Elegantly Eighties: CLF™ Research Skyhawk™ brings back the best of ’80s CLF styling.

Like the original G&L Skyhawk of 1984, it starts with George Fullerton’s evolved double-cutaway with a hint of offset, a slim waist and generous curves. This very comfortable body is complemented by his arched pickguard shape, his most most pleasing iteration of the form.

The elegant pickguard meets a beautifully reproduced CLF control plate in original style black wrinkle powdercoat, a perfect backdrop for the exquisitely machined and chrome plated CLF knobs for volume, treble and bass. The Dual Fulcrum Vibrato features a CLF 3/16″ machined stainless steel vibrato arm for a period look while benefiting from today’s forged brass saddles and block.

And there are those three Leo Fender-designed MFD single coil pickups that defined the Skyhawk back in ’84 and the SC-3 in 1983. These meaty-yet-sparkly MFD pickups are best known as the power behind the current generation of S-500 guitars from 1989 on. In a bit of backdating, the CLF Research Skyhawk adds a mini-toggle expander switch from the S-500 so this Skyhawk leaves no tones behind.

Specifications

• CONSTRUCTION: bolt-on
• SCALE: 25 1/2"
• PICKUPS: Leo Fender†-designed G&L MFD™ single coils
• BODY WOOD: Swamp Ash
• NECK WOOD: Hard-Rock Maple with Maple fingerboard
• NECK PROFILE: G&L Modern Classic with 9 1/2" radius and 1 11/16" nut-width
• NUT: 100% natural bone
• FRETS: 22 medium jumbo, nickel, Plek dressed
• TUNING KEYS: 12:1 ratio, sealed-back
• BRIDGE: Leo Fender-designed G&L Dual-Fulcrum™ vibrato with forged brass saddles
• CONTROLS: 5-position pickup selector, volume, treble, bass (PTB™ system), mini-toggle switch enabling additional pickup combinations of neck+bridge or all three pickups together.
• CASE: Deluxe Tolex hardshell