Falcon Blue Acoustic Guitar -Is it for you? (Falcon Blue Acoustic Guitar)

Member Name: Caveat-Emptor

Product:	Falcon Blue Acoustic Guitar
Date:	21/06/09 (117 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Definite value for money.

Disadvantages: Good chance you'll 'outgrow' the Falcon if you become a serious guitarist.

A Guide To The Falcon Blue Acoustic Guitar - by an experienced guitarist.

I spent a fair few years working in guitar shops before moving on to other pursuits, so feel I may be able to shed a little light onto the confusing world of this budget acoustic guitar, and address some of the issues that can be so confusing to the budding, beginner guitarist...

...And there it is, the big clue a clue to both the Falcon Acoustic Guitar's strength and it's weakness right there in my opening paragraph; this guitar is definitely a beginners instrument -or for the occasional hobbyist.

So, if you're a pro musician, looking to pick up a stunning 'axe' (slang for guitar -lol!!) this is really not the guitar for you. But, if you are a beginner, or occasional hobbyist, you might find the following information useful when considering whether or not to shell out your hard earned money...

THE GUITAR ITSELF
Firstly, it's an adult size guitar - so if you're under about 14 years old or particularly small for your age - you're not going to be comfortable. So whether your 13 or 73, as long as you're not too slight of build -you'll be fine...

The guitar is a 'jumbo' design -which is just guitar speak for it has a relatively thick body. This is good in terms of sound because it produces plenty of volume, along with an extended bass response. The downside is that it can be quite a long reach for smaller people to get their arm over the guitar to play the instrument. Some people find the jumbo body shape of the Falcon Guitar uncomfortable to play - which brings us back to the original point about this guitar being not so well suited to smaller people . (Don't worry there are loads of thinner bodied guitars out there, if you find a 'jumbo' guitar uncomfortable, but the trade off is that a thinner body won't produce quite as full a sound).

The design of the Falcon is pretty standard;
There are six strings, with six corresponding die cast tuners on the headstock (the end of the neck), which rotate to raise/lower the pitch of each string to the required pitch. (There are plenty of cheap tuning devices on the market so don't worry if you have no idea how to tune the instrument). Incidentally, for safety's sake, do please keep the guitar angled away from your eyes/face (and anyone else's face) when tuning the Falcon just in case a string breaks. String breakages are not a fault of the Falcon; they can happen on any guitar...

The strings fitted to the Falcon are bronze wound steel strings of approximately .12 (light) gauge - and the bronze strings certainly enhance the sound with plenty of warmth and sparkle. How long will the strings last? That's a tricky one -lol!! But what I can tell you is that if you wipe the strings off after every time you've finished playing the guitar -they'll last an awful lot longer!

(Guitar strings are widely available and quite cheap - usually well under a tenner for a great set). Incidentally when it comes time to change the strings (because they've broken, or sound and look dull), if you're not sure how to do it -do take advice before fitting them (or get your local music shop to do it for a small fee), as poorly fitted guitar strings will spoil the sound and can make the guitar very difficult to tune accurately.

The neck of the Falcon is glued into the body (as is common with most acoustic guitars), and this a good solid way of constructing a guitar that offers, in theory, improved sustain (length the note will play after being plucked). There is a metal rod that runs through the neck lengthwise -called a truss rod - which is adjustable with an allen key. The truss rod is used to correct any bends in the neck. Unless you're experienced in setting up guitars (and if you are you probably shouldn't be buying a Falcon - so stop reading this -lol!!) it really best to leave the Falcon's truss rod alone - unless/until you've learned about truss rods - as incorrect setting can damage the neck. (You can always ask your local music shop/experienced guitar playing friend to check the truss rod for you every once in a while -though they seldom need adjusting).

The body itself is well braced internally (the struts inside the body that hold everything together and give rigidity), there's a plastic scratch plate which helps protect the instrument from over enthusiastic strumming, and the top of the guitar (the 'top' is the sound board of the Falcon; the bit with the large circular sound hole in it -the soundboard is most important part of the guitar for turning the vibration from the Falcon's strings into audible sound) is a laminate design (expensive pro acoustic guitars all have solid, 1 piece design 'tops' as they produce even better sound results), which, given the modest price tag of the Falcon, produces a more than adequate tone that should easily satisfy the beginners or occasional hobbyists ear...but will probably leave a pro musician fairly unimpressed.

The beautiful blue finish of the Falcon is one place it certainly scores points - for this price it really is surprisingly good, though not spectacular.

Playability of the Falcon is really down to the action (with a little help from the aforementioned truss rod). Action -is the height of the strings above the fret board - if the action is too low, strings will buzz against the metal frets, but if the action is too high it can be difficult to push the strings down to play the instrument.

When bought from new -the danger is that the Falcon's action may be set too high (or occasionally too low), this is usually easily remedied by slackening off the strings, removing the plastic saddle, that lives on top of the wooden bridge a few inches down from the sound hole.

If the action is too high - check inside the thin saddle slot of the Falcon (after removing it -being sure to take note of which end is which so you don't accidentally put it back the wrong way around -lol!!), 9 times out of 10 you'll see that there's another piece of plastic wedged in there. Try taking this other piece of plastic out (you'll need a very thin screwdriver etc to get at it) and then replacing the saddle you took out; and hey presto!! you now have a lower action, and hopefully a much more comfortable guitar to play.

Conversely, if the action is too low (rare) try finding/shaping a thin sliver of plastic to pop under the Falcon's saddle (obviously you need to temporarily take the saddle out first) -when you put the saddle back in the slot (on top of the thin sliver of plastic) the action will be higher -and hopefully the buzzing will be gone...

If these simple tips don't improve a poor action, or if in any doubt -just talk to your local guitar repairer/ shop etc...

LONGTERM OUTLOOK; Can you upgrade this guitar at all? Yes, you can add a pick up and turn it into an electro-acoustic instrument that will plug into an amplifier -there are many available that will fit the Falcon, you can also customize the Falcon slightly by adding a different scratch plate, or add a second strap button very cheaply if you want to play standing up using a guitar strap...

On the other hand; if you become serious about your guitar playing - you will undoubtedly outgrow this guitar, and want something a little more up market. That doesn't mean you shouldn't start out on a budget guitar though -many, many great players did, so you're in good company...

IN CONCLUSION -
If you're looking for a breathtaking, world class acoustic guitar - forget it, the Falcon wouldn't even register on the scale...

- but if you're after an easy, wallet/purse friendly way to try out that guitar playing hobby that you've been putting off for ages -because of the start up costs, (or because you were worried you might not keep up with your new hobby and the guitar will end up in the shed with your push bike) then I think the Falcon war designed, priced and marketed with you in mind...

...and I suspect that you're probably going to be very happy with it - and it is undeniably a lot of guitar for the money.

Hope you found my review useful and informative -good luck with your bargain hunting!!

Best wishes,
Brett

Summary: Bargain budget guitar best bought by beginners!!