Craving a white falcon......put me off or advise me

What's Hot
BlaendulaisBlaendulais Frets: 3316
is it wrong?  Will i become Kirk Brandon
0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
«13

Comments

  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26749
    Awesome looking, amazing sound, but the body is too big and the neck is too thin and unless you're really really good you'll look like an arse playing it. 

    Does that help?
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • BlaendulaisBlaendulais Frets: 3316
    Awesome looking, amazing sound, but the body is too big and the neck is too thin and unless you're really really good you'll look like an arse playing it. 

    Does that help?
    A bit but I look like a complete arse playing so just looking like an arse seems cool!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • NelsonPNelsonP Frets: 3347
    Black panther's are cooler
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • rsvmarkrsvmark Frets: 1373
    is it wrong?  Will i become Kirk Brandon
    No but you you might become Billy Duffy. On balance that’s worth taking a punt on?
    An official Foo liked guitarist since 2024
    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11413
    I've got one.  The longer scale length can make it quite tough to play.  It has a 25.5" scale, whereas a lot of other Gretsches are 24.5".  It's a big guitar and mine seems to respond a lot better with heavier strings.  11s on a 25.5" scale can be quite hard work.  I'm still experimenting with strings.  I might try some Newtones as they are meant to be lower tension.

    It's quite loud acoustically, so I can't really sit and noodle with it late at night.  I use a solid body for that.  The big body doesn't make it very comfortable as a sofa noodler either.

    It is a great guitar though.  Everyone loves it when I take it out and play it live.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • AlexOAlexO Frets: 1083
    I've got one and I'll just echo what everyone else has said.

    Because they feel and are so bloody big it's hard to gauge them when you try in the store sat down to how they actually feel playing stood up in a band. Takes a bit of getting used to.

    One with TV jones pickups will make all the difference.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • pintspillerpintspiller Frets: 994
    Malcolm Young didn't get on with his
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • IamnobodyIamnobody Frets: 6887
    What about the double cut with the thinner/smaller body and centre block?
    Previously known as stevebrum
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • slackerslacker Frets: 2216
    Try a white penguin same bling smaller body
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • TheMarlinTheMarlin Frets: 7744
    edited April 2019
    I prefer the Black Phoenix. I find the white Falcon a bit blingy.  

    Advice...play lots of them, and find ‘the one’. Don’t buy blind. The Steve Still model is supposed to be good.  Find the one that resonates with you. Many won’t. 
    Sadly, fat necked Gretsches are thin on the ground, most are standard Fender C type, a bit skinny for my podgy paws

    The only White Falcon I would buy is the rare ‘David Lee’ version.    It’s stunning without being blingy.  People ask ‘Masterbuilt’ money for them, though they are just a limited run Japanese built model. I wouldn’t pay more than £1500 for one, though I’ve seen people asking £6k. Stupid!

    https://reverb.com/uk/item/3427928-gretsch-6136-white-falcon-limited-edition-2008-david-lee-near-mint

    I owned a Black Phoenix, and really liked it. Sadly, unemployment sadly forced sale.  I’d look at a Phoenix. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • WazmeisterWazmeister Frets: 9445
    I had a Black Falcon, and it was a superb guitar. Fantastic sounding, unique, great build quality and surprisingly versatile. The break up sound into a good valve amp is unparalleled imho.

    I'd recommend the Player mods (or whatever they called them) as this solves a lot of Gretsch issues.

    You lose a fair bit when selling them, but that makes em good second hand buys.


    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • dogloaddogload Frets: 1495
    Don't buy a White Falcon, buy my G5124 'Baby Falcon' instead!
    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • steveledzepsteveledzep Frets: 1172
    Malcolm Young didn't get on with his
    Schoolboy error ?
    5reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • meltedbuzzboxmeltedbuzzbox Frets: 10337
    I had the same dream to buy a white falcon.
    That ended after I played a few. I was so disappointed with the guitar. I loved the sound but I really didn't like the way it played. 
    I love the look of them, love the sound, I was fine with the size but I just didn't like how it played
    The Bigsby was the first successful design of what is now called a whammy bar or tremolo arm, although vibrato is the technically correct term for the musical effect it produces. In standard usage, tremolo is a rapid fluctuation of the volume of a note, while vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch. The origin of this nonstandard usage of the term by electric guitarists is attributed to Leo Fender, who also used the term “vibrato” to refer to what is really a tremolo effect.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11413
    edited April 2019
    It's definitely worth playing a few.  I tried 3 the day I bought mine.  There was one in the (now closed) Digital Village Acton branch, and two in the (now closed) Peter Cooks in Hanwell.  I bought one of the guitars in Peter Cooks.  It was definitely significantly better than the other one that they had in that shop.  It was probably slightly better than the one in the other shop as well, but I didn't have them side by side for comparison.

    It's a lot more difficult to go and try them now though, as so many shops have closed.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14321
    Rent a vintage example. See how you get on with it.
    Be seeing you.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • meltedbuzzboxmeltedbuzzbox Frets: 10337
     said:
    Rent a vintage example. See how you get on with it.
    Rent?
    The Bigsby was the first successful design of what is now called a whammy bar or tremolo arm, although vibrato is the technically correct term for the musical effect it produces. In standard usage, tremolo is a rapid fluctuation of the volume of a note, while vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch. The origin of this nonstandard usage of the term by electric guitarists is attributed to Leo Fender, who also used the term “vibrato” to refer to what is really a tremolo effect.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14321
    Well-heeled producers and artistes sometimes rent vintage guitars for recording sessions.
    Be seeing you.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11413
    Rent a vintage example. See how you get on with it.
    Given the quirks of vintage Gretsches, that will definitely put the OP off.  The modern Japanese production is a much safer bet.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 3reaction image Wisdom
  • TheMarlinTheMarlin Frets: 7744
    crunchman said:
    Rent a vintage example. See how you get on with it.
    Given the quirks of vintage Gretsches, that will definitely put the OP off.  The modern Japanese production is a much safer bet.
    +1. Modern Gretsches are way better built. Vintage models can have a lot of problems, neck reset and binding rot are just two common and expensive to resolve issues. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.