All user reviews of 4/5 for the Gretsch G6136TLDS White Falcon

The Gretsch White Falcon is essentially the Gretsch equivalent of a Les paul Custom in the Gibson catalogue. Known for it's beautiful glowing white finish, lavish appointments, and big sound, the White falcon is an instrument of infamy. This particular guitar, the 6136TLDS, is a throwback to the 1955 era of White Falcon. The body is a laminated maple with a set maple neck. The fingerboard is ebony and is adorned with stunning winged inlays. The electronics are made up of two Dynasonic single coil pickups wired into a three way toggle, a shared tone pot, independent volumes for each pickup as well as a master volume control. There is a Bigsby tremolo fitted to the guitar along with Gretsch's synchro-sonic bridge. The guitar is visually breathtaking and really has a sense of flash about it.

UTILIZATION

The white falcon's tuning stability is top notch thanks to both the fitted bridge and grover imperial tuners. The tremolo rarely went of out tune unless I really abused it. The neck on this guitar surprised me with its smooth, quick feel. I felt just as comfortable soloing on this guitar as on my smaller Les Paul bodied guitars.

SOUNDS

I played the Gretsch White Falcon through a Mesa boogie Stiletto Deuce. Mesa 4x12 cab. No pedals.

There really isn't anything this guitar cannot do. The clean sounds are some of the best I've heard and the Gretsch makes just about any genre fun to play. There is something about holding this guitar that just inspires you. I found myself playing parts of songs in new ways simple to see what little things the white falcon could add. Running the gain higher, I found that the White Falcon handles gain better than almost any hollow body guitar I've played, save for the Hagstrom viking. The neck pickup can be as blues as it gets, while the bridge can scream and rock with the best. Extremely enjoyable guitar to play and hear in the room.

OVERALL OPINION

The Gretsch White Falcon is a guitar that needs little introduction. I feel that some people may have placed limits on the idea of the guitar's versatility. I could easily use this guitar as my primary axe and get through a harder rock set with no problems. The price can seem daunting but you get what you pay for. I have noticed a trend of guitarists motioning between this guitar and the Duesenberg Starplayer series. Both guitars will get you similar results. The Duesenberg will be the more nimble of the two as far as handling, but the sheer size of the White falcon allows for unmatched resonance.