Gibson Blueshawk

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Gibson Blueshawk

Manufacturer	Gibson
Period	1996-2006
Construction
Body type	Semi-solid - two sound cavities with f-holes
Neck joint	Set
Woods
Body	Maple cap over Poplar
Neck	Mahogany
Fretboard	Rosewood
Hardware
Bridge	Hardtail with Maestro tremelo option
Pickup(s)	Blues 90 - neck & bridge
Colors available
Heritage Cherry (transparent red), Chicago Blue (transparent blue), Ebony (black)

The Gibson Blueshawk is a relatively recently designed (1996-2006) Gibson model designed mainly for blues players (hence the name). It superficially resembles the Les Paul in that the body outline is similar. The Blueshawk was discontinued by Gibson in Spring 2006.

1 Construction
2 Little Lucille
3 Musicians using a Blueshawk
4 External links
5 Notes
6 Gallery

[edit] Construction

The Blueshawk has a number of distinctive features that distinguish it from virtually all other Gibsons. The Blueshawk's body outline is the same as a slightly earlier range of guitars - the Nighthawks (1993-1999) - but unlike the Nighthawks, the Blueshawk is a semi-hollow bodied guitar with twin f-holes and a flat (uncarved) top.

Other distinctive / innovative features include:

25.5 inch scale length (the same as many Fenders, Gibson's more typically have a 24.75 inch scale length)
through-body stringing and bridge construction - similar to the Fender Telecaster
Blues 90 pickups (a modified version of the P-90 pickup)
noise reduction circuitry which employs a dummy coil
a Varitone circuit (similar to that used on the Gibson ES345) - the Varitone circuit is a mid-cut/band-stop filter with a choice of five centre frequencies
the Blueshawk is a light guitar (less than 7lbs) - the body is made from poplar, capped with maple - the body is small and relatively thin and has two cavities - the hardware is minimal.
simple control set - master volume, master tone, 3-way pickup selector, 6 way rotary Varitone control switch

[edit] Little Lucille

The Little Lucille is a variant on the Blueshawk that features a stop tailpiece and tune-o-matic bridge - the Little Lucille was endorsed by BB King ^[1]

[edit] Musicians using a Blueshawk

Main article: List of Gibson players

[edit] External links

Gibson Blueshawk Gibson Musical Instruments
Blueshawk.info - an independent enthusiast site dedicated to the Gibson Blueshawk and other Hawk guitars
Review of the Gibson Blueshawk. Blues Masters. Gibson Blueshawk (Guitar Player, January, 2000).