#GRETSCH WHITE FALCON HOW TO#

Beginning in 1958, pickups switched to Gretsch Filter’Tron humbuckers.

Master Volume knob on upper treble bout.

Pickguard is gold with clear acrylic and engraved falcon and logo.

F-holes triple-bound in the black/white/gold-sparkle.

These two knobs controlled volume for each pickup.

Original Melita bridge replaced with Space Control roller bridge in ’58.

Tubular “Cadillac G” tail strung through V-shaped piece.

Bigsby vibrato tailpiece became standard in ’62.

In ’59, Gretsch added its Action-Flo nut, a.k.a.

A stereo version (model 6137) included Project-O-Sonic wiring and pickups with three pole magnets and one bar magnet.

All metal parts were plated in 24-karat gold.

Neck made of three-piece laminate maple.

Originally equipped with DeArmond Dynasonic single-coil pickups.

Today, it is among the truly prized collectibles. Gretsch’s premier offering, the White Falcon sold new for $599 and continuously played host to innovations through the years, including stereo outputs and other trick circuits and hardware. The combination was intended to dazzle, and was very much a case of “mission accomplished.” Though never intended for production, response to Webster’s appearance was so overwhelming that the guitar was fast-tracked and began shipping to dealers the next year. Its mechanical elements were also top-shelf, from the Grover Imperial tuners to its Melita bridge. The array of special touches continued with its unique headstock shape and “Cadillac G” tailpiece, so named because the V-shaped piece that held its strings was reminiscent of a Cadillac logo. Webster debuted the White Falcon at the NAMM show in July of ’54, replete with gleaming white paint, triple binding (black/white/gold-sparkle) on its body, neck, headstock, and f-holes, 24-karat gold-plated hardware, and an ebony fretboard with real mother-of-pearl block inlays. Combined with the sensitivity of its DeArmond Dynasonic pickups, the resonance of the large body with it spruce top (a spec that may or may not have made it into production) aided his touch-style playing technique. He then sat with designers and hammered out the basics, giving the guitar a hollow body measuring a substantial 17″ across its lower bouts and 2 7/8″ deep.

#GRETSCH WHITE FALCON HOW TO#

And when it came time to truly demonstrate the full capabilities of Gretsch’s craftsmen, Webster went all-out, reportedly roaming the factory in a search for ideas about how to dress up a guitar from the plant’s drum division, he grabbed gold-sparkle plastic laminate, and from the banjo side, rhinestones and other ornamental concepts. Part of his duties involved playing company instruments at trade shows and other presentations. One of the most renowned axes in guitardom, the 6136 was conceived in 1954 by Gretsch sales/demo man Jimmie Webster primarily as a promotional item complete with every bell, whistle, and accessory Gretsch offered at the time.Ī player of considerable ability and one of the first to employ two-handed tapping (which he taught in his 1952 book The Touch System for Electric and Amplified Spanish Guitar), Webster hired on at Gretsch after World War II.

One prime example is the Gretsch Model 6136 White Falcon. Through the years, though, other companies did pose occasional challenges. When it came to fancy electric guitars in the early/mid 1950s, Gibson’s Super 400 was ensconced as the undisputed King of the Hill.

Gretsch white falcon