Epiphone puts a unique spin on the Nighthawk with its affordable new Nancy Wilson signature Fanatic guitar

Nancy Wilson's new signature Epiphone, the Fanatic
(Image credit: Krista Gilley/Gibson)

NAMM 2021 isn't taking place in the physical realm this year, but you'll find all the hottest January gear launches in our guide to the biggest guitar, amp and pedal releases of 2021 so far.

Nancy Wilson first teamed up with Gibson all the way back in 2013 for her first signature electric guitar, the Nancy Wilson Nighthawk Standard.

Now, the Heart guitarist has teamed up with Epiphone to create a more affordable version of the guitar, the Fanatic. 

Highlighted – like its predecessor – by a classy Fireburst Gloss finish and a commemorative 'Fanatic' truss-rod cover, the Fanatic is built with a Nighthawk-shaped mahogany body and a figured maple veneer top, plus a rounded 'C' profile mahogany neck with an ebony fretboard.

Sounds come by way of the guitar's ProBucker humbuckers, which are controlled by a five-way pickup selector switch, and master volume and tone controls. 

"In the midst of the distant Eighties, I was approached by Gibson to design a signature model,” Wilson said of the guitar in a press release.

“I put pencil to paper to first design the body shape and chose a curvy female diminutive silhouette for the cut away. Many years later the body shape remains exact and the hardware I requested makes the Fanatic a solid citizen amongst the great rock guitar screamers.”

Epiphone's new Nancy Wilson Fanatic

(Image credit: Krista Gilley/Gibson)

Though we don't have an exact release date for the guitar yet, we do know that it'll retail for the tantalizing price of $529, with a hardshell case included.

For more on the guitar, point your browser on over to Epiphone.

Epiphone Nancy Wilson Fanatic

(Image credit: Krista Gilley/Epiphone)

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Jackson Maxwell

Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.