I fell in love with it as soon as I tried it, but after seeing videos of technicians demonstrating major flaws in its design making it very difficult to repair. The fact that the tubes are mounted directly on the board horizontally also leaves me in doubt for an amp of this price.
The Fender is very similarly built, put a decent alnico 10" in it and it is a better buy. The Falcon 5 watt sounds great but a pain to service so the Fender wins cos it's very similar and much more budget friendly.
Wow! This is great. Sounds great! My first amp was a Gibson, single channel no reverb, I would guess 12 watt? My second amp was a Gibson back with 2-10's two channel No reverb, reverb and tremolo. I don't remember what either model was. It's so good to see Gibson come back. Can't wait for the next demo. Betting they would be great in the studio and in the pit.
With amp modeling in its ascendancy, and with Fender offering WAAAAY more value for the money on the circuits embodied in these Gibson amps, I'm curious to see how many people are going to plunk down $1,500 for a 5-watt amp.
It is built like crap. Looks pretty, sounds decent, but overpriced and built like shit. Gibson fanboys and brand snobs everywhere will snatch there up and ultimately be sorry. Mounting tubes horizontally directly into a circuit board, won't last.
this will sell like crazy , i would take the 12 inch version though , more output , trem / verb ( with footswitch ) and also 1 /5 / 15 watt attenuation
I love the old Gibson "Space Race" amps such as the Atlas. I have a Gibson "THOR" 2x10 bass amp which is a great tube amp. The speakers were crap, but with some Emminence 10"s it sounds like an Oliver. Much cleaner than an Ampeg B15.
I want the Falcon 20 and a Les Paul Special. I think they will sound GREAT together. Those P90s *need* an all-tube amp like this. And the look -- **chef's kiss** I love that retro vibe they've got going on. A TV Yellow Les Paul Special and one of these amps just *screams* the late 1950s to me. As soon as I can afford it, I'm buying both...
I too play a Les Paul special with P90s and I would have probably bought this 5 watt amp except it looks difficult to service as the small valves are PCB mounted which is a pain to work on I think the Fender 68 vibro-champ with an alnico 10" will be a better buy ? Great tone though.
Why not open one up (it’s just four screws) and show the circuit board with the preamp tubes mounted on the circuit board? That would make for a more complete review. These are highly over priced for circuit board amps.
The Falcons are straight crap. Four tubes hidden inside, mounted horizontally straight into a circuit board. Made by Mesa Boogie, famous for problems when the boards go conductive, yeah, it sounds good enough, looks good on the outside, but the "vibe" is hand-wired boutique, but it's made like crap.
I was about to comment, for half the prize you can get a blues junior, and from what I heard when you pair it with a les Paul it sounds amazing, I was expecting the prize to be around the same $800 give or take a few, but 1.5k, I agree with you, extremely overpriced.
@@leandroferrini641 an amp tech has something up about them on you tube .. they have PCB mounted valves.. I think that would turn a lot of people off 'em ..
$1499 for the 5? not trying to be a buzzkill, but i think this will only appeal to a small amount of players that are over 50 and want a cool retro amp without the headaches. i wonder if the low number of sales makes it worth it to put it into production. the 20 is not much more, maybe it will sell well.
Growing up, I had to have an old Fender, but was also drawn to old Gibson amps like the Skylark. When I built my first amp, it was a 5E3 Deluxe copy. In today's market, and with the prevalence of quieter stages, this release makes a lot of sense to me.
The Falcons are straight crap. Four tubes hidden inside, mounted horizontally straight into a circuit board. Made by Mesa Boogie, famous for problems when the boards go conductive, yeah, it sounds good enough, looks good on the outside, but the "vibe" is hand-wired boutique, but it's made like crap.
Oh, man this series is going to sell well. I'm mainly a bass player and I think the Falcon 20 with it's 1-watt low setting would work in the house I live in. I have a Katana Artist that I use with my guitars and love dearly that I use mainly as a pedal platform, but this would be so cool to have. I have no doubt my Explorer and it would sound so good!
I have a jazz chorus amp that I love and plan to keep, but it's too damned loud, so I've been looking at low-watt tube amps to crank in my bedroom. I was looking at supro amps, but this thing just made me rethink everything.
These are pretty limited in what they can do for the money. Check out the Harmony 6 series amps made by Heritage (former Gibson worker-owned company in the Kalamazoo plant) in the USA. Seem like great all-tube amps with power scaling down to 0.1W (and 0W for silent practice) for much less money. That H620 looks like a sweet deal at $650 with a TMB tone stack, and foot switchable Boost, Tremolo, Loop & Reverb. At only 20W max with two 6L6 tubes, I assume it's "near class A" cathode-biased like a Vox AC. So, mostly even-order amp section harmonics. Should be sweet. Heck, you could replace the stock Jensen Falcon speaker with an AlNiCo P12Q (for smoother highs and better 4kHz+ chime) and still save a fortune over one of these overpriced Gibsons.
The Falcons are straight crap. Four tubes hidden inside, mounted horizontally straight into a circuit board. Made by Mesa Boogie, famous for problems when the boards go conductive, yeah, it sounds good enough, looks good on the outside, but the "vibe" is hand-wired boutique, but it's made like crap.
@@trevorwilkins1796 the more I watch amp reviews I've realised they are not full reviews .. most unfortunately only talk about the sound.. which obviously is what an amp is all about .. but they should as they say " look under the hood " before recommending it as a great amp ..
Never had one problem with any of my amps with board mounted tubes. It’s amazing how there are so many people online running around screaming “look inside” like their head is on fire. 🙄 Y’all sound like a broken record.
Just saw a video on these amps from another channel. He didn’t have very nice nice things to say about the build quality, so I have a question… did you guys open it up and take a look inside before making this video? I know that you are not a nut’s and bolts review channel but you often speak about the build quality when talking about guitars. Maybe you should do the same when talking about other gear that you are selling. It leads to your creditability. If you are going to say something is good, then you should actually do a little digging into it before you make your videos. I’m hearing from people who actually work on amps and what I’m hearing is not good, especially at the price point that these amps are being offered. I’m disappointed with you two on this video and it makes me question all of your other videos!. People trust you to know what you are talking about when you promote a product, your customers deserve better. Thanks.
I think they are just recording a commerical. Obvously they will spend the least research time as possible, since their job is just to praise it anyways
Someone please pull the back off of one of these amps and tell us what the circuit boards look like. Are they good, thick boards? They did the other stuff right - baltic birch cabinet, stainless steel control panel, etc. Please don’t let it be a cheap crap circuit board.
@@charlesbolton8471 1) I have not been able to find a place where Gibson uses the term ‘hand wired’. 2) Hand wired is only as good as the circuit design, component selection, and skill of the operator doing the assembly.
@@randallsmith7885 It is on the back of the amp (can be seen in pictures on Gibson’s website). I agree with your second point that it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good, but considering who designed it I think it’s safe to say it is probably at least a good design using at least mediocre components. Conceivably it could be a great design using above average components. At least both models sound appealing to me in the videos I’ve seen so far. I also think it’s a fair price for American made amps with these particular features and if it is in fact hand wired that just adds to the value in my opinion. I can’t wait to play through one.
no they cant compete with fender. at 1499.00 for the 5 watt and 1799.00 for the 12 watt priced at a rediculas price you can beat with 50 amps. i play a 76 twin reverb and 75 musicman 130hdm 2x12. doest compare to them
Beautiful looking amps .. but id be waiting to see what an amp tech has to say before getting one .. from what I've seen from you tube amp techs messa boogies aren't well made .. Great guitar playing as usual 😎
The Falcons are straight crap. Four tubes hidden inside, mounted horizontally straight into a circuit board. Made by Mesa Boogie, famous for problems when the boards go conductive, yeah, it sounds good enough, looks good on the outside, but the "vibe" is hand-wired boutique, but it's made like crap.
Lots of channels promoting the new Falcon amps, but I searched for you guys for first info! I wasn't so surprised by the sound (or Cooper's playing :P ), but the pricing - completely unexpected. I over estimated by $1,000. I scored one of Bonamassa's Fender 1959 Twins, so I'm a big fan of simplicity, If the Twin wasn't so stupidly perfect for me, a Falcon would be on my list for 2024.
So your expected price was $500 and $800. Where are you finding brand new American made amps at that price especially with these features? I’m not criticizing foreign made gear by any means. Something being American made definitely doesn’t automatically make it good, but it does make more expensive.
@@charlesbolton8471 No - you went the wrong way - I was expecting a much steeper $2,500+ Since I mentioned the JB 59 Twin, I suggest that you look into it's pricing (American Made, hand-wired) to understand where I was coming from.
@@RocktCityTim I just misread your comment. I thought it said “under estimated ”, but clearly you said over estimated. Most people were criticizing the price just like they do with everything Gibson does. That JB Tweed Twin is one fine amp and the rarity of them will ensure that they not only maintain their value but will likely increase in value. I wish I could have gotten one. I love Tweed Fender amps real ones, Fender Reissues, and clones from other companies especially Victoria.
7 watts out of a single 6V6 tube cathode biased? Better keep a spare power tube handy cause your gonna smoke that fire bottle twice a year. I'm one to talk because I tend to bias output tubes within spitting distance of the red plate region, but even I wouldn't push a V that hard. In fairness, all guitar amp builders push tubes past recommended specs and the new Gibson sounds good, it will come but at a price.
To me, maybe it's the RUclips video, but to my ears, that thing does not sound good. Like it has a blown speaker or something. Seems too distorted. The concept of the attenuators is good, but for $1500?....I'll stick with my Bues Jr IV. I always love Cooper's playing.
@allend3127 It makes sense corporate shills would call non shills tools. Otherwise people would actually be able to tell Gibson products just aren’t worth their prices.
When gibson takes over a company It gives me concern. At one time I was the biggest Gibson fan ever, they could do no worng but over the years my confidence in them as a company and their ethos has hit rock bottom. This doesn't give me confidence to buy their products. But I really enjoyed your review, thanks for doing a good job.
Great video, you guys are awesome hah! I'm going to need to wait a little while but I'm definitely going to have to buy one of these... one of these days 👍 PS - If my wife watches this, she'd say 'Sure, I'll buy you one when you can play like him ( Cooper ), With that being said I'll be buying it myself because that's just never going to happen lol!
Just wait until folks start to open this thing up and see how it's built. Notice all the reviewers DO NOT take the back off, wondering why? What are they hiding? For Gibson to charge $1800 for this turd should be a crime. Don't hate until you do your research...
What I like about these is if people get used to paying $1500 for one of these pc board amps - many of which will be in the dumpster within 10 years, I should be able to get $8-10k for a point-to-point actual lifetime handmade amp that will be around in 100 years that I could make for about $800 in parts. These reissue amps will not always be repairable, they are disposable amps, like a BIC lighter. Thanks Gibson!
Guys I’ll stick with my Fender’s. They are twice the quality of that other brand. If a company is going to make the claim it’s a classic, then it should be built like a classic. I generally really like your commentary but not this time around. By the way Cooper I own an old Rickenbacker 12 string and an old AC-30 and it’s definitely not for everyone. One word for your tone today muddy.
The Falcons are straight crap. Four tubes hidden inside, mounted horizontally straight into a circuit board. Made by Mesa Boogie, famous for problems when the boards go conductive, yeah, it sounds good enough, looks good on the outside, but the "vibe" is hand-wired boutique, but it's made like crap.
That's a lot of scratch for what are essentially one-trick-ponies, all because of the Gibson name. Mesa-Boogie were legendary amps for good reason. At one point they were built with multiple overlapping PCBs that made them very difficult to repair. I can't see paying that much for such a basic amp, and that full-on overdrive sound can be had with any number of fuzz pedals. I'm liking the Revv D40 in the same price range for sound quality and usable versatility, although I don't know how reparable they are.
You have got to be kidding me. Apparently you guys either 1) Don't know how a good amp is really built or 2) You just don't care about your customers. These amps are waaaay overpriced garbage!!!! $1500 for a circuit board single ended 6v6? NUTS! If you want to throw your money away, be my guest. You would be way ahead to buy a REAL 60's era Falcon off of Reverb for half the price and it would last another 50 years. These new Gibsons will be lucky to last 5 years.
The Falcons are straight crap. Four tubes hidden inside, mounted horizontally straight into a circuit board. Made by Mesa Boogie, famous for problems when the boards go conductive, yeah, it sounds good enough, looks good on the outside, but the "vibe" is hand-wired boutique, but it's made like crap.
@@trevorwilkins1796 Really making the most out of that copy and paste there. If you’re going to run around screaming about this amp, at least be original, or put some creativity into it.
.@@allend3127 Here's something original and creative for you. This amp is not what it seems. Gibson continues to produce overpriced products for guitar (and now amp) snobs who care more about the logo than the actual performance of said product. I was recently in a well established music store, employed by musicians and luthiers with decades of experience, who concurred that the horizontal mounting of tubes directly to a circuit board is a recipe for disaster, and not longevity. Gibson fanboys, like yourself, just look at the pretty cabinet with the vintage vibe, and don't bother to check out the innards, and mislead a lot of people, who will waste their hard earned money that would be better spent on a Boss Katana, or even a used Peavey Bandit. You put yourself out there like you know what you're talking about, but you're blinded by the light of the Gibson logo. Hoodwinked. Bamboozled. I would love if it were cool, and worth the money, but it is overpriced, even if it was good quality for what it is, and poorly constructed. People who get all gaga over a cool, "boutique" looking amp, with out checking it out thoroughly, are doing a disservice to the community. Do you homework. Investigate a little further than the grill cloth. I could take that cloth from the Gibson and put it on a Katana and you would piss your pants over it. Do your due diligence. Stop disseminating bad information. There. Cogent enough for you? Understand now?
Waaaaay overpriced. You can just find an actual hand wired vintage skylark for like 500-600 bucks that sounds so much better. Or a used blues junior for $350 is a better option. I love low wattage tube amps but there are better options.
The build quality is high as only Mesa can/will do, the nostalgia factor is insane, and the tone is....mediocre at best. Those who pick their amps by either price or tone or both will decide that 1800 dollars (1500 for the 5 watter) is just too much money for the lackluster tone that these amps deliver. But if you put on your rose colored Nostalgia glasses and used to own an original Falcon, you might then see the value. I owned a Falcon, and I do not suffer from Nostalgia Myopia,, so even the glasses don't make it work for me.
The Falcons are straight crap. Four tubes hidden inside, mounted horizontally straight into a circuit board. Made by Mesa Boogie, famous for problems when the boards go conductive, yeah, it sounds good enough, looks good on the outside, but the "vibe" is hand-wired boutique, but it's made like crap.
2300€ for such a bad amplifier is a disgrace. These amplifiers have nothing to do with the originals from the 60s. The rectification is generated via diodes and not, as in the original, via a tube. The original from the 60s didn't use transistors either. The amplifier is screwed together cheaply, so it shouldn't last long. The components fixed with hot glue are also embarrassing. Even the Chinese can do this better, only with the effect that the amps then cost 75% less.
Why buy anything that is made in California, they have so high taxes that prices are much higher because of this, buy something that's not made there. Sad really because i may have bought one of those amps.
The Falcons are straight crap. Four tubes hidden inside, mounted horizontally straight into a circuit board. Made by Mesa Boogie, famous for problems when the boards go conductive, yeah, it sounds good enough, looks good on the outside, but the "vibe" is hand-wired boutique, but it's made like crap.
Crap amps. Pretty box, sounds good enough. "Boutique" look for all the brand snobs, but shite on the inside. Maye, maybe, if you sat this thing in one place and never moved it, you would never have a problem with the construction. Myself, I move my equipment around a lot when I go play with other people. I'll spend a fraction of what this overprices POS costs, on something that will last longer and sound better.
Why didn't you two geniuses take the back off, open it up, and look inside? There are four tubes hidden inside, and they are situated horizontally directly into a circuit board. Straight crap. Cheap as hell. For this price, there is no way it should be built like this. How can you call this amp "well put together" when you haven't looked inside? Yeah, it looks nice from the outside, but come on guys, do your homework better.
I really like you guys and sorry to say this, but a Monoprice 5 watt tube amp sounds better and for less than $150 dollars. It's ashamed, when I started watching this video, I thought, I want one and then you through out that outrageous price tag. Obviously geared toward people that can afford things like custom shop guitars. Anyway, I'm out!
Falcon 20. Price isn't too far off a Princeton?
I fell in love with it as soon as I tried it, but after seeing videos of technicians demonstrating major flaws in its design making it very difficult to repair. The fact that the tubes are mounted directly on the board horizontally also leaves me in doubt for an amp of this price.
It would be interesting to compare this to the Fender Vibro Champ Reverb, another 5 watt 6v6 amp
The upside with the Falcon 5 is that it’s cathode biased and can also take a 6L6GC. Downside is no tremolo/vibrato.
The Fender is very similarly built, put a decent alnico 10" in it and it is a better buy. The Falcon 5 watt sounds great but a pain to service so the Fender wins cos it's very similar and much more budget friendly.
It’s such a cool and nostalgic amp, I have one of the original Falcons from the 60’s. Can’t wait to get my hands on one of the new ones and compare.
Wow! This is great. Sounds great! My first amp was a Gibson, single channel no reverb, I would guess 12 watt? My second amp was a Gibson back with 2-10's two channel No reverb, reverb and tremolo. I don't remember what either model was. It's so good to see Gibson come back. Can't wait for the next demo. Betting they would be great in the studio and in the pit.
With amp modeling in its ascendancy, and with Fender offering WAAAAY more value for the money on the circuits embodied in these Gibson amps, I'm curious to see how many people are going to plunk down $1,500 for a 5-watt amp.
The same people that would buy a Swart Atomiic Jr. like me.
Totally agree. Think I’ll stick with my Blues Junior
The thousands of home players who never gig.
@@markmcdonald5711 I would rather buy a swart than this.
It is built like crap. Looks pretty, sounds decent, but overpriced and built like shit. Gibson fanboys and brand snobs everywhere will snatch there up and ultimately be sorry. Mounting tubes horizontally directly into a circuit board, won't last.
this will sell like crazy , i would take the 12 inch version though , more output , trem / verb ( with footswitch ) and also 1 /5 / 15 watt attenuation
Way back when my first amp was an Epiphone Pathfinder with a 12” speaker. This Gibson reminds me of that amp.
I love the old Gibson "Space Race" amps such as the Atlas. I have a Gibson "THOR" 2x10 bass amp which is a great tube amp. The speakers were crap, but with some Emminence 10"s it sounds like an Oliver. Much cleaner than an Ampeg B15.
I want the Falcon 20 and a Les Paul Special. I think they will sound GREAT together. Those P90s *need* an all-tube amp like this. And the look -- **chef's kiss** I love that retro vibe they've got going on. A TV Yellow Les Paul Special and one of these amps just *screams* the late 1950s to me. As soon as I can afford it, I'm buying both...
I too play a Les Paul special with P90s and I would have probably bought this 5 watt amp except it looks difficult to service as the small valves are PCB mounted which is a pain to work on
I think the Fender 68 vibro-champ with an alnico 10" will be a better buy ? Great tone though.
@@giulioluzzardi7632 Don't buy it. It's crap. Poorly contracted inside that pretty box. Please do your homework.
Soon we will be back to the Epiphone Tube 10. The affordable design.
And hopefully it will be built better than this crap amp. Good sounding, in a pretty box, built like shit.
Why not open one up (it’s just four screws) and show the circuit board with the preamp tubes mounted on the circuit board? That would make for a more complete review. These are highly over priced for circuit board amps.
The Falcons are straight crap. Four tubes hidden inside, mounted horizontally straight into a circuit board. Made by Mesa Boogie, famous for problems when the boards go conductive, yeah, it sounds good enough, looks good on the outside, but the "vibe" is hand-wired boutique, but it's made like crap.
For the same price you can get a 22w 65 Deluxe reverb. I think the Gibson might be overpriced.
Over on this side of the planet €1860 for the F.D.R
€ 2100 for the falcon 20
I think Both are overpriced
I was about to comment, for half the prize you can get a blues junior, and from what I heard when you pair it with a les Paul it sounds amazing, I was expecting the prize to be around the same $800 give or take a few, but 1.5k, I agree with you, extremely overpriced.
@@leandroferrini641 an amp tech has something up about them on you tube .. they have PCB mounted valves.. I think that would turn a lot of people off 'em ..
I absolutely love my Fender Blues jr. $600 bucks😅
$1499 for the 5? not trying to be a buzzkill, but i think this will only appeal to a small amount of players that are over 50 and want a cool retro amp without the headaches. i wonder if the low number of sales makes it worth it to put it into production. the 20 is not much more, maybe it will sell well.
Growing up, I had to have an old Fender, but was also drawn to old Gibson amps like the Skylark. When I built my first amp, it was a 5E3 Deluxe copy. In today's market, and with the prevalence of quieter stages, this release makes a lot of sense to me.
So, the Falcon 20 is a 12watt amp. What justifies the price compared to a Princeton?
These amps are not handwired! Take the back panel off!
The Falcons are straight crap. Four tubes hidden inside, mounted horizontally straight into a circuit board. Made by Mesa Boogie, famous for problems when the boards go conductive, yeah, it sounds good enough, looks good on the outside, but the "vibe" is hand-wired boutique, but it's made like crap.
Oh, man this series is going to sell well. I'm mainly a bass player and I think the Falcon 20 with it's 1-watt low setting would work in the house I live in. I have a Katana Artist that I use with my guitars and love dearly that I use mainly as a pedal platform, but this would be so cool to have. I have no doubt my Explorer and it would sound so good!
I wish that it had an effects loop.
I have a jazz chorus amp that I love and plan to keep, but it's too damned loud, so I've been looking at low-watt tube amps to crank in my bedroom. I was looking at supro amps, but this thing just made me rethink everything.
These are pretty limited in what they can do for the money. Check out the Harmony 6 series amps made by Heritage (former Gibson worker-owned company in the Kalamazoo plant) in the USA. Seem like great all-tube amps with power scaling down to 0.1W (and 0W for silent practice) for much less money. That H620 looks like a sweet deal at $650 with a TMB tone stack, and foot switchable Boost, Tremolo, Loop & Reverb. At only 20W max with two 6L6 tubes, I assume it's "near class A" cathode-biased like a Vox AC. So, mostly even-order amp section harmonics. Should be sweet. Heck, you could replace the stock Jensen Falcon speaker with an AlNiCo P12Q (for smoother highs and better 4kHz+ chime) and still save a fortune over one of these overpriced Gibsons.
All right guys .. do uou think valves mounted on a PCB board is a good idea 💡
The Falcons are straight crap. Four tubes hidden inside, mounted horizontally straight into a circuit board. Made by Mesa Boogie, famous for problems when the boards go conductive, yeah, it sounds good enough, looks good on the outside, but the "vibe" is hand-wired boutique, but it's made like crap.
@@trevorwilkins1796 the more I watch amp reviews I've realised they are not full reviews .. most unfortunately only talk about the sound.. which obviously is what an amp is all about .. but they should as they say " look under the hood " before recommending it as a great amp ..
Never had one problem with any of my amps with board mounted tubes.
It’s amazing how there are so many people online running around screaming “look inside” like their head is on fire. 🙄
Y’all sound like a broken record.
Very off topic - Where did Cooper land with his Jazzmaster? Stay with the Ultra, or did he go with the more true to the time '66?
❤ Love it ! Can't wait to get my hands on one ...
Don't do it. It's poorly constructed crap in a pretty box.
I feel that small combos need 12 inch speakers
Gibson all the sudden gets sued by Gretsch and Tone King for using the name Falcon…. Irony
I was kind of thinking that honestly
They had a Falcon model amp in the 60s so I think the suits will fail.
I have 63 FALCON , gretsch aint got a falcon amp
How so? I don't know about TK, but I don't recall Gretsch stepping on anything proprietary of Gibson's.
Fantastic review fella’s !! I know I want one too !!
Nailed it guys
Sorry. The amp is crap. Looks and sounds great, but built like crap. Do some homework.
@@trevorwilkins1796 im rich i dont care
Looks very tidy, sounds right. Bit pricey, but I like it.
Just saw a video on these amps from another channel. He didn’t have very nice nice things to say about the build quality, so I have a question… did you guys open it up and take a look inside before making this video? I know that you are not a nut’s and bolts review channel but you often speak about the build quality when talking about guitars. Maybe you should do the same when talking about other gear that you are selling. It leads to your creditability. If you are going to say something is good, then you should actually do a little digging into it before you make your videos. I’m hearing from people who actually work on amps and what I’m hearing is not good, especially at the price point that these amps are being offered. I’m disappointed with you two on this video and it makes me question all of your other videos!. People trust you to know what you are talking about when you promote a product, your customers deserve better. Thanks.
They won’t. They don’t care. These are the very definition of influencers that these company use for marketing. Yes there is money in it indirectly.
I think they are just recording a commerical. Obvously they will spend the least research time as possible, since their job is just to praise it anyways
Do you guys really think that it's that much better than a comparable Supro?
The price is too high I think!! I can get a Fender Deluxe Reverb for those prices!!!!!
I have a Les Paul Standard 60's. I'd for sure like to try the 20.
Someone please pull the back off of one of these amps and tell us what the circuit boards look like. Are they good, thick boards? They did the other stuff right - baltic birch cabinet, stainless steel control panel, etc. Please don’t let it be a cheap crap circuit board.
ahhhh yeah sorry to inform .....
These are hand wired why wouldn’t they be good?
@@charlesbolton8471
1) I have not been able to find a place where Gibson uses the term ‘hand wired’.
2) Hand wired is only as good as the circuit design, component selection, and skill of the operator doing the assembly.
@@randallsmith7885
It is on the back of the amp (can be seen in pictures on Gibson’s website).
I agree with your second point that it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good, but considering who designed it I think it’s safe to say it is probably at least a good design using at least mediocre components. Conceivably it could be a great design using above average components. At least both models sound appealing to me in the videos I’ve seen so far.
I also think it’s a fair price for American made amps with these particular features and if it is in fact hand wired that just adds to the value in my opinion. I can’t wait to play through one.
Apparently the valves are mounted on the PCB board ... @@charlesbolton8471
Nothing but the best of 1960s technology.
Waiting on my new Mark 5 I just purchased to get here. After seeing this video I want this now lol
$2500 Canadian!! For a 7 watt amp. There are many other good options out there for much less.
yeah, a lil rediculous.
It's a $300 dollar amp with a $1200 logo.
Can Carr and Gibson both use the name Skylark without lawyers getting involved? 😮
For the money these should be point to point wired like the originals.
no they cant compete with fender. at 1499.00 for the 5 watt and 1799.00 for the 12 watt priced at a rediculas price you can beat with 50 amps. i play a 76 twin reverb and 75 musicman 130hdm 2x12. doest compare to them
That sounds great but, Cooper, I’d need to know where I can buy one of those Deacon Blues t-shirts!
Beautiful looking amps .. but id be waiting to see what an amp tech has to say before getting one .. from what I've seen from you tube amp techs messa boogies aren't well made ..
Great guitar playing as usual 😎
The Falcons are straight crap. Four tubes hidden inside, mounted horizontally straight into a circuit board. Made by Mesa Boogie, famous for problems when the boards go conductive, yeah, it sounds good enough, looks good on the outside, but the "vibe" is hand-wired boutique, but it's made like crap.
Lots of channels promoting the new Falcon amps, but I searched for you guys for first info! I wasn't so surprised by the sound (or Cooper's playing :P ), but the pricing - completely unexpected. I over estimated by $1,000. I scored one of Bonamassa's Fender 1959 Twins, so I'm a big fan of simplicity, If the Twin wasn't so stupidly perfect for me, a Falcon would be on my list for 2024.
So your expected price was $500 and $800. Where are you finding brand new American made amps at that price especially with these features?
I’m not criticizing foreign made gear by any means. Something being American made definitely doesn’t automatically make it good, but it does make more expensive.
@@charlesbolton8471 No - you went the wrong way - I was expecting a much steeper $2,500+ Since I mentioned the JB 59 Twin, I suggest that you look into it's pricing (American Made, hand-wired) to understand where I was coming from.
@@RocktCityTim
I just misread your comment. I thought it said “under estimated ”, but clearly you said over estimated. Most people were criticizing the price just like they do with everything Gibson does.
That JB Tweed Twin is one fine amp and the rarity of them will ensure that they not only maintain their value but will likely increase in value. I wish I could have gotten one. I love Tweed Fender amps real ones, Fender Reissues, and clones from other companies especially Victoria.
7 watts out of a single 6V6 tube cathode biased? Better keep a spare power tube handy cause your gonna smoke that fire bottle twice a year. I'm one to talk because I tend to bias output tubes within spitting distance of the red plate region, but even I wouldn't push a V that hard. In fairness, all guitar amp builders push tubes past recommended specs and the new Gibson sounds good, it will come but at a price.
To me, maybe it's the RUclips video, but to my ears, that thing does not sound good. Like it has a blown speaker or something. Seems too distorted. The concept of the attenuators is good, but for $1500?....I'll stick with my Bues Jr IV.
I always love Cooper's playing.
Well, y'all managed to get Roasted pretty badly by Brad the Guitologist on this episode..
That guys a tool. 🙄
@@allend3127 Perhaps. Still doesn't make him wrong topically on influencers not giving the complete picture of the wares their promoting.
@allend3127 It makes sense corporate shills would call non shills tools. Otherwise people would actually be able to tell Gibson products just aren’t worth their prices.
When gibson takes over a company It gives me concern. At one time I was the biggest Gibson fan ever, they could do no worng but over the years my confidence in them as a company and their ethos has hit rock bottom. This doesn't give me confidence to buy their products. But I really enjoyed your review, thanks for doing a good job.
Little bit pricey for a PCB circuit board amp.
Great video, you guys are awesome hah!
I'm going to need to wait a little while but I'm definitely going to have to buy one of these... one of these days 👍
PS - If my wife watches this, she'd say 'Sure, I'll buy you one when you can play like him ( Cooper ), With that being said I'll be buying it myself because that's just never going to happen lol!
Choke on it! $1799 converted is $2734 Australian....listed in Aus as $4999?? explain please!
i'll buy you one, and give it to you for 2200 plus shipping american
So is there going to be a 5, 10 and 20 watt?
Just wait until folks start to open this thing up and see how it's built. Notice all the reviewers DO NOT take the back off, wondering why? What are they hiding? For Gibson to charge $1800 for this turd should be a crime. Don't hate until you do your research...
Probably because they know it's an overpriced piece of crap.
Sounds awesome, great demo.
The Falcon is $4000 Australian , but $1500 US .
Why does Australia have to pay so much more?
Good question!
Vib,in on the color .... sounded low fi which I like but the sound may have been muffled by Chris's monster beard growth!!!
The 20 has tremolo
Is this made in the boogie factory?
Yes!
Buy a boogie
Lower that price by about -$1250 and I'll consider it
I subscribe because I like witty banter.
I hear a weird farty sound on some of those muted notes. Seems to lack clean headroom through humbuckers. $1400 yikes, Mesa pricing.
With that money I’ll get a Morgan, revv or victory.
just the right amount of breakup
For those prices they should atleast be hand wired sockets and pots.
Now that's awesome!!! I
Good work guys, I want one too!
I remember plugging a guitar into an old cassette deck, turning the levels all the way up, and getting that exact sound.
No thanks.
What I like about these is if people get used to paying $1500 for one of these pc board amps - many of which will be in the dumpster within 10 years, I should be able to get $8-10k for a point-to-point actual lifetime handmade amp that will be around in 100 years that I could make for about $800 in parts. These reissue amps will not always be repairable, they are disposable amps, like a BIC lighter. Thanks Gibson!
Until Ceriatone and Wangs increase their prices, p2p amps aren’t going up in price. Those are too well built for their current price tags.
Guys I’ll stick with my Fender’s. They are twice the quality of that other brand. If a company is going to make the claim it’s a classic, then it should be built like a classic. I generally really like your commentary but not this time around. By the way Cooper I own an old Rickenbacker 12 string and an old AC-30 and it’s definitely not for everyone. One word for your tone today muddy.
The Falcons are straight crap. Four tubes hidden inside, mounted horizontally straight into a circuit board. Made by Mesa Boogie, famous for problems when the boards go conductive, yeah, it sounds good enough, looks good on the outside, but the "vibe" is hand-wired boutique, but it's made like crap.
Check out the price tag on that experiment lol
I'm not sure where you guys stand on this amp... If you don't want it, I'll take it:)
I'll take my Peavey Classic 30 over any Gibson or Fender amp made.
That's a lot of scratch for what are essentially one-trick-ponies, all because of the Gibson name. Mesa-Boogie were legendary amps for good reason. At one point they were built with multiple overlapping PCBs that made them very difficult to repair. I can't see paying that much for such a basic amp, and that full-on overdrive sound can be had with any number of fuzz pedals. I'm liking the Revv D40 in the same price range for sound quality and usable versatility, although I don't know how reparable they are.
Nice 👍
Looks good and sounds good!
They should do a deal with Elon Musk and bring a bass version out called the - Falcon Heavy. 👍
DUDE these coments must be paid well HAHA
Don’t sell the Vox and the Rickenbacker.
As expected, massively overpriced. Far better options out there. It's all in the logo.
You have got to be kidding me. Apparently you guys either 1) Don't know how a good amp is really built or 2) You just don't care about your customers. These amps are waaaay overpriced garbage!!!! $1500 for a circuit board single ended 6v6? NUTS! If you want to throw your money away, be my guest. You would be way ahead to buy a REAL 60's era Falcon off of Reverb for half the price and it would last another 50 years. These new Gibsons will be lucky to last 5 years.
The Falcons are straight crap. Four tubes hidden inside, mounted horizontally straight into a circuit board. Made by Mesa Boogie, famous for problems when the boards go conductive, yeah, it sounds good enough, looks good on the outside, but the "vibe" is hand-wired boutique, but it's made like crap.
@@trevorwilkins1796 Amen to that!
@@trevorwilkins1796 Really making the most out of that copy and paste there. If you’re going to run around screaming about this amp, at least be original, or put some creativity into it.
.@@allend3127 Here's something original and creative for you. This amp is not what it seems. Gibson continues to produce overpriced products for guitar (and now amp) snobs who care more about the logo than the actual performance of said product. I was recently in a well established music store, employed by musicians and luthiers with decades of experience, who concurred that the horizontal mounting of tubes directly to a circuit board is a recipe for disaster, and not longevity. Gibson fanboys, like yourself, just look at the pretty cabinet with the vintage vibe, and don't bother to check out the innards, and mislead a lot of people, who will waste their hard earned money that would be better spent on a Boss Katana, or even a used Peavey Bandit. You put yourself out there like you know what you're talking about, but you're blinded by the light of the Gibson logo. Hoodwinked. Bamboozled. I would love if it were cool, and worth the money, but it is overpriced, even if it was good quality for what it is, and poorly constructed. People who get all gaga over a cool, "boutique" looking amp, with out checking it out thoroughly, are doing a disservice to the community. Do you homework. Investigate a little further than the grill cloth. I could take that cloth from the Gibson and put it on a Katana and you would piss your pants over it. Do your due diligence. Stop disseminating bad information.
There. Cogent enough for you? Understand now?
Can you play a fender Stratocaster thru it?😂
Waaaaay overpriced. You can just find an actual hand wired vintage skylark for like 500-600 bucks that sounds so much better. Or a used blues junior for $350 is a better option. I love low wattage tube amps but there are better options.
Stepping in lockstep with the folks who pay you for the reviews. Please stop this guys.
I usually don’t comment on price but give me a break
damn thats pricy >
Are you kidding? Have you seen the board on that amp. Chris, buddy, you better look around for some credibility my friend. You've misplaced it.
The build quality is high as only Mesa can/will do, the nostalgia factor is insane, and the tone is....mediocre at best. Those who pick their amps by either price or tone or both will decide that 1800 dollars (1500 for the 5 watter) is just too much money for the lackluster tone that these amps deliver. But if you put on your rose colored Nostalgia glasses and used to own an original Falcon, you might then see the value. I owned a Falcon, and I do not suffer from Nostalgia Myopia,, so even the glasses don't make it work for me.
The Falcons are straight crap. Four tubes hidden inside, mounted horizontally straight into a circuit board. Made by Mesa Boogie, famous for problems when the boards go conductive, yeah, it sounds good enough, looks good on the outside, but the "vibe" is hand-wired boutique, but it's made like crap.
the design of these amps are garbage. nothing like the old ones.
The guts of this amp look like a poorly designed product. Certainly not worth $1,799. It looks like a Chinese made TEMU product.
2300€ for such a bad amplifier is a disgrace. These amplifiers have nothing to do with the originals from the 60s.
The rectification is generated via diodes and not, as in the original, via a tube.
The original from the 60s didn't use transistors either.
The amplifier is screwed together cheaply, so it shouldn't last long. The components fixed with hot glue are also embarrassing.
Even the Chinese can do this better, only with the effect that the amps then cost 75% less.
Why buy anything that is made in California, they have so high taxes that prices are much higher because of this, buy something that's not made there. Sad really because i may have bought one of those amps.
🙄
Can't wait for all amp companies to sue Gibson 😂🎉
These are an overpriced joke.
Better off buying a real vintage one even if you have to fix it up!
The Falcons are straight crap. Four tubes hidden inside, mounted horizontally straight into a circuit board. Made by Mesa Boogie, famous for problems when the boards go conductive, yeah, it sounds good enough, looks good on the outside, but the "vibe" is hand-wired boutique, but it's made like crap.
👍🏻👌🏻
These are Mesa Boogie amps, with a Gibson badge. how stupid are people?
These ain’t Mesa boogie amps by no stretch of the imagination. Be not fooled.
Crap amps. Pretty box, sounds good enough. "Boutique" look for all the brand snobs, but shite on the inside. Maye, maybe, if you sat this thing in one place and never moved it, you would never have a problem with the construction. Myself, I move my equipment around a lot when I go play with other people. I'll spend a fraction of what this overprices POS costs, on something that will last longer and sound better.
I am sure they can compete with any of those terrible reissue amps that sound like a bad fuzzbox.
Sounds great. Overpriced.
I agree. Sounds great. What would you recommend for the price point?
US made? You mean like Boeing? 😁
Why didn't you two geniuses take the back off, open it up, and look inside? There are four tubes hidden inside, and they are situated horizontally directly into a circuit board. Straight crap. Cheap as hell. For this price, there is no way it should be built like this. How can you call this amp "well put together" when you haven't looked inside? Yeah, it looks nice from the outside, but come on guys, do your homework better.
Gibson has ruined Mesa Engineering.
I really like you guys and sorry to say this, but a Monoprice 5 watt tube amp sounds better and for less than $150 dollars. It's ashamed, when I started watching this video, I thought, I want one and then you through out that outrageous price tag. Obviously geared toward people that can afford things like custom shop guitars. Anyway, I'm out!
Check out the inside. This "Falcon" is a piece of junk with a _really_ bad design.