Review: Gretsch Falcon Hollow Body with String-Thru Bigsby – Cerulean Smoke

True craftsmanship is a hard thing to come by these days. Attention to detail, commitment to aesthetics and creating objects with individual character and durability are dying principles in an increasingly fast-paced world. Not so at Gretsch. Gretsch, seventy years after the Falcon’s initial conception, still dare to make it beautiful, dare to make it unique and are as committed to mastering their craft as ever. The Professional Collection Falcon, in this case finished in a stunning ‘Cerulean Smoke’ blue, is not only an exquisite and fully realised instrument, but a symbol of genuine artistry, a refusal to succumb to soulless minimalism and an example of Gretsch’s ability to make the world a prettier and more varied place, one perfectly crafted guitar at a time.

Catch up on all the latest music gear reviews here.

Atop each of the Gretsch Falcon’s shimmering golden control dials lies a small pearloid disc accompanied by a glowing red gemstone. Why are they there? Because they’re beautiful. Carved into the Falcon’s perfectly placed pickup selector are tiny textured lines. Is the additional modicum of sensory enjoyment and grip that this provides necessary? Would it be missed if it wasn’t there? Perhaps not, but it is there. It’s there because Gretsch decided to make every detail of this guitar as delightful and as special as possible. The original White Falcon is the Rolls Royce of electric guitars, it is, as first advertised by Gretsch in 1955 “the finest guitar we know how to make – and what a beauty”. What a beauty indeed. The Cerulean Smoke follows this lineage with a new, albeit equally classic and luxe, finish.

White Falcon

Whilst it feels remiss to reduce such a decadent object to a list of specifications, such is my task. The Professional Collection Falcon, despite its timeless, ornamental looks, is packed with modern, player-centric features that make it a professional player’s dream. Let’s start with the body. 

The Falcon’s single cutaway, arch-top body is fully hollow and constructed with laminated maple, giving it a lush, deep sound with a snappy response. The fully hollow construction makes this guitar feel truly alive, its profoundly resonant build producing all sorts of harmonic magic. In this new collection, the Falcon now features Gretsch’s all new Arc-Tone bracing system, their most advanced to date. Featuring torrefied maple tone bars with arc-shaped spruce support braces located underneath the bridge area, this combination of materials and design provides enhanced sustain, crisp note attack and excellent feedback control while retaining the open voice players expect from a hollow body guitar. 

The body in question, wrapped in its glittering Cerulean Smoke finish, features a stunning gold sparkle binding that oozes opulence. Accompanied by lovely black and white purfling, the glittering binding is pure Gretsch and looks fantastic alongside the guitar’s bright golden hardware. Loaded with an Adjusto-Matic bridge, a B6 String-Thru Bigsby and a gold plexi pickguard featuring the classic Falcon emblem, this guitar has the timeless look and all the bells and whistles for which Gretsch is so admired. 

Moving up to the neck, Gretsch’s dedication to perfecting the look and feel of this Falcon continues to impress. Featuring a set-neck construction for maximum sustain, the Falcon’s maple neck features the classic Gretsch U-shape we’ve all come to know and love. Finished in a smooth gloss, the neck is extremely comfortable and slick, its relatively thin shape actively promoting speed and dexterity. 

Atop the glittering Cerulean Smoke finished neck sits a flawless ebony fretboard, beautifully bound in the same beautiful gold sparkle binding as the body. The fretboard consists of 22 frets and has a 12” radius, making it extremely easy to bend as well as providing ample room for chording. The word playable doesn’t really cut it, this guitar feels exactly how you’d hope a top of the line, holy grail guitar would feel. 

Complete with the classic Gretsch pearloid thumbnail fret inlays, the Pro Collection Falcon also features subtle fluorescent Luminlay side dots that perfectly match the black and white purfling of the binding. The Falcon’s headstock also has a matching Cerulean Smoke finish with a gold sparkle truss rod cover and logo, loaded with gold Grover Imperial locking tuners that are uniquely elegant in their design.

Equipped with two PRO-FT Filter’Tron humbucking pickups, this guitar exhibits all of Gretsch’s unique tonal features in their purest, most hi-fidelity form yet. Featuring a warm, spongy low end, an incredibly melodic midrange and crystalline, airy highs, these Filter’Trons sound absolutely fantastic and are incredibly versatile. Boasting a highly dynamic, touch sensitive sound, these pickups are well known for bridging the gap between the clarity and attack of a single coil and the warmth and body of a PAF. Excelling at everything from deep, jazzy clean tones, to crunchy, focused Malcolm Young rhythm sounds, and all the way to blown out, apocalyptic Neil Young mayhem, this guitar can do it all!

Like most Gretsch guitars, the Falcon features the classic four knob control setup that makes these instruments so versatile. Whilst each pickup has its own volume, there is also a master volume which controls the overall level of both. This enables players to set and forget their preferred difference of level between pickups whilst still being able to adjust their overall volume, and also allows them to create a finely tuned blend of the two pickups in the middle position. Additionally, there is of course a master tone knob that provides a very usable and linear high-end roll off. 

Overall, it’s true that the Falcon is still the finest guitar that Gretsch know how to make, and after seventy years, they know a whole lot. The Professional Collection is Gretsch’s no holds barred, no expense spared masterclass in instrument design and this Falcon is a shining example of what they are capable of. The craftsmanship, the attention to detail, the utter ornamental beauty of this instrument is jaw dropping. The resonance of its hollow body, the deep, rich yet brilliant hi-fidelity sound and flawless playability are all beyond reproach. Quite possibly the best brand new, modern guitar I’ve ever played, the Professional Collection Falcon is truly a thing of beauty.

For more info, keep reading at Gretsch Guitars.