the three pu version, back around 99 that I only rarely use. It has more of a clubbish style of neck, not overly thick, but more round in profile than oval or thin. It takes some time to get a handle on all the pu options available. I've actually thought about selling it over the years, but have kept it for those situations where I'm not sure what I'm looking for tonewise or when I need versatility.

Answer:
Never played (or even seen) one -- how long ago did Gibson quit making them?

Answer:
Introduced in '93. Discontinued in 2001. There's a push pull in the tone knob on the three pickup versions. It ads up to a lot of pu options. Does the 2 pu have the push pull tone knob too? I'm not sure.
_______________
Body
1/4" figured Maple top, Mahogany back
Neck/Profile
Mahogany/Narrow taper round
Fingerboard/Inlay
Ebony/Crown
Scale/Nut Width
25 1/2"/1 5/8"
Binding
Multi-ply top, Single-ply fingerboard and headstock
Bridge/Tailpiece
Low-profile string-through-body system
Optional Floyd Rose Tremelo system
Hardware
Gold
Pickups
Special M-Series mini-humbucker
NSX single-coil (optional)
Special M-Series slanted humbucker
Controls
Master volume, master tone (push/pull on three-pickup model), five-way switch
___________________
Here's a Standard
A Custom. THis one has a floyd. I think most Nighthaws were hardtails?
And a Special.
The surviving cousin was the Blueshawk. But it's just got discontinued as well.
There's also the Little Lucille, which I think is basically a black Blueshawk with a varitone ...

Answer:
Cool -- thanks for the info.

Answer:
Introduced in '93. Discontinued in 2001. I read conflicting dates on the internet as to when these where discontinued. One website lists 1998 for example. Does anyone have a substantiated date on when production actually ceased?

Answer:
I've thought about purchasing a Blueshawk from time to time - mainly because I like thinline guitars. Was never to keen on the Blueshawk decal on the body.
Has anyone every come across a Landmark series Nighthawk?

Answer:
i've played them and loved the feeling. i like the custom w/or w/out the floyd.

Answer:
A buddy of mine has a Blueshawk, which I played one time. Thought it was poorly balanced (headstock heavy). The neck also felt a bit longer than usual. I'll stick with my LP Special and SG when it comes to Gibbies.
On a side note - if you're breaking lots of strings, put on a set of GraphTech saddles... all my Gibbies and Fenders have them, and I RARELY break strings anymore.

Answer:
:wave:

Answer:
I own one of the "fabled" The Hawks and love it!! Got it used a few years back for a great price used in excellent condition.
The tone is somewhere between an SG and a Special...but with a bit of a Fender tone to it.
Great guitars....
Brandon

Answer:
I have a 3 PU version,it is a beautiful guitar,but I have never really bonded with it. I find the string tension very stiff and it drives me nuts. I like the sounds you can get, I like the neck profile but I don't enjoy playing it.
Any thoughts on getting a slacker tension? I actually have an 8-40 set of strings on it and it still feels stiff.

Answer:
I actually have an 8-40 set of strings on it and it still feels stiff. Wow. Mines set up with 9-42s and it plays real easy. How's the action on yours?

Answer:
Here's a Standard
A Custom. THis one has a floyd. I think most Nighthaws were hardtails?
And a Special.
:cool:

Answer:
Well, I think they might vary from piece to piece. I've posted on this guitar several times and I usually say about the same thing. Boiling it down, I think they are kinda "so-so" which is why I don't think they really took off. BUT!! I'm completely open to the concept that other specimens of this series might sing better than my particular piece. Especially considering that mine is the "Special" version and it might not have quite the choice or luck of the pick of tonewood that a Standard or Custom might have received.
My Likes:
Lightweight and good body ergonomics. Plus 10-tone switching makes it a Swiss Army Guitar for versatility.
Dislikes:
I think whether I have it in an LP, Tele, Strat, or Super-Strat mode, I think those guitars nail those tones substantially better than this guitar does of emulating those type of pickup configurations. Also, although it's not really a fault, I find the action to be more Strat-like and less Gibson-like (as it should be with the longer scale) but I have difficulty getting the action as low as I'd like.
However, despite my reservations, it is one of my kids and I have no immediate thoughts of selling it.
This one is slightly rare in that it is a Special-3, but it came with the Fireburst finish which was supposed to be reserved for the Standards and Customs.

Answer:
I have a 3 PU version,it is a beautiful guitar,but I have never really bonded with it. I find the string tension very stiff and it drives me nuts. I like the sounds you can get, I like the neck profile but I don't enjoy playing it.
Any thoughts on getting a slacker tension? I actually have an 8-40 set of strings on it and it still feels stiff. I use 11-44 on mine and the action and playability is great.

Answer:
Hi guys!
I bought mine one month ago - brandnew:D! This is a real great guitar.
I've got no problem with it. Usually I play Strats but the neck on this guitar feels like a Strat & it's very light - even lighter than my Fenders!
I play 10-46 strings to get a fatter sound & got no Problem with the string-tension. I can bend the hell out of that strings...:rawk:
This is an absolutely keeper:love:!
The Varitone is cool but you need some time to understand what's happening when you do this or that.

Answer:
They are on my "list" of guitar models I would like at some point. Especially the NightHawk standard.

Answer:

I miss it! Most comfortable neck I ever played. Nicest fretboard too. Go figure.
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