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Price Paid: US $702
Purchased from: N/A
www.wichitaband.com (jon ray)
Features: 8
This is a new one, only been in the store for two weeks at Wichitaband.com I won't go into features others have already mentioned, but mine has the Maestro tailpiece tremolo. None of the others have mentioned that so far, so I'll say that it's a very nice addition to the guitar. Others may not like gold. I think it goes great on the transparent Chicago Blue guitar.
Sound: N/A
I play mostly blues in varying styles and the BH can go from a jazzy rucg blues to a tinny or bright sound in a flick of a switch. I like the Varitone, but I leave it on 2 most of the time. The versatility is great. With varitone off completely it's a great sound too, very rich, without too much base.
Action, Fit, & Finish: 7
Factory setup stunk. The bridge pickup was almost out of the guitar, touching the strings when it arrived. ( I ordered from an online dealer). Neck pickup was fine. Everything else was setup fine, including strings. They're lower than any Gibson I've seen and I like them great right there. When viewed by tilting in good light, the back of the guitar had a ton of small finish microscratches and the top had spots all over it that looked like a tech had setup the guitar with glue on his fingers. I used 4 different Mequiers polish compounds and I still missed a few. But, the finish is deep and thick..or appears so. Very beautiful and lustrous. Once I got it rubbed out it looks great. The case appears slightly too small for the maestro tail piece. The trem bar has to be swung back clockwise but it appears a tad too long to fit right in the very tight case I got with it.
Reliability/Durability: 7
No way to tell, it appears sturdy all the way. Finish, as I said, appears thick and the binding should help with protecting the top. The back however is not bound, though the shape probably would prohibit one from being put on.
Overall Rating: 9
I've been playing since 68, so that's let me see...uhm...a long time. I have 7 other guitars, including one other Gibson, two strats, one strat custom built, a custom built Lucille and a Chinese acoustic..(yea..go figure..I bought it in Prague.)
Submitted by Rick at 04/25/1999 17:39
Price Paid: US $500 approxPurchased from: N/A
Guitar Center
Features: 7
'97 Blueshawk, 22 frets, diamond shaped inlays, 1 Vol, 1 Tone, 3-way Tele style switch, vari-tone, 2 "Blues 90" pickups, low profile bridge with string through body design, gold hardware. Really cheap looking "Blueshawk" script decal above fretboard on body - something I would expect from Epiphone, but on a Gibson? Fender scale (25 1/2") neck and a Fender size nut (1 5/8" - Gibson usually uses 1 11/16") and a thick "boat" shaped neck resembling a cross between an old 50's Fender neck, and a Gibson '59 LP profile. This guitar has more features than normal for Gibson, and it capable of many sounds. I'm not sure how practical some of them are, but they are there if you want to play around with it.
Sound: 5
I play a lot of blues and blues rock which is why I wanted to try this guitar in the first place. The guitar sounds like a solid body with tone chambers, not a semi-hollow - it's just too small. That's not necessarily bad, just don't expect it to sound like a 335. The "Blues 90" setup seems to me to be just a marketing gimmick with the "3rd dummy coil" taking up space in the body - why not just put P-100's in it to begin with to cancel hum and make the tone chambers larger? The Vari-tone can produce a wide range of sounds, but I really only use just a couple of them. Personally I'm not very impressed with it's sound - it's kinda "blah" sounding - not bad, but nothing that really stands out, either. The body being made from Poplar has a lot to do with it, I think. I've played several newer Les Paul Specials (P-100's w/mahogany bodies) that really blow the blueshawk away.
Action, Fit, & Finish: 7
Setup was pretty good for a lower end Gibson, I didn't have to adjust the truss rod at all - just minor bridge saddle adjustments. Overall fit and finish were very satisfactory - no complaints here. Of course, the gold hardware sucks and looks cheesy, why they continue to use it is beyond me. Action is pretty good too. I also like the diamond shaped inlays - different, yet subtle. No problems with the cherry finish or body bindings, but the stupid "blueshawk" decal still gripes me, though. Another thing I don't like is that the body is just too small - it's tiny, looks like a toy. I'm 5'11" 150 lbs and it looks too small on me in the mirror. I can't imagine a 6'2" 220 lb guy playing one. Strap one on and look at yourself in a mirror - you'll see what I mean.
Reliability/Durability: 8
Sturdy and dependable guitar, although I don't really ever use it because even with all of the sonic possibilities from the vari-tone, I still can't get a good sound from it. I know some of the reviews below talk about the sound being in the person not the instrument, But then how come my SG and my Explorer and my Flying V can produce sounds that are absolutely stunning and the Blueshawk just sounds mediocre at best?
Customer Support: N/A
Never dealt with them (never had a reason to)
Overall Rating: 5
I've been playing 15+ years, and own too many guitars to list. In my opinion, this is a guitar with an identity crisis - it's not sure if it's a Gibson or a Fender or hollow or a solidbody. It's Gibson-like features include a set neck, P-90s, angled headstock, and mahogany neck. Fender-like features include Fender scale and nut size, Tele-style string through body low profile bridge, and poplar body. I'm usually a big fan of Gibsons (read my Explorer and Flying V reviews) but the Blueshawk is really just out in left field somewhere. If it were lost or stolen, I wouldn't really lose any sleep over it.
As I stated earlier, If you want a Gibson single coil sound, A Les Paul Special sounds better, is in the same price range as the blueshawk, and has a heck of a lot better re-sale value.
Submitted by Allen Reynolds at 04/08/1999 13:34
Price Paid: US $675Purchased from: N/A
Music 6000 (Retail store)
Features: 8
This guitar seems pretty versatile. Just the one volume and one tone control but the 6-way varitone switch adds a lot of variety. Poplar, maple, mahogany, yeah, yeah, yeah. A couple of "f" holes, strings go through the body...what else? Kluson tuners and apparently a Gibson original...two Blues 90 pickups with a third dummy for hum cancelling.
Sound: 9
I play blues mostly and, as you might guess, this guitar is well suited to the style. I play straight into a small Fender amp and it sounds great to me. The overall\tone/sound/feel is something like an ES335...or is it more like an LP Special...or sometimes a strat-like sound? (I said it was versatile.) I understand that virtually everyone submitting opinions gets into these long, detailed and very subjective evaluations of sound and though I can appreciate that on the one hand, I think it's important to remember that the music isn't "in" the instrument as much as it is "in" the musician. I'm reminded of a Mississippi Delta farm boy playing a single broom wire nailed to the side of the house with a rock tied to the bottom for tension and a broken bottleneck for a slide. No doubt he played with great soul. No, I didn't play two million guitars and compare and evaluate them all before buying. I new and trusted the Gibson name and figured they wouldn't name it the Blueshawk if it weren't designed to produce some good blues tones. When I played it I wasn't disappointed. I gave it a 9 because nobody's perfect.
Action, Fit, & Finish: 9
After playing it for a few weeks, I promptly voided the (lifetime) warranty by having it set up (including a light fret dress) by a good guy I know. I also had him stiffen up the pickups which seemed to be floating on air. The finish looked good but I'm not sure the paint was completely cured. It came straight from the factory to me through the dealer in about a week's time. So it got a little smudged. I was thinking about denting it to get that out of the way too. Everything seems to work great except for the mounting of the bridge pickup which is such that when I mute with my right palm, the damn thing raises up and touches the high E string. This will never do. Minus one, Gibby.
Reliability/Durability: 8
The guitar has a rather light and, well I don't want to say fragile feel, but I'm not sure how much abuse it would take. If for no other reason than the above mentioned pick up problem, I would want a backup. It's nice to have that high E string respond when you reach for it, Know what I mean, Vern?
Customer Support: N/A
Have not dealt with the company
Overall Rating: 8
I've been playing for a couple of decades and I also own an Ibanez acoustic electric nylon, an old acoustic Kay f-hole, and a six string acoustic Takamine. As you may have gathered, I view perfectionism as more of a psychological problem than a fine quality of the artist. I think it's a good guitar for the money but I don't want to rely too much on the equipment to make music...that's my job. There's a million guitars out there in this price range and I don't think any of them is going to make me or break me as a musician. I like the looks of this guitar, I like the sounds "I" make through it but if it were lost or stolen I'd probably try something else next. Not that I don't like it...I do, but again, it's not the guitar, the amp, the pedals, etc. that make the music, it's me.
Submitted by Anonymous at 01/09/1999 21:32
Price Paid: US $635Purchased from: N/A
Horseshoe Music, in Portland OR
Features: 10
I bought the US-made Blueshawk when it first came out, I believe, in 1996. Along with the 3-way blade switch for the "Blues 90's", it has a 6-way Varitone switch with a pull-pot by-pass on the tone knob. Having this many tonal options is definitely what interested me in the Blueshawk; you can go from a deep jazz/blues tone, to a thin punk or metal tone. The body comes in black or red (I bought black) and has two f-holes to accent the semi-hollow appearance. I would have bought blue if it was available. It has sort of a pinched shrunken Les Paul shape. One thing that really struck me about this guitar is how incredibly LIGHT it is.
Sound: 9
I've been playing almost nothing but rock with this guitar. At first I was playing it through a Carvin X-100A, which sounded lush and great. That is, until I bought a MESA/Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo head, which makes any amp sound weak. However, with both amps, the Blueshawk sounds great. Probably the most versatile guitar I've played, even more than the strats I've had in the past. The two Blues 90s have single-coil bite with humbucker noise reduction and warmth. In the studio when I needed a different guitar tone for an add'l guitar sound, all I needed to do was to flip a switch and play. The only drawback was when I first bought it. There was a bit of a ground-pop when I touched the guitar. I went back to the place I purchased it from, and they fixed it.
Action, Fit, & Finish: 10
I have no complaints about the way it came from the factory. I put a heavier gauge of strings on it, and now the action needs to be lowered. All of the components have been quality parts; no complaints.
Reliability/Durability: 10
I've dropped, scratched, banged, and bled all over this guitar. Looking up close, I noticed thousands of scratches all over the finish, so I think I've diminished any sort of resale value. It doesn't matter, I'd never get rid of it. The only thing that I can think of that would be considered negative is pretty much my fault. I play pretty aggressively, and the body isn't cut-away. The binding can rub your arm raw if you sweat and play hard. I can remember a practice where my arm that once hurt felt rather squishy (yuck!). My band mates watched in horror as I soldiered on through the song with blood covering my arm. The only time I need a back-up, is when I haven't changed the strings in a while, and I break them. My friends tell me I shouldn't play so rough, but hey, screw that! I like having blisters and scabs on my fingers from last night's gig!!
Customer Support: N/A
I know it has a lifetime warranty, but I don't know what good it's for. I need to have a fret replaced, and it's not covered because it's wear and tear.
Overall Rating: 10
Over all, this guitar is my perfect axe. I've been playing for about 6 years now, and I've had countless guitars. This is the only one I've really wanted to keep forever. Yes, if it were stolen, I'd buy another. I wish it had a cut-away, that's about it. The price is right, and the playability is excellent.
Submitted by Matthew Adamson at 09/01/1998 13:33
Price Paid: US $525Purchased from: N/A
Jensen Guitar- Santa Barbara, CA
Features: 9
This guitar is a 1997 model though it seemed to sit in the showroom for years. I saw it in the shop and played it. I returned many times to play it. When it was broken in I finally bought at a nice discount. It seems no one else would give it a home. At first view, different is the adjective that comes to mind. Cute in an ugly sort of way might also describe the Blueshawk but I didn't buy it for its looks. I bought it because it has a ton of unique features for the price. It has a compact f-holed semi-hollow body of poplar with a maple top. The neck is mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard, pretty interesting combinations. It is finished in a nice cherry red with cream coloured P90 pickups and body binding. The "Blueshawk" logo screened on the body near the top of the neck is kind of cheesy but I've learned to live with it. There is a "dummy" pickup between the two single coil P90s that does a good job of cancelling hum. The Blueshawk has 1 volume control and 1 tone control with a 3 way switch and then there's the added "vari-switch". This switch has 6 tone modelling presets. Somewhere in there you can get almost Strat-like tones, almost. It's pretty neat if your too lazy to switch to the Strat (or only own one guitar). The Blueshawk has a through the body, individual string adjustment bridge just like a modern Fender Telecaster. The string spacing is extra wide especially between the 1st/6th strings and the edge of the finger board to facilitate string bending mania. Gibson skimped on the fret wire with a medium gage that does not take full advantage of this guitar's string bending capabilities. Oh well, that can be changed later. The Blueshawk comes with those Kluson-style tuners that many players hate but the idea behind this guitar is a throwback to the 50's. I think it's best appreciated as such.
Sound: 8
P90's make me think of Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. This guitar was made for road house blues. You can get sort of fat Tele sounds and sort of Strat sounds out of it but to my ear the Blueshawk shines when played in mild overdrive with the vari-switch off. Think Rollin' Stone and Boogie Chillin'. If you want that sound and can't afford a 52' Les Paul or want something more versatile than a Les Paul Special then the Blueshawk is a good compromise. I play this guitar through a Fender De Ville amp and am pleased with the results. Oh, by the way, this guitar can get some surprisingly good Rage and Korn sounds with a tune down and a little "coaxing". My son loves it!
Action, Fit, & Finish: 8
I reset the string height as I always do with new guitars. The pickups were set spot on. The fit and finish are very good. It's funny, for some reason this guitar reminds me of a cheap old Harmony but much better executed.
Reliability/Durability: 8
This guitar does not seem as bomb proof as an old Tele or a Les Paul but with proper handling I expect years of good service.
Overall Rating: 8
I've been playing for 35 years. I also own a vintage 52 Tele, a Mike Lull Custom Tele, a Lone Star Strat, a Les Paul Studio and a Les Paul Classic. I Like the Blueshawk and recommend it as a vintage blues guitar substitute. My only question is why, after all these years, can't Gibson design a guitar that is comfortable to play sitting down (like Fender Teles and Strats)? I guess Gibson thought the Blueshawk's imbalance would enhance the "vintage" feel of the guitar.
Submitted by Lee Stanchfield at 07/18/1998 01:08
Price Paid: US $550Purchased from: N/A
Mr. Music, Allston, MA.
Features: 10
I bought my BluesHawk last fall at Mr. Music in Allston, MA. I only there because they had this guitar at a GREAT price ($550). The reason for the great price was that the thing must have been hanging there for ages, not surprising since the action was a mile high and the intonation was waaaay off...(Got me kinda nostalgic for the old days!) Still, the thing sounded good and, hey, I HAD driven all the way to Allston on a Saturday! I think the only "set-up" the store did was to super-glue the knobs on! This, of course, resulted in the demise of the tone control on the second day when I tried to change the knobs and pulled the shaft right out of the pot... Tone control still worked, but the push/pull switch in it was histoire... (The push/pull by-passes the Varitone circuit, why you would want to do that, I don't know...One of the 6 Varitone positions is by-pass anyway..More on this later!) I particularly like the Varitone feature. (Hint: Grind a flat spot on the Varitone shaft for the set-screw: This will absolutely stop knob-slip.) I replaced the tone push/pull with the pot/switch from a Torres Engineering Deluxe Varitone kit. I used the original cap. from the 'Hawk and wired-in one of the inductor sections of the Torres, these are selectable with the DPDT on the pot. The stock Gibson Kluson-type tuners are as good as any Klusons: I.E. They suck! I put on a set of Sperzels and they are infinitely better. The bridge is similar to a Fender Strat hardtail with strings through the body. This is nice because it gets the strings closer to the body than on other Gibby's, which I prefer over the tune-a-matic/stop tailpiece system. The BluesHawk is a lovely blend of Fenderish and Gibson features: 25.5 scale but with more of a Gibson string spacing. Fender-type bridge but P-90-type pickups. I disagree with the other review vis-à-vis the pickups: The "Blues 90's" are fine! I have a Tele with a P-100 in the neck and a P-90 in the middle (stock Tele lead) and the Blues 90's sound just as good, if not better! The neck is another outstanding feature: Nothing radical, just comfortable, sane radius and (if you like diamond-shaped inlays...) mostly perfect. For some reason, Gibson put a cap in series with the neck pickup only when both pickups are on together. I installed a mini-toggle to chose between cap or no cap: No cap is much better. The sound is so much fuller without the cap, Gibson would do better to use the push/pull on the tone control to bypass this cap. you get a big double-humbucker almost jazzbox tone!
Sound: 10
This geetar gets all the tones I want and then some. I've been playing guitar since 1963 and the BluesHawk is the best I've played, let alone owned! (Especially with the few mods I've done to it: Sperzels; Torres pot.switch and the oddball-cap bypass switch.) Rock, blues, pop, jazz, whatever: the tones are there. It also responds very well to picking technique and dynamics. PLUS its real easy to get what Billy Gibbons calls those "whistlers": Where you pick and get a little meat from a spare finger to touch the string afterward. The things I DON'T like are mostly just personal taste: I've never liked gold hardware, to me it looks cheap! I REALLY don't like that stupid "BluesHawk" decal on the top, although I don't see it anymore! I don't really like the diamond inlays: Gimme dots any day! The only really salient thing is the tuners, but has there EVER been a Gibson made that came with good tuners??? No. I would also prefer a regular Gibson Les Paul-type PU selector switch: It comes with a 3-way Tele-style switch that's in kind of a tough spot to get to, above the vol. pot and in front of the Varitone. The Varitone and volume controls are easy to get to, though.
Action, Fit, & Finish: 9
The factory setup was so bad I thought I had stumbled into a time-warp back into the sixties! Outside of that, though, the guitar was fine! Everything always needs adjusting on a new guitar anyway (Even if its perfect off the rack, I still have to diddle with it...!) The fit and finish are up to Gibson's current (fine) standard. There is a maple top on a poplar body. The maple is unspectacular, but, then I only paid $550 NEW! The guitar is built similar to a 335 with a solid centre block and hollowed-out on the sides rather than built like an arch-top like the 335. The wiring job is not as neat as it might be, but neatness doesn't help the sound!
Reliability/Durability: 10
I have a 1963 Gibson SG Junior. It still works and plays perfectly. Its been gigged to hell and back. I see no reason that the BluesHawk won't last just as well! The hardware except the deep-sixed tuners, is solid and should stand-up to everything except 5 years in the case in a damp cellar! The finish is that great looking Gibson cherry: I love that finish! The strap buttons are now straplocks, but the OEM's were fine with a much heavier screw on the bottom: Nice! If I had only one guitar to take to a gig, or anywhere, this is the one.
Customer Support: N/A
The only customer support I went through was a couple of e-mail questions to the Gibby web-site and they were answered promptly and completely. if you've read the above, I think you'll agree that I managed to void most of the warranty changing the knobs! BTW: Gold hardware and cheesy black knobs??? God speed knobs take this baby uptown!
Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing 35 years... (Yep, had a Beatle wig...AND WORE IT IN PUBLIC!!! once... Every time I try to tell my kids they look ridiculous, that Beatle wig comes back to haunt me!) My other guitars: 1964 SG, Jr./1973 Strat hardtail/Rick 360/1994 Ovation Collector's/1993 American Standard Tele(With P-100 neck, P-90 middle and stock Tele lead) Peavey fretless bass. Sunn/Traynor/Carvin tube amps...It's a sickness.... If you're looking for a guitar with single coil clarity and humbucker (sans the mud) balls: look no further! This axe beats the crap out of the '59 re-issue LP that I had: Better tone, playability, OK, the Paul had a killer figured top... You never saw it, though, because it sounded so lousy it stayed in the case! God, I TRIED to like that guitar... If my BluesHawk were stolen I'd get another in a heartbeat! Maybe a custom order so I wouldn't have to perfect it myself! Oy! So, in closing, I'll just say :GET ONE BEFORE GIBSON FIGURES OUT WHAT THEY HAVE AND JACK THE PRICE UP! You just can't tell me that any new Les Paul is worth $2000-$5000 when they can list the BluesHawk at $1000 and retail them for much less!
Submitted by Duke Hansen at 04/22/1998 18:39
Price Paid: US $@600Purchased from: N/A
George's Music
Features: 10
USA Made in 1997. It has 22 frets on a 25.5 inch scale neck that has V profile. The neck is mahogany with Kluson tuners. The body has a maple top on a polar body with a nice cherry red finish. The top is pretty plain and although bookmarked, the finish doesn't really show it off. This guitar is semi hollow with 2 F holes. It comes with two passive Blues-90 P90 style pickups, a three way strat style pickup selector and a 6 position varitone switch. The body style is like the rest of the hawk series, a modified LP shape. The finish is the normal Gibson style finish. The bridge is a fixed fender style bride with the strings through the body. Came with a nice quality gig bag.
Sound: 8
This guitar has a nice mid-ranginess similar to an other semi-hollow. I play is straight through a quality tube amp, no effects. With the stock pickups (Blues 90s) it had a very bright voice. The Varitone helps get a wide range of sounds; this control removes or emphasizes various frequencies, mostly in the midrange area. I must admit that the Blues90s didn't really give me enough punch with a band. When I examined them, they looked like a wide strat pickup, not as big as a real P90, which explained the thin sound. I solved this by buying a pair of Duncan P90s which improved the sound considerably. The sound the guitar gets is like a cross between a 335 and a Ric 360, which is very woody and responsive. It also has a good acoustic voice (not very loud tho!). Since I changed the pickups, I also removed the humbucking dummy coil, but the guitar is pretty quiet for using single coils. If you get one and don't like the sound, replace the pickups. For a hundred dollars, it improved the guitar 100%. This guitar is probably best suited to blues, classic rock or jazz. Not really bright enough for traditional country or metal. Very rootsy sounding.
Action, Fit, & Finish: 9
I changed the strings to 10s and readjusted the neck and bridge, but the factory settings were fine. The pickups were adjusted well. The finish and frets were very well done.
Reliability/Durability: 10
I use this guitar live and it is really great. It seems built to last.
Customer Support: 9
Gibson has always been helpful to me when I've called.
Overall Rating: 7
This is a nice guitar for what I bought it for - a more bluesy and jazzy guitar. It is really awesome for slide. I like everything about it except the stock pickups; Gibson should use real P90s, but for what they charge for it an extra $80-100 for P90s isn't too bad.
Submitted by Richard Johnson at 04/21/1998 21:23
