Gibson Blueshawk

American made, Poplar body with maple cap, looks similar to the Les Paul but has two F-holes. It's got a Blues 90 pickup, which most confuse with a P-90, but no, not the same thing, as well as another standard LP pickup. Laminated Top, Semi-Hollow body, Amazingly light, great on the back, quite comfortable.

It's got a volume and tone switch, standard, as well as a pickup changer , and an amazing varitone switch, it can play just about anything.

It's got 25.5 in. scale, and string through body.

I play just about everything, Blues, Classic Rock, Old School Rock, anything from the 60s and 70s, some Jazz, the list goes on. I was using it with a practice amp, and I wasn't expecting much from such a mediocre amp, but the sound was amazing, I instantly fell in love with the guitar, it's got a rich yet subtle tone that I can't get enough of.

The guitar can hit virtually every spectrum of music.

I got it use, so it wasn't that well set up, but everything it amazing, I know most people say there isn't such a thing as an amazingly set up guitar strait from the maker, but this might just be the one.

No flaws I can see, tuners could be better.

It stays in tune for a while, I can safely say I'll be playing this guitar ten years from now.

Eh, haven't dealt with it, and I dunno about the warranty.

Frank Zappa once said if you pick up a guitar and it says "take me I'm yours" then that's the one for you. I couldn't agree more, and the first note I played on this guitar was swimming with that, I instantly fell in love, bought it on the spot at went home, I've been playing if for about 5 hours, my fingers are killing me but I need to go on, I am in love with this guitar.

Gibson Blueshawk; made in 2005, no case--bought aftermarket case. NOTE: if you buy a hard case for this MAKE SURE THE NECK AND THE BODY LAYS FLAT. If it doesn't it could hurt the integrity of the neck and headstock, as uneven pressure in a case will be harmful in the long run. Black NitroCellulose finish, lightweight. Other specs have already been mentioned in other reviews, so I won't be redundant here.

This guitar has got to be one of the best-kept secrets around! I am surprised that it is not more popular, but I guess you either like this guitar or you don't. I do. It has many different sounds, from Strat to Humbucker tones. The humbucker sound is not as fat as a Les Paul or PRS Singlecut, but the variety of tones with great sustain nevertheless is the secret of the Blueshawk. And it it is sooo light---it's hard to see how this puts out such sweet tones from such a lightweight body. The lightest-sounding Strat tone is the weakest in volume(with the position switch farthest away from you) but the Varitone knob has different settings which increase the gain more. I like the 'chicken head' knobs----and I've found two more on a 60's homemade radio in case I lose one! Very classic and retro. I'm using it with a Fender Blues Jr.; low wattage amps seem to be a good fit for this as per other reviews. P-90s very quiet with the hum cancelling coil between them.

Sounds like the workmanship on other reviews has been very spotty; on this 2005 model, everything was right on. Maybe they got a clue to do things right by '05, one year before they stopped making it! Whoever had this guitar before me(I'm the third owner), they didn't play it much, for the frets have no wear. I've got 11's on it for strings; I think anything less than 10's would give a thinner tone. Nice smooth black finish, inlays tight and have no filler around them, gold hardware looks spotless. Only a correct hard case(see my opening advice about that) is hard to find but not impossible.

Strap buttons are way too small---they're the same ones on regular Les Pauls. Can't understand why they put those small one's on there--do they want an accident? Of course this would stand live playing, but I'd never gig without a backup no matter what the guitar was. With it's light weight, you could easily play this axe all night.

They seem to respond to questions in a timely manner.

Been playing 25+ years; mostly acoustic but this electric is a keeper in my palette of sounds.
I like the fact it produces such a variety of tones, just waiting for your creativity.
These can be found easily for $600 or under used---they are a fabulous value. You can't get a USA Fender for anywhere near this price. The different tones, light weight--like I said, this guitar is highly underrated by those who don't have a clue. I think the Blueshawk is a classic guitar--not made anymore but will ultmately be sought after by those who know what it can do. The Blueshawk is an unsung wonder in Gibson's history.

1997, first year i think, u.s.a. 21 frets? laminated top, volume, tone, three way switch varitone control,two single coil pick-ups,(blues 90) not sure about wood, red in color, thin line style body etc.

does everything well, us it with a fender tube amp from the 80's, many sounds, no noise, full, and bright does everything i like.

bought used, and was set up fine. tuning keys upgraded, everything has worked well for the 8 years i have owned it

guitar will last forever, if you take care of it. pick up covers rattle a bit, bit have fixed that problem. finish may wear with time, but who cares, this is meant to be played, not looked at. replaced strap buttons with locking model. i can, and do depend on it, no problem. always have a back up no matter how good.

gibson brain dead in service. no warranty, would not trust them anyways.

been trying to play for over thirty years. nope. if lost or stolen, i would look for another (not made anymore) a really unique guitar. i love the feel, the sound, the vibe, the color, the price, and have been very happy to have owned it. could of bought anything, but this one is in a class of it's own, for any price. too bad Gibson quit making these, because it really is something special

Updating a previous review - This guitar gets better through the years! Bought it new in the summer of '98 and have been in love with it ever since.

Features are simple but versatile. Less complicated than the Fender Jazzmaster, but more versatile than the Les Paul Specials or Juniors with P-90's. It's a hybrid of an ES-137 Custom, a Nighthawk, which was discontinued in 1999, and a Les Paul Special.

"Tone chambers" keep it light and accentuate some unique frequencies, but aren't really designed to resonate like a semi-hollow, so don't expect them to! "Varitone" switch lets you dial in tones reminiscent of older guitars like Rickenbackers or Danelectros and similar to Stratocaster and Telecaster sounds.

So sweet! I use it for everything from Rock to Pop to Jazz & Blues. Perfectly versatile for all styles except those that require a really crunchy humbucker sound. The resonance of the body is very similar to a '72 Thinline Telecaster, though the BluesHawk's set neck gives just a little more sustain and left-hand connection to your tone. The Blues-90 pickups are just like P-90's, only they sound a little more modern. Everywhere I go with it people are amazed at its tone.

Recently played through an Orange amp for a night and was absolutely blown away by the tone. Normally I use Hughes & Kettner amps and Electro-Harmonix effects, an Ibanez TS-9 for a little grit and a Boss RV-5 to fill it out a bit.

"Factory" set-up was garbage, but I get the feeling it was someone at that particular Guitar Center that didn't quite know what they were doing (which I hope is rare). A few adjustments and it played like a dream. Still does!
The actual construction of the guitar is pretty flawless.
The fit is excellent for smaller folks too. Feels like a Les Paul Junior.

After almost 10 years and about 50,000 miles worth of playing and touring it's still my number 1. It's held up extremely well. Intonation is good and it stays in tune on gigs.

Replaced one tuning machine after a freak accident broke it. Probably would have broken on any other guitar too... Cleaned up all the pots and switches twice, but haven't had to replace or re-solder any. Re-set the grommets that hold the pickup screws into the body. They started to come loose after a few tours, but it was an easy fix. Haven't re-fretted it yet, but it's about time I did. The finish is good and thick. It has taken a few scratches, but has only chipped off on top of the headstock from a couple run-ins with cymbals on stage.
The bridge is nice and smooth so strings don't break easily, and it's easy on your hands.
I wouldn't be afraid to use it on stage without a backup, but that just wouldn't be smart in the first place, no matter what guitar you play!

Gibson mailed me a new tuning machine, no questions asked, but that was about 8 years ago. I don't know how they are now, but back then they were perfectly helpful.

I do all my own repairs, and this guitar is simple enough that it doesn't require too much expertise.

If I lost this guitar I would be absolutely devastated! I wouldn't think twice before buying another one, no matter what the price. It's just so unique!

If I had the resources I might try to build my own Blues Hawk, only with a bigger headstock and an ash body.

Well made guitar ! Features already mentioned !

Initially my guitar sounded too honky !!! So I pulled the back off and compared the wiring to my friends Blueshawk !!! Only difference between the two , was that my black wire on the switch (bridge pickup) was soldered to the upper side of the capacitor ! So I soldered the black wire to the underside of the cap . This made the guitar more even in volume levels , but the honk was still there . I then reversed the black wire with the pickups white wire (reversed the polarity ) - now the guitar sounds like my friends - very nice !!!! You still get the honk in positions 1 and 2 (bottom setting on the varitone ) , but the other 4 sounds are great and useable ! The way it was wired , made the guitar almost useless !
So if you have a Blueshawk , check the bridge pickup wiring - as I believe some of them came with reverse wired bridge pickups !

Nice ly set up , low action , good neck ! All said before !

The gold hardware will eventually give way - but till then , I will enjoy this guitar !

No comment , have not contacted them yet ! But what worries me is the availablity of parts like the swithch , varitone selector etc.

Just a nice guitar now !!!!!!!!

I wrote this review mainly to mention some easy mods I've done. Mine's a red '98, apparently hardly played by the former owner.
The Blues 90 pickups with dummy coil is a unique setup. The varitone offers 6 positions, some more usable than others, including one that does pretty much nothing - but that can be fixed.
Love the feel of this guitar. I swore off Gibson years ago because of their high-and-mighty attitude while producing crappy guitars for extreme prices, but this little guy reminds me of what I used to like about them - the slick neck, the quality finish, the smell; it all takes me back to younger days.

Thanks to the Blues 90s and varitone this guitar is effectively capable of covering a lot of ground from jazz to twang. BUT I still felt some minor changes were in order. First, out came the treble bleed cap on the volume control. The value chosen (.005 uF) is much too large for that job; it effectively keeps the control from having any effect on volume from 10 down to about 2. What it does do is slightly cut BASS instead of volume; novel, but there are better ways to do it. Without the cap the control works like it should & I don't find there's much treble loss at all. The volume pot is 300K linear taper; the value Gibson has been using for years on various guitars for whatever reason.
Next I noticed that varitone position 1 (fully counter-clockwise) did almost nothing so I lifted the module wire from that switch contact and soldered a .002 uF cap from the switch to ground. That gives a kind of humbuckerish roll-off in pos. 1 now.
Next I noticed when shorting out the noise-cancelling coil the pickups gained a certain amount of Fender-y brightness, sort of like switching a humbucker to single-coil, adding a sweet Tele-like shimmer. Rather than just leaving it like this, or going to all the trouble of swapping the volume pot for a push-pot, I'm going to attach a small pushbutton switch just inside the f-hole for switching between "normal" & "bypass". Oh, and for what it's worth, without the coil the noise level goes DOWN, not up. YMMV.
Post-mods I'd rate this a 9.

I got the impression the former owner didn't play this much and doesn't know much about guitars anyway. When received, every single nut was loose - the pots, jack, & varitone all spun freely. Worse, the truss rod was left completely slack allowing the neck to warp....when left like this for years a neck will take a "set" preventing it from getting straight again without a fret or neck leveling. BUT, the action really isn't bad the way it is; it's just not all it could be and eventually I'll take it to a shop.
More annoying is the weak pickup mounting springs. Sometimes when I play my right hand knocks against the bridge pickup which sets relatively high off the body; the knocking sound actually comes through the amp because the pickup is bouncing up & down on its screws. After a while the screws work loose (rotating easily in their threaded inserts) and the treble end of the pickups gets right up to the strings. Next string change I'll fix this with foam padding and surgical tubing to prevent the screw rotation.

Some people seem to think this is a fragile balsa-wood guitar, it's not. It's a solid-body with 2 small chambers. It's not as effective in a barroom brawl as a Tele but if you're playing in those kinds of places you really should be exercising your second-amendment rights anyway. It needs straplocks. My tuners don't seem too bad but they're probably going to get get replaced with lockers anyway. The finish looks good but the Gibson "inlay" is a decal and the black paint (veneer?) on the headstock is sloppy. Inside the cavity the wood is rough & full of untrimmed shavings that have been painted over. I'd say it's as dependable as any solid-body out there and the light weight means your spine won't age before its time.

Been playing 45 years, since I was 10. I'm currently trying to pare down my guitar collection to a few bare essentials & I consider this Blueshawk one of them. Despite my habit of modifying everything I get my hands on, from cars to barbecue grills, the Blueshawk is a fine guitar just as it comes from the factory. It's different, innovative, and it's a blast for tinkerers. And for a Gibson, the current used prices are surprisingly reasonable. My other main guitars include a '52 RI Tele with a Bill Lawrence 280/290TL set; a Frankenstrat with splittable Hot Rails, 2 Carvin AE185s, a Rickenbacker, Guild, Taylor, Tacoma, PRS, etc. Amps are mainly old & new Fenders.

The Blueshawk takes everything I like about a Gibson and fixes everything I don't. 25 1/2" scale for more room on the fretboard and more tone and sustain than a 24 3/4" scale (the same reason a grand piano sounds better than an upright). Replace the Gibson humbuckers (which I find are imbalanced and harsh) with Blues P90s wired up to a dummy coil to keep them quiet like humbuckers without altering their tone. Varitone switch (5-position notch filter), trimmed down Les Paul style semi hollow body with f-holes, 22-fret set neck with rosewood fretboard, diamond inlays, through-body hardtail, and creme binding around the body. 2 small complaints, the tuners seem a little sub-par, they work fine now but they'll probably need replacement in 18 months or so. Also, the push/pull pot to activate the Varitone will be more user friendly on the fly once I've replaced it with a quicker push/push pot, makes a big difference.

P90's are a nice halfway-point between single coils and humbuckers. The Blues P90's add punch, grit, and output to the P90 but still sound distinctly different from humbuckers. Perfect match with a high quality tube amp, the tone is complex and organic. The Varitone switch opens up a lot of possibilities, Rickenbacker tones, Telecaster tones, the Brown sound, smoky archtop tones, even a lo-fi "guitar through a telephone" sound. The semi hollow body adds resonance and overtones. Very flexible, without sounding sterile and artificial like modern high-tech guitars (Line6 Variax, Parker Fly, etc). Great tones for blues and rock, perfect for jazz, even sounds killer for the hybrid jazz/deathmetal/fusion stuff that I play.
A word to the wise, these pickups are extremely honest and responsive, if you play sloppy, you'll sound very sloppy. They don't do all of the work for you like EMG's, and they won't lie to cover for you.

Perfect action and intonation (was setup by the music store prior to purchase). Love the fretwire. The soft V neck profile takes some getting used to, but plays great once that small adjustment is made.
The type of finish used is thin and porous, great for the guitar's tone, but smudges and scratches easily. Also gets a little sticky on the back of the neck, not a problem if it's kept clean. There are minor finish flaws where the neck meets the body and where the fretboard is glued to the neck.

This guitar is made to hold up to playing and gigging, but clearly not built to withstand a beating. A hardshell case is a must with this guitar (I gladly paid $150 extra for one). After less than 6 months of careful but frequent use, is shows some minor scratches, a couple small dents and a little tarnish on the hardware. It will not look new forever, but that's okay with me, I like a guitar with some added mojo.
More importantly, it still stays in tune, the neck and intonation haven't required adjustment, all electronics still perfectly functional.

I go through my local dealer, they kick ass. I've dealt with Gibson on different occasions, they kick ass too. No worries though, I typically do my own work, repairs, and maintenance. Never had to bug anyone else for anything too serious.

I've played 15 years or so, owned maybe 30 guitars, a dozen or more amps. I've owned and played instruments of much higher quality. Most of which eventually lost my interest. This guitar has a very inspiring quality, it's an instrument with some serious friggin' mojo, it truely continues to challenge me and sustain my interest. I'd like to buy another, just to own two, but they don't make them anymore so we'll have to see what happens to their used resale value. This is currently my favorite guitar I own, and in my opinion it blows away any other Gibson, Fender, Ibanez, or PRS, all of which being brands I've shopped excessively.

you know i am sure !!!!!!!!!!!!!

My style is blues and then at times I play real loud Blues !!i play my Hawk through a Fender Super Sonic 112 .I have really found a great sound with this combo !Alot of people on here have really knocked that amp but I think that with the Celestion 30 vintage and this guitar I have found Bliss.The guitar itself is really mild on the noise .It does have some buzz and some hum (not as bad as my strat of course but for sure not a "Paul")just a great great sound i mean there are so so many options with the Hawk .You can have a strat sound and a Tele cluck !and then pull the pull pot and its crunch time !Love it .the only thing that is of concern is it is a really fragile guitar (not a Fender ...thats for sure !!)i would get some strap locks on this thing ASAP!!if it falls on the neck (which is the heaviest part .its all over and ..Oh yea they do not make these anymore!!I do wish that it had a clear pick guard or maybe a small cream "paul" style guard ..but those are me being some kind of guitar builder and i am not .I think that this guitar has some how slipped through the cracks and it is just the best .I can not put it down !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

I put strap locks on it ASAP!!i had to adjust the pickups and the pickup mounting screw that the pickup fits into came loose from the body (i just glued them back in place ).The neck was bowed out, do to sitting at zoo music in ft worth on a stand high out of reach ..for six years ..(guy bought it new ,brought it right back and got a refund and it sat till I saw it !!It was covered in dust and the vari-tone switch was really loose (tightened ).Had it set up neck went back to new (in- toned) and its been "Christine "ever since ..I really like the bridge it has string guides for the string to ride in .(less string break )Also string through Body with the Gibson headstock angle = sustain sustain !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Blues P-90s really high output and dummy coil !

this is where i have to give it some low marks ..Like I said it is a fragile little guitar .It came with a really padded guitar gig bag (way better than what fender would ever offer ..but on the other hand brand new this guitar is 1249.99 msrp ..Gibson for ya I guess)so I bought the old hard case with the PIMP shag purple fur on the inside and the Pimp cover that goes over it ...I dig it ,all goes well ..I mean its a Gibson right ..I would for sure consider this option.It looks like after some years it will have some serious pick marks and more than likley a ware spot where i strum ..Finish is good and it has a maple top .I keep her clean with dunlop polish and no probs ..You just have to take care of it ...

Gibson was great i emailed them and they emailed me back in a hour ..!!!!!!!!!!!!!

been playing dem blues six years ..i have a 2006 Fender highway nitro finish one strat (i will be the first to write a review and that monster too !!its Kick ass as well )If this thing was lost or stolen I would nt even belive it that it happened !!!I would buy another one asap ..i wanted to but another one (Black) but i dont think that it would be the same as the RED one that I have now ..I dont want to be dissapointed ,,ya know I think that this guitar is the best guitar that i have ever owned ever i play this thing all the time !!!!there is just something about it !!!maybe the pretty gold writing that says blueshawk (kidding )..I dont know !!I just really think that if you love the blues and like high output this is it for sure !!!!!

My Blueshawk has been customised at some time before I bought it, either that or it's a Limited Edition. It's called a BluesHawk Phantom. From the serial number it was made in '97. It's ebony black with all the usual Blueshawk details. The customised parts are : modified truss rod cover - engraved with "Blues Hawk Phantom" ; Mother -of-Pearl/Abalone scratchplate; Gold knobs and fittings. It also came in a fitted Gibson solid case. Otherwise it's as others have described - 22 frets, "Fender" scale length, Diamond inlays as fret markers, 2 x Blues 90 pickups, single volume and tone controls, Varitone switch, thru-body stringing, solid tailpiece, chambered with two f-holes, etc, etc. I've found more info about these guitars from the www.blueshawk.info website. The varitone swtich gives this guitar something like 18 tone options - which I find to be too many for most purposes!

I play mainly blues, hence why I bought this guitar. I bought it without having played it (ebay purchase), confident that I'd like it a lot. I've found this to be a very bright sounding guitar, although the tone control is very effective in allowing me to roll-off some of the brightness.

Can't say how well it was set up from the factory as I bought it 2nd hand. However with a few minor tweaks I've got it just the way I like it.

The gold on the vol/tone knobs is wearing off, but that's not a problem. Whoever made the scratchplate for it made a very good job of ensuring it would fit neatly and follow the shape of the body.

I'm not overly keen on the "Blueshawk" script on the guitar body, but I'm not going to try and take it off.

An annoying feature is that the pickups are mounted into the body on some kind of springs. When I play, I find that my right hand position is on top of the bridge pickup so I sometimes find that I'm pushing the pickup into the guitar. This isn't good so one mark off for this aspect.

I've only used it for a couple times live so can't comment on how it would stand up to a load of gigs, however it does seem well put together and the Gibson case will take whatever knocks come it way so it shold be sturdy enough. I've replaced the strap buttons with Schaller straplocks - nothing particularly wrong with the Gibson fit ones, just that I like to have locks.

I don't gig without a backup guitar, but I wouldn't expect to need to use it. This is a comfortable and versatile guitar - so it should cover a whole night of playing easily.

The hardware is simple, nothing much to go wrong here.

Not contacted Gibson, although I should contact them soon to find out about the "Phantom" model.

I've been playing for years and years. This is an excellent electric guitar which has a huge range of tones - thanks to the varitone switch. Having praised it, the varitone would be far more useful if it had some kind of marker (or collar) or some way of marking out which setting was which. I find it's not easy to remember which position gave which sound (OK so my ears can tell me, but it's nice to know what to expect). I might well add the marker/collar from a Lucille for this reason. High marks again in this section, as it does pretty much all that I ask of it.

If anyone knows anything more about the history of this model - The Phantom - I'd love to hear from you.

Just played my neighbors, and I'm going to save up for this guy. 22 frets, Maple Top, Poplar Back, Semi Hollow. The unique Vari-tone control is great. P-90's with dummy coils. This guitar is great. I would buy it just for the P-90's and the varitone. You can get any sound except for that real heavy metal sound out of this thanks to the varitone. Frets could be a bit bigger, but thats a personal preference. Everything you need to play the blues and jazz.

I play the blues and blues/rock. This guitar, paired up with the right amplipier can make any sound you want, except for that tinny heavy metal sound. My favorite tone is with the varitone set for its bassiest setting, playing through the neck pickup. Usually I play through the bridge pickup with my presence set all treble, but the warm buttery sound pushed through my Epiphone valve Special is great! I'm sure it could work as a decent jazz guitar, but as the name implies, this thing was designed for the blues. For that warm, smooth as butter overdrive, this guitar does a great job.

Playing this through both my Epiphone Valve Special, and my neighbors Fender, I must say this thing is sweet. And it can adjust to play pretty much anything. My neighbor plays the blues as well, but he's into the clean stuff. Personally I'm into smooth and buttery overdrive. No matter what you play you will love this guitar. The one question I have is for Gibson, and that is WHY DID YOU STOP MAKING THIS GUITAR...

I got this one on eBay. I was intigued by the morping of the Gibson/Fender factors in this guitar. Fender scale and hardtail style bridge. Gibson P90's (with a dummy p'up for humbucking) and odd Tele/LP dual"f" hole body. Poplar with a maple top? What's up with that? Also, one volume, one tone and the (in?)famous "Varitone." It has all the "features" I was interested in.

Buying this "blind" I didn't know quite what to expect. What I got was a fun guitar with tremendous tonal range. The fundemental sound is of a very woody and acoustic electric guitar. Think 335 with a bit more of an acoustic guitar attack/sustain profile. I love it. I'm mostly into blues and what's now known as classic rock and it suits these most of these styles/feels well. Know however, this little axe has its own sound - it doesn't sound like a Tele or an LP but like something in between. This guitar is really light which I think contributes to the acoustic guitar sounding qualities - attack and decay characteristics. The only 10 in this category belongs to a friend's 1958 Stratocaster - IMHO the best guitar I've ever heard or played.

This guitar is just fine. 9 out of 10. With some minor tweezing it could be better.

100% durable given the typical Gibson neck/headstock issues (don't frickin' drop this guitar on its head!).

Wouldn't know. That's why I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt and giving them a 10.

I've been playing guitar since 1961 and have owned (and played) many of the "special" guitars ( '62 Strat, '61 SG/Les Paul, '67 335, '78 USA made Dean "Z"). Lately I've been building my own Fender "vintage" style Strats and Teles from parts and having a great time; the only abberation was a Tele with P90s. For me, the "Night Hawk" is a very cool guitar to be playing. I had forgotten how nice a very acoustic, woody sounding guitar with high output single coil pickups could be. I love it. In fact, it has inspiried my next project guitar - dual "f" hole Alder hollow body Tele w/TV Jones Filtertrons.

Mine was made in 1997.
It's black.
Pretty good shape..
Bought used over Ebay..
Pretty much the same features that everyone else has talked about on this thread.

I kind of got the yearning for that P90 sound after playing a Les Paul Special equipped with them. I own about 9 guitars but none with P90's. The Les Paul special I was looking at blew me away. Fortunately for me the seller wouldn't come off of his price, so I went out looking for other models with P90's. That's when I discovered the Blueshawk. What an outstanding variety of tones you get out of this thing. Tel-like and then with a twist of the varitone you sound like a 335. I have owned this axe for about 3 months and since I have bought it my ES175, Les Paul and all my other axes are collecting dust. Sounds so good. Running it through a Peavey Vintage with 6 10's for blues and a Roland Jazz Chorus for a really sweet jazz sound.

Bought the axe used and had to spend about 3 hours cleaning, setting intonation, adjusting action, etc.. After that it's just an awesome player. With the deep cut away you can absolutely play the WHOLE neck. Guitar just gleams and plays great. Haven't had any problems with the tuners.
The finish is somewhat disappointing. Used some Jim Dunlop fingerboard cleaner on the fretboard and everywhere this stuff touched the finish it became tacky so beware. This is definitely some sort of poly NOT nitro-cellulose finish. With Carnuba was it does shine up nicely and the Carnuba does protect the finish. The fret board markers could have been put in a little more professionally. Wood filler is visible if you look closely. For these reasons I'm giving it a 7 in this area overall. I does play great though..

Mine came with strap locks and I would think this would be a good investment. Not as sturdy as my Paul, but on the other hand I don't believe the headstock will break if it falls either due to it being so light-weight. You can play all night with this thing on a strap and never feel it. It's so light.
Seems to be exceptionally sturdy as well. Doesn't seem to be near as delicate as my ES175. I never gig without a backup.

Owned Gibson guitars for 40 years and have never, ever, had a problem with ANY that I have bought. NEW or USED.

I'm 52 at the time of this review and have been playing since I was 8. I own 9 other guitars, 6 amps, 2 PA's, GNX4, Guitar synths, etc. This little axe, (at the present time at least) gets played more than anything else I got.
If you're looking for that vintage P90 sound and don't want to spend a lot of dough this is the axe for you. As a bonus you get so many sounds out of this thing it's just incredible. This is definitely not a one trick pony guitar..

Made in Nashville, '95 & '97, I've got two! 22 frets, semi hollow body with very small cavities. 3 way P/U switch with a vari-tone switch(pull tone knob to put out of circuit) Single coils w/dummy coil on back. They call the pick-ups blues-90's, very nice sounding if you have a hot amp. Mahogany neck w/maple topped poplar body,and rosewood finger board. 25.5 in. scale makes for easy bending, I've got a cherry & an ebony both w/fixed bridges, extemeley sweet playing and very lightweight, sweet!!! Both have hardshell cases.

Sweet blues sound! suitable for rock, etc. Typical single coil type sound, which means you need a hot amp, but the vari-tone circuit boosts a variety of frequenceys for a killer lead tone, nice!! One of the best guitars I've ever played, I love these guitars!!!

I don't know? I bought both of them used on E-bay, I had to have both of them adjused by a guitar tech.,but other than that they are smokin'.

As with any Gibson w/mahogany neck they won't withstand a fall, but with proper care there is no problem. A very solid, sweet guitar, I can't say enough about the quality of these guitars.

Never talked with them, dunno?

35 years, on and off. I've got lots of guitars, and these are as good as it gets. I would kill for one of these!!

poplar body with maple top
maple neck
25 1/2 scale
rosewood fingerboard
22 medium frets
bigsby style vibrato system
two Blues 90 pickups
varitone switch
black
made in 1998

In my Band (60s Soul, 70s Funk, some Pop/Rock-Songs (let me entertain you by Robbie Williams for example) I play the Blueshawk mainly through a Fender Hot Rod Amp. I don't use extra distortion pedals or boosters, and normally I also use no other effects. So I can describe the pure sound of this guitar in combination with the amp.

OK, let's start: Although it has a poplar body and single coil pickups, it still sounds much more like a Gibson than like a fender. Compared to my Les Paul, it sounds a bit more thin, more fresh and some kind of ?airy? (due to the thinline character) (but some of my band mates cannot hear the difference!) . In my opinion this is a real advantage, because the les Paul can get a bit muddy (depending on the location where you play and where you place your amp) whereas the blueshawk stays clear all the time. Due to this, the hawk seems to be louder because I simple hear it better in Band situations (although the Paulas Humbuckers are hotter).
In general, all three pick up settings may can be described as a mixture of les paul and Gibson ES 355 with a little Fender attitude. In my opinion one of the best sounding guitars ever.

What I like nearly the most about it is the crunch sound. Although the Blues 90s pu's are often described as less rough compared to P 90s it reminds me to Pete Townshends SG (do you know the Who's Woodstock gig?) But again, there is a Semi-acoustic touch in it.

In general, the guitar can be used for many styles with the exception of metal and maybe country (but that's of course always a question of the personal taste).

I cannot say much about the Varitone switch - I never use it. When I bought the guitar I experimented some minutes with it but didn't like the sounds. So I never touched it again.

Many people mention the good strat-sound they can get from the Blueshawk. But I think that (despite it's tonal versatility) the BH has a own character and cannot imitate any other guitar very satisfying. If you want to buy one you have to consider this. But if you do, you will get a guitar that enables you to develop your own sound.

due to the scale length, the tension of the strings is higher than on other gibsons. But I love the feel of this. The cutaway is deeper than a les pul ones, and on the neck joint, the body is thinner so access to high frets is easier

Never had problems with it.

It looks and sounds fantastic and is really inspiring. If it was stolen I would want to get a new.

With 50+ reviews here, I don't think it's necessary to go into the features. Mine's a 1997 cherry-red job. Personally that's the color that sounds best ;>

Mine's all original, I haven't changed a thing and I've had it about a year. The varitone (which is basically a notch filter) is very cool, once you've played out with it for a few weeks you begin to understand how each setting sounds. I have to score it high in features for that, for the very usable vol and tone pots (as usual Gibson beats Fender in this category, even if it often fails elsewhere). Nice to have the dummy coil to bring hum way down, so throw in another point for that, another for the cool diamond inlays. Take away one for the tuners, which are not as bad as some folks claim (maybe I was lucky) but they are a little hard to tune.

Up another point for the Fender scale neck, which gives it more twang ...

The neck is very playable. Have to give this axe lots of cred for its light weight. I can play a solid 90 minutes without falling over, not so with any of my other gits (3 strats, 3 teles, 1 jazzmaster).

I play a lot of different styles but I use this guitar, strangely enough, for classic hard rock, eg, The Who, Stones, even Hendrix. For blues and pop I use a Tele. I think this guitar has an unbelievably good rock sound. To me it's like an SG with a bit more clarity.

It's pretty versatile and I can get by just using the Blueshawk on nights when I'm lazy to bring more than one axe. If I only brought one of my Teles I'd miss the crunch of the Blueshawk on songs like Shakin' All Over.

With the right setup it even mimics a strat pretty well. My favorite Varitone settings are bypass (no Varitone), notch 3 (dark and jazzy sound and notch 4 (strat/tele sound). I don't use the other settings much.

Love the feedback. It's not a semi-hollow, despite the F-holes, so I never get unwanted feedback, just lots of wonton feedback, when I need it.

Mine was pretty well made. I bought it used, but it arrived in mint condition, like the original owner never played it.

The finish is peeling bad on the upper bout so I guess the finish can be criticised. Otherwise the setup was great (maybe the first owner set it up, dunno). Pups are set at just the right level too. Neck is straight, action just right.

This guitar seems to play and sound best strung with 10s. On my teles and strats I use nothing but 11s but they just don't feel or sound right on the Blueshawk. It may also be that I'm able to get plenty of thick tone on this guitar even with 10s. I need 11s on the Fenders to get the juice I crave.

So far it's taken plenty of beating from me. It arrived nearly mint and within a month I had it looking like it was 10 years older than it is. Action and neck have stayed solid, not easy in the humid clime in which I live. Like all GIbsons, though, I wouldn't want to drop it as the angled headstock would mean an instant crack in the neck no doubt. Nothing beats a Fender for toughness but this is pretty tough for a Gibson. The fact that it's light means it's less likely to suffer severe damage if it falls off a guitar stand. When a Led Paul - excuse me, Les Paul - falls over the mass really packs a wallop.

NA

I've been playing 30+ years, gig three nights a week in a hard rock bar band. This guitar is great for classic rock and the thing I like most is that I can wear it all night long without getting tired. Or at least much less tired than with any other guitar I've played. In fact what first drew me to the Blueshawk was the light weight. I half expected not to like the tone but I love it. Likewise being used to Fenders I worried I wouldn't like the neck feel, but I suppose the Fender neck scale on this takes care of that. I'm really pleased with this guitar. If something happened to it I'd be at a loss. I'd get another one but would worry it didn't have the mojo this one seems to have.

For value I don't think there's anything else that comes close. $500 for a USA Gibson that looks good, plays good and sounds good? Fab value.

USA made, Late 90's. 22 frets. Solid-body with f holes, etc, etc

Overall fairly happy with the features. Although some people change the tuners, I think they are OK. The overall quality of the build is fairly high. One think that strikes you about this guitar is how light it is - mainly down to the choice of wood used and the construction.
The guitar is very easy to play, and is one of my favourites.
The varitone gives lots of options for different sounds.

The sound is what really sets this guitar apart. Gibson attempted to mimic Fender sounds with the Blueshawk. I have had the guitar for a number of years now and have struggled to get a good sound out it. The main problem is that it is far too bright. The worst position for this is with the bridge and neck pickups combined. In this position the guitar becomes very jangly and almost unusable. Even with just the neck pickup the sound is still exceedingly bright. After our last practise I got fed up with the sound and did some scouting around the Internet for some advice on this and came up with a solution. I fitted a small wire jumper lead across the capacitor/resistor unit on the volume pot (very easy soldering job).
Now the sound is much better. Much warmer without the annoying bright highs of before. Also the combined neck/bridge position now gives a nice mellow, more Gibson-like sound (more 335 ish). I'm very pleased with this mod, and would recommed it to other owners.
You still get the versatility of the variotone switch to alter the tone, which still allows you to switch from a Gibson-like to more Fender-like tones as needed.
Giving this a low score because of these original problems.

From new the guitar was setup OK.
I have adjusted the intonation. The action is on the high-side but this suits me.

Very light construction so won't take too many knocks.
Overall good quality parts used.
Would always take a back-up for a gig.

Never dealt with the company. There is a good unofficial Blueshawk site on the web.

Been playing guitar for 30 years. Own a Gretscg Synchromatic, Squier Silver Series Stat, Dearmond M77T,and a Fender Nashville Tele. Use a Marshall JTM30 with very few pedals.
If it was lost or stolen I'm not sure I would get another. I think a Fender Tele does a much better job for the type of sounds you get from this guitar.

The Blueshawk is full of features. Really has a lot of selectable tones. Mine is black (terrible finish, as others have noted, peeled in two places and cracked by one of the pots ((not just the finish, all the way through the wood!))) with pearly tuners that I bent one of terribly, so will replace with grover rotomatics. I want to change the nut, to either brass or graphite, but I keep reading it uses a Fender sized nut, but the mearsurements don't match, so I dunno. I love the Blues 90 pu's. they really regulate. If you're trying to make loud rock, which I am, you'll need some extra gain to overcome their quietness, but once you've got the proper amounts of OD at your disposal, these pu's will sing through it with a variety of interesting tones. Semi hollowbody, which also helps with the feeback and sustain...The bridge is fender-like, individual saddle heights, ho hum...nice diamond shaped inlays on the INCREDIBLE NECK THAT I LOVE! That's what I have to say about that. I bought it in '98 used, in perfect condition for $440. I was like "Yes!!!" Then I kinda fucked it up over the years, but its not all my fault. Gibson's quality control is jack crap. Really, no matter whether its 40 years old or straight from the factory, you've GOT to have a guitar tech that you know and trust, and just bring the guitar in to get set up after you get it. You'll be disappointed otherwise unless you're incredibly lucky. A Gibson just needs to be set up. Once it is, then evaluate it.

Well I just described the sound some, but I'll say a little more. It has adjustable push/pull tone pot for boost, 3 way pu selector and varitone control - which is fun to play with, different sounds from it appeal to different people. There's only two that I use, really. It can you all kinds of sounds, its a great, great guitar for leads, and a very adaptable guitar for rhythm as well. I've got 3 guitars, and one of them is technically better than the Blueshawk, its an SG, and one is worse, Epi Les Paul Jr., but I love this guitar, Its totally underrated, despite its flaws. It sounds so good, and its really fun to play. Can't say enough about its neck, somehow really narrow and yet very sturdy at the same time. I play psych / garage / pop and rock ish stuff with some atonal shit thrown in here and there. Guitar is overall bright, adjustable, adaptalbe. Well thought out sound system.

Yeah, again, you should have a guitar tech that you know and trust, have all new Gibsons checked out just to set the intonation properly - it most likely won't come correct from the factory. The finish, again, blows. Terrible. I'm fixing its crack though, and where it was just peeling, I used some black nail polish and laquer and that put an end to it. I'm replacing the tuners with solid gold looking grove rotomatics, I'm replacing the cream colored pu covers with black, and I'm going to change the nut once I find someone selling them in the proper dimensions. I will be quite happy to leave the rest of it alone, though.

Well, I'm giving it a hard time for the finish and cracking in the wood, but come on, that shit sucks. I could have stored the guitar in an airtight container or some shit, but I wasn't that bad to it! Lots of switch off breaking, but other than that its been pretty solid. The most important stuff has remained operative.

??? not under warranty when purchased.

I've played for 16 years. Almost half of that now, since I've owned it, the hawk has been the primary guitar I've played. Its cool and weird, but its also a workhorse, in a certain way. If it were lost, I'd investigate a nighthawk 12 string, maybe. I doubt another Blueshawk would hold the immediate sentimental value for me that this guitar does. I wish maybe that there was some kinda switch on the guitar to cancel the dummy coil hum cancelling thing for temporary boosts while both pus are selected. That's kind of a stretch though. Its pretty f-in' good overall.

This is a follow up to my last Blueshawk review. I have since changed the tuners to gold grover rotomatics. The grovers fit perfectly and do a marvelous job compared to the stock Gibson tuners. I believe the stock ones are made in Korea and leave a lot to be desired. The Little Lucille comes with Grover Rotomatics..what does that tell you?In addition, I had the frets leveled and changed out the plastic nut to a slipstone. Intonation is dead on, tone, Maestro trem (Bigsby B-5) works better, and guitar stays intune. I am rating the guitar a 10 now because it all works much better.

Sound is wonderful. The "Blues"p-90's with dummy coil works just fine.
I am getter a very please clean tone with my Fender DR, Vibrolux, Super Reverb, and Twin Reverb. In addition, the fulltone O.C.D., and FDII sound wonderful, with a fulltone fatboost. I am really enjoying the P-90 sounds in addition to to strats with Bill Lawrence L-280-290's and my LP's with Fralins.

I will give the guitar a 10 in the playing condition its in now. I am using Curt Mangan strings, 9-42..they feel and sound absolutley great and last a long time! The BH action now lower and the neck taper is comfortable. Keep in mind than my #1 guitar is my 74 strat with tall frets and a smaller custom neck taper that fits my hand perfectly. I was a bit skeptical about the BH neck. Now it works just fine for me.

I would expect the BH to last several lifetimes!

The gibson folks have been very helpful.

I really enjoy the light weightness and the body fit of the BH. I continue to receive many compliments on the overall look in Chicago Blue with gold trim. I am really enjoying the feature set: No hum P-90's; chambered body with f holes, varitone, and Maestro Trem. I would highly recommend the Blues Hawk providing you have patience and desire to make a few upgrades: A hardshell case...you can get the Little Lucille case..from sweetwater.com, around $135.00, a new set of gold grover rotomatics, around $50.00, a better nut, your choice,
change out the caps to your choice of mallory or sprague or SOZO. The Blues Hawk clearly has its own voice and its a sweet one! The Blues Hawk is one of those guitars that is affordable and sounds wonderful.

What year was it made? 1999 Where was is made? USA
How many frets? 22
Solid-Top? Laminated top? solid maple top
Which controls are given (volume, tone, 3-way selector, Varitone with on-off push-pull
Pickup configuration? 2 Gibson Blues P-90's
Make and model of pickups? Gibson
Active or Passive electronics? Passive
Body: Poplar; neck woods: Mahogany
The main feature set attraction of the Blues Hawk to me
Finish: Chicago Blue
Body style: single cutaway, thinline with body contour cut, F holes with chamber sides, maple block in the center
Bridge style: Gibson Tune-O-Matic with Gold Maestro version of Bigsby B-5
Tuners: Gibson Deluxe tulip style
Neck/Scale: Gibson "silght V", 25.5", medium jumbo frets, rosewood finger board.
Any included accessories: gig bag. I purchased a Gibson Little Lucille case for the Blues Hawk.
The main feature set which attracts me to the Blues Hawk are:
P-90s'(hum cancelling!),back body conture,very light weight poplar body, F holes, 2 chambered sides, solid maple block in the middle, bigsby style trem, 3 way crl type switch, and varitone.

How does it suit your music style: Yes it does. I play at least 2 nights a week. We play a huge varity of music: Rock, reggae, Blues, 70's and 80's dance stuff, etc. The BH has a large enough tonal palate to choose from.
What amps and effects are you using it with? I have a '73 Fender DR, 73 Vibrolux; 71 Super Reverb; and 72 Fender Twin. All my amps have been totaly restored both electrically and cosmeticaly to 64 specs as well replacing all the coupling caps with SOZO caps. Most venues, I use the Fender Deluxe reverb. In addition, the amp now has all SOZO coupling caps, as well as a Weber 12F150 with a weber beam blocker.
For effects, my pedal board consists of Boss TU-2 tuner>Fulltone Clyde Wha>Fulltone FDII>Fulltone OCD>Fulltone Fat Boost> Barber Tone Press Compressor>Fulltone Supatrem> Fulltone Choralflange>H&K rotosphere>H&K replex. I use Bill Lawrence Cable from my AKG guitar bug, through all the effect pedals and back to the amp.
Is it noisy? The guitar has a slight ground problem and is eliminated wht my hands are on the strings.
Rich/Full sound? Most definitly! Bright sound? I would say a very clear and distinct sound in all positions
What kind of sounds can the guitar make? 18 How much variety? 18
Likes and dislikes? So far just likes.
I am planning on rewiring the hawk with a 5 way switch and keep the varitone. Gibson uses a 300k ohm linear volum pot. I am planning on changing it to an audio taper pot possibly using a 500k ohm. I also replaced the cheap ceramic 500pf tone bleed cap with a 100pf Silver mica cap..much better!

How well was the guitar set-up at the factory? I purchased the guitar used. I changed the strings to a set of Curt Mangan 9-42, lowered the bridge height, intonated the bridge using a peterson strobe tuner, and re-adjusted the pickups. This is where the fun began.
As pointed out by several other reviews, the pickup installation leaves a bit to be desired. I needed to raise the bridge pickup pretty high to match the neck pickup output. The pickups are secured into the body via two screws in the center of the pickup cover, with two springs, then screwd in the the body hardware. The pickups mounting becomes weak when you raise them because you lose spring tension. So, at first, I removed the bridge pickup, then placed a few styrofoam peanuts in the pickup cavity. That works ok, however, if you press on the side of the pickup cover you can hear the sound of styrofoam, lovely. Latter, at the gig after one set, I noticed the bridge pickup was now hitting the strings. When I got home I check out the pickup and sure enough the knurled nut had come out of the body. I followed one of the reviewer's advice and glued the nut back into the body using 3M Super strength adhesive. Worked perfectly! I then replaced those cheap, garbage, no tension springs with surgical tubing, same stuff used on strats and teles. Voila! Now the pickups are secured perfectly as well as height and side to side string volume balance adjustment. In addition, the tubing helps eliminate feedback on the bridge pickup.
Did the guitar contain any flaws? Again, I bought the Hawk used and one fret needs work.
The tuners so far are doing ok, still too early to tell. I will most likely replace with either Schaller or Grovers. Just depends on which will be the best O.E. fit.
The finish is a knockput. I received many complements. The Blues Hawk in the Chicago Blue finish with the Gold trem is very classy.

Will this guitar withstand live playing? Yes it will
Does the hardware seem like it will last? Yes,
Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing? So far so good, way too early to tell.
Are the strap buttons solid? I am not having any problems here.
Can you depend on it?Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
I always have backup guitars on stage. Stuff always happens!

Gibson customer support has always been very good for me. I haven't purchased a new gibson in many years so I haven't played the warranty game with Gibson.

How long have you been playing? 41 years
What other gear do you own? 74 Strat with Bill Lawrence L-280-290; 76 Strat with Bill Lawrence L-280-290 ; 52 Tele RIwith Bill Lawrence T280-T290; 65 Jazzmaster; 75 LP standard with Fralins; 68 ES-345; 89 LP Standard with Fralins; Ric 350V63 with ric buckers; ric 660-12.
Is there something you wish you had asked before buying this guitar? No, the reviews at HC have been very helpful and I thank each and everyone for their input!
If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else? If I could find another I would replace the Blues Hawk with another Blues Hawk.

What do you love about it? The Fit; size; weight, whole feature set. What do you hate? Nothing about the Blues Hawk.

Did you compare it to other guitars? Yes, the NightHawk.
Why did you choose this one? P-90's, F holes, varitone, Bigsby trem
Anything you wish it had? A slightly smaller neck taper.
Anything else you'd like to share? I would to see a full Les Paul size body with Blues Hawk feature set from Gibson. The Blues Hawk is an incredible value. If you can find one for a reasonable $ amount..compared to whats out there at todays prices..I think the Hawk will increase in value in a very short period of time as well. Get one!

1997 Blueshawk. Two P-90's, Varitone with bypass. Black finish with F holes. Standard Gibson Kluson Keystone tuners. Everyone else has described the rest.

I really like the sound of the Varitone. I play it through a Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb and a Traynor YCV40WR. It sounds good through both amps. I like the small light body since I am an older musician. The P-90's are dead quiet. I bought it used and it had a loose ground. A trip to the local tech took care of the wiring.

Since mine was used it was well worn. It has some buckle rash on the back, but the finish is all still in tact. Nothing goes through the clear coat. The fit and finish are top notch. There is no flaking of the finish around the neck joint like on other Gibsons I've had before. The neck is smooth and straight. Very comfortable to play.

I've only had the guitar for a month, but It seems well built and I would feel confident to gig with it without a backup. I installed Schaler strap locks for confidence. Since my tech adjusted it and fixed the loose ground it is a fine player. It's already held up for 8 years without the finish fading or being beat up too bad. No reason to think it won't last.

I don't know, but Gibson did answer my emails when asking a couple of questions about the guitar.

I would say this guitar is very versatile. It's not for everyone because of the size and body shape. Seems like people either love them or hate them. I fall in the first category. I'm thinking of looking for a second one in a different color. The Varitone was the clincher for me. I just like the variety of sound you can get.

This is a 1997 USA Blueshawk with standard Gibson spec for the era and usual P90 Blues P/Us. Cherry Red - I think I would have preferred the black but hey that doesn't make it play any better.
The very first BH I saw was in a shop near where I live here in the UK but it had jumbo frets and my style of playing is more Eagles, Doobies, Mike and the Mechanics and always the STONES so that axe was really not what I needed.
The case is original perfect fit. 10 out of 10 for that!
I bought this one on e-bay from Ohio and first thing I did was to send it to my local fixerman to get it sorted

I have a Gibson Epihone Nighthawk built in Nashville. I owned a USA Strat but the kneck was kind of like a camel and even though I got it fixed it was too much country sound and that is not really me so that was sold. I have a Hamer also that doesn't get played too much. I liked the sound of the Nighthawk so much that I thought the Blueshawk had to be better especially with the variator that the Nighthawk just doesn't have but it doesn't quite do what I had in mind especially since the nighthawk sound is better. I fitted a vintage Gibson P/U in the neck position of the nighthawk and it's got this amazing sound but the Blueshawk is not as good

When the axe arrived in this beautifully crafted case with it's own red negligee covering the whole body I thought this it - a Gibby! Out of the case I was really disappointed. The action sucks. Far too high. Intonation was fine and tuners not so bad - it held tuning but the frets!! They could rip your hands to shreds at 10 paces. The finish on my so called cheap Epiphone with white binding is so much better. What happened Gibson. Even my guitar fixerman said that if the two guitars were not "named" he would put the Epiphone label on the blueshawk. The finish on the NH is also so much better

I haved gigged the nighthawk for 2 years and see no reason why the blueshawk won't stand the same test

No comment - no contact

I have been playing 30 years and owned a lot of guitars. Some absolutely dreadful that are selling now for stupid mega high prices in the "well thought of" shops. I wouldn't give one away.
I own a tele JD that I use for Stones numbers mainly and a Hamer that doesn't get much airing. I play the nighthawk and will now with the blueshawk through a Johnson 150 amp. On merit the Blueshawk is good. It's a pity that Gibson didn't give it the finish and proud to be Gibson badge that L/Ps have and in most areas the BH can hack it. Pity the frets finish are not as good

Late 90's, red, it's pretty good looking. That varitone is the real deal. Construction and features are pretty much well known, nothing new from other comments made here.

Some guys below say it's a good "rhythm" guitar, or for "Blues" or
it's not a "do everything" axe, some other such silliness... I say BULL!!! GET REAL!!! and then a new amp. What are they playng through,
a Pignose?

Let's see, didn't Leslie West (From Mountain) use P-90's ? Yes.
Didn't Tom Scholz (from Boston) use a 60's Paul with P90's? Yep again! Do you call THAT blues, or strictly rhythm? Get serious. This generation of P-90's do not hum like the old ones do, and give most of the same range as the original ones, with a bit less volume.

This guitar sounds GREAT without the Varitone. Crank it up, and it wails. Go to the varitone, and smooth it all out, or plug it into a higher end pedal and you're in for a surprise or three!

I play mostly original music, but dabble in Queen, Boston, Eagles and other 70's band music. I've not had a situation where I cannot get what I want out of the "Hawk" when I want it.

I like powerful clean amps that can be used with a decent pedal without a bunch of noise being added in the mix from a dirty amp.

If I had only ONE guitar it would be this one, no bragging rights of an expensive guitar with the "hawk" but you won't suffer at all with a "Hawk" where it counts. It's a good thing my Wife doesn't read this though.

Action is good, the finish SUCKS. It has peeled in two locations on the front while in my posession. It doesn't bum me out though... I play it, not sleep with it :-)

I've never known a Gibson that wouldn't outlive the owner with proper care, and a re-fret every once in a while. IMO, they (Gibsons) get better with age. Even if they look ratty, they generally sound great.

I'm not crazy about the new "floating" pickup mounts. I much prefer the
40's and 50's solid screw tight to the body mount, but on the hawk I
keep them pretty low to avoid problems caused by the mounting scheme.

Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, and ALL of them are pretty crappy here. I'm used to it, I expect it (lack of service) and don't need their "support".

Few guitars I've owned stand shoulder to shoulder to the "Hawk"

What can you get for under a thou that's decent? An American Strat, Epiphones, and that about does it. EVERYONE has them, along with boated expensive PRS, Gibson Les Pauls, and others. You want unique? This is it. You want sound, this is it.

You want to spend a bunch more on a semi-solid with varitone? An ES-345 will set you back four times what a Hawk costs, a Lucille three
times the cost and a 355? don't get me started! All this without the
real dollar "value" being there in the equation because the Hawk is not inferior in any way.

Hey, you want HB's??? Get TWO Hawks, and have Humbuckers installed, on one and still have well over 1k in the bank from not buying a higher end Gibson.

Tonight I started looking for another Hawk to do just that with!

Anyway, I have a couple of Fender strats, a Tele, a 70's era Les Paul
and others that drift in and out of the house, but the Hawk spends
more time plugged in than the rest put together.

I bought 2 new BLueshawks in 96' (red and black)for $519.00 each. I played both of them and there were minor tonal differences. The 2 (plus 1 in the back) Blues 90 single coil pick-ups have a great tone through every tube amp I've tried, regardless of manufacture. The through-the-body string path is much prefered over the later model with a tune-o-matic bride. The weight is ideal for long gigs. The red BH had pick-up mounting problems.. the knurled nut pushed into a surface mounted wood plate in the cavity is pretty cheesy, but easily repaired. The chicken-head varitone reaches a wide range of tones. Pulling the tone knob activates the back mounted coil facing the back of the guitar, used for hum cancelling and bypassing the varitone. The wiring on the red BH proved to be imperfect.. quite a dissapointment for an American made Gibson. The pu selector was squirrely. The volume control is not linear as it goes from 0-10 at around 55-60% rotation. The "coffin case" is nice.

My style tends toward all types of blues based music.. delta, Texas, Chicago, Jump, Swing, R&B, funk. This guitar serves well for all. I use a Fender Bassman 20 with an Ibanez Tube Screamer and an Ibanez Delay, a Mesa/Boogie Subway Blues with a Boss Blues Driver or a 68' Fender Super Reverb with all pedals in series. I can achieve most any sound with these arrangements. I prefer the Bassman arrangement! The guitars are noisy but have very sweet tone going from bright to mid-rangey down to deep, fat tones. On the occasion when I play 60's/70's rock, this guitar covers all the sounds.

The factory set-up was okay. The pick-ups were not well mounted on the red BH but the action was good on both guitars. The black BH has none of the problems of the red one. It has been a great guitar.

I use both BHs at gigs, as I tend to break strings. Once the pick-up issue is handled the guitar feels reliable. I've both since '96 and have never had any need for major repair.

I've been playing guitar since '67. I own a '92 American Standard Strat, a De Armond Starfire, a Single cutaway solid Godin with 2 Seymour Duncan P-90s, a cheap Dan Electro hollow body w/ 1 single coil that has amazing tone amplified or not, a Jonny Reb '69 Tele Thin-Line clone (great tone and action), an Ampeg R12 Revrb-o-Rocket, 68' Super Reverb, Mesa/Boggie Subway Blues w/ 1-12 extention cab, Bassman 20. Hollow and semi-hollow with tubes are my preference. I just want a well made 72' Tele Thin-Line and my collection will be complete.

I bought a Blueshawk off eBay after playing one several years ago when I was more into playing blues. I hadn't tried one since then. This one came pretty well set up with all stock hardware, in a nice hardshell case with no noticeable flaws in the trans cherry finish.

There were lots of sound(s) available but none of them suited my style, so it went back on eBay and I lost about $40 on the whole deal. The sounds were too hot and bright for my purposes (I'm playing lead for a progressive folk singer/songwriter).

I noticed an audible hum sometimes when I wasn't playing, unless I rested my hand on the strings; I guess it had a grounding problem with some circuits. Also there was sometimes an audible click when I moved the pickup selector switch.

The set up was okay but not stellar. The finish was good and the guitar is really quite pretty; one of it's stronger points IMHO. It played like a gibson, but the neck felt like it could use some attention, maybe a little smoothing on the frets.

Didn't have it long enough to say, but it seemed pretty solid.

Don't know

If you're a blues player and like the P-90 sound, consider this guitar. I would not recommend it for other styles. I've been playing 32 years, have owned about 20 guitars. Still haven't found the "perfect beast" but the quest continues to be interesting!

This is a follow-up on a previous review. Had it for 2.5 years now, and New Gear Syndrome has worn off.

My setup has changed a lot since my first review. Gone is the rack system, and I've gone to a BadCat Black Cat 30R combo, and a Rt.66 pedal for compression. I've been playing for 8+ years, mostly jazz and rock, and own a few other Gibsons, etc.

First off, while the pickups handle smooth fuzz well, they CANNOT take high-gain. I found this out after the previous review, and even though I got a Gibson Nighthawk to do the lead work, the high-gain rack had to scoot--couldn't get a good lead tone w. the Blueshawk with a high-gain system.

That said, this has an amazing tone, most of all with the Varitone bypassed...middle position is very 3D and jangly when clean or w. light crunch. Can get a great "vintage" jazz tone out of the neck pickup, and the bridge...well...it's got some twang, so it can do anything requiring twang.

It's not a DO EVERYTHING guitar, sonically, but it's THE BEST rhythm guitar I've come across to date, and I have a lot of guitars.

With a medium-gain amp, I get smooth blues w. some bite and smolder. Rock is a cinch, but this guitar seems to be made for rhythms from pop-thru-Eagles in middle position, and thick old-school jazz in neck.

Finish on mine was perfect.

Held up thru 2+ years of abuse and gigging. It's retiring to the studio & home now, as I'm using Fender Tornados w. Fender '72-RI Humbuckers in the neck position for live work.