Epiphone EINHSWXPENH3 Waxx Nighthawk Studio Electric Guitar - Pelham Blue

One of the main differences between Gibson and Epiphone Nighthawk is the material used for its body. While the original model was constructed of poplar wood, the Epiphone Nighthawk custom reissue is mostly made of mahogany and maple. It’s available in a nice variety of trendy finishes ranging from honey sunburst to trans black. 

Size

Epiphone Nighthawk is a 10-pound solid-body electric guitar with a single-cutaway that can be immediately recognized by its longer, 25.5-inch scale (one of the reasons why this guitar resembles Fender Strat, as we’ve mentioned earlier).

To give you a better idea of how robust or small this guitar is, we can compare it to the notoriously renowned Les Paul, which has a shorter neck yet larger body built. Epiphone Nighthawk certainly feels much more compact, while the weight of these two guitars is more or less identical.

As you’d probably expect from a solid-body instrument, Nighthawk feels relatively heavy in hands.

This is, however, nicely compensated with a slim-taper “D” profile neck. This original design feels very comfortable in hand and allows smooth and convenient movement across the whole fretboard.

Another nice feature is Nighthawk’s single deep cutaway – it allows you to reach all the frets with ease even if you are shorter. All in all, Epiphone Nighthawk’s playability is exceptionally good at least partially thanks to its well-balanced dimensions and thoughtful curves.

Sound

Sound is the main characteristic of every musical instrument. However, it’s also the hardest one to describe and evaluate. So, how does Epiphone Nighthawk Reissue sound? In short, its voice is beautifully full, very clear and bright, and also truly unique in its character.

Nighthawk has a full-size NHT humbucker at the Nighthawk bridge, an NSX single coil pickup located in the middle, and an NHR mini-humbucker for the neck. The five-way switch and the coil-split function allow you to achieve 9 different settings and play with your sound however you like to.

If any of the paickups could be considered a weaker point, it would probably be the bridge one – its sound is not so clear and articulated. As a result, owners of this guitar tend to replace it in time. Some users also complain about the quality of the neck pickup, so replacing this one is probably an option too.

All in all, Epiphone Nighthawk sounds pretty impressive – especially for a budget-friendly instrument. It’s also highly versatile, perfectly suitable for all sorts of genres from blues to rock and much more.

Other features

Nighthawk is in numerous regards really unique and special. That applies to its features and controls too. Some of them will probably surprise you as a nice bonus, others are simply missing completely.

The latter applies to tremolo – this guitar doesn’t have this feature standardly, so if you can’t imagine playing a guitar without one, this will probably be a dealbreaker for you.

Nighthawk’s controls include 1x Volume, 1x Tone with push/pull function, and 5-way toggle switch. The bridge has a string-thru design.

Reliability

Epiphone’s Nighthawk reissue is, in fact, a cheaper alternative of its predecessor – high-end Nighthawk by Gibson. Logically, achieving a better retail price of some instrument usually involves the use of less expensive materials for the guitar’s body and components. Nevertheless, Epiphone Nighthawk certainly doesn’t feel cheap nor mediocre in regards to its construction quality.

While some guitarists might be a bit discouraged by the fact that this instrument is produced in Asia, you can rest assured that it’s made with the utmost attention to detail – after all, if you read through the reviews of other users, you wouldn’t find many complaints on the guitar’s construction quality.

In the light of its decent price, Epiphone Nighthawk is a surprisingly reliable instrument.

Great value for money

If your budget limits your access to the premium electric guitars, but you still want a top-quality instrument with exceptional sound, flawless design, and versatile features, Epiphone Nighthawk might be an ideal choice. This chameleon can really surprise you with its qualities at a reasonable and affordable price.

Bold sound

When it comes to sound, Nighthawk has often been compared to Fender’s famous Strat. Nevertheless, its voice is really unique and easily recognizable. It’s a perfect match for all styles and genres – clear, bright, warm, and punchy.

Highly adjustable

If you like to experiment with your sound and look for a new expression, Nighthawk is like a playground where you can let your creativity shine. Its 5-way toggle switch and push-pull knob allows you to explore 9 distinctive combinations, making this guitar a perfectly versatile all-rounder for every taste.

Ease of use

This guitar is a relatively heavy solid-body instrument, and it also has a longer scale. Nevertheless, it feels very comfortable in hands thanks to the unique slim-taper “D” profile neck and the deep single-cutaway providing perfect access to all 22 frets.

Pickups – Epiphone Nighthawk has a full-size NHT humbucker at the Nighthawk bridge, NSX single coil pickup located in the middle, and NHR mini-humbucker at the neck. None of them is really bad, but advanced guitarists who are used to high-end components might find them a bit mediocre. Of course, nothing prevents you from replacing them (or at least some of them).

Made in Asia – Epiphone never hid the fact that its instruments are being made in the Far East. Although we strongly believe that this doesn’t mean that Epiphone guitars are less durable or reliable than many other guitars made in the US or Latin America, some guitarists will probably see this as a d