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Download Example 1
Clean, bridge pickup coil-tapped
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Download Example 2
Dirty, bridge and middle pickups
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| Clips recorded with a 1981 Marshall JCM800 head into a Marshall JCM800 4x12 cabinet (dirty) and a Fender Twin Reverb combo reissue (clean).
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First unleashed on the public in 1993, the
original Gibson Nighthawk guitar is now
a rare bird. By combining virtues of vintage
and modern instruments, it was designed to be
an evolutionary player’s go-to instrument for
any performance situation. Like its Blueshawk
and Little Lucille cousins, it also integrated less
Gibson-esque features—like a 25 1/2" scale
and single-coil pickups. The Nighthawk was
versatile, played great, and sounded cool. But
it also debuted at the same time that much of
the guitar universe was immersed in a back-to-the-classics phase, and the decidedly non-classic
looking Nighthawk found little favor
among major players of the time.
However, like so many guitars that fell
prey to fashion, the Nighthawk found a
dedicated cult following. And though it was
eventually discontinued in 1999, demand
prompted a limited-edition Gibson reissue in
2009. In the wake of the reissue’s success and
the ongoing clamor for a full-fledged reissue,
Epiphone has now released the same basic
instrument as the Nighthawk Custom—and
with a price of roughly 400 bucks, it’s likely
to please longtime ’Hawk spotters
and bring
some new ones into the fold.
A (Neo)Classic Reborn
As previously mentioned, the Nighthawk was
originally designed to be a sort of tonal Swiss
Army knife, and the Epiphone incarnation
marches to the same tune. The body follows the
same mahogany-and-maple formula, although
it’s constructed of several pieces of mahogany
and the top is a beautiful flamed veneer. I was
hard-pressed to find any blemishes or sloppy
woodwork anywhere on the instrument.
The neck, which is capped with an ebony
fretboard inlaid with a vintage-style flowerpot
motif, has a slim-taper D profile. This
and the Nighthawk’s longer scale are what
make it feel more outside the box and less
Gibson-like than what you’d expect. The
longer scale length is one of the guitar’s most
appealing points—the difference in feel and
tone is profound. The extra 3/4" adds more
string tension—making heavy bends a bit
harder—but also adds a twang and snap that
gives the Nighthawk a voice all its own.
The other half of the Nighthawk’s unique
tone-generating recipe is its pickup configuration:
an NHR mini humbucker in the neck, a
NSX single-coil in the middle, and a slanted,
full-size NHT humbucker in the bridge—all
with alnico 2 magnets.
The Nighhawk’s playability is superb.
Since its body is considerably more compact
than a Les Paul’s or even an SG’s, I
was able to get really comfortable with the
instrument without feeling it digging into
my ribs. And the longer scale and 1.68"
nut add up to a neck that’s easy for
chording and lead work.
Talons Full of Tone
Firing up a Fender Twin
Reverb reissue, I plugged in the
Nighthawk and immediately
flipped to the neck pickup. When
ripping out some fast chicken-pickin’
runs, I noticed the Strat-on-steroids
midrange that good mini humbuckers
are known for was
in full effect, only with
a slightly tighter bottom
end. The pickup
was also much hotter
than I anticipated, so
I dropped the guitar’s
volume down to 7
to keep everything
crystal clear with the
Twin. The adjustment
sacrificed a little harmonic
detail, but the long scale’s
heavier tension tended to bring
out a lot of tonal definition and
detail that might have otherwise been lost.
And combining the mini humbucker with the
middle single-coil added a really cool quack to
the upper registers that was perfect for quick
double stops and upbeat rhythm work.
After hearing how well the guitar
handled clean tones with the neck and
middle pickups, I plugged into a 1981
Marshall JCM800 head driving a 4x12
cabinet and flipped to the bridge pickup.
Since the pickup is angled so that the
bass-string pole pieces are closer to the
neck than the treble poles, the bass
strings have more low-end response and
sag, while the higher strings retain more
snap and sting. The effectiveness of that
arrangement on the Nighthawk became
super apparent once I set the Marshall up
for a crunchy, mid-gain tone.
Like the neck mini humbucker, the
bridge pickup’s output seemed pretty hot,
and at times the output seemed to come at
the expense of clarity. I lowered the pickup
to open up the tone a bit, but it was difficult
to find a sweet spot that didn’t sacrifice
some punch. Naturally, every player’s taste
is different, so some may find the pickups
perfectly suited to the guitar. Others—particularly
fans of the original Nighthawk who
were frustrated by how the slanted pickup
prevented swapping it with an after-market
unit—will be glad to hear Seymour Duncan
recently announced (in conjunction with
Epiphone’s release of the guitar) it would
be making replacement pickups for the
Nighthawk in the form of the renowned ’59
and JB humbuckers. And who knows, perhaps
other manufacturers will follow suit.
The Verdict
The Nighthawk Custom reissue is both a
unique and capable guitar for the money,
and an absolute blast to play. The tone of
its bridge and neck humbuckers may not be
as refined as some would like, but otherwise
the guitar is solidly built and has a tone all
its own—thanks mostly to the unorthodox
scale length and compact body. If you’re
willing to break free of the Les Paul and
Strat molds, you’ll be surprised at how
much it can do and how great it feels—and
at a price that feels damn near a steal.
Buy if...
you crave the flexible tones and
playability of the Nighthawk, but
don’t have the funds for an original.
Skip if...
you prefer a shorter scale length or
require a tremolo.
Rating...
