The Gretsch White Falcon was never intended as a production model guitar and yet it is still produced today. Originally debuted in 1954 at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) it was meant as a show piece and was dubbed "The Guitar of the Future". The overwhelming interest shown at the NAMM forced Gretsch to reconsider and it hit the stores in 1955.
The original cost of the Falcon was $600. Today the new version sells from $1500 to as high as $4,000 (this is just shy of $4123, the inflation adjusted price of $600 in 1955).
The Vintage White Falcon was produced from 1954 to 1981 and the modern White Falcon was re-introduced in 1995 some versions still use the 6136 model number from the original 1954 guitar.
Wikipedia has a very in depth article on the White Falcon.
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