White Shining Bright: Review — Gretsch G7593T Billy Duffy White Falcon
The White Falcon was Gretsch's flagship model from its introduction in 1954 until 1980, when the company temporarily went out of business. Over the years, dozens of well-known guitarists—including Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Sylvain Sylvain, Malcolm Young, Joe Strummer, The Edge, James Hetfield, and John Frusciante—have played White Falcons, but for most of these players the model was a temporary diversion.
Only the Cult's Billy Duffy has embraced the White Falcon as his main instrument of choice. Duffy has played a White Falcon since the early Eighties, when he used a Seventies 7595 double-cutaway stereo model with Theatre of Hate. Just before Duffy and Ian Astbury formed Death Cult (later known as the Cult), he traded the 7595 for a 1975 single-cutaway 7593, which has remained his main White Falcon ever since and can be heard on Cult classics like "Spiritwalker," "She Sells Sanctuary," and "Love Removal Machine."
The Gretsch G7593T Billy Duffy White Falcon is based on this guitar, although it has a few notable modifications and improvements designed with Duffy's input. White Falcon enthusiasts will immediately note the change from gold-sparkle binding and gold-plated hardware to silver binding and chrome plating. Other changes include custom-wound Filter'Tron humbucking pickups with higher output than Seventies Filter'Trons, an Adjusto-Matic bridge that is securely pinned in place to the body, and traditional truss-rod adjustment accessible via the headstock, instead of at the heel on the back of the guitar like on the original 7593. Duffy also eliminated the floating pickguard, as he has done with his White Falcons, and the unwieldy belt-buckle protector pad from the back.
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