A big, beautiful guitar with a big, beautiful sound, the Gretsch Falcon is a timeless and beloved masterpiece. One only needs to revisit Neil Young’s monstrous tone on tracks like ‘Ohio’ and ‘Alabama’ to appreciate what a Falcon can do, not to mention it might be the most visually striking guitar design in history.
The new Gretsch Synchromatic Falcon aims to provide a top-notch Falcon with upgraded materials and components at a mid-level price point, bridging the gap between an entry-level and top-shelf model.
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The result is a stunning guitar that delivers everything one could wish for in a Gretsch, from its dazzling looks to its unmistakable and monumental sound. Taking the mystique and beauty of the venerable Falcon design and placing it firmly in 2025 is no mean feat. Honouring the history of a beloved instrument whilst catering to the needs of modern players is a tricky balance to strike, but Gretsch has nailed it with this guitar.
Originally unveiled in 1954, the Falcon was dubbed by Gretsch ‘the guitar of the future’ as well as ‘the finest guitar we know how to make’. Gretsch, however, initially had no plans to manufacture the model. It was supposed to be a showpiece, much like GM’s Motorama “Dream Cars” of the day, but that quickly changed when the immense demand for the guitar became swiftly apparent. Since then, the Falcon has been immortalised by players such as Neil Young, Roy Orbison, Malcolm Young and John Frusciante, who famously used the guitar extensively on Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ Californication.
Combining the full-bodied tone of a humbucker with the top-end twang of a single coil, the Falcon’s Filter’Tron pickups are a perfect match for the warm, airy sound of its large hollow body. This massive yet balanced sound, along with the obvious beauty of the guitar itself, is why the Falcon remains one of the most revered guitars on the planet.
The Synchromatic Falcon arrived in a gorgeous Deluxe hard case with a lovely blue velvet lining. At first glance, the Falcon’s black and gold colour scheme is stunning, with every golden detail sparkling in the light like the contents of a treasure chest.
The Falcon’s body is lined with a textured, sparkling gold binding that ties everything together, and upon its control knobs are tiny red gemstones that almost seem to glow. On the gold plexi pickguard is the iconic Falcon logo, spreading its menacing wings in mid-flight as if to say “don’t mess with me”. This is one serious piece of kit.
The Synchromatic Falcon features a 2.5” deep laminated maple body with Semi-Arc bracing. A modified version of the classic Gretsch Trestle Bracing design, this bracing pattern features two ’feet’ under the bridge while eliminating the additional feet near the neck block that traditional Trestle Bracing has. This results in a ‘best of both worlds’ tone that provides the huge, resonant tone of Parallel Bracing, with the classic ‘snap’ and feedback-busting sustain of 1959 Trestle Bracing.
The Falcon’s maple neck feels incredibly comfortable and has a nicely balanced soft C shape. It has a nice, long 25.5” scale length that feels just right on a larger body style, and its ebony fretboard has a fairly flat 12” radius, which is particularly suited for lead guitar. The neck is also bound in a stunning gold sparkle and is adorned with Gretsch’s classic pearloid thumbnail inlays, 22 medium jumbo frets and a genuine bone nut. The headstock is loaded with gold Grover Rotomatic machine heads, which I have always found to be reminiscent of the shapes found in Aztec art.
This Falcon, like most Gretschs, is loaded with a very versatile control layout featuring a master volume with a treble bleed circuit, a master tone, individual volume controls for the bridge and neck pickups and a three-position pickup toggle switch.
In addition to this, the Adjusto-Matic bridge is secured with an ebony base for optimal stability and, of course, what Falcon would be complete without the iconic B60 Bigsby Vibrato arm? The direct-mounted Hi-Fidelity Filter’Tron pickups found on the Synchromatic Falcon feature Alnico 5 magnets and deliver the sought-after chime, articulation and balance that vintage Filter’Trons are known for. With enough twang for country and enough meat on its bones for hard rock, the Filter’Trons can do it all and sound better than ever in this model.
The bridge position has all the chime and crunch you could ever wish for, and plugged into an overdriven Fender amp, you will be wailing like Neil Young in no time. The neck position is smoother and jazzier but still has enough bite to cut through a mix and sounds absolutely delightful set clean with some reverb and a good amount of bottom end.
Both pickups are well matched, and there isn’t that nasty volume jump between the neck and bridge you get in some guitars. The middle position is particularly useful thanks to the combination of separate volume controls for each pickup as well as a master volume. This means you can create a blend of the two pickups to taste with the individual controls, and then control your overall volume with the master. This layout creates a myriad of tonal possibilities, making this guitar very versatile indeed. The Falcon’s Bigsby vibrato is also extremely effective and, having been masterfully set up, does well not to knock the guitar out of tune even with vigorous use.
Overall, the Synchromatic Falcon is an excellent rendition of a timeless model, with a reasonable midrange price point. It does absolutely everything you want a Falcon to do and looks absolutely stunning with its chic black finish and gold appointments. The Falcon is a big hollow body guitar with a big sound, but thanks to its extremely articulate Filter’Tron pickups, it produces an incredibly bright, detailed and honest tone.
Whilst the Synchromatic Falcon may not be the most exotic iteration of Gretsch’s beloved bird, it is most definitely in full flight here, and as menacing as ever.
Check out the Grestch Synchromatic Falcon here.
