Gibson 2011 Nighthawk Studio Goldtop SD Pearly Gates Seth Lover

No sales tax for US customers outside California.

We were all pleasantly surprised by this 2011 Gibson Nighthawk.  I immediately noticed how cool the gold finish looks - the way it sits on the mahogany and shows off the grain.  It has some killer tone, plays perfectly, and it is super light and comfortable to play.

The Gibson Nighthawk has always been the company's most deliberately unconventional solid-body — designed with the 25.5" Fender-scale length, string-through bridge with individual saddles, and slim neck profile to produce a guitar that none of the other Gibson solid-body electrics sound like. The 2011 Studio version distills the Nighthawk concept to its essentials: solid mahogany body with glued-in quarter-sawn mahogany neck carved to a SlimTaper profile, topped with a torrefied baked maple fingerboard — a heat-treated hardwood that the spec sheet describes as super sturdy and clear-sounding.

The goldtop finish on an all-mahogany body with no maple cap is a visual choice that references Les Paul Custom tradition while delivering a different tonal character — warmer, drier, and more midrange-focused than a maple-topped Les Paul - king of like an SG. At 6 lbs 9.5 oz it is considerably lighter than a standard Les Paul.

The instrument as it currently sits has been significantly upgraded from its factory specification. The stock BurstBucker humbuckers have been replaced with an 1980s Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates in the bridge position and a Seth Lover humbucker in the neck. The Pearly Gates reads 8.00k and the Seth Lover reads 7.57k, balanced and correctly specified for the mahogany platform. The Pearly Gates is Duncan's tribute to the Billy Gibbons PAF-spec bridge humbucker — scatter-wound Alnico II with the open, blooming character of a vintage PAF and the specific harmonic texture that players associate with the sound of classic ZZ Top. The Seth Lover is the humbucker Duncan built when Gibson hired away the man who invented the PAF at Gibson — deliberately voiced to be brighter and more articulate than the PAF it was derived from, yet unmistakably in that tradition. Together they are a significant and considered upgrade.

Action set at 2/32" on both strings at the twelfth fret. Excellent condition overall with very good finish. The frets show very little wear. Original Gibson premium gig bag included.

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Color: Gold
• Finish Original?: yes
• Finish Condition: very good
• Weight: 6lbs 9.5oz
• Scale Length: 25.5"
• Nut Width: 1-5/8"
• Neck Thickness At 1st Fret: .8195"
• Neck Thickness At 12th Fret: .998"
• Fretboard Radius: 12"
• String Spacing At Bridge: 2.093"
• Body Length: 15-7/8"
• Lower Bout: 12-7/8"
• Waist: 7"
• Upper Bout: 9-1/8"
• Body Depth/Thickness: 1-3/4"
• Overall Length: 37-7/8"
• Neck Material: Mahogany
• Neck Profile: '60s SlimTaper
• Neck Condition: excellent
• Neck Repairs: none
• Neck Finish Original?: yes
• Tuner Brand And Model: Kluson Deluxe
• Tuners Original?: yes
• Changes To Headstock For Tuners?: none
• Tuner Condition: excellent
• Tuner Markings: none
• Tuner Screws Original?: yes
• Truss Rod Cover: yes
• Nut Material: synthetic
• Nut Repairs: none
• Nut Original?: yes
• Inlay: Pealoid Dot
• Fretboard Material: baked maple
• Fretboard Condition: excellent
• Fretboard Repairs: none
• Fret Condition: excellent
• Fret Repairs: none
• Fret Count: 22
• Body Material: Mahogany
• Body Condition: very good
• Body Repairs: none
• Body Binding: none
  
• Body Finish Original?: yes
• Body Finish Condition: very good
• Bridge Brand: Nighthawk string-through-body with 6 individual saddles
• Tremolo Or Fixed Bridge?: fixed
• Bridge Original?: yes
  
• Saddle Material: metal
• Saddles Original?: yes
• Bridge And Saddle Screws Original?: yes
• Bridge Condition: excellent
• Switch Type: 3 way 
• Switch Condition: excellent
• Switch Original?: yes
• Switch Tip Color: black
• Switch Tip Original?: yes
• Neck Pickup Brand: Seth Lover Humbucker
• Neck Pickup Original?: no
• Neck Pickup Reading: 7.57k
• Neck Pickup Condition: very good
• Neck Pickup Screws Original?: no
• Neck Pickup Cover Color: chrome
• Bridge Pickup Brand: 80s Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates
• Bridge Pickup Original?: no
• Bridge Pickup Reading: 8.00k
• Bridge Pickup Condition: very good
• Bridge Pickup Screws Original?: no
• Bridge Pickup Cover Color: chrome
  
• Solders Original?: no
• Wiring Original?: no
• Control Cavity Cover Original?: yes
• Control Cavity Condition: excellent
• Output Jack Plate Color: chrome
• Output Jack Plate Condition: excellent
• Output Jack Plate Original?: yes
• Screws Original?: yes
• Output Jack Original?: yes
• Knob Color: amber
• Knob Count: 2
• Knobs Original?: yes
• Knob Condition: excellent
• Case Brand: Gibson
• Case Original?: yes
• Case Condition: excellent
• Case Smells?: none
• Accessories Included: none
• Action 1st String At 12th Fret: 2/32"
• Action 6th String At 12th Fret: 2/32"
• String Gauge: 10-46
• Documentation: none
• Smells?: none
  

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Stringed Instruments: Multiple shipping speeds are available for orders on our website — Ground, 2 Day, 3 Day, and Next Day Air Saver. For Reverb orders: customers from any state that is more than a 3 day UPS ground shipment from our shop will get their shipment via UPS 3 day air. Otherwise, ground shipping will be used.