FACTOIDS & TRIVIA
Skyhawks were most commonly made with ash bodies, but quite a few were made with maple bodies such as the one shown here. Cosmetically, the Skyhawk remained unaltered after the name changed from Nighthawk, though more finishes were available for the Skyhawk. The circuit was changed sometime in 1984. The example shown here is early enough that it has the S-500/Nighthawk circuit, but by mid-1984 Leo Fender had changed the circuit to further separate the tonality of the Skyhawk from the S-500 The Skyhawk was offered with a Kahler floating vibrato tailpiece as well as a Leo Fender Fine Tuner Vibrato as an option to the standard G&L vibrato unit. Hardtail 'hawks are quite uncommon.
G&L SKYHAWK (April 1984)
Body: Solid; 2-piece maple
Finish: White, polyester
Neck: 2-piece maple, bolt-on
Fingerboard: Ebony; pearloid dot markers
Number of Frets: 22
Pickguard: Black-white-black plastic laminate with black crinkle powder coated steel control plate
Bridge: G&L Dual Fulcrum Vibrato, chrome
Nut: Plastic
Tuners: G&L/Schaller, sealed, chrome
Pickups: Three, G&L Magnetic Field Design single coil with adjustable pole pieces
Controls: Master volume, treble, and bass, 5-way pickup selector
Scale Length: 25 1/2 inches
Neck Width at Nut: 1 5/8 inches
Body Width at Lower Bout: 12 7/8 inches
Body Depth: 1 5/8 inches
Weight: 8.1 lb.