Gibson Nighthawk Standard 3

This Gibson Nighhawk Standard 3 guitar is an American made guitar The guitar has a tremolo bridge and a mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard. The guitar has two humbucker pickups, a volume and tone knob, and a three way selector switch which is located far behind the bridge. The guitar has 24 frets.

UTILIZATION


This guitar plays really well, as do most guitars by Gibson. It's a heavier guitar, not quite as heavy as a Les Paul but more weight than a Strat. The guitar feels and plays really well and isn't too difficult to move around. The guitar that I played was in great shape, stable, good action, and overall a comfortable instrument. Honestly though, I don't know if it's quite as comfortable as some nicer Gibsons, which in my opinion, feel better than almost any electric guitar out there.

SOUNDS


This guitar, for some reason, doesn't seem real to me. By that I mean, I don't think that this is the actual guitar that Santana plays. I think that he endorsed this product purely for monetary reasons. Gibson sells these for far cheaper than some of their other models, guitars which, in my opinion, are far superior. The tone just isn't there on this one, the other Gibson give you far better sustain overall, and they ring with a great middle range that really cuts through.

OVERALL OPINION

This guitar, unlike most Gibson, isn't too expensive. I can't say I wouldn't recommend it to other people, especially since most of my peers wouldn't be able to buy a nicer Gibson without some serious saving. However, I realized a long time ago that it would be worth it to eventually just buy a nicer one, it will pay off more in the long run., I doubt I'd be so disappointed with it, which is why I'm giving it an overall high score. But it feels to me like Gibson is putting out lesser instruments to increase their sales, and using Santana's name as a marketing ploy more than a sign of the instrument's quality.

When the Nighthawk came out Gibson was trying to break out of their normal rut. They were looking to give their loyal customers a guitar with a unique feel and tone. This is what they did with the Nighthawk. It looks familiar but the sounds and feel of it are pretty different. They took the classic Les Paul. They widened the body but the body is still smaller overall and opened up the cutaway. They extended the neck scale to 25.5 inches. The neck is mahogany with 22 frets. They also designed 3 new pickups for the guitar. They put a high output slanted humbucker in the bridge. They put a Gibson mini humbucker in the neck and a specially designed high output single coil in the middle. With coil tapping, as many as 10 different combinations were available. There is a large Fender style bridge with string through stringing. It has a 5 way blade pickup selector and the tone control is a push pull that can split the bridge pickup. There were other versions of the nighthawk with different pickup configurations but this was the most popular.

UTILIZATION

This guitar feels a bit different than a normal Les Paul. You may not notice by looking at it but the guitar has a 25.5 inch scale. Which means there is more room to play on the fretboard and the strings have more tension. You may or may not like this. More obvious is the larger cutaway that allows better fret access on the upper frets. The bridge is more of a fender style with individual saddles. It has a string through design which offers great sustain. It also will not fall off when you change strings. The neck is pretty beefy with a comfortable D shape

SOUNDS

This guitar has a crisper sound than a normal Les Paul due to a number of things. The bridge is more directly mounted to the body which transfers more resonance through the guitar. This combined with the string through design gives more instant attack. The longer scale on the neck gives more tension in the strings and that also increases the crispness of the attack. This combined with the 3 different pickups provides many tones. The mini humbucker is very smooth in the neck. Almost like an old PAF. At some positions it gives out a very Telecasterish sound. This may be because of the slanted bridge pickup putting out more treble frequencies and the extra tension. The single coil is great to mix in with the other pickups because it will add extra clarity and ring ontop of the thick humbucker sound. A major disadvantage to the slanted humbucker in the bridge is that it would be very hard to replace if you didnt like the tone or it was damaged.

OVERALL OPINION

This guitar kind of got mired in the back when it first came out. Now with Gibson doing reissues of everything not from the Norlin era it could come back and be popular. It is one of the more versatile sounding traditional guitars that Gibson has ever put out. If you see one at a guitar store or something used you should check it out. You will be surprised at the myriad of tones you can get with this guitar.

In what country was she made? (USA, Japan, Mexico, France ...)

Made In U.S.!
Nashville Plant, TN, USA
January 7th, 1997
Production Number: 139

How many frets, what kind of microphone and their configuration?

One piece mahogany body, flamed maple table flat (Magnificent), mahogany set neck, 22 frets key.

What kind of stick?

Type 60 '! a highway!

UTILIZATION

The handle is it nice?

it is a wonder! Type 60 'is super aggréable Channel 58 versus Gibson.

Ergonomics is it good (in terms of shape, weight ...)?

Feather weight but big rock sound! (No metal careful)

SOUNDS

Are they suitable for your style of music?

Yes except Metal, there is a lack of humbucker that spot, otherwise you can do absolutely everything

With what (s) amplifier (s) or effect (s) do you play?

Orange and Marshall amps, and there it is transcended!


What kind of sound you get and with what settings ("crystalline", "bold", ....)?

Fat no!, Blues rock Yes!

What are the sounds you prefer, you hate?

My favorite is the handle microphones PULL, it's almost like a Strat sound, but with Gibson in.

OVERALL OPINION

How long have you use it?

6 years, and I separated in time, it is not easy ....

How would you rate the quality / price?
With experience, you do again this choice?

YES YES YES and re, quality UNBEATABLE price! Guitar for All in One

United States.
22 frets mdium. good intonation.
3 microphones (2 original)
A double mini gibson type Explorer
A simple
A double inclined.
Fixed bridge with strings through body. Rglages height and length of the strings.
Al rather fine round between Les Paul and SG.

UTILIZATION

Handle thin enough and fast enough. Holds well in hand. Good comfort. Large enough.
Radius means.
Access in acute plutt good (for 22 cases). Talon almost nonexistent.
The alignment of the strings on my instrument through which Entran occasionally outputs in the high E string when playing fast or trs made bends. Trs nothing serious though. The strings are mounted trs prs of the handle which is why this inconvnient which can be seen in action with a little higher and larger strings.
The ergonomics of the instrument is good with a dfonce stomach but not the forearm. The instrument is against trslger despite a pice mahogany body. It PSE almost half a Les Paul and a little more than a SG.
Slecteur five position and split button Tone.

SOUNDS

The electron is the main quality of this instrument.
Thanks to the magic switch and you get 10 real Plit combinations quite radically Different. The major micro (mini hambucker) is really fantastic, a dribble and it's full of warmth, while Gibson is in the micro. Really excellent.
The TRS is simple and powerful associated with a given micro serious sounds good for the country trs. Associated with acute micro can easily go to funk fawn stratocaster. The microphone is an acute one monument saturax, keeping a sharp and incredible heat (I have another team from scratch DIMARZIO DUNCAN and high-end and are infrieurs in heat). As it is also clear sounds at all good. You can have a guitar with this NIGHTHAWK! All styles are available to him. Incredible, but true.

OVERALL OPINION

I bought here four years in 1998.
Even when it has a default: the simple micro (optional on the standard version) tends to leave his dfonce and screws rotate endlessly. This inconvnient empch me one day to finish a concert because the microphone back and runs into the ropes! I refix later but I'm not sr it fits properly.
Otherwise it is an instrument full of niaque, gnial for blues, country, jazz, Funk, Rock the big (not as hard as 22 boxes ...), and although lightweight, Esth gniale policy (mine is exactly like the photo vintage red sunburst), tui hard GIBSON trs good (indoor pink silk !!!). I had a Les Paul before I sold it as too heavy and too exclusive, it sounds close to a strat trs on some rglages.
In addition it is of OCCAZ around 5000 FF trs what remains reasonable given the quality.
With the exprience I will take the same finish can be CUSTOM with a FLOYD