Gibson Nighthawk

1993 Nighthawk ST3 in translucent amber.
Manufacturer	Gibson
Period	1993–1998; 2009-present
Body type	Solid
Neck joint	Set neck
Body	Mahogany with a maple top
Neck	Mahogany
Fretboard	Rosewood
Pickup(s)	Humbucker + mini-humbucker Optional middle single-coil

The Gibson Nighthawk was a family of electric guitars manufactured by Gibson. Introduced in 1993, the Nighthawk represented a radical change from traditional Gibson designs. While its maple-capped mahogany body and set neck were reminiscent of the classic Gibson Les Paul, the Nighthawk incorporated a number of characteristics more commonly associated with Fender guitars. But the Nighthawk was not a commercial success; production of all models was discontinued in 1998 after only five years.

In July 2009, Gibson revived the Nighthawk with the Nighthawk 2009 limited edition. Current production models include the Nighthawk Studio, the 20th Anniversary Nighthawk Standard, and the 2013 Nancy Wilson Nighthawk Standard. Some of these newer models are faithful to the design of the original Nighthawk, but others are only cosmetically similar.

All of these models were available with either two or three pickups. The two-pickup models (CST, ST, and SP) have an M-series mini-humbucker in the neck position and an M-series slanted humbucker at the bridge. The three-pickup models (CST3, ST3, and SP3) have the same pickups as the two-pickup models, plus a third NSX single-coil pickup in the middle position. The photo above shows an original three-pickup Nighthawk ST3.

The five-position knife switch common to all Nighthawks provides five tone settings (or pickup combinations), but on the three-pickup models, the tone knob includes a push-pull feature that provides access to a second set of five, for a total of ten tones. It is often said that when the knob is pulled out, the humbuckers' coils are split, but this is somewhat misleading. All Nighthawks have a mixture of humbucking and split-coil tones whether or not they have the push-pull feature. On the two-pickup models, only positions two and five use both coils of the same pickup; the other three positions are split-coil. On the three-pickup models, one or both humbuckers are split in positions one, two, four, and five with the tone knob pulled up, and in position five with the tone knob pushed down. (See the graphic at right.)