Talledega

[lastchild]

what is the story on the Talledega ,found a nice one for sale and can't find much info?

[LucSulla]

They are kind of a mashup between a tele and a Les Paul, with the initial Tallys being more on the tele side (on steroids) and the Pros having more LP DNA. Both are 25.5" scale. The Tally has humbucker-sized Duncan "Double D" P-90-style pickups in them with a four way switch so you get bridge, parallel, neck, series. They both have V-shaped necks, though I believe on Pros have a softer profile (this isn't universal - I have some kind of custom order Tally that is a V but is much softer than my other Tally). 

I love them. I take two or three guitars with me to a gig depending on how long we plan to play and the stage size, but find I often just live on a Tally all night if it is one of them. One of mine has the Double Ds, the other has WCR Cherrybuckers in it. While I've never played a Tally Pro, I can verify that that they sound good with the P90s or humbuckers in them. They just sit really nicely in a mix live, filling things out or punching through as needed. 

I wouldn't hesitate at all to buy one for a good price to see what you think. They are great guitars and very much their own kind of thing. With the P90s, they will do things somewhat in the tele universe, though I find them to kind of be like the G&L ASATS with those jumbo MFDs. They aren't hifi like the G&Ls, but you have to dial them in a bit to countrify the sound, like those G&Ls. What they really want to do is rock and roll. Get some gain on them, and they rip. With humbuckers, they really sing and have a nice, warm character to them without being muddy. The body is chambered I believe, which may have something to do with that woodiness. 

I regretted selling the first one I had so much that I ended up with two when I finally had the money to correct the silliness of getting rid of mine. I've owned the better part of Hamer's post-80s lineup after they moved away from super strats (though I've owned a couple of those too), and for me, the Studios and Tallys are the two models that I have kept because I just enjoy them so much. 

[django49]

Cuz they came late in the history and not a lot were made, esp the Tally Pro. If you search this site (or elsewhere on line) you should be able to get a lot of good info.

(I owned several, but no longer have any of them).

[django49]

Good review!

FWIW, the Talladega PRO might have been the best Hamer ever. Unfortunately, they made very few. Impossible to pin down, but I would guess maybe 25.

According to the lore, it was an attempt to go upmarket emulating the Nik Huber Dolphin. At that time, the economy was tanking and Hamer ended up shuttering. Perhaps it would have succeeded if there had been a different environment.  But (IMO) it did not quite match up to the Huber. YMMV.

IMO, the best of the 3 I owned (tone wise, if not LOOKS) had been modded with Lollar Imperial pickups. But when I DID get my first Dolphin, I decided to cut the Tally Pros loose.

BTW, Jol Dantzig has carried on post-Hamer. One of his models (Tulsa) is very much like the Tally Pro. I am attaching a link to one of them that is listed for sale by a reputable seller. It should give you an idea of what the original was all about. (Probably a fair price, but I am not looking to add at this point). 

https://rebel-guitars.com/preowned-jol-dantzig-guitars-tulsa-in-blood-red/

http://rebel-guitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/jol-dantzig-guitars-tulsa-blood-red-935-1.jpg

[hamerhead]

Jeez, what's wrong with you guys - the Pro used a wraparound tailpiece while the non-Pro used a SUSTAIN BLOCK, the last new model to do so.

[duncans]

On 9/18/2026 at 4:55 PM, lastchild said:

what is the story on the Talledega ,found a nice one for sale and can't find much info?

Care to share where if you decide not to?

Edited 12 hours ago by duncans