GGJaguar's Guitarium and Ampeteria 1983 G&L Nighthawk

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FACTOIDS & TRIVIA

The Nighthawk was introduced in April 1983 as a companion to the S-500. It was very similar to the S-500 in cosmetics though the headstock is smaller. The circuit is identical to the S-500's, but the Nighthawk utilized pickups with a lower DC resistance and lower magnet gauss. More importantly is that the pickups are positioned differently compared to the S-500. This resulted in a guitar with a smoother voice with a lower output. The Nighthawk was generally offered with a mahogany body, but a few ash and maple body examples exist. In late 1983, a Washington D.C. based band called “Nighthawk” threatened G&L with a law suit over the use of the Nighthawk name. Rather than contest the rather dubious claim, Leo and company simply renamed the guitar as Skyhawk. The last Nighthawks were made in December 1983 with a production total of 269 guitars made before the name change. The Nighthawk was offered in several colors with the most common being black. The Nighthawk shown here is one of only 24 made with a natural finish. G&L occassionally used nitrocellulose lacquer as late as 1984. The finish on this guitar is very similar to the nitro finishes found on the earliest G&Ls. Since the finish is thinner and less durable than the polyester and polyurethane that G&L used, it was prone to weather checking, and in the case of this Nighthawk, belt buckling.

G&L NIGHTHAWK (September 1983)

Body: Solid; 4-piece mahogany