Epiphone Night Hawk

[rednefceleb]

Hello Epiphone fanatics.This thread is discussing my Night Hawk from Epiphone. (My new favorite value for quality electric guitars). I first want to ask "Hawk Fanatic" about the Fender bridge saddle replacement on the Epi "Night Hawk'. Did you use the saddles off of a Standard Bridge assembly P.N. 0071014000 ? #2). I've been communicating with John Benson: custom pickup winder. He told me that besides winding a custom center single coil p'up (Nighthawk) for $36, he will wind a custom mini-humbucker for $60. NOT BAD! He seems to be a great guy and will ask you "what sound you are looking for...etc". Seymour Duncan told me he would charge $135 for the center single coil alone. I'm very grateful to whoever mentioned "Benson Hand wounds". I will probably make him my "go-to" pickup manufacturer for the rest of my life. I just made my Strat "active" again by reinstalling my Clapton Mid Boost kit. (With 'TBX'). I bought Peter Green's most recent live performance DVD @ Amazon.com. I love playing to that DVD and all of my Blues & "Crossroads" DVDs. Great prices for rare DVDs @ Amazon. Peter G. has Nigel Watson also playing lead guitar. He's great. He's a monster blues guitarist and vocalist. More importantly, he makes Peter feel comfortable. Anyone who is not very familiar with Mr. Peter Green & "The Original Fleetwood Mac" history owes it to him or her self to study his phenomenal music and lyrics from the original "Fleetwod Mac". He was the one who made that group happen by sharing his genius with "The Mac" and with the musical world. Also. At Amazon look for "John Mayall & The Blues breakers" DVD called "Jammin' with the Greats". Mick Taylor was Mayall's lead guitarist at that time. From there he went to he joined "The Rolling Stones" and QUIT after 6 years. Mick Taylor is one of the best Blues & Blues/Rock guitarists that has ever walked the face of this earth. Peace ..."Rednefceleb"

[hawkfanatic]

I used callaham saddles which are a vintage fender type. All you have to know is the string spread which on the hawk is 2-1/16". But you can use most any decent quality saddle. If you want to stick with the same type, one guy said he used the GFS saddles that are block saddles like the hawks except steel instead of pot metal. He said they sounded great. I don't like that type on fenders, but they may well be great on the hawk. They're only $13. (probably $6 more for shipping)I even have a set of saddles just like those 2-1/16" in my parts drawer and I had to slap myself on the forehead when i realized i could have tried those B4 getting the callahams. I still may. The main thing is to get rid of those pot metal stock saddles. The GFS are here....

http://www.guitarfetish.com/Upgrade-Stainless-Steel-Saddles-Fits-Trems-Set-of-Six_p_773.html

 

Can't promise those are going to sound as good, but i also don't know that they won't sound better ! I do know the callahams sound good but they also cost a good bit more and aren't block style which does take away from the look a bit and feel less refined to the right hand.

[johnston]

Thought I would tack this on here rather than start a new thread.

 

seen a video on youtube the other day Of a strat with a wiring mod. 5 way switched swapped for a 3 and a tone pulled and a volume added in it's place for the middle pup. so you end up with the same options on the switch as a Tele or LP and bring in the middle pup as you see fit.

 

So here was my thinking a stacked pot for the volumes. You can get a 250/500 pot IIRC if not and you are keen enough you can strip some and swap internals and make them back up in any combination you want. Then you can have the bridge and neck on .

 

I'm sure though a bright spark could come up with some good ideas for a 5 way to give even more options.

[rednefceleb]

Thanks "HawkFanitic". I have a full Callaham bridge on my Strat. It made a big difference on my guitar. The complete difference came after I installed Sperzel locking tuning machines. I bored the holes on my Strat just enough to "press-fit" the Sperzels very tightly. Callaham is a great product. I will go ahead and use the vintage saddles and I'm sure I will notice a difference. (Callahams next payday). #2). How about John Benson winding the Mini Humbucker for $60?. I going to send him all 3 pickups to rewind and change to Alnico types for the sound that I want. I'll need to study the differences of the different Alnico mixtures. Alnico 2, Alnico 5, and the others. I want to give him a chance to do an entire guitar. Should be interesting at less than 1/2 price! Peace. Rednefceleb.

[hawkfanatic]

I'm sure I will notice a difference.

 

You have no idea ! It's a big difference, more than on a strat for sure. Probably as much difference with the callaham saddles on the hawk as you heard when you changed the entire trem on your strat ! I'm going to try those steel block saddles tonite. The callahams sound great, but if the block ones are as good or close i would go with them if for no other reason than the centered grooves. Have a feeling the callahams will end up back on it tho. But i gotta try....you know this disease. :lol:

 

How about John Benson winding the Mini Humbucker for $60?

 

could be a possibility, but i feel covered pickups usually sound dark because of the cover. I tried a dimarzio in mine but even tho it was low output it still sounded too dark. Split sounded good but too low output because the pickup is only 6k and split it's only 3k, way too low to be useful. So i returned it and they're sending me the bridge model which is 8.25k and hopefully will be chimey when split and i can use it full for solos. If that doesn't work i'll see how your benson version sounds and maybe try it myself if you give it a good review. I'm happy with the middle, and as i have said i found it's no problem installing many humbucker's coils and magnet onto the stock bridge pickup's plate. so i did that with a dimarzio super distortion and it sounds very good. You may want to ask for ceramic for the bridge if you feel like i do about the stock p.u....very soft and dark, not enough punch and cut. It already has alnico, alnico 2 according to the website. So if you're going alnico i'd tell him to use alnico 5. i really think ceramic if the way to go with this guitar tho because it has a very dark tone and ceramic has a clearer more articulate nature. The dimarzio i put in the bridge is ceramic and sounds much better in that regard.

[hawkfanatic]

Got home from work and immediately installed the steel block saddles i mentioned i have had in a parts drawer for years. It will take some time to be sure of my initial thoughts, but after a few minutes playing it i think i prefer these over the callahams. The callahams are more open and airy, but i find these block saddles to clean up the low strings nice, and they have always been a bit wooly/muddy. The overall tone seems better too in a way it's too early to put my finger on. Seems to have as much brightness as the callahams, but in a different freq range that i like more. The callahams are w/o a doubt better on a fender, but i think this very different animal works better with these blocks. If it were me who was about to replace the stock saddles, i'd try the GFS saddles first. They look exactly like mine so i assume they are the same material. At $13 you can't lose IMO. http://www.guitarfetish.com/Upgrade-Stainless-Steel-Saddles-Fits-Trems-Set-of-Six_p_773.html

 

EDIT: Ok, played the thing for a few hours since and i then went back to the callaham saddles. The block saddles are good in some ways, but there was something in the tone that began to eat at me. Can't put my finger on it. So I went back to the callahams and i like it better. Definitely a purer tone is the best way I can describe it. The blocks gave me better strat like bridge/middle position quack and less fuzzy low strings. But other than that i realized I like the callahams a lot better once i put them back on.

[rednefceleb]

Only a few of the legendary guitarists playing Strat use the block saddles. Almost all pro guitarists use the Vintage design saddle. Callahams are best. I am considering having a custom metal shop make a copy of the Epiphone plate saddle plate out of stainless or whatever type of metal will give the best response. I will try it before I have it plated. Rednefceleb...ideas.

[hawkfanatic]

Only a few of the legendary guitarists playing Strat use the block saddles

 

Yes, and i wouldn't use anything else myself. However, being a gibson style guitar in most respects you never know, si i had to try it.

 

I am considering having a custom metal shop make a copy of the Epiphone plate saddle plate out of stainless or whatever type of metal will give the best response. I will try it before I have it plated. Rednefceleb...ideas.

 

The stock one is steel, so i really doubt you will notice anything. Even callaham told me not to bother upgrading the plate on a strat bridge i had when i asked him weather i should get the plate too. I ended up just getting the saddles and block. He told me if it's steel i'm not going to notice anything. Different types of steel he will tell you make a difference in the block and saddles, but not so much in the plate as long as it is some form of steel which ours are. (a magnet will show you it's steel) But if you do try it it will be interesting to hear what happens. I just don't think any change will be notable and could even go the other way. Replacing the saddles will make all the difference.

[howlin]

Only a few of the legendary guitarists playing Strat use the block saddles. Almost all pro guitarists use the Vintage design saddle. Rednefceleb...ideas.

 

Sorry, but this sort of thinking just makes me LAUGH OUT LOUD! Really? You think it matters what some name-brand players use is some sort of holy grail? Really?

I'm obviously over-reacting a bit here but its for effect as I really don't care to be honest.

 

Personally, I hate and have always hated those stupid vintage saddles. Nothing worse for palm muting IMO. As for me; I put some GraphTech saddles on my NH RI and it not only improved the tone but it made the strings more slinky - most likely due to the slightly different string angle. Now that's a win-win in my book. Now I can stick with 10's [48-38-28-15-13-10] as the string-thru aspect of this guitar was making it necessary to use 9's. Not bad but not great either.