G&L CLF Research Skyhawk Clear Blue

This USA-made G&L Skyhawk features:

• Swamp Ash body, Clear Blue finish, 8.2 pounds
• CLF Research 'Modern Classic' profile (1-11/16" width at the nut), 9.5" radius
• .820" depth at first fret, .870" depth at 12th fret
• Vintage gloss finish maple neck
• '84 powder coated control plate w/ 3-ply black guard
• 3 G&L Magnetic Field Design pickups
• Passive Volume, Treble and Bass controls
• 5-way pickup switch
• Mini toggle neck + bridge pickup
• G&L Dual Fulcrum Vibrato bridge
• G&L Split and Drilled tuners
• Plek ? laser-guided fret finishing
• Deluxe hardshell tolex case

The CLF Research Skyhawk is a really cool concept that offers a window to G&L's past without compromising modern day build consistency. G&L still operates in the same buildings that spanned the majority of Leo's prolific career. His office remains the same as the day he left, and making 15-20 guitars a day, the factory is no cookie-cutter operation. The G&L family is committed to Leo's legacy, and they continue to impress us more every year.

The Skyhawk shape is Leo's evolution of the Stratocaster shape, probably driven in some part to avoid trouble with Fender copyright lawyers. But it's sleek, feels a little more compact, and you can see similarities in certain Music Man guitars, such as the Cutlass. We dig the look of the big chrome knobs and control plate, but what we like even more is how they work. Right off the bat you'll notice that the passive treble and bass controls "do something" as soon as you turn them, and provide excellent tone shaping regardless of pickup setting. A look inside the control plate shows neatly done hand wiring, full size pots, and good quality film capacitors.

In addition to the unique aesthetic, the Skyhawk offers tried and true tones that will be familiar to G&L fans. It was the original pilot for Leo's MFD single coil pickups that eventually became the sound of S-500 from 1989 to present day. The G&L MFD pickups employ a fairly strong ceramic bar magnet with a low resistance coil. Typically, these pickups only measure about 5K ohms, quite low for any pickup. They possess a stronger output than a traditional design single coil but with a more even frequency response. Compared to the traditional ALNICO Legacy pickup, the S-500 pickups are less glassy, with a huskier tone that has a stronger midrange presence. This is really felt at the bridge where the sound is noticeably meatier and without any high-end brittleness.

For players who love the idea of a Legacy or Strat? but need a fuller sound that is still single coil in nature, the Skyhawk is a great choice. The fatter midrange and smooth high end of the MFD pickup is great for driving pedals and producing thick, harmonically complex distortion. It's not the glassy scooped sound of a traditional vintage pickup, but in many ways it's a lot more useful in the context of a band. The highs do not get overly bright like a normal single coil, and these pickups combine a pleasing blend of thickness and clarity that is great for classic rock, prog-rock, and even the occasional metal.

If you like a little "cluck" in your diet, the position 2 and 4 "in-between" tones are fat, punchy, and ideal rhythm settings for driving funk or power-chords. Yet with a little bit of gain they can make for some creamy lead tones that resemble the thickness of a humbucker, so players will be able to rock out these positions just as easily as with the neck or bridge. The mini-toggle control is an added bonus that allows the player to select the neck+bridge position for some twangy Tele? style country picking. It is also notable that the passive treble and bass controls work with all the pickups, another improvement on the traditional Strat? designs, allowing the player to optimize their tone in any setting. We found this especially helpful when working with the bridge pickup as it often begs for a slight tweak to really get the right sound.

The G&L Dual-Fulcrum vibrato system is another feature that is a definitive improvement over Leo Fender's Strat?. Unlike traditional designs -- and rather than relying on a few wood screws -- it uses two knife-edge studs mounted in giant brass body anchors to act as pivot points for the bridge. This type of floating mechanism allows the player to bend notes upward or downward with complete confidence that the guitar will stay securely in tune.

With original looks and familiar tones, it took no time to bond with the Skyhawk. This is no case of "badge engineering" but a testament to G&L's unwavering faith in Leo's visions of the past and future. The CLF Research Skyhawk is a great addition to G&L's already broad array of guitar models. If this is history repeating itself, we're all for it.