Wow, I was doing some guitar research this evening when I stumbled onto a guitar by Gibson that I’d never even heard of before, let alone had a chance to play. Still, it looks like another solid instrument from one of the most respected names in the industry.
The Gibson BluesHawk is a uniquely modern looking hollowbody, with dual F-holes, and a pair of what Gibson calls Blues 90 hum-canceling dummy coil pickups.
While I’ve never heard of a “dummy coil” before, it looks like the BluesHawk is aimed squarely at the modern blues player, and I have no doubt it’s built to perform. It’s even got Varitone switching, which apparently offers a whopping six different pickup tone combinations.
The Gibson BluesHawk Features–
- Maple Top With Poplar back
- Narrow Mahogany Neck
- Rosewood Fretboard With Diamond Inlays
- Dual Blues 90 Dummy Coil pickups [hum cancelling]
- Master Volume & Tone Controls
- 3-Way Pickup Switching Or 6-Way Varitone Switching
So if any of you have had a chance to play the BluesHawk, or better yet, own one, I’d love to get your take on this intriguing hollwobody.
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April 8th, 2006 at 4:26 pm
I’ve used a Blueshawk as my main guitar for the last several years now. It’s a mixed bag, really. It’s a terrific player’s axe, but due to modern (shoddy) Gibson construction, they often need some work. The neck on mine is terrific… basically a shallow C shape like a 1960s Les Paul neck, but with the longer Fender scale. The body is VERY light and comfortable, almost as good as a Strat for body comfort. Access to higher registers is good, too.
I’ve replaced the pickups on mine with Dimarzio Virtual P90/DLX humbuckers, which makes it an absolutely KILLER guitar for 1970s rock sounds (Tull, early Sabbath, etc), as well as a pretty sweet jazz guitar. Extremely flexible. That being said, if I ever get another one, I’m keeping the stock pickups. They’re very, very good. The stock pups leave it in a sort of Gibson/Fender limbo; the Dimarzios put it firmly in Gibson territory.
At any rate, I think it’s a fine guitar, and a real bargain compared to the prices on most Gibsons. Buy one now, before some twentysomething whiz kid creates the next fashionable style with one and they start selling for thousands of dollars, like the equally pedestrian Tele Custom does now…
April 11th, 2006 at 9:22 am
Thanks for taking the time to give us the rundown on the Blueshawk…sounds like a decent guitar for the price, provided you’re willing to give it a little bit of TLC. And I have to agree with you fully that most of Gibson’s guitars these days are just outrageously priced – it’s one of the reasons I’ve become a much bigger fan of their good old Epiphone line. Cheap, and well built for what you’re paying.
I just can’t see paying full price for a Gibson these days…I prefer being able to put food on my table ;)
April 14th, 2006 at 11:30 pm
I run a large(ish) website which is pretty much all about the Blueshawk – http://www.blueshawk.info – I’ve been playing and gigging with one now for about 5 years, and it is the equal of, and in some cases better than other guitars I use – a high end Strat, a Custom Tele, a Thinline Tele, and a 330. Blueshawks are extremely versatile, easy and comfortable to play, and distinctive (not just another LP or Strat). Most important they produce incredible tone – not just for blues but jazz, electric folk, rock – although they are not much good for shredding. In some ways they are a Fender-like Gibson – taking much that is good from both families of guitar.
Best wishes
Tone
May 2nd, 2006 at 4:34 pm
I agree 100% with Tone. (Hey Tone!) I got mine a little over a year ago, & I’ll never part with it. It sounds good on everything. It’s really the kind of guitar that you can use in just about any situation & come off sounding authentic. If you’d like to hear it in action, visit our website at: http://rivercityjunction.com
I use it on Born Under a Bad Sign & Voodoo Chile (Full length recordings Live off the floor in our studio) and also on crossroads, Red House, Sweet Home Chicago & The Telephone Song (Excerpts recorded Live at a local club in Montreal. I highly recommend this guitar to anyone who is looking for killer tone & wants a guitar that can really sing.
May 3rd, 2006 at 3:14 pm
Hey Sonic, thanks for sharing the Blueshawk info… I’l definitely be giving your recordings a listen to get a feel for the Hawk – Sweet Home Chicago is one of my favorites of all time. I like your website too, looks classy and is very easy to navigate (amazing how many web designers don’t understand navigation!)
Thanks again for the info, and good luck with River City Junction :)