Heart Guitarist Gets A Signature Guitar

Gibson introduces the Nancy Wilson Nighthawk Standard   17-Jul-13

From the smash early success of 1975's Dreamboat Annie to contemporary hits launched by her much-applauded return to the band in more recent years, Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson has been the cornerstone of many of rock's most enduring songs, and the architect of a myriad timeless riffs. She has long been a fan of one of Gibson's more powerful "modern alternatives" too--and to recognize the union of artist and instrument, Gibson USA has introduced the Nancy Wilson Nighthawk Standard, which they describe as an elegant variation on a contemporary classic. Here's all the details in Gibson's own words:

The Nighthawk has been a favorite of a wide range of players since its introduction in 1993, thanks to its seamless blend of traditional Gibson quality with several clever modern design features. The Nancy Wilson Nighthawk Standard takes the format a major leap forward with a highly figured Grade-AAA maple top dressed in a high-gloss nitrocellulose Fireburst finish with Cherry back and neck, and a commemorative "Fanatic" truss-rod cover. It retains all the distinctive ingredients that made the Nighthawk stand out initially, including the 25 ½" scale length for firm lows and chiming highs, the comfortable body contours, through-body stringing and unique Nighthawk bridge, and the superb versatility of the pairing of Nighthawk Mini-humbucker and Nighthawk Lead humbucker, with five-way switching for a range of humbucking and single-coil combinations. Check out the Nancy Wilson Nighthawk Standard today at your authorized Gibson USA dealer, and experience this stylishly contemporary tone machine for yourself.

Body and Neck
The body of the Nancy Wilson Nighthawk Standard follows the Nighthawk's stylized take on Gibson's legendary Les Paul, with a deeper cutaway, a ribcage contour for enhanced playing comfort, and a longer scale length for a broader voice. Its top is made from figured Grade-AAA maple, and its back is solid mahogany. A solid, quarter-sawn mahogany neck with a 25 ½" scale length is glued into the body and carved in a comfortably rounded profile that measures 0.818" at the 1st fret and 0.963" at the 12th. The guitar has a bound fingerboard made from solid rosewood, inlaid with parallelogram position markers. A Corian™ nut cut on Gibson's computer-controlled PLEK helps to ensure optimum sustain and precise intonation.

Pickups and Electronics
Much of the Nancy Wilson Nighthawk Standard's versatility comes from its superbly powerful yet musical pickups. The Nighthawk Mini-Humbucker in the neck position offers a rich, throaty growl, but with plenty of definition; the Nighthawk Lead Humbucker in the bridge position is primed for everything from mammoth crunch to articulate, singing lead tones, yet you merely have to flip the five-way selector switch to tap brighter single-coil sounds, and a range of other tones. Master tone and volume controls make for easy on-the-fly adjustments.

Hardware and Plastics
The heart of the Nancy Wilson Nighthawk Standard's superb resonance and sustain is found in its through-body stringing and rock-solid Nighthawk bridge. The bridge, strap buttons, and vintage-style "Gibson Deluxe" tuners are all gold plated, as are the pickup's mounting rings and neck pickup cover. Amber "top-hat" knobs lend an air of Gibson tradition, there's a commemorative truss-rod cover hot stamped with "Fanatic," and the guitar wears no pickguard to obscure the beauty of its highly figured top.

Cases and Coverage
All guitars come protected in a black Gibson hardshell case, and include a Gibson owner's manual and adjustment literature, along with Gibson's Limited Lifetime Warranty and 24/7/365 Customer Support.

Features

• Mahogany body with highly figured Grade-AAA maple top
• Mahogany neck with comfortably rounded profile
• Bound rosewood fingerboard with parallelogram inlays
• Split-coil Nighthawk Mini-Humbucker and Nighthawk Lead Humbucker pickups in the neck and bridge positions
• Gold-plated Nighthawk string-through bridge
• Vintage-style "Gibson Deluxe" tuners with 14:1 tuning ratio

Pricing and Availability:

$2,498

More information:

• Nancy Wilson Nighthawk Standard