Any Talladega Pro owners here?

[MarkF786]

I'm really close to pulling the trigger on buying a Tally Pro but I haven't been able to find much information about them on the Internet - even on here and TGP So I was hoping there are some owners here that could answer a few questions and give their general opinions on the guitar.

So some specific questions:

- What are the pickups like? All I've been able to glean are that they are custom wound SD humbuckers, and apparently they are unpotted. But no one says what the sound like, what type of magnets are used, etc. In my Monaco Elite, I installed Seth Lovers which sound great; I generally prefer a warm vintage pickup to a hot pickup.

- How does the sound of the Tally Pro compare to other Hamers? I have a chambered Monaco Elite and I wonder if the sound would be very similar. I've seen other people ask how them compare to the Monaco Superpro since they are similar guitars, but so far it seems no one has had the chance to compare them.

- How good is the intonation considering it's a basic wrap-around? I'd probably replace it with a Pigtail adjustable wraparound (actually, I have one coming to me in the mail for a different guitar).

Any other thoughts about the Tally Pro?

Kind regards,

Mark

[MarkF786]

Doesn't ANYONE own a Talladega Pro?

[MarkF786]

Since no one spoke up I figured I'd have to try one for myself

I've got an Iced Tea Talladega Pro coming my way, bought through elduave @ Rocketeria!

I'll share some pictures and a review once I receive it.

Kind regards,

Mark

[hectorp]

Look forward to hearing the review.

I believe this is the first two tone/two volume Hamer...

which allows you to do cool pickup blends (bridge volume/tone on 10 with neck volume on 2 and tone on 0)....etc.

I love the pickups in my Elite...in fact, it's the only Hamer I recall ever getting that I had absolutely no desire to modify in any way.

[elduave]

Thanks for the biz, Mark! I saw that Jol's Facebook has been updated recently with some Tally stuff. Check it out...

[MarkF786]

Different strokes for different folks

I used to like having the four controls, but now I'm happy with just one tone & volume like on the Newport. I've found that though I like the idea of extra options for tweaking, in the end I just need basic controls. Playing synths really enforced this point after owning option-monsters like the Korg Oasys; I knew how to program the thing based on years of experience in synthesis, but I wasted more time tweaking than playing.

With my Monaco Elite pickups I've had mixed opinions. I changed them to Seth Lovers which I loved, then I went back to stock, which again I really liked but then at times I didn't, so I went back to the Seth Lovers. In a thread on the Seymour Duncan webpage Jol said that the neck pickup needs to be lowered for optimum sound so maybe I'll try that sometime in the future.

I'm really curious to see what the Tally Pro pickups sound like. From my vague recollection, one review said they were not good for jazz but rather rock oriented, but another review said they had a warm jazz sound. My personal preference is for something warm, not overly bright, and not high-output. I play mostly clean and the rest of the time a heavy distortion/fuzz with the tone rolled back to get a violin-like sound.

Mark

Look forward to hearing the review.

I believe this is the first two tone/two volume Hamer...

which allows you to do cool pickup blends (bridge volume/tone on 10 with neck volume on 2 and tone on 0)....etc.

I love the pickups in my Elite...in fact, it's the only Hamer I recall ever getting that I had absolutely no desire to modify in any way.

[sw686blue]

I think you're the 1st on this board with a Tally Pro. Congrats on the new guitar!

And we want pictures!

[gorch]

The Pro's still seem to be rare though. I have the impression there are many more guys in the HFC that tried or still own the Tally without the pro.

That leads me to the thought that the Pro does not offer that much new.

[ArnieZ]

Timing has a lot to do with this, I think. The Pro was not available when I bought my Tally and I certainly would have considered it. The economy has really cut into disposable income and there are not many dealers with Pros in stock. I love my Hamers as much as anyone but would not want to take the hit on a resale of a new Tally Pro if it had to be moved. A few years ago, I would have taken the chance. Wouldn't have liked taking the hit, but I would have taken the chance

ArnieZ

[elduave]

...the Pro does not offer that much new.

I'm sure it offers more than your post.

Seriously. Why would you put that on a thread where a guy mentions he has a TallyPro on the way? Why piss in his Cheerios?

[atquinn]

Congratulations on the incoming Tally Pro Mark! Have you ever played the "regular" model? If so, I'd be interested in knowing is the neck carve is any different. I'd love to get a Tally Pro someday, but I have another acquisition on the way that's going to wipe out (and then some!) my guitar buying funds for a while. As far as information on the pickups, you might want to contact Hamer directly. From what I understand, they're "PAF'y", but I would think they'd be able to let you know specifics such as magnet type and resistance.

-Austin

[MarkF786]

Ah, I'm not really bothered. For someone who already owns a Talladega, they might not find it worthwhile to get a Pro too (though there are several differences between the two). But a first time Tally buyer has two models to choose from; based off of the specs, what I'm looking for, and what I already have, I decided the Tally Pro was a better fit. If I wanted a regular Tally, it would have been easy to buy one of the few great used ones currently for sale. I'm sure there are a few Tally owners who would have chosen instead the Tally Pro if it were available at the time

...the Pro does not offer that much new.

I'm sure it offers more than your post.

Seriously. Why would you put that on a thread where a guy mentions he has a TallyPro on the way? Why piss in his Cheerios?

[zenmindbeginner]

What was the price difference between the two?

[GaryT]

Congrads on your purchase.

Hey, these are Excellent electrics, nothing but Good Wishs for ya here.

I want to know how the two bridges sound in comparison? I'm assuming the Compensated must be pretty damn good if Jol upgraded the Tally with it? I always liked Sustain Blocks, I find "this" difference in the two Tallys fascinating. IMHO the of the appointments are just cosmedic.

I hear you with the Dual Knobs also. Without a doubt there are a couple secondary Tones you could cop with Duals that you can't cop with a Master Volume and Tone. But I dig my Newport so much as it is that its a no-issue.

What I am getting ready to do with the Newport is change the Controls around. I need the Switch closer than it is and I need the Tone knob closer. The Volume is the one that could be farther away IMO. I'm just not positive if the Switch is gonna go in the first or second position. I'm afraid the switch in the first position may look the best, but I may hit it out of position with my hand?

Anyway, I like your Style! Good Luck with your Axe!

[Always Broke]

I just started checkin out the boards again, and I'm sorry I didn't reply to this sooner. Yes, I have actually owned a Talladega Pro before, and like you I have a Monaco Elite. Build-wise the Pro is typical Hamer, meaning impeccable. Binding, finishing, hardware (heck, I liked the TonePros/Klusons so much I thought about putting them on my Elite just for laughs).

Anyway, I'd say the Elite is definitely the more rock oriented of the two, and like you I've thought about switching the pickups to get to a different sound, then I realize I have other guitars for that. The main thing that bothered me about the Pro was the V-shaped neck. For the life of me, I could not get over it. I'm a fan of a substantial neck profile, but damn, whenever I played it my brain kept nagging about it.

Soundwise, it was a lot clearer than the Elite, and sang more, whilst the Elite ROARS with the stock pickups. I apologize for the brevity there, I'm not very good with the adjectives and tone lingo

[MarkF786]

I must say I'm a little leery about the non-intonated wraparound since I'm very meticulous about guitar setup. But I have a Pigtail intonatable wraparound on hand to swap it with. I ordered it for my Koll Superior, but I might put it on my Tally Pro instead. The only problem is it's chrome and I think the Tally Pro hardware is nickel, but we'll see. And actually, the Pigtail's chrome doesn't seem as blue as most chrome, so it might work anyway. Otherwise I'll try to exchange it for a nickel one.

I'll let you know.

I want to know how the two bridges sound in comparison? I'm assuming the Compensated must be pretty damn good if Jol upgraded the Tally with it? I always liked Sustain Blocks, I find "this" difference in the two Tallys fascinating. IMHO the of the appointments are just cosmedic.

[veatch]

I must say I'm a little leery about the non-intonated wraparound since I'm very meticulous about guitar setup. But I have a Pigtail intonatable wraparound on hand to swap it with. I ordered it for my Koll Superior, but I might put it on my Tally Pro instead. The only problem is it's chrome and I think the Tally Pro hardware is nickel, but we'll see. And actually, the Pigtail's chrome doesn't seem as blue as most chrome, so it might work anyway. Otherwise I'll try to exchange it for a nickel one.

I'll let you know.

I want to know how the two bridges sound in comparison? I'm assuming the Compensated must be pretty damn good if Jol upgraded the Tally with it? I always liked Sustain Blocks, I find "this" difference in the two Tallys fascinating. IMHO the of the appointments are just cosmedic.

Try it with the wrap for a while. You might be surprised.

[MarkF786]

What sort of music do you play, bro? Mostly clean or distorted? For distortion or overdrive, the Elite's stock Custom & Custom/Custom pickups kick ass, but I mostly play clean and for that the Seth Lovers sound better. I wish I had read Jol's comment that the neck pickup needs to be further away since I mostly play clean using the neck pickup and that's where I wasn't crazy about the stock pickups. Maybe someday I'll try the stock pickups again.

I really don't think I'll mind the neck. My D'Pergo strat has a thick soft V (though it's offset to fit the hand better) and I love it. My Ovation has a hard V, and though it's not my favorite neck, it doesn't bother me. Really out of the many guitars I've owned over the years, I can usually adapt to their different neck shapes easily. I guess the one thing I've learned is that I do prefer a thick neck, though I'm still happy playing Parker guitars with a fairly thin, fast neck.

And on another note, I switched to solid nickel strings a few months ago and they make a huge difference in sound. If you're looking for a warm vintage sound, I highly recommend them. If you want a bright modern sound, stick with steel.

And finally, on Gibson scale guitars, 11s sound much better. The difference is amazing. On Fender scale guitars, 10s are great - and the tension between the two are similar.

Well, the guitar just arrived so it's time to check it out.

Mark

I just started checkin out the boards again, and I'm sorry I didn't reply to this sooner. Yes, I have actually owned a Talladega Pro before, and like you I have a Monaco Elite. Build-wise the Pro is typical Hamer, meaning impeccable. Binding, finishing, hardware (heck, I liked the TonePros/Klusons so much I thought about putting them on my Elite just for laughs).

Anyway, I'd say the Elite is definitely the more rock oriented of the two, and like you I've thought about switching the pickups to get to a different sound, then I realize I have other guitars for that. The main thing that bothered me about the Pro was the V-shaped neck. For the life of me, I could not get over it. I'm a fan of a substantial neck profile, but damn, whenever I played it my brain kept nagging about it.

Soundwise, it was a lot clearer than the Elite, and sang more, whilst the Elite ROARS with the stock pickups. I apologize for the brevity there, I'm not very good with the adjectives and tone lingo

[MarkF786]

What sort of music do you play, bro? Mostly clean or distorted? For distortion or overdrive, the Elite's stock Custom & Custom/Custom pickups kick ass, but I mostly play clean and for that the Seth Lovers sound better. I wish I had read Jol's comment that the neck pickup needs to be further away since I mostly play clean using the neck pickup and that's where I wasn't crazy about the stock pickups. Maybe someday I'll try the stock pickups again.

I really don't think I'll mind the neck. My D'Pergo strat has a thick soft V (though it's offset to fit the hand better) and I love it. My Ovation has a hard V, and though it's not my favorite neck, it doesn't bother me. Really out of the many guitars I've owned over the years, I can usually adapt to their different neck shapes easily. I guess the one thing I've learned is that I do prefer a thick neck, though I'm still happy playing Parker guitars with a fairly thin, fast neck.

And on another note, I switched to solid nickel strings a few months ago and they make a huge difference in sound. If you're looking for a warm vintage sound, I highly recommend them. If you want a bright modern sound, stick with steel.

And finally, on Gibson scale guitars, 11s sound much better. The difference is amazing. On Fender scale guitars, 10s are great - and the tension between the two are similar.

Well, the guitar just arrived so it's time to check it out.

Mark

I just started checkin out the boards again, and I'm sorry I didn't reply to this sooner. Yes, I have actually owned a Talladega Pro before, and like you I have a Monaco Elite. Build-wise the Pro is typical Hamer, meaning impeccable. Binding, finishing, hardware (heck, I liked the TonePros/Klusons so much I thought about putting them on my Elite just for laughs).

Anyway, I'd say the Elite is definitely the more rock oriented of the two, and like you I've thought about switching the pickups to get to a different sound, then I realize I have other guitars for that. The main thing that bothered me about the Pro was the V-shaped neck. For the life of me, I could not get over it. I'm a fan of a substantial neck profile, but damn, whenever I played it my brain kept nagging about it.

Soundwise, it was a lot clearer than the Elite, and sang more, whilst the Elite ROARS with the stock pickups. I apologize for the brevity there, I'm not very good with the adjectives and tone lingo

[moozak]

I must say I'm a little leery about the non-intonated wraparound since I'm very meticulous about guitar setup...

you'll probably be surprised at how well the wrap tail works... i am meticulous as well and i like 'em!... and keep in mind that Jon Herrington has a Tally Pro with a wrap tail as well.

there's one little catch that i learned with wrap tails though... and you might want to be aware of it. if you put the string in (where the ball end seats into the bridge) and then wrap it over the top of the bridge... you'll notice that the string twist (the part that twisted around the ball end) sits near or on top of the crown of the bridge. this causes weird string sounds and tuning issues because the string needs to break cleanly over the crown.

SO... here's a trick that i've done for a long time with wrap tails: cut the ball ends off and old set of strings and and save them. then, thread your new strings thru them... using them as spacers (one for each string is all you need). this will allow the ball end of the string to stick out a little from the base of the bridge just a bit allowing you to wrap the string cleanly over the top of the bridge without getting into the twisted part of the string. now the string itself - not the twisted part - will have a nice clean break over the crown of the bridge. this will really help. it's an old trick that a lot of wrap tail players do (or used to do years ago... hey, i'm an old guy ok? lol)

other than that... the wrap tail intonates surprisingly well and also has a certain tone to it that is just killer! i'm sure you'll like it! once you get used to a wrap tail, they're really solid and very reliable. just restring and go... nothing moves (just make sure you change one string at a time so you can keep it in place).

oh... one more tip... if you have to intonate just a bit... remember TAKE PRESSURE OFF THE STRINGS before you turn the screw to the right (which pushes the bridge outward away from the post). if you don't you can strip the screw as you're pushing against a lot of tension with the strings tuned up. of course, going the opposite way (turning the screw inward) is not as big of a deal because it's relaxing the tension.

hope these tips help you a bit... trust me, you'll like the wrap tail... just give it some time ok? don't make any adjustments for a while - just play it and get used to the feel of it.

good luck with your new Tally Pro and post pics when you get it!

take care!

...jr

[GaryT]

What sort of music do you play, bro? Mostly clean or distorted? For distortion or overdrive, the Elite's stock Custom & Custom/Custom pickups kick ass, but I mostly play clean and for that the Seth Lovers sound better. I wish I had read Jol's comment that the neck pickup needs to be further away since I mostly play clean using the neck pickup and that's where I wasn't crazy about the stock pickups. Maybe someday I'll try the stock pickups again.

I really don't think I'll mind the neck. My D'Pergo strat has a thick soft V (though it's offset to fit the hand better) and I love it. My Ovation has a hard V, and though it's not my favorite neck, it doesn't bother me. Really out of the many guitars I've owned over the years, I can usually adapt to their different neck shapes easily. I guess the one thing I've learned is that I do prefer a thick neck, though I'm still happy playing Parker guitars with a fairly thin, fast neck.

And on another note, I switched to solid nickel strings a few months ago and they make a huge difference in sound. If you're looking for a warm vintage sound, I highly recommend them. If you want a bright modern sound, stick with steel.

And finally, on Gibson scale guitars, 11s sound much better. The difference is amazing. On Fender scale guitars, 10s are great - and the tension between the two are similar.

Well, the guitar just arrived so it's time to check it out.

Mark

I just started checkin out the boards again, and I'm sorry I didn't reply to this sooner. Yes, I have actually owned a Talladega Pro before, and like you I have a Monaco Elite. Build-wise the Pro is typical Hamer, meaning impeccable. Binding, finishing, hardware (heck, I liked the TonePros/Klusons so much I thought about putting them on my Elite just for laughs).

Anyway, I'd say the Elite is definitely the more rock oriented of the two, and like you I've thought about switching the pickups to get to a different sound, then I realize I have other guitars for that. The main thing that bothered me about the Pro was the V-shaped neck. For the life of me, I could not get over it. I'm a fan of a substantial neck profile, but damn, whenever I played it my brain kept nagging about it.

Soundwise, it was a lot clearer than the Elite, and sang more, whilst the Elite ROARS with the stock pickups. I apologize for the brevity there, I'm not very good with the adjectives and tone lingo

Thats the thing with the Seth Lover right their in the nutshell. The Bridge is Great clean and about Pefect. The neck is also a Good pup though it leans a little too far in the style of the period with its Warmth. IMO it either needs to be set slightly back or wound slightly cleaner to open it up with Clarity. But I'll tell you. I like the Seth Lover set More and More as I play them daily. I often think of flipping the neck Seth Lover around for the Hell of it. The bridge and middle position are Perfect on the Newport Pros. And the neck is Damn nice, but not PERFECT. This is also Straight into a Twin Reverb CLEAN. So basically my Beef is with the Neck SETH with 6L6s Clean. But I also have ran the Newport Pro though a AC-30TB. And the Neck Seth in this situation is OFF THE HOOK! Serious if you haven't tried that Tone? man are you in for Treat. Or run the NP through any decent EL-84/EL-34 Tube amp. Then you'll REALLY start thinking.....Man I'm leaving the Seths just as they are. Honestly............I don't even want to change Pick-Up rings at the moment. But you could Tweak the Sh$T out of the neck Seth and get it pretty cleaned up. I spent a bunch of time adjusting Poles and Bass/Treble pick-up ends and got it pretty Sweet. Sometimes you have to say......Hey this is Pretty Fu##King NICE. Let me leave it be NOW! It Feels Good and I'm digging it and creating.

Knowing how Hamers QC is, I wouldn't worry about intonation. Now if you said GIBSON? Oh Hell no, I'd have to play it FIRST. I had a LP-DC Studio in Emerald Green back 13 years ago. Great Tone but I had to go with a Leo Quan Bad-Ass on it. Then it was straight. Takes away from the look though? That Stop-Tail Look with just the set-adjusting screws in the Posts? CLASSIC Bro!

I just would LOVE to play the two bridges next too each other because of the Tone Freak I am. Both are without a doubt Classic proven designs.

[gorch]

Ah, I'm not really bothered...

...Why piss in his Cheerios?

Thanks Mark. It seriously wasn't meant that way. Of course it is a great guitar. And the fact that quite a lot of Tally owners swap pickups to humbuckers show exactly the interest for a humbucking alternative.

Since it is a new model and with regards to this thread's title, there are obviously only a few of them around which leads to room for controversy and speculation.

Personally, I am closely following Jol's articles on the Tally Pro in the workshop blog. It is splendid to see how Hamer improved the way to chamber electric guitars. Magnificent!

At the end of the day it's all a matter of taste for my opinion.

Congrats Mark. I am sure you will be happy with your Pro.

Edited:

I wrote the above before coming through the whole thread. Reading further on, I had the thought the Schaller LP tremolo could be a very nice bridge alternative. It is tuning stable, wouldn't leave open screw holes left from the stop tail, and, finally, allow to individually setup for intonation.

[MarkF786]

I played the guitar a lot last night and here's some initial, brief feedback.

The guitar was impeccable as to be expected from Hamer. The setup was very good. Regarding string height, the treble string was at .05" and the bass at .07" with no buzzing on any strings. The intonation was very good for a wraparound. Of course it wasn't perfect on every string when checking it with a strobe tuner, but it was close enough that the average ear couldn't tell any difference. (Thanks for the tips, Moozak. I'll try them when I change the strings). I'll definitely stick with the stock bridge for a while, but the tweaker in me will still want to try the Pigtail sometime.

The guitar sounds great, but it's hard to make comparisons since I have nickel strings on my other guitars and Tally still has factory strings on it. I didn't want to immediately change the strings, but will probably soon. The pickups do sound more PAF-like and similar to Seth Lovers as far as I can tell so far. Once I change strings, I'll write more about the tone. Also I'll need to try it louder today since last night my daughter was asleep when I got it.

The control layout seems to be the same as a Les Paul, which wasn't intuitive to me at first (though of course 30 seconds of trying the knobs is all you need). For example, the knob closest to the neck controls the bridge volume, while the one diagonally up controls the neck volume. I would have thought it'd be opposite. Anyway, it's no big deal. I prefer tophat knobs to the speed knobs used, but again that's no big deal. The speed knobs fit the vibe of the guitar so I wouldn't bother changing them.

The neck feels fine to me. It's definitely not a hard V and I would think most players would easily adjust to it (and some might prefer it). I quickly forgot about the neck while playing the guitar.

Oh yeah, and for those weight fanatics, the guitar is 7 pounds, 7 ounces (compared to 8 pounds, 3 ounces for my chambered Monaco Elite).

I'll follow up later with more info.

Kind regards,

Mark

[Monacosis]

nice review Mark!

now how about a pic of all those guitars? T Pro, Teuffel, Koll, .....

oh yeah,

mike

[gorch]

It sounds very promising for the first steps. I think your are the best candidate to really compare the Monaco Elite to the Talladega Pro.