NighthawkChris

You may not be good at taking pictures, but that beautiful guitar said “I got your back!” Just kidding man, you did a fine job taking pictures... and picking up that wonderful guitar of yours. Congratulations and many years of enjoyment! Just to set the record straight, I like your NGD the best. Just love that finish in the Wes Custom 😁

I like your ideas man! Can't wait to check out your metal Studio... Pics please And regarding not being in the market for another LP for a while... Well, I've heard that and said that to myself before. GAS is a diesase that can only be treated with more GAS, haha! Just messing around BTW, like your new guitars a lot. Congratulations and many years of enjoyment!

The 57s are real nice pickups and I think you’ll dig them if you give them a shot. I have a set as well at the 490/498 in another and I personally like the 57s a little more for whatever reason. Never messed with BBs but I’m sure I will one day. I think you have the right idea though to try some out at the store. Just a side note question... have you tried adjusting pickup height to see if you can improve the sound a little? May help so you don’t have to swap pickups in a new guitar... But if you’re convinced that the pickups aren’t your thing disregard my suggestion. Good luck!

FWIF, 57 Classics are great pickups. I have a set in my LP Custom 68 RI. Never tried out BBs before, but IMO, if you can't get the 57 Classics to sound good to your ears, there might be something wrong with your ears, haha! Just messing around. It all depends on what the player wants to do with their guitar to sound the way it should to their ears. I may not always agree with what they may or may not want to do, but it is not my guitar. Best regards!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNbkSgEaDZ4

Like kid said, and be careful soldering! Nothing worse than a hack job. Not saying you will do this as you may be very proficient with the iron and know exactly what you are doing, but again, nothing worse than a hack solder job and melted wire insulation in a nice guitar...

Thanks mihcmac! I just happened to run into that one a couple years ago at a music store in Lansing MI (Elderly Instruments) and I couldn't refuse it... It looks real nice even with a more plain-like top as compared with the CST3's. My personal favorite is the 1996 CST3 and this picture doesn't do the top justice. The red looks like a blur always on the camera under the light in my music room, but up close, it is a beaut! Anyhow, I never thought I'd run into another NH with a Floyd tremolo, so I picked it up the day I saw it. EDIT: Here's a pic of the top - which is my avatar on this forum at the moment. Trying to do this guitar some justice here...

Here's my Nighthawks. Left to right: 1993 Vintage Sunburst SP3 1997 Fireburst ST3 w/ Schaller (Floyd) Tremolo 1996 Fireburst CST3 1994 Fireburst CST3

OMG Rabs, in post #11, that is just awful what resides underneath the pickguard!!! It cannot be just blue finish that dulls/fades over time, but the faded blue look does not work for everything - at least I feel that way. I would speculate that excessive sunlight exposure could do this to a finish, but what else would cause this to happen? Gibson at least at one point in time sent additional documentation with guitars that had nice burst finishes reminding the user to avoid excessive sunlight to avoid having finish issues, that's all the warning was for. I acdtually have that little pamphlet that came with my LP Custom. If the guitar is properly stored in its case and taken out only to play, would these finishes start to dull/fade? And I don't have any personal thing against blue guitars, just that I would prefer the guitar to be a solid blue color of some sort if I ever decided to pick up a blue guitar. I.e. the LP Studio Gem in sapphire blue is pretty stunning IMO. It seems like one of the most difficult Gem Studios to run into... But that aging on this guitar is nice! The checking on it I feel is a beautiful thing. I had one at one point in time, but I got rid of it so I could pick up a Goldtop Classic. Hey, I liked gold more than sapphire... Mind you, I didn't keep it top-wrapped... I don't like that but I took a picture of it just the way I received it.

https://reverb.com/item/1096467-studio-standard-guitar-case-rack?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkOu1osHI4AIVR7bACh3VGQvzEAQYFiABEgKPFvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&pla=1 I found one on a local CL ad, and this case rack, stand, ...whatever is excellent; this links features the exact same stand I picked up that I mentioned in the first post I contributed to this thread. Another great option if you want to get creative - or spend some bucks - is to Pinterest some "guitar dressers" for ideas or buy a showcase (being the more expensive, less creative solution for fancy guitar storage).

I have the Hercules brand hangers - 6 of them - that have the "claw" that closes up when the guitar is in place on the hanger, and I haven't had any issues with my guitars on them for at least a couple years. I have 7 Gibsons BTW all with glossy nitro finish. I hang all of them up from time to time, but don't let them sit for any prolonged period of time. What I do is simply get the (yellow) Gibson soft cloth I have that came with the restoration kit they market and buff them out frequently. I might add that I generally keep my guitars in their cases as I have a guitar case stand that holds 8 cases, but as I was eluding to, I will also let the guitars "air out" on the wall hangers to not have the case start playing with the finish. The way I look at it is that basically, guitars are maintenance items. I spend a lot of time cleaning/polishing them after I play them - or if I have been neglecting them - and I find that they all stay in good shape. After string changes, I spend extra effort to clean up s*** that gets on them from playing time. Now, if someone just leaves the guitars sitting in one place for a long time in a case or stand, etc. things get old and start to go wrong with neglect. I suppose bottom line is don't be too paranoid about it. Just take some time each week to care for your beloved guitars, don't keep them in the same spot for days on end, and I highly believe they'll be OK. Not discrediting anything you mentioned and I am glad that your ES 335 did not receive any damage! Hope this helps! Best regards.

I personally don't get the whole reliced thing these days with guitars. And you pay a lot more for someone to ding up the guitar. The claim is that it breaks in the guitar or something like that... I can do that myself, thank you. And MAYBE, just MAYBE I get the relicing on the fretboard, but to needlessly scratch up the body's finish... I have guitars that look nearly brand new that are over 20 years old, and they are definitely broken-in feeling when you play 'em. Overall, to each and to their own I guess. I always feel that if that's what you want, go for it. My opinions are just that and no one has to listen to mine. Relicing is just not my gig for guitars. Mostly, I just don't buy what the claim is for purposefully dinging up a guitar... and I do just fine damaging my own guitars aesthetics

I really like this Explorer! Looks fantastic man!

What you measured will not clearly tel you that there’s a twist. You need some special tools and someone experienced with those tools to verify this for you it sounds like if you think this is a big concern. If the guitar plays fine I wouldn’t worry about it though. Gibson makes good stuff and I’ve never ran into a twisted neck on one, but is IS possible I suppose. But it wouldn’t hurt to find someone that knows how to look at a guitar and evaluate its statejust for peace of mind.

My first guitar was received on my 14th birthday. I was really into Metallica at the time and I wanted nothing more than to be able to play with my cassettes. The guitar was a used, all black Epiphone SG I picked up at the local music store literally down the street from where I lived back then. The guitar was pretty nice one to start with if I don't say so myself. I didn't get an amp until Christmas - a few months after my birthday - but I was still playing my guitar since my birthday... I was excited for my small Crate practice amp. It was a very basic amp, but when you have nothing, you learn to deal. Beggars can't be choosers, haha! Either way, this Epiphone made me a Gibson guy. I never bought another SG after that as it wasn't really my thing, but back then, I'd take anything with 6 strings pretty much. The SG was the best deal on the floor for me, so I treated it well, and it treated me well. Hey, it got me to the next level... I sold it after I got my Epi-Nighthawk a few years later. I don't think I miss it, but I miss those years!

Hi sellen, Yeah, I'm not an SG guy at all, but that SG you posted a pic of is one nice looking Gibson... I have pondered the thought of adding an SG to my collection - as my very first guitar was an Epi-SG which was a superb guitar for a beginner. That guitar did me well until I bought my first 1996 Epi-Nighthawk. I just worry about the neck dive with the SG - hahaha! JK Best regards!

Hope that you enjoy your new guitar and many years of enjoyment. Best wishes!

Hey, at least with this guitar, there will be no debate whether or not to have the strings touch the back of the bridge because the tailpiece is too low... In all honesty, it is nice to be civil in sharing opinions. I simply don't want to S on someone's parade when they really like a guitar and are excited about it. And I will not say that this guitar is a POS... It is a Gibson, and Gibson makes good guitars - with minor issues

Not trying to add fuel to any fire here, but I have no experience with guitars that have the sole compensated stoptail piece - i.e. no bridge with saddles that can be adjusted for intonation. Gibson guitars set all their necks in the bodies, so each neck angle is different - hence variations on guitars that are produced. What if intonation cannot be set "acceptably"? Then you obviously shouldn't have that guitar - turn it in or sell it if it is a big issue (would be to me). I mean, I am not going on the premonition that all these have intonation issues, but I sort of agree with Wild Bill 212 here that this feature is not that great (again, my opinion) and is a vintage-like quality on a non-vintage guitar. I have been turned off by this guitar because the lack of a bridge - let alone what the cost is, I just accept that Gibson sells expensive guitars. Trying to dictate logic behind their prices is beyond my comprehension. All I can say to the price factor is if I don't like the price new, then I don't buy - simple as that. If I like the guitar, but don't like the price, that just sucks... Sometimes I buy if I really like it, otherwise I become conservative with my choice. If these don't sell at some price point, then the price will go down... In the end of the day, these have to sell - and retailers want to get what they can out of these. It's simple stuff really. Anyhow, that's what my useless opinion has to say here, haha! Don't care what the guitar costs - I don't prefer this guitar. SG's aren't my thing just like Nighthawks aren't someone else's thing. Regardless, best wishes, and I hope the OP enjoys this guitar in spite of others' opinions. In the end, that is what a "good" value guitar is - something that inspires you to make music that you enjoy playing.

I just noticed the other day that my 2015 Gibson Les Paul Custom that I spent a ton of cash for had the neck pickup's ground (i.e. that braid covering over the pickup wires) clean break from the solder joint made on the volume pot casing... I was wondering why when I played that I would get this intermittent on-off crap going on, and I open the rear cavity, and what do you know... I spent over $5k for that thing, and can't even get a solder joint right. Luckily, I know how to do this, but there were wire clippings in it too that were just "floating" around in there. A little distressing, and if I didn't know how to solder very well, it would be a bigger issue, but that is unacceptable for that kind of money too. Mind you bought this thing brand new from GC. Bottom line, the soldering job on this was sub-par. It involved me having to go inside the cavity and re-solder the thing. On a very minor note, the setup was absolutely AWFUL too out-the-box. All the saddles were in a straight line, fret buzz all over the place because the neck is straighter than an arrow... Honestly, just pathetic that this is what you get for spending that kind of money. Luckily I know how to address these issues, but someone who doesn't know how to do this stuff paying that kind of money is going to be pretty ticked understandably so. So Gibson USA, Memphis, Custom Shop... They are all bad - sub-par quality for the money. Once you address these issues yourself, the guitar usually is playable and can enjoy it, but expecting any Gibson out-the-box to work is like asking to walk on water. Just sharing my experience. Oh, I won't even go into my 2018 Gibson Les Paul Classic goldtop... That was another mess, but after going through a couple, I finally got one that I could live with. I don't like to complain about Gibson, but when I found out about my LP Custom having a F'ed up solder job, it sort of let me down. I just learned that you can't pay enough to get a guitar 100% able to satisfy - from Gibson that is... And BTW, my LP Custom sits in my music room - never left since I bought it "brand new" from GC less than a year ago. That guitar has received absolutely NO stress that should have had that solder blob joint detach from the pickup's ground. Heck, the finish on it doesn't even have those swirls that inevitably occur just by touching it and playing it. Looking back, I over spent on this guitar by a long shot, but I got it brand new - with quality issues that I had to address which luckily I could... If I ever buy another Gibson again, it's going to be used, at a discount price. Not that I have any plans to - been on the Telecaster train these days. Whatever with that... I suppose that if I were to say that I will spend $5k for a guitar, but you have to make sure that the manufacturer did their part and properly QC it. Do you like to have to open up your new LP Custom after you bought it brand new and have to touch up solder joints because someone over there doesn't care what they are making for you... Just think about it after you dole out $5k for it...

The irony of it all is that Gibson didn't go bankrupt making guitars - QC aside, guitar making really had nothing to do with financial distress from what I was reading up on... They went bankrupt for bad business ventures, but now that they are going bankrupt, it seems that people aren't as thrilled about their guitars - especially their newer ones prices absurdly high - from them because their going bankrupt. But I don't see their books, so I can't speak too much for how their guitar sales are going. I guess once they get this "Lifestyle company" crap out of the way, there might be some hope for the future... I'm sorry, but if I liked the LP Special, I am not going to go all Custom Shop and spend nearly $4.5k for one... Just me, but I would tend to agree that products like this won't warrant a successful business model in the long run. That's why I have found the best Gibsons used... Learn a little bit about guitar setups and what you are in the market for, and you can do better than what a new Gibson will give you. I know because I have bought an expensive brand new LP and bought used Gibsons too. You feel better about the used find - trust me!

Dad joke alert... Why couldn't the electron come out to play? Because he was grounded!

Good choice on pickups (498T/490R set). These sound great in my 2015 LP Custom - nice, rich sound.

If you like the Alpine White Studio, keep it. There's no use trying out a replacement if it fits in the "puzzle" so to speak. Given you have no obvious major issue, I say you have a great guitar there. Congratulations!