Gretsch White Falcon

1966

The White Falcon, the absolute dream for many of us. What an extraordinary instrument. Nothing comes close; it has no equivalent from any other brand. It’s the highest-end instrument Gretsch has ever produced. Initially envisioned as the guitar of the future by the famous Jimmy Webster, a car enthusiast who was inspired by the luxury models of the time. Thus, we find unique options such as fanned frets after the 12th fret for better intonation, the T-zone temper, the tuning fork (a sort of 440Hz tuning fork through which the strings are threaded and which resonates in the body), the stereo wiring that separates the treble from the bass, the double dampers that raise with a clever push button, and so on… The guitar is incomparable with the rest of the range or with anything else.

It’s an instrument that sounds so good and is capable of so much. Neil Young, for example, was not mistaken; it opens up so many sonic possibilities.

This instrument is rare; the last White Falcon to be sold here was a 1970, in 2019. Before that, there was a 1966 in 2016, and that’s it! So, this is a rare opportunity that I urge you not to miss, as finding another one won’t be easy.

This particular model is in very good condition. It has no repairs. We’ll note that the end of the tremolo has been replaced by a Bigsby arm instead of the telescopic rod and it’s missing the small plastic cover under the the pad on the back.

For the geeks: this is a transitional model with a serial number on the headstock, something Gretsch discontinued in 1965. This number actually refers to 1964… The fanned frets and tuning fork were introduced in 1965. The guitar is dated by its most recent component, namely the knobs, which bear a 1966 code. It’s therefore a pre-Baldwin model, the piano manufacturer that bought Gretsch in 1967 after failing to acquire Fender.

It comes with a 1970s hardshell case.