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Guitar of the week #92 - Epiphone Nighthawk

Someone at Epiphone is convinced this guitar will work.

Back in 2014 is when I made first mention of the Epiphone Nighthawk, which at the time was priced just under $300. It costs more than that now.

I have seen this guitar come and go several times. Every time I think this guitar is dead as a doornail and never to return, it just keeps coming back.

There has never been a time when the Nighthawk was not a limited edition since 2014, and this one is no different...

...except that Epiphone might have got the guitar right this time. Maybe.

The Nighthawk technically qualifies as a HSH pickup configuration. There's a slanted humbucker at the bridge, a single-coil in the middle and a mini-humbucker at the neck.

The bridge is not Les Paul-like at all but much more Strat-like. And yes, the strings are thru-body mounted.

You do see ornamentation. The body is bound as is the neck as is the headstock. You also see ornate inlay work on the fingerboard.

The neck is a "fast" SlimTaper D shape.

What I think Epiphone got right this time are the finish choices. For this volley, Epiphone has gone with three quilt color options (click the guitar at top to see them) of Transparent Blue, Transparent Purple and Transparent Black. And they all look good.

Prior to this, Epiphone tried a tiger stripe finish. I saw that guitar in person and, eh, didn't really do much for me. The darker quilt finishes however really make the guitar pop nicely.

What's it sound like?

Bright. Kind of like the in between sound of a semi-hollow and a Telecaster, but manageable.

In other words, a very modern tone as far as my ears are concerned.

Technically, this guitar covers a lot of ground, tone-wise. You can make it sound like an SG or a Strat or any other number of guitars. So if you like a guitar that just screams "I'm versatile", the Nighthawk is a good choice.

Put simply, yes you totally get what you pay for with a Nighthawk. And I say that in a good way.

Published 2017 Jan 11

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