The Delta Snake Review: Musical Gear Review & Article Archive: Vintage Review: 1993 Gibson Nighthawk Special

Vintage Review: 1993 Gibson Nighthawk Special

Note: This is a review of the two humbucker pickup version, with a slanted one at the bridge and a mini at the neck.

The Gibson Nighthawk line was introduced in 1993, and while not a big seller, it was successful enough to garner the top design award from The Music Trades magazine. Well-known musicians such as Jorma Kaukonen (The original 60's Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna) used this very different new guitar.

The original Nighthawk was the third design in a series of guitars that utilized complex coil-tapping on the pickups to give the player a greater range of tones. Also, the unspoken mission of these guitars was to tap into the market that the Fender Stratocaster dominated.

The first attempt in the late 70s was the ill-fated S-1, a guitar that combined a maple Les Paul Body with a Flying V neck. It had three pickups, specially designed by Bill Lawrence to act in single coil and humbucker combinations. It gained some initial traction by being endorsed by Ron Wood, but when it became evident that he never actually used the guitar onstage, the model died a quiet death.

Also, the S-1 design incorporated a bolt-on neck, which seems to have always been rejected by Gibson users. To this day, it's one of the few Gibsons that have virtually no collector value, which is a shame because when properly handled, it was a pretty good guitar.

Gibson's second try in the 80's was the Sonex series. Those also utilized a complicated coil tapping setup and, in appearance, looked more like a traditional Les Paul. However, the body was made of a synthetic material that was supposed to increase sustain, and that seemed to turn off Gibson users once again.

Like the S-1, it's a Gibson a person can get relatively cheaply as it has very little collector value (but, once again, a pretty decent guitar). I was able to get one pretty cheaply but wasn't impressed with it, so it was traded off. I'll do a vintage review on it in the future.

In 1993, the company introduced the Nighthawk line, which featured models with two and three pickup configurations, and it was clear that the company intended to create a guitar that was radically different from its past. It had a mahogany body with a maple cap that was slim and light, gold hardware, and two newly designed pickups in the case of the Standard.

Most importantly, even if it seems trivial to the average person, it has a set neck longer than a fender. This feature has always been an essential point for Gibson players, and it helped the Nighthawk debut more successfully. If for no other reason than that, there wasn't the usual outcry over a bolt-on neck on a Gibson.

The neck pickup was a super hot version of the traditional mini-humbucker that was found in the Gibson Firebird. The bridge pickup was a large single coil, a special ceramic alloy type that put out twice the normal output.

The result was a guitar that could scream yet had a creamy smoothness, a Gibson hallmark.

My first experience with it was typical of a guitar love affair. After trying it as a mere formality (it was already love at first sight), I bought it, and it became one of my favorite guitars. I was never comfortable with Strats, but this one had sort of the same profile, but light, and the sleek (though thicker) neck just seemed to make one a faster player even with the longer Fender-like scale.

The Nighthawk body was carved in such a way that it fit my body perfectly, and the guitar had good balance (unlike, say, an SG, which is neck-heavy). It had a vintage sunburst finish that was both retro and beautiful. It sported a Fender-style bridge with the strings going through the body (like a strat or tele).

The five-way switch gave me a range of sound that included a strat-like twang, a rich and sharp rock attack like an SG, and a sweet, clean tone similar to a Les Paul. It was probably one of the most versatile guitars Gibson ever made.

The Nighthawk had a five-year run and was produced in other variations, spawning a semi-solid body cousin, the Blueshawk (another subject in itself). Those models incorporated three pickup models, Floyd Roses, and soap bar pickups in the case of the Blueshawk.

Unfortunately, the Nighthawk may have been the right guitar built by the wrong company. Gibson is a prominent industry leader, and the Nighthawk sales figures were too low to justify continuing the line. The Nighthawk and all of its variations were discontinued in 1998.

I'll have to explain the "wrong company" term. The Nighthawk has remained a relatively popular guitar on the used market. Anyone who wants to sell one can always find a buyer. It has a cult audience that loves its unique, bluesy tone and cool looks. A smaller company would love such a level of success.

In contrast, Gibson's practice has been introducing new guitars, variations on the Les Paul in particular, and when sales tail off, discontinue it and produce new versions. It looks like the Nighthawk was the last time (for now) that Gibson attempted to move into Fender's home territory.

Gibson did achieve one thing in creating the Nighthawk. Its final try at making a Gibson version of a Stratocaster is still loved by a strong cult of guitar players who appreciate its fine design and distinctive sound.

Unlike the ill-fated S-1 or the Sonex, no one calls the Nighthawk a failure, at least in terms of design. If you look at eBay, there's still more demand than supply for this guitar. It's a fine guitar to add to any collection if you can find one. It's not a stretch to say that someday, this interesting and beautifully designed guitar could be regarded as a classic like other past designs like the Mosrite.

- Al Handa

2006

2024 Note: Gibson later created a Nancy Wilson signature model with two regular humbucker pickups, which had good and bad points. I'll try to write up my recollections of the model in a future review.

Note: This review first appeared on the ePinions.com site in 2006. This and other reviews were short takes that accompanied the link to a business that sold the guitar. As a rule, the guitar had to be at least examined and played by the reviewer (and ideally owned). In my case, a severe case of GAS made it possible to have at least owned the reviewed instrument for a short while. I'm reprinting these as having another source on a guitar never hurts, even if the reviews aren't definitive. Other than minor corrections, these short takes are unchanged from the original text. I figure that it might be helpful to keep the older perspective.

The Quitturz by Al Handa