Epiphone: Nighthawk

I played this yesterday; it was there, it was ready so I just had to hear it in action.

The first thing that got to me was its weight- it's light. Coupled with that smaller-than-Les Paul body, it gives good playability. However, do take note that this guitar, despite its Gibson bearings, sports a Strat scale length (25.5"). This has every implication to tone- it sounds snappier, less of that boomy Les Paul growl but that's quite achievable if your amp is up to it. It would also mean that the middle single coil there isn't a pretentious feature; it gives off a pleasant voicing. In fact, the Nighthawk's coil split switch allows you to manifest some Strat-type single coil voicings from both the neck & bridge humbuckers, in combination with that middle pickup. Neat. But in full humbucking mode, the neck's mini humbucker might throw some of us off with that raspier than standard neck tone. But all's good in terms of clarity. Slim tapered D-profile neck on this one so it's a very playable guitar indeed.

The nighthawk is a nice alternative to both a Les Paul & SG design. It's another singlecut guitar out there but it's a valid existence in terms of variation. Recommended for players who aren't too particular about owning a semi-quirky guitar with a touch of class.

Epiphone: Nighthawk

List: $559

Availability: Swee Lee Co (BB branch)