A Great Guitar for Those Looking to Soar into Gold Plated Glory
Written: Dec 16 '06 (Updated Sep 22 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great beauty, playability and value for the discerning guitarist
Cons: Cost
The Bottom Line: The White Falcon is a superbly constructed lead and rhythm guitar ideal for jazz, country and straight ahead rockers. You'll pay for what you get, though.
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| buffoonery's Full Review: Gretsch 7594 Falcon Ii |
Founded by a German immigrant in 1883, by the 1950’s Gretsch guitars had become the instrument of choice for many fledging rockers especially in the rockabilly genre. The company’s cachet was improved in the 1960’s when Beatle George Harrison could be seen playing its instruments. Its luster began to fade, however, when new owners Baldwin failed to anticipate changes in guitar buyer’s choices. A new contract with Fender is helping rejuvenate the firm’s fortunes in the 21st century, and one of the company’s gifts to the guitar-purchasing public is the superb G7594 White Falcon II under review here.
The absolutely gorgeous Falcon is a two pick-up archtop whose sounds will rival anything manufactured by the boys over at Gibson. The impeccable construction, white paint job and gold plating all scream “quality”. The 2” deep, 17” wide maple hollow body comes with two f-holes and a “soft” double cutaway that makes the guitar resemble a Gibson ES-335. (It’s more slender than the White Falcon G 6136T, which also has only a single cutaway.) The bridge is an Adjusto-Matic and the guitar is equipped with a Bigsby tremolo handle. The gold pick guard is emblazoned with a flying falcon and the Gretsch name.
The guitar is equipped with a three-piece maple neck that is 1 11/16” wide at the nut with a 12” radius. Position markers are block pearloid. Play up and down the neck is smooth and fast. The single cutaway helps reach the higher frets but you will have a little difficulty getting to the 21st and 22nd frets. The V-shaped headstock has “Gretsch” emblazoned horizontally in gold. The gold-plated Grover tuners will hold a tune well and look fabulous. There is also an adjustable truss rod.
Let’s talk a little about the electronics. There are two very cool-looking TV Jones Filter Tron pickups, one at the neck and one at the bridge. These are dual-coil humbuckers that Gretsch says are intended to “FILTER out the elecTRONic hum” and provide more warmth, output and sustain. Each pick-up has a volume control and there is also a master volume control. A three-position toggle switch lets you select the neck, neck and bridge, or bridge pick-ups alone and there is a three-position tone switch as well.
As I think I’ve already made clear, quality-wise it’s going to be difficult to beat this guitar. The question now, of course, is who should play it and who should buy it. First, the guitar is ideal for any jazz, country, or rockabilly player. The Filter Tron pickups create a variety of clean clear sounds for jazzers or twangy country for the C&W crowd. It can sound alternately sharp and warm. But a lot of rockers will find virtue in this fine machine. It can create a wall of sound with the right amp and the guitar’s maple body creates a combination of brightness with a nice bottom end as well. Rockers will find themselves usually employing the bridge pick-up.
Metal and hard rockers in general are best advised to look elsewhere. You really won’t get the chunk and overdrive that you’re looking for in this guitar.
This guitar is tough to find and the one I played was listing for close to three grand. It will take a special player who can appreciate this machine’s quality and price. I obviously like this guitar a good deal and if I were looking to replace my Gibson ES-175 I would give the White Falcon a very close look. It will last forever and I think it will have good to very good collectibility value. It’s a great guitar and ideal for the professional jazz or country player who is looking to make a real visual impact on stage. This guitar will make you the star of the show.
Techical stats:
MODEL NAME G7594, White FalconTM II
MODEL NUMBER 240-1407-(805)
SERIES Professional Collection
COLORS (805) White
CATEGORY Hollow Body Guitars
BODY STYLE Double Cutaway
SCALE LENGTH 25.5" (648mm)
TOP Arched Laminated Maple
BRACING N/A
BACK AND SIDES Laminated Maple Body, 17" Wide, 2" Deep
NECK 3-Piece Maple
PICKUPS 2 High Sensitive Filter'TronTM Pickups
PICKUP SWITCHING
3-Position Toggle:
Position 1. Bridge Pickup
Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups
Position 3. Neck Pickup
CONTROLS
Volume 1. (Neck Pickup),
Volume 2. (Bridge Pickup),
Master Volume,
3-Position Toggle Master Tone Switch,
Standby Switch
WIDTH AT NUT 1-11/16" (43mm)
FRETBOARD Ebony, 12" Radius (305mm)
BRIDGE Ebony-Based Adjusto-MaticTM Bridge
TAILPIECE
Gretsch Bigsby¨ B6GW Vibrato Tailpiece with Wire Handle
HARDWARE Gold-Plated
FINISH Gloss Urethane
CASE Includes G6242L Deluxe Hardshell Case, US MSRP $220.00
NO. OF FRETS 22
MACHINE HEADS Grover¨ ImperialTM Gold-Plated Die-cast Tuners
UNIQUE FEATURES
V-Shaped Falcon Headstock with T Roof Gretsch Logo,
Block Pearloid Inlay Position Markers,
Gold-Sparkle Fingerboard and Headstock Bindings,
Oversized Bound F-Holes,
Multiple Gold-Sparkle Body Bindings,
Gold-Sparkle Inlaid Gretsch Logo on Headstock,
Gold Plexi Pickguard with White Falcon Detail,
Knurled Strap Retainer Knobs,
Adjustable Truss Rod
Schechter Diamond C+1
PRS Single Cut
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Recommended:
Yes
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