NighthawkChris

Neck heel cut out (like access or whatever that model is) and 24 stainless steel frets are my wish list items. I'd like to get my hands on one personally to gauge these a bit more. But OP, I agree with you on those items as well you listed.

Had a 2018 LP Classic goldtop - the one with P90s... I hated it personally. It was a 10lb hunk of wood. Very poor fretwork - and this was my second one I received after the first one I picked up had a poor cut nut, gouge in the finish underneath the pickguard, and of course, poor fretwork (string constantly catching between the nib and fret end is what I constitute as poor fretwork). I mean, YMMV with these 2018 Classics, I know because the USA guitars are hit and miss more than say the Custom Shop. I know there are some dogs out there in the CS world, but the ones I have received have been fantastic and worth the extra few thou. BTW, I sold my 18 Classic P90 goldtop. Haven't regretted it one bit... If I were to get a P90 LP, I'd go R6 all the way. I'd also go used because you can get a great deal on one probably for the price of a new LP Standard 50s that has either the HBs or P90s. All I know is that you probably could get a great 50s Standard today with P90s (2019-2020 of course), but the way I figure is for a few more bucks, you can get the Historic. FWIW, long neck tenon, lighter and more resonant wood used in CS guitars, nicer case (haha), better fit and finish - i.e. not mass produced and given more attention to detail. I mean, the Standard 50s are nice looking guitars as I've seen quite a few that have killer tops and such, but there's just something about the CS Gibsons for me. Not too sure how the Standard P90s compare to the CS P90s say in an R6, but in an R7, R8, R9, R0, you get Custombuckers which IMHO are absolutely the best Gibson pickup life has to offer today. SO overall, the Standard 50s P90 goldtop may be a great buy for the right price, but I'm not spending anywhere near $2k for one... For that money, I'd almost be at the price of a used Historic - and there are plenty of them out there - that's my point.

I don't believe that is an issue with the lower resistance pickup. The resistance is a function of number of winds and resistivity of the wire used. And over the years, I would imagine that different wire was used when we are talking nearly 20 years difference. Overall, I would worry about if you measure and read literally no resistance or infinite resistance (i.e. open load signifying a broken wire or connection most likely). Just like not all guitars are created equally, I would have to believe this is true about pickups to some extent. It would be difficult to answer questions about the assembly process regarding the pickups over the years. Since you are still reading 12.8kOhms, that still sounds like a pretty high output pickup. Typically the "vintage" pickups are about half this give or take a couple kOhms.

I believe that it doesn't hurt to measure the neck relief and string action. Do you know how to check these instead of blindly twisting screws and nuts? If you're still getting buzzes and such, might have to look at frets possibly as uneven frets will cause this phenomenon. Not saying one or the other is your issue, but the simple things to check are relief and string height. If all else fails with these, might have to have someone you know is competent look at your guitar to assess the situation. Hopefully it is just a simple adjustment somewhere to eliminate the unwanted noises. Good luck.

Wow, just wow! Super R9! And them there new cases that come with the Historics are fantastic too. To me, only the Historics are the real worthy Gibson’s today. You made a fine choice and enjoy that beast.

1) Tone and feeling of their guitars - Les Paul and Nighthawk (NH no longer in production) 2) I like the traditional bursts and the solid goldtop/ebony finishes. I'm thinking 50s 3) Don't know, don't care... I like Gibsons ever since I started playing 26 years ago. 4) No association with Gibson. Just my favorite traditional solid-body guitar that feels comfortable for me

The only thing I worry about with a fretboard drying out is fret sprout. I suppose it is worth it to address this more than it is to address how the fretboard looks - especially if you have bound neck. I've seen quite a few older Gibsons that have had fret sprout and you will see where they cut the binding. From everything I have read, it's because of the fretboard drying out and shrinking. I mean, it's not the worst thing that can happen to a guitar I suppose, but if all it takes is something to apply to the neck to keep the moisture it has inside of it to prevent it from shrinking or whatever, why the heck not? Other than that, I suppose if you don't like a fretboard that is dried out looking - for darker woods such as ebony, pau ferro, or rosewood - then maybe some oil can't hurt. The initial thread @Pinch referred to I participated in and the verdict was to use lemon oil. Well, I've heard that straight up lemon oil will dry the fretboard out. Hence why I use the f-one oil specifically for fretboards. As well, also tried the Gibson restoration kit that comes with fretboard conditioner and it works great too - comes with a nice soft cloth rag too. I also don't marinate the fretboard whatever I apply - i.e. read directions. Wipe on, wipe off is what is usually the instruction. I don't know all the "science" about this stuff (don't really care to either), but that's what I've been told and my Gibbys don't have issues with anemic looking fretboards or fret sprouting. I live in MI as well where the weather gets dry in winter and humid in summer. Yes, I'm adjusting my truss rods slightly every season change because of this.

https://www.guitaranswerguy.com/12-lemon-oil-debate/ Do whatever you want to your guitars. Mine aren't getting the lemon treatment. Again, F-One fretboard stuff works great. Never get fret sprouts or dried out looking board with this stuff. Also, use the Gibson Restoration Kit fretboard conditioner. That stuff works great too.

https://www.gibson.com/Support/Serial-Number-Search Custom Shop regular production models CSYRRRR CS stands for "Custom Shop" Y indicates the production year RRRR indicates the guitar's place in the sequence of production Example: CS10845 is the 845th reg. production CS model produced in 2001. That being said, your number indicates 2001 model, 427th reg. production.

Lemon oil is for cleaning - like your grandma's furniture cleaner. It does not hydrate - on the contrary. After cleaning, oil with Music Nomad F-ONE Oil. Don't marinate your board either. Rub in, rub out (haha!) The goal is to keep what moisture is in the board. I.e. oil is not moisture. And you don't want to play on a fretboard that is an oil slick. Keep your guitar in a nice temperature and humidity controlled area as much as possible, and it will fair fine with time. The thing you worry about is the fretboard shrinking where you get fret sprout. Then again, if your board is Richlite, don't have to worry about this, haha!

A little bit of an aged thread here, but the things the OP complained about is the reason I tried 2 18 Classics out and had dealbreaker issues with each one. I ended up selling the one I kept, even thought he fretwork was absolute garbage bag. Luckily I got it relatively less than MSRP and didn’t take a bath on it. That was the last new USA guitar I will ever buy. I only go Custom Shop these days because those are actually done right for the most part. Oh well, wanted to share the hate haha!

The TR should at least be snug if it’s all the way backed off. Not good to leave completely loose. Are you measuring the relief with a feeler gauge? I would make sure you have somewhere in the 0.010” range give or take a couple thou. Make sure you are tuning to pitch before measuring too. @Black Dog gave you good instruction if you wanted to know how in case you have never used the proposed method. Anyhow good luck with everything. Don’t hesitate to ask questions.

IMHO, the best things I have used is lemon oil to clean, then use the Gibson Restoration Kit for all your guitar needs. Comes with fretboard conditioner, nitro polish, metal cleaner, and some soft cloths. You don't want to marinate the wood... Simply spray on some lemon oil based cleaner, wipe off, then apply conditioner, then wipe that off very shortly after application. FYI, the nitro polish is awesome. Follow directions on the bottle and you should be good. https://www.guitarcenter.com/Dunlop/Fretboard-65-Ultimate-Lemon-Oil.gc?rNtt=lemon oil&index=1 https://www.gibson.com/Gear/Cleaning-and-Care/AIGG-RK1

In sum, I wouldn't worry about it. As long as it is in spec and it plays to your liking, I'd keep it. FYI, one of my LP Customs is just like your guitar - nearly completely lowered bridge.

The differences are easy to spot. Just looking at the fretboard, you have rosewood with dot inlays. The Nighthawk Customs (CST or CST3) have MOP inlays and ebony fretboard. As well, your neck is not bound - feature of the Specials (SP or SP3). Standards and Customs have bound fretboards - albeit different wood used for the fretboards (Standard = rosweood; Custom = ebony). With the Customs, the headstock, body, and neck are all bound. AFAIK, the "standard" Specials were in 3 colors in the 90s: ebony, red, and vintage sunburst. The Customs came in the BEAUTIFUL fireburst, antique natural, and translucent amber. The tops on Customs were also a more figured flamed maple (or even quilts) than the Standards (not sure if there are Standards with a quilt top, but definitely possible). Much of what I have said could come from this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_Nighthawk I just know about these guitars because I have had 5 of them in my lifetime -2 Specials, Standard, and 2 Customs. I sold the Specials FYI. Electronics are the same in all variants in this 93-98 time frame, so mostly the things that go "up" in the lineup are purely related to the cosmetics. Trust me, you have a SP3, I'll bet my paycheck on it.

This is true... You can tell because if you do the "conventional" SN decoder for this date range, you will soon find out that there's no 400th+ day of the year. So you have a Centennial Gibson LP. Killer man! Much better score than the broken headstock mess you almost got into. Congratulations and enjoy for many years 😄

@Black Dog@Mr Gibson, Thanks for the kind words! Yeah, just decided to take them off and let those nice tops breath a bit. I think they look good with them on as well - as I usually have them - but IDK... I was bored, haha! Gave them a nice wipedown where the sun don't shine and enjoyed taking care of my nicest guitars. They are a lot of fun to play too, so they aren't just case queens here. I usually don't take them out of the house as I have other guitars that I don't worry so much about traveling with if God forbid something happened to them. When I record, yeah no brainer to use my reissues... They are truly awesome instruments. But for the gig down the street, no problems taking the used LP Standard out on the town. And @Black Dog, definitely not alone in the addict department, haha! I know you have some absolute beauts too and always appreciate it when you share some nice images of them. Not too sure what my next venture will be, but you know GAS in not curable 😄 Anyhow, cheers fellas, once again thanks for the compliments!

In took the pickguards off of my Les Pauls I like them naked 😄

Very nice! Glad you liked your new Modern - looks very classy.

Really nice guitars you got there... Make the pic less pixelated, I demand it! 😛 haha!

It's been a rough day at work as usual... professionally internet browsing.

Cool man, can't wait for your next NGD! Both sound like great alternatives for Fender SC guitars. But hey, I get it. Sometimes we try a guitar and it seems like a great idea, looks nice, but just aren't inspired by it. And I'm a big advocate for the Gibson Custom Shop guitars. There are some of the best guitars on the planet coming out of this place IMHO. My R7 and R9 are absolutely fantastic. I'm sort of a Gibson snob now, because I don't even waste my time with their USA stuff. Not that the USA lineup is bad, but they only have me lusting for their Historics. Sort of like when I bought a 2018 Classic goldtop - when I really wanted an R6...

Should have bought a Fender, haha! JK 😄 Hope all is well with you BD

@Dibby You have a Nighthawk version SP3 (3 pickup special). The case itself in good to great condition can fetch anywhere from $200 to even $350 I would imagine. I've sold a pristine case for $350 and some with very slight cosmetic issues for around the $200 range. Themselves they are rare these days. The guitar probably wouldn't fetch anywhere more than say $900 if it is in great condition. You might get away with around a grand, but that's definitely got to be the upper limit. Mind you, this is based on someone who has done some buying and selling of Nighthawks. It truly is a relative thing to sell/buy guitars these days. It all depends on the right place at the right time. Overall, if the package was mine given the SP3 is in excellent condition and case looks great - no major tolex tears, strap intact that holds case lid from flying back when opened, and shroud not ripped out or torn apart - you're looking around $1100 to start IMHO. That might be on the high end for some people, so be open to offers. I wouldn't go any less than $1050 with the case. FYI, I sold my SP3 with the 90s gig bag for around $950, and that was vintage sunburst in excellent condition. Check Reverb - maybe eBay. Get a flavor what's there and go from there. FYI, if your serial number starts with 94xxxx... this is a 1994 model. SO MANY people don't know this and list incorrectly.

If you really want someone’s attention, use the @ before their screen name. Like @SteveFord You are going to get notified because I quoted you, but I would hope that if I didn’t, you would because I called you out via screen name with the @ control character. Hope this helps you get @rct