Gretsch 6136 White Falcon (1959)

A true gem - This single owner 1959 Gretsch 6136 White Falcon is the guitar dreams (and gold sparkle) are made of!

There aren't many vintage guitars that reach the level of true stardom quite like an original White Falcon. Arguably the fanciest electric guitar built in the Golden Era of US guitar manufacturing, it represents so much of what was happening in music, in culture, and in our economy at that time. Incredible craftsmanship and quality intersected with amazing design to create one of the most iconic instruments ever produced.

This 1959 Gretsch 6136 White Falcon not only represents one of its most desirable iterations; it does so in such a fashion that deserves the highest degree of celebration.

Purchased new by its original owner in Rhode Island in 1960, this White Falcon closed out 1959 production with the recently adapted Filter'tron humbucking pickups after nearly 5 years of being outfitted with Dynasonic single coils. With its gold sparkle trimmings abound, gorgeous White finish, flared chevron headstock, and 17" body, this White Falcon makes a statement at every turn, and with every note.

Gretsch never really intended to build White Falcons in any meaningful production capacity. One of the most labor-intensive instruments made by ANY builder (Gibson included), it topped out as one of the most expensive guitars available in its time. It was a showcase guitar, giving attention to the high quality of Gretsch's guitar-building workforce and knowhow. But with seemingly no competition from the likes of Gibson or Fender, it became incredibly popular among stage performers and guitar aficionados alike.


Like many other models Gretsch produced, they'd often build White Falcons in batches in order to create workplace efficiencies. However, Gretsch wasn't one to overcommit on building their most expensive guitar to generous amounts, so those White Falcon batches were fairly small. With the help of some internet sleuthing, including the use of serial number tools by our friends at Edgewater Gear Vault, we were able to identify at least one other White Falcon made in the same batch as ours, point to later '59 production.

What made this acquisition even more exciting was learning more about the owner's history with it. Pride of ownership was on full display, as almost every bit of documentation that was originally included in the sale of this guitar has remained with it for over 60 years. This includes the impossibly rare tin-edged hang tag, pickup wiring schematic, warranty card, and Certificate of Authenticity. An impressive array of ephemera that is rare in its own rite!

Though the guitar was used extensively throughout the 60s and into the early 80s, it was very well maintained. As does often happen with Gretsches, some of the celluloid material used in the construction of the guitar started to decompose to varying degress, primarily the truss rod cover. Luckily, the body and fingerboard binding remained almost entirely intact. We were even able to stabilize the fragile F-hole binding and keep it on the guitar!

The original gold-plated hardware was subject to oxidation throughout, but maintains solid functionality to this day. The original Filter'trons measured particularly strong, with excellent clarity, punch, and twang in both positions. Even the original small fretwire remained, and although low, still offered nice vintage playability.

There are few guitars that pass through The Music Emporium that leave a more lasting impact than the likes of this White Falcon. We feel lucky to have been a part of its history and its future.