Talladega Design Notes

The Talladega represents the fusion of two projects we worked on for over eighteen months, inspired by my curiosity and some good friends who are excellent players. At a certain point I realized that the two paths were more than just parallel and that if I joined them, the result would be greater than the sum of the parts. The idea was to balance a warm-toned chambered mahogany body with a maple neck as a way of getting both an airy snap and a rich fundamental. The original Hamer Sustain Block bridge I designed back in 1977 turned out to be an excellent choice—it couples with the body and drives it with real authority.

The design called for a single coil with more girth and depth without losing the snap and definition that makes traditional singles great, so I called up my friend Seymour Duncan. We decided to use polepiece magnets with a copper reflector plate underneath to capture some really nice overtones and help with the string separation. For the neck pickuping that would compliment the bridge pickup. Because I wanted to be able to join the pickups in series as well, the balance was extra important. Seymour came through with a hybrid pickup that uses large steel slugs to focus the field from underlying bar magnets similar to P90 construction. After a seemingly endless number of prototypes we arrived at the matched set—and to denote the Duncan/Dantzig collaboration we named them "Double D". It was time to put it all together and go for a test drive.

The happy ending came when my friends took up their Talladegas and announced them fit to gig. Seeing our work up on stage making great music is still the ultimate thrill for me, and I was satisfied that my little experiment had turned out so well. if you haven't been able to try one out yet, be patient. We aren't cutting corners to make them—that would spoil the whole thing wouldn't it?

- Jol Dantzig

Specifications:

Body		Ivoroid Bound Mahogany		Inlays		Dot, 1 Victory
Top		Curly Maple		Neck Joint		Dovetail
Top Configuration		Arched Chambered		Neck Pickup		Double D, Custom Single
Neck		Maple		Bridge Pickup		Double D, Custom Single
Fingerboard		Rosewood		Electronics		1 Vol, 1 Tone, 4-Way Blade
Bridge		Hamer Sustain Block		Tuners		TonePros Keystone
Scale Length		25 1/2"		Nut Type/Width		Bone, 1.650"
Fingerboard Radius		14"		Case		GC4-0
Fret Material & Dimensions		Hamer Wide Oval: .100" x .050"		Finishes		Amberburst
Body Lgth/Wdth/Thcknss		16.6" x 13.4" x 1.85"
Neck Shape / Thickness		V Shape, .950" - 1.0"

This is our shop display model.  The pickup's have discolored and there are a couple of hairline pick marks.  So, we are offering this amazing guitar as a used guitar at a used price!

List Price is $3999.