Alt-country guitarist Orville Peck has joined Gretsch’s roster of signature artists with a new take on the Falcon intended as a “love letter to flashy era country” music.
Peck – a native of South Africa – is a singer/songwriter whose fresh, modern-minded take on country blends the influences of icons of the genre – like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Gram Parsons – with that of modern-day pop superstars like Lana Del Rey, and the dark surrealism of film director David Lynch.
He also has a strong theatrical background, having toured with national tours of musicals in his 20s, before obtaining a degree in acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2014. That theatrical spirit isn’t lost in his music.
As such, Gretsch has looked to capture “Peck’s true iconoclast spirit with mid-century swagger,” with the Limited Edition Orville Peck Falcon.
Peck’s chosen specs, meanwhile, reflect a love for both vintage craftsmanship and contemporary touches, typifying his guitar-playing approach.
A gleaming Oro Sparkle finish and gold plexi pickguard – a nod to the glitzy fringe mask Peck sometimes wears during his live shows – understandably grab the headlines. But there's plenty to admire about this guitar aside from its sparkling exterior.
A 2.5”-deep maple body and Gretsch “ML” bracing combine with a 12”-radius streaked ebony fingerboard with rolled ridges, 22 medium jumbo frets, and a 25.5”-scale length. The guitar's maple neck sports a U-shaped profile, with Luminlay side dots as a modern feature.
Sonically, the guitar strives to deliver a “huge hollow-body sound with exceptional clarity and acoustic nuance,” a quest bolstered by FT-67 Filter'Tron humbucker pickups. These humbuckers were designed to offer vintage Gretsch voicings, while also giving the tone a more rounded, genre-fluid nature.
Final vintage flourishes come via a Bigsby B6GP String-Thru vibrato tailpiece and highly detailed inlays.
The former is said to offer “increased vibration transfer for enhanced sustain,” and easier string changes, while the former features western-themed artwork by Judith Rothman Pierce, a regular contributor to Peck’s vision, for a touch of nuance.
Peck, who revealed in a 2020 interview that the Falcon is his “favorite guitar on the planet,” wanted to retain the guitar’s rarely-rivaled heritage while also “adding some pizzazz” to make it feel like his own.
“It's my sort of love letter to that era of country which was sort of rhinestone-y and flashy during the 60s and 70s,” he says. “The white Falcon is such a versatile, beautiful guitar, so we wanted to stay true to the original and keep the classic feel. I think whoever picks up the guitar will be able to show a little bit of themselves through it.”
The Limited Edition Orville Peck Falcon is priced at $3,999.
Head to Gretsch for more information.
