SX HAWK MN P90 BY WILL RAY
Meet the Hawk—a mix of LP Junior-inspired electronics and Strat-style body, neck, and hardware.
On this guitar, I keep the 4th string out of the string tree, allowing it to resonate like the other
wound strings.
Ever since a neighbor turned me on to SX guitars a few years ago, I always keep my
eyes open for them on eBay. This particular
one caught my eye because it looked so cool.
It’s a SX Hawk MN P90 done up in vintage
white with a tinted maple fretboard. When I
went to the SX/Rondo site to check out the
specs, their current versions of antique white
just didn’t look quite as rockin’ as the eBay
one. So I emailed the eBay seller and asked
why there was a color discrepancy. He replied
that his was a limited edition “Vintage
Custom Series” that was “way better” than
the regular ones. Yeah, right. Whatever.
I decided to bid on it, and the auction
ended with me having the highest bid of
$91. But the seller’s reserve price of $115
was not met, so we had no deal. I politely
wrote him back explaining that you can
buy these new for $109 online. Then he
sent me an eBay Second Chance Offer for
my $91 bid plus $25 shipping. I decided to
accept it on a whim, and I’m glad I did!
Bottom;Feeder;Tip;#266: Never be
afraid to contact the seller and make an
offer if an auction ended with no sale. All
they can say is no.
When it arrived, I really dug the color. In
the catalog these look slightly pinkish white
with a much darker, cheesy-looking tinted
maple neck and fretboard. Mine looks better—to my eyes, anyway—with more of an
aged yellow blonde color to the tint.
So how does it sound? The P-90s make
the guitar sound full and very Gibson-ish,
while the Strat-style body, neck, and bridge
give it more of Fender vibe. This guitar is
a blues machine and very fun to play. It
oozes tone, baby!
My only criticism is the location of the
volume control. My right hand is always
accidentally bumping the knob and turning
the guitar down in the middle of a solo, so
I usually remove the knob before any serious playing and set the shaft to 10.
I never did find out if it’s really part of a
limited edition series or not, but who cares?
I like it and that’s all that matters. She’s
definitely a keeper for now.
WILL RAY is a founding member of the
Hellecasters guitar-twang trio. He also does
guitar clinics promoting his namesake G&L
signature model 6-string, and produces
artists and bands at his studio in Asheville,
North Carolina. You can contact Will on
