The Gretsch Limited Edition 1958 Custom Falcon offers a shadowy spin on an archtop hollowbody icon, trading out the Falcon’s traditionally white plumage for an Emerald Night nitro lacquer coat. It all starts off with a majestic 2.75-inch-deep maple body that sings with a crisp, bright resonance, tempered by trestle bracing to reduce feedback and improve plugged-in performance. Under the hood, TV Jones Ray Butts Ful-Fidelity pickups supply you with the tight bass, twangy treble, and hi-fi sheen that forged the sound of early rock music. You also get the very same control setup you’d find on a Filter’Tron-equipped Gretsch of the 1950s, including a 3-position tone switch in place of a tone knob. As for playability, a maple neck in Gretsch’s Standard U profile sports 22 medium-jumbo frets and a 12-inch-radius ebony fingerboard, granting speedy performance whether you’re dishing out hot rockabilly lead runs or complex jazz chord work. And as befitting the Falcon’s royal pedigree, this Gretsch gleams with gold hardware, including a dynamic Bigsby B6GP vibrato unit, a pinned Space Control bridge, and Grover Imperial tuners. Clad in gold sparkle binding right up to the iconic split headstock, the Gretsch Limited Edition 1958 Custom Falcon splits the difference between treasure-grade collector appeal and raucous rock ’n’ roll attitude!

Pickups from a 6-string visionary

The pickup duo in this Falcon boasts a story that is truly legendary. Filter’Tron pickups were invented by Ray Butts in 1957 as the first noise-canceling humbuckers. Ray actually called these pickups "Ful-Fidelity" in his personal journals. These pickups would go on to change the world, as they were used by numerous legendary rockabilly and rock ’n’ roll icons like Scotty Moore and Chet Atkins. The TV Jones Ray Butts Ful-Fidelity pickups in the G6136TG-58 are the result of a meticulous collaboration between TV Jones and Katha House, the daughter of Ray Butts. Ms. House found her father's technical journals over a decade ago that contained his detailed notes on the design and engineering of the original Ful-Fidelity pickup. In 2008, at a Chet Atkins convention, she and Thomas Jones met and discussed plans to bring these original pickups back, as faithfully as possible. The result is a tone that has a tighter bass response and slightly more top-end EQ than a TV Classic. For Setzer and others like rockabilly stalwart Chris Cosello, these Ful-Fidelity pickups deliver a sparkle and dynamic range that conjure the sound of rockabilly's earliest days, giving current guitarists the opportunity to tap into the past as well as forge ahead. As Jones told Premier Guitar recently, "This is the most original and authentic reissue of a Filter’Tron guitar pickup to date. Period.".

Arched maple body with historic trestle bracing

Maple is one of the most lively, bright, and colorful tonewoods out there, which is exactly why Gretsch decided to make its G6136TG-58 Limited Edition 1958 Custom Falcon almost entirely out of this wonderful wood. At Music Experience, we've found that this hollowbody's arched body yields a wonderfully snappy, open tone that, when combined with the dynamic sound of its TV Jones pickups, cuts through a dense mix and sounds great in any situation. To top it all off, Gretsch coupled the body with its historic trestle bracing to reduce feedback and grant this ’bird with sweet, singing sustain.

Armed and ornamented to perform

Let’s be honest: a Gretsch without a Bigsby is like an outlaw without a steed. Sure, you could survive without one — but how far would you get? Fortunately, the Falcon dons a substantial yet sensitive Bigsby B6GP string-through vibrato tailpiece, tapping into those premier tone dips for as much expressive wobble or Western influence as you want. Plus, it’s strung up downstream from Gretsch’s dependable and effortlessly tweakable Space Control bridge, perched atop a pinned ebony pedestal. What’s more, this Falcon flaunts the same luxurious trim that established the model as Gretsch’s most high-end hollowbody in the 1950s. It starts at the large, Falcon-style headstock with a golden vertical “Gretsch” inlay, flanked by rock-steady golden stair-step Grover Imperial tuning machines. You’ll find full binding throughout, including the double-bound body, where a neighboring gold Plexi pickguard with the classic Falcon graphic sits beside equally golden pickup plates. Rounded out with jeweled G-Arrow knobs and a nitro lacquer Emerald Night finish, this Falcon comes properly dressed to the nines.

Bigsby tailpiece yields smooth vibrato action

Nothing beats the character and vintage vibe that a real Bigsby-style tailpiece adds to the Gretsch G6136T-58 Vintage Select 1958 Custom Falcon. Based on the original design created by Paul A. Bigsby, this Bigsby Licensed tailpiece requires next to no effort to use, making it particularly easy to pull off slow, subtle, and extended bends.

What Gretsch Says...

The Limited Edition 1958 Custom Falcon™ offers an alluring take on a classic Gretsch design. Featuring the dark and mysterious Emerald Night metallic finish, this Falcon combines period-accurate features with some modern twists thrown in. A maple body with Trestle Bracing and TV Jones® Ray Butts Ful-Fidelity Filter’Tron™ pickups provide all the twang, growl, and power you need to cut through the mix, making this rare bird a formidable companion as you embark on your own sonic adventures.