Talladega vs. Talladega Pro neck carve?

[tonefiend]

Last week I bought a Talladega Pro. Overall, it's badass. I spent a bunch of time looking online trying to find out information about TAL-PROs, but there wasn't all that much out there. What was being said, was awesome, so I bought one. The flamed wood finish on this is... wow! This hasn't cured my desire to pickup a Talladega. If anything, it's made me want one more.

Has anyone had or played both models? And if so, how different or similar is the v-shape neck carve on Talladega vs. Talladega Pro? I really like the neck on the Talladega Pro, and I also like the neck blend.

In the next month of so, I plan on writing up a complete review of the guitar with lots of photos and sound clips so that there's something online so anyone searching for more info, will have it.

Here's a few pics I took today outside in overcast.

Tonefiend

[gorch]

Hhhhmmmmm! I'm afraid I only know one side of the coin.

[a.bandini]

Wow!

[moozak]

from what i've read... they both share the same 56v neck carve (which i believe was patterned after Jol's original 56 strat neck).

[BubbaVO]

From the Premier Guitar article on the Pro: "When picking up the Pro for the first time, I was struck by the neck’s mellower V profile, compared to the pronounced sharpness of the earlier Talladega. The Pro’s business end feels more like the handful of V-shaped necks that snuck out of Gibson in the late-fifties than those shipped by Fender in the mid-fifties, offering up more girth as well."

http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2008/Jul/Hamer_Talladega_Pro_Review.aspx

The specs on the Talladega microsite are different as well. The Talledaga Pro has a '56 V shape, 1.68 thickness at the nut. The Talladega has V shape, .950 - 1.0.

I can vouch for the pronounced V shape of the Talladega neck. It's not subtle at all. But I liked the thicker neck. As for the Pro, I don't know what it feels like. Sounds like you like yours.

[veatch]

This seems to be an ongoing mystery - a few folks have asked this in the past, but i don't recall reading a response from someone who actually has both guitars for a direct comparison.

I'm curious where the EM Tally falls as well.

Gorgeous guitar, BTW. Sounds like you're very happy with it!

[tonefiend]

Good point. Has anyone out there played both that can provide a comparison beyond the tech specs?

Tone

[gorch]

Don't we have a comparison in the old threads? I remember we had a discussion on this issue before. Treated the search tool Tonefiend?

[django49]

I do not have measurements. The Pro was definitely more rounded than the Tally's v shape. It does not seem to be quite as much a "handful" as a Newport or Monaco.....That is from a limited experience.

[coolfeel]

My Tally Pro has the largest neck I have ever played on an electric guitar - noticeably larger than my Superpro - and it has a soft V profile. It's a killer neck!

[django49]

It will be interesting to hear some sound clips....A thought or two from a non-cork-sniffer (ignoring my recent remedial course on why Duncans are a weak link in Hamers).

First, not much sense in comparing the sound of a Tally and Tally Pro........I would say the pickups in the Pro are very much in the family of the Seth Lover, Antiquity, '59.

(In my own comps,I tried to focus on the sound "clean" rather than overdriven........Not sure that this is the best way to evaluate/compare the ultimate tones I WANT to get, but at least the underlying tone is less likely to be hidden by gain.......I figure it is easier to add grit than to try to take away what might be masking the sound).

In some respects, the Pro would seem to be comparable to the Monaco Superpro. But that one does have hotter pickups. (Seemingly hotter than the Monaco, not as hot as the Elite. Or maybe that is my imagination or faulty memory)..

Seths sound different in an Artist and a Newport Pro, as might be expected----Brighter in the Artist (with a maple top and more wood), lighter and more "woody" in the spruce top hollow body. I think the Tally Pro sounds relatively more "musical" and less "boomy". But in the same sorta ballpark.

I think I heard they are like the Antiquities.......My only available example was a 335 w/ Antiquities.......The Tally sounds brighter and louder......But I should add the Gibbie was overdue for new strings.

The 59s (in a Studio) also seemed in the same tone family. Sorta like the comp to the Seths in the Artist, but a little more in that direction ("boomy and darker")..... My ear may be bent a bit by a Studio upgraded to WCRs, so that may be knocking down the stock Studio in my ear's memory.

The difference in scale length is also a factor, so YMMV.

So, if a Monaco III is a "Strat on steroids" and a Tally is a "Tele on steroids", the Tally Pro is a _______ on _______(?)

Not sure how to fill in the blanks yet......Sound clips should answer several folks' questions!

[moozak]

From the Premier Guitar article on the Pro: "When picking up the Pro for the first time, I was struck by the neck’s mellower V profile, compared to the pronounced sharpness of the earlier Talladega. The Pro’s business end feels more like the handful of V-shaped necks that snuck out of Gibson in the late-fifties than those shipped by Fender in the mid-fifties, offering up more girth as well."

http://www.premiergu...Pro_Review.aspx

The specs on the Talladega microsite are different as well. The Talledaga Pro has a '56 V shape, 1.68 thickness at the nut. The Talladega has V shape, .950 - 1.0.

I can vouch for the pronounced V shape of the Talladega neck. It's not subtle at all. But I liked the thicker neck. As for the Pro, I don't know what it feels like. Sounds like you like yours.

1.68 thickness at the nut? the neck is over an inch and a half thick at the nut? that can't be right... a 54 les paul doesn't even have a 1 1/2 inch thick neck... that sounds more like the nut width?

i remember when i ordered my custom built Tally... i was told that the neck was shaped after Jol's 56 strat neck... and they were building the Tally's before the Tally Pros. perhaps the Tally Pro is more rounded... i don't doubt that... but i can say that the neck on my guitar is very much like a 56 strat shape. it's not what i would call a hard V (like a 57 strat)... it's more like a rounded V "boatneck" strat neck... it is somewhat pronounced but in a rounded way. i've played a bunch of old strats, as well as custom shop reissue strats, and i would not call my Tally neck a "hard V" at all. i would reserve the term "hard V" for a 57 type strat neck shape. of course, i can also see that if one has never played many V neck instruments one might think the Tally neck feels like a hard V. anyway, not trying to stir the pot or anything... just offering the info on my Tally for comparison purposes (hopefully someone with a Tally Pro will chime in). of course... i DID custom order my Tally with a mahogany neck as opposed to the standard maple offering... perhaps they shaped it a bit differently? i'm curious about a regular Tally (maple) neck now!

[BubbaVO]

From the Premier Guitar article on the Pro: "When picking up the Pro for the first time, I was struck by the neck’s mellower V profile, compared to the pronounced sharpness of the earlier Talladega. The Pro’s business end feels more like the handful of V-shaped necks that snuck out of Gibson in the late-fifties than those shipped by Fender in the mid-fifties, offering up more girth as well."

http://www.premiergu...Pro_Review.aspx

The specs on the Talladega microsite are different as well. The Talledaga Pro has a '56 V shape, 1.68 thickness at the nut. The Talladega has V shape, .950 - 1.0.

I can vouch for the pronounced V shape of the Talladega neck. It's not subtle at all. But I liked the thicker neck. As for the Pro, I don't know what it feels like. Sounds like you like yours.

1.68 thickness at the nut? the neck is over an inch and a half thick at the nut? that can't be right... a 54 les paul doesn't even have a 1 1/2 inch thick neck... that sounds more like the nut width?

i remember when i ordered my custom built Tally... i was told that the neck was shaped after Jol's 56 strat neck... and they were building the Tally's before the Tally Pros. perhaps the Tally Pro is more rounded... i don't doubt that... but i can say that the neck on my guitar is very much like a 56 strat shape. it's not what i would call a hard V (like a 57 strat)... it's more like a rounded V "boatneck" strat neck... it is somewhat pronounced but in a rounded way. i've played a bunch of old strats, as well as custom shop reissue strats, and i would not call my Tally neck a "hard V" at all. i would reserve the term "hard V" for a 57 type strat neck shape. of course, i can also see that if one has never played many V neck instruments one might think the Tally neck feels like a hard V. anyway, not trying to stir the pot or anything... just offering the info on my Tally for comparison purposes (hopefully someone with a Tally Pro will chime in). of course... i DID custom order my Tally with a mahogany neck as opposed to the standard maple offering... perhaps they shaped it a bit differently? i'm curious about a regular Tally (maple) neck now!

re: the V shape - To my hands, the Talladega neck definitely felt like a pronounced V. Sounds like you have way more experience than I do with respect to the range of necks fender offered.

Hamer's Talladega microsite described the Pro neck as a 56 V shape and offered the number on the thickness: http://www.hamerguitars.com/?fa=talla

The original Premiere Guitar article about the Tally describes the neck as a 56 V shape: http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2007/Dec/A_Day_at_the_Races_Hamer_Talladega.aspx

You may be on to something.

[moozak]

From the Premier Guitar article on the Pro: "When picking up the Pro for the first time, I was struck by the neck’s mellower V profile, compared to the pronounced sharpness of the earlier Talladega. The Pro’s business end feels more like the handful of V-shaped necks that snuck out of Gibson in the late-fifties than those shipped by Fender in the mid-fifties, offering up more girth as well."

http://www.premiergu...Pro_Review.aspx

The specs on the Talladega microsite are different as well. The Talledaga Pro has a '56 V shape, 1.68 thickness at the nut. The Talladega has V shape, .950 - 1.0.

I can vouch for the pronounced V shape of the Talladega neck. It's not subtle at all. But I liked the thicker neck. As for the Pro, I don't know what it feels like. Sounds like you like yours.

1.68 thickness at the nut? the neck is over an inch and a half thick at the nut? that can't be right... a 54 les paul doesn't even have a 1 1/2 inch thick neck... that sounds more like the nut width?

i remember when i ordered my custom built Tally... i was told that the neck was shaped after Jol's 56 strat neck... and they were building the Tally's before the Tally Pros. perhaps the Tally Pro is more rounded... i don't doubt that... but i can say that the neck on my guitar is very much like a 56 strat shape. it's not what i would call a hard V (like a 57 strat)... it's more like a rounded V "boatneck" strat neck... it is somewhat pronounced but in a rounded way. i've played a bunch of old strats, as well as custom shop reissue strats, and i would not call my Tally neck a "hard V" at all. i would reserve the term "hard V" for a 57 type strat neck shape. of course, i can also see that if one has never played many V neck instruments one might think the Tally neck feels like a hard V. anyway, not trying to stir the pot or anything... just offering the info on my Tally for comparison purposes (hopefully someone with a Tally Pro will chime in). of course... i DID custom order my Tally with a mahogany neck as opposed to the standard maple offering... perhaps they shaped it a bit differently? i'm curious about a regular Tally (maple) neck now!

re: the V shape - To my hands, the Talladega neck definitely felt like a pronounced V. Sounds like you have way more experience than I do with respect to the range of necks fender offered.

Hamer's Talladega microsite described the Pro neck as a 56 V shape and offered the number on the thickness: http://www.hamerguitars.com/?fa=talla

The original Premiere Guitar article about the Tally describes the neck as a 56 V shape: http://www.premiergu..._Talladega.aspx

You may be on to something.

ok i see it now... here's what it says... '56 V Shape, 1.680" at nut ...so they're referencing the '56 V Shape and then the 1.680 width nut. it almost implies a standard 56 V shape - perhaps referencing the regular Tally in the above pic (of the microsite)... but that 1.680 is the nut "width" not the thickness of the neck.

the other article does reference the 50's Gibson neck shapes and that's what i would compare the Tally neck to... it's is very similar to a 59 LP neck... but a bit more pronounced (speaking of my own guitar) but the pronounced V shape remains for the length of the neck whereas Gibson sort of rounded as it got closer to the body. so, to me, the Tally neck shape is close but a 59 LP shape but it's pretty much a dead ringer for the 56 V Fender "boatneck" shape. again, i would not call it a sharp V though, as in a 57 V neck.

[tonefiend]

Thanks for all the comments so far. I've been super busy since I got my Talladega Pro. It has a slight V shape, but it seems to fit into my hand perfectly. I've read a lot of complaints the standard Tally V neck, and I've also read other that love it.

I like the Talladega Pro, so I'm going to find me a standard Tally too. Hopefully, I'll like the more pronounced V neck.

Tonefiend

[cynic]

If you're looking for a Talladega, there's no such thing as a better deal than is being offered here.

[tonefiend]

Thanks. I PM'd Morris tonight with a question. I was wondering if it had a maple neck. I thought I read that the neck on EM models were mahogany vs. maple, which might make it very similar to my Talladega Pro.

[Morris Davis]

The EM neck is mahogany ...