After a long hiatus, Gibson is back in the guitar amplifier business. Inspired by vintage Gibson amplifiers and reimagined for today’s players, the Falcon 5 and Falcon 20 are handcrafted in Petaluma, California.
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Focusing on great sound, simplicity, and ease of use, the new Falcon models pay homage to the 1960s Falcons, the very first guitar amplifiers available with reverb, while continuing Gibson’s long legacy of groundbreaking amplifier innovation that dates back to the 1930s.
The compact Falcon 5 and Falcon 20 combos hark back to the Gibson amplifiers from the late 1950s and early 1960s that inspired them, but beneath their vintage-style Cream Bronco vinyl and Oxblood grille cloths are all-new circuits developed by Gibson Master Pioneer Randall Smith founder of MESA/Boogie®, and the Gibson Amps Design Team in Petaluma.
The small, but raucous Falcon 5 delivers around seven watts of single-ended, pure Class A power from a single 6V6 power tube, switchable down to around three watts.
Alongside volume and tone controls with a wider, more usable range, there’s a level control for the Falcon 5’s lush onboard all-tube spring reverb, while a 10-inch Jensen® Blackbird 40 Alnico speaker helps deliver the Falcon 5’s touch-sensitive, harmonically rich tube tones.
The Falcon 20 expands both the power and the feature set.
The dual 6V6 power stage utilizes patented Multi-Wattâ„¢technology to deliver 12, five, or bedroom-friendly one-watt Class A power modes, and the hypnotic throb of all-tube tremolo joins spring reverb in the onboard effects section, switchable remotely via the supplied two-button footswitch.
A 12-inch Jensen Blackbird 40 Alnico speaker offers greater spread and projection, along with enhanced bass response.
Both Falcon circuits have been designed with the option to substitute the supplied 6V6 power tubes with optional 6L6 tubes, further adding to their flexibility, headroom, and punch. With their elegant cosmetics and boutique build quality, the Falcon 5 and Falcon 20 are the ultimate companions for Gibson’s finest stringed instruments. ■