Nighthawk Custom Reissue Review

2011 Nighthawk Custom Reissue. I play blues, rock, punk and metal, and it suits them very well.

Features:	9.5
Sound:	9
Action:	8.5
Reliability:	9
Impression:	9.5
Overall rating:	8.4
Reviewer rating:	9.1
Users rating:	7.7
Votes:	35

overall: 8.2

Reviewed by: drug.me.2.hell, on june 23, 2011

Purchased from: Rainbow Music

Features: This is NOT an Original Nighthawk this is the new for 2011 Nighthawk Custom Reissue.
- Indonesia in 2011
- Mahogany Body/Neck
- Ebony Finferboard
- 25.5 Scale with 22 Jumbo frets
- Flame maple top in translucent black
- Glossy finish
- Lower bout is an SG but upper bout of a Les Paul
- String-thru
- Passive Electronics
- Volume/Tone control
- HSH Configuration with Coil Tap % way selector switch. Seymour Duncan have released a slanted JB model for the Nighthawk so I have it installed.
- Grover tuners.
- Free strings (Ernie Ball 11-48) Free strap and 4 free hetfield black fangs 1.14mm // 9

Sound: I need a versatile guitar because I play Blues, Rock, Punk, and Metal, and I have my tone control on 10. My signal chain consists of This, Zoom G2, MXR Distortion+ and then my Marshall VS65R, bypassing the Zoom and the MXR, I get a fantastic sound for blues on the neck and middle positions mixed and alone and coil-tapped, Rock sounds brilliant on the Bridge and middle (with zoom), and Metal comes from the MXR, and amp with everything on 7. Its bright on the neck, fatter on the bridge, but it can get noisy, but im getting a noisegate very soon. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: Factory setup wasn't that bad, but the dealer sorted out little problems, I like my pickups not incredibly high, but not too low either. I have few flaws with the guitar, Glossy finish fingerprints easily, so it needs polished a lot, The strap button is on the side, not the back which im used to, and finally it droops down on the strap. // 7

Reliability & Durability: Yes, it withstands live playing (about 10 2 hour shows since purchase), and the hardware is lasting. I depend on this guitar a lot, but I have OCD about having no backup (I use standard tuning, and Drop D on the same guitar), the finish is lasting very good. // 8

Impression: Well I play Blues, Rock, Punk and Metal, and it suits them very well, Ive been playing 4 years and my other guitar is an Epiphone Dot Studio. If it was stolen, I would brutally murder the thing who did, and if it got lost, I would be heading bakc to the dealer, for another. I mentioned my flaws about it earlier, and it was compared to a Epiphone Les Paul Custom, and a Fender Blacktop Telecaster, this sounded the best out of them all, and all I wish it had was a Floyd Rose. // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on january 30, 2012

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: The reissued Nighthawk produced by Epiphone.
- Body: Mahogany
- Top: AAA Flame Maple Veneer
- Neck: Mahogany
- Neck Shape: SlimTaper; D-shaped
- Neck Joint: Glued-In
- Truss Rod: Adjustable
- Scale Length: 25.5 inches
- Fingerboard: Rosewood
- Inlays: Mother-of-pearl "Crown" inlays
- Radius: 12 inches
- Frets: 22 medium-jumbo
- Pickups:
- Bridge: Slant NHT Humbucker; 4-wire
- Middle: NSX Single-Coil
- Neck: NHR Mini-Humbucker; 4-wire
- Controls:
- 5-Way Slider
- Master Volume
- Master Tone with Push/Pull Coil Tapping
- Bridge: Nighthawk fully-adjustable; String-Thru body
- Nut Width: 1-11/16 inches
- Hardware: Nickel
- Binding: Body and Fingerboard
- Machine Heads: Grover 14:1 ratio
- Included Accessories: It was used and there were no accessories.
The guitar is impressive for features, for any electrical guitar cost. // 10

Sound: I have a Fender 410 Hotrod Deville and use a Ibanez Tube Screamer pedal. The sound is really clear and the sustain and gain cycles are impressive when played in any position. I was concerned with the lighter Nighthawk that the bass sound would be weak. I use Thomstik-Infeld 9-46 strings on all my guitars and right away replaced the 9-42 strings that were on the guitar. The Sound was really strong and bassy, but I learned to tip the bass side down of the pickups. I purchased the guitar on line from a GuitarCenter who stated that they had a professional look the guitar over and due a set-up on it when it arrived to make sure it was ok.

Well, either their Guitar tech is incompetent or they were dishonest about having it set-up. Anyway. I listened to videos of it on YouTube and thought the sound would be really thin. HOWEVER - I think with this guitar you have to back off the pickups to get away from the string pull. The Guitar didn't sound really clear until I re- set-up the guitar. I found the guitar on line at a Guitar Center half way across our nation, other wise I would have chewed them out and made them go over the set-up again. The sound has a wide Spectrum I like the Minihumbucker in the neck which can sound really nice on leads with a lot of gain. I think it actually is as full as my Les Paul. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was purchased used from a Guitar Center and there is no way that a Guitar Tech had gone over this guitar and set-it up because the string saddles were not set so the strings were even with the radius of the neck. From Treble E to Bass E. I do like that each string can be adjusted, but you have to have some basic technical tools and skills to that. I have done guiarsmithing on my own guitars for 15 years now, and that is not difficult. The basic Factory conditions and fit of the guirar are wonderful and exact. The nut height was very exact and the finish is gorgeous. The neck inlays are done with great craftsmenship. There were no manufacturing issues with the guitar, it was the set-up that may have been there since the guitar was new, but affected the sound quality of the guitar and I suspect that was why it was traded. The neck joint is smooth and the binding around the neck is consistent all around the guitar. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Yes it will be very adequate. I have strap locks on it and it seems to hold good tuning. The guitar fits well when standing or playing from a sitting position. I was impressed with the d shaped neck profile and how it fits the hand really well and I don't appear to have any feelings of doubt about taking it to the stage and and turning the gain up on it and letting it roll hard. The Finish seems to have a deep coat that doesn't seem to scratch when wiped with a soft cloth, so it should last a long time. Yeah... I love it. Way to go Epiphone... // 10

Impression: Hard Rock, Blues, Folk. Yes, it will work well with clean and dirty. I have been playing since the early nineties and have 5 other guitars and will have to say this Nighthawk will be good competition for my ESP LTD Deluxe Viper 1000. I was really impressed with the light guitar after listening to some of the videos on YouTube which seemed to present the guitar as it sounded really thin when played clean. Yes, I may buy the Black guitar next time though. // 10

Comments

[MatthiasSch]

i think it looks great!

[Spud Spudly]

I'd like to hear more about how each one of the individual pickups sounds. I'm an Epi fan, but really it's hard to imagine how those can be very good pickups at such a low price.

[ProgFolk12]

I usually like a traditional guitar, but I'm not gonna write this off straight away:
-22 J frets
-25.5" scale
-Ebony Fretboard
If those spes are true, and the pups are ok, it could be interesting. I'm really not sure though.....

[Vypor]

I however happen to really like this body style for some reason. . .

[Vypor]

drug.me.2.hell wrote:

and it was compared to a Epiphone Les Paul Custom, and a Fender Blacktop Telecaster, this sounded the best out of them all, and all I wish it had was a Floyd Rose.

Considering I have an Epiphone LP Custom, comparing the specs that you have listed, I highly doubt that these are comparable guitars.

[paul.a.hanson]

I've got one in trans black and it beats both my Dot Deluxe and my Epi LP Standard plus top. Granted not by much. Extremely comfortable and versatile. The inlays are far more intricate than what a custom come with, and most Customs don't have visible AAA flame maple tops either. I would gladly pit one of these against a Epi Custom any day. Very similar quality. One of my favorite players right now.

[SWilson]

Bought one of these myself a few months ago. It was love at first site on the Musicians Friend homepage. Thought it was a nice twist on an old classic and the honeyburst finish was just beautiful. I too play a variety from metal to blues and this guitar shifts gears nicely. Plays well and can't complain about the sound. Nice all around guitar.

[drug.me.2.hell]

Spud Spudly wrote:

I'd like to hear more about how each one of the individual pickups sounds. I'm an Epi fan, but really it's hard to imagine how those can be very good pickups at such a low price.

In reply to this, there is 9 differing sounds you can get out of the guitar, Ill try my best to describe them all, All info mentioned is amp alone with overdrive.

Neck - Quite rich sounding with and without coil tap. Sounds better with a bit more distortion, I got a nice James Hetfield/Dave Murray tone out of it.
Neck/Middle - Really nice Brian May style tone with coil tap, without the Coil Tap its slightly fatter sounding, great for Clapton style songs.
Middle - Not so good, but I copped a nice version of The Strokes' Undercover Of Darkness outta it
Middle/Bridge - really country esque with the coil tap, and without the coil tap and overdrive its the most convincing acoustic you'll get out of it on cleans.
Bridge - Where the Selector is most the time, very Randy Rhoads esque, btu not as good as the neck when coil tapped.

[drug.me.2.hell]

If anyone has anymore questions, Ill reply asap.

[SilverSpurs616]

So it's like a Les Paul body with Fat-Strat pickup config? Very interesting..

[brainwasher]

I dont know why, but if it was another manufacturer i would think it was cool. But i just can´t put together the Gibson company and crazy, "modern" designs such as this in my head.

But on the other hand, we should be glad that they are trying new things!

[Spud Spudly]

Thanks! If this has quality pups it's almost too good to be true really for the price.

[paul.a.hanson]

Just so everyone knows this isn't exactly a new design... The first Nighthawks were released in '93 so the design itself is closing in on 20 years old. Gibson has been making Nighthawks for many of the years in between then and now, they just decided to put out an Epi model due to more demand for them lately.

[Robfreitag]

I had one... in my opinion it wasn't great. now I have a les paul and a strat. now I am happy.

[katalyzt13]

I've been really curious about these, but I haven't decided if they are beautiful or ugly yet.

[luke_guitar]

katalyzt13 wrote:

I've been really curious about these, but I haven't decided if they are beautiful or ugly yet.

about where i'm at right now

[guy_tebache]

definitely not sold on looks, but in terms of functionality, if this had a floyd rose it might suit my needs perfectly.

[MT in Austin]

Tried one out for about 30 minutes at the music store. Nice guitar with abundant variety of tones. Hoping to buy one soon just need the extra cash.

[aig91]

Checked

[Jedz_zero66]

Dude this thing is really awesome. It emit a beautiful and clear sound.I really like it because it has the characteristic of guitar that i want to play ebony fretboard with jumbo fret.

[DanTheHobbit]

How does this compare to one of the Gibson ones from '94 or '95? I had one, and it was one of my favorite guitars. Shame the neck had an irreparable flaw.

[ANARCHYJAMES]

Vypor wrote:

drug.me.2.hell wrote:

and it was compared to a Epiphone Les Paul Custom, and a Fender Blacktop Telecaster, this sounded the best out of them all, and all I wish it had was a Floyd Rose.



Considering I have an Epiphone LP Custom, comparing the specs that you have listed, I highly doubt that these are comparable guitars.

Hey man trust me, I love this guitar and so does my dad. I play it on a FEnder stage 1000 amp and its beautiful. My dad has a Gibson les paul L6-s and he even thinks the nighthawk outplays it big time, heck i have a hard time practicing anymore cuz hes always playing my nighthawk, and it still has everything from the store, no custom made pups or anything, try playing it with d'addario strings and its wondeful