Standard Eagle vs Gibson Tal Farlow

**joe2758** · 03-08-2019, 05:02 PM

A new heritage golden eagle versus a new Gibson Tal. what do you say? They are different, but in the grand scheme of things it's not too crazy.

**Bluedawg** · 03-08-2019, 05:46 PM

Nice that they are building a version of the Heritage Eagle again .. looks more like the old Golden Eagle or their version of an L5 than the Tal Farlow

Price is fantastic for a new Heritage L5 style guitar with a solid spruce top ...

I'm assuming its 17 inches at the bout ... would be nice if they had that in the specs ... still a good deal at 16 inches

There was another heritage archtop that was closer to the Tal Farlow ... IIRC it was the 550, but I don't see it offered on their new website ... I think the biggest difference was a fixed bridge on the Heritage

IIRC the 575 is Heritage's version of the Gibson 175

**jzucker** · 03-08-2019, 09:16 PM

how can you even compare them? One's maple ply the other is solid spruce

**jzucker** · 03-08-2019, 09:17 PM

the tal is like a 175 on steroids. The eagle is like a poor man's L5

**joe2758** · 03-08-2019, 09:57 PM

not comparing them. asking which one the fine people here would prefer

**djelley** · 03-08-2019, 10:16 PM

I have actually purchased both within the last year. I like the Tal but don’t love it. To me, the 175 blows it away. I absolutely love the new Eagle. It isn’t quite an L5, but it is in the general ballpark.

**jzucker** · 03-08-2019, 10:16 PM

the tal farlow for when you want a 175 on steroids, the eagle for when you want a lighter , thinner guitar for doing wes.

**jzucker** · 03-08-2019, 10:18 PM

the 175 doesn't blow away the tal. If you have a good tal and a good 175 they are both great. I had a GREAT 175 and a very good tal and they were both fabulous guitars. I've also owned a mediocre Tal and many mediocre 175s. Gibson is very inconsistent but when you get a good one (of either) they are fabulous.

**djelley** · 03-08-2019, 10:27 PM

Opinions are wonderful things.

**joe2758** · 03-08-2019, 10:35 PM

how much louder is the tal acoustically than a 175

**Stringswinger** · 03-09-2019, 01:10 AM

Originally Posted by djelley

Opinions are wonderful things.

And at the end of the day things like which guitar looks better, sounds better, plays better etc., can only be an opinion.

Here are a couple of "facts":

1. A Carved spruce archtop and an laminated maple archtop are different sounding. The OP must first figure out his preference in that regard. If the preference is strong for one type over the other, that should make the decision easy.

2. The Gibson will hold it's value better and be easier to sell up the road.

I happen to like both carved spruce and laminated maple archtops. I also like my carved top archtops with both floaters and built in PUPs (They all are different paintbrushes to be used for a particular canvas). But I do not like the Tal nor the Eagle (now we are back in pure opinion mode). I love the cosmetics of an ES-350 (which a Tal essentially is) but hate the looks of the Tal (Can't stand the BK either, a Johnny Smith is another story, that signature Gibson I love), but soundwise the Tal is awesome to my ears. I love the looks of a Heritage eagle, but every example I have tried has been too bright (and a bit thin) for my taste.

Based on resale value, given the choice of only those two, I would go with the Gibson. We guitar players are as fickle as a woman so resale value should be a concern. (How is that for a somewhat sexist statement on International Women's Day?)

Good luck to the OP in making his choice!

**GNAPPI** · 03-09-2019, 07:36 AM

Originally Posted by joe2758

how much louder is the tal acoustically than a 175

Of mine (1996 Tal and 1995 175) I can say the TF is.

**CliveR** · 03-09-2019, 08:17 AM

No question about it. Heritage is the way to go.

**Drifter** · 03-09-2019, 08:35 AM

In Europe a Tal is much harder to sell than an Eagle but with a little patience, the resale value of the Tal willl still be higher.

**vinlander** · 03-09-2019, 09:51 AM

With no surprise I voted for the Tal not without an obvious strong bias...
It has a very distinct voice and can't be compared with a spruce carved top instrument; apples and oranges!
Tals not being more popular than they shall be has a lot to do with cosmetics, incidentally it also plague Heritage guitars...
As much as I love them, I think they truly are at their best value when bought used!
My '96 is a very good example that will pried out of my cold dead hands

**DB's Jazz Guitar Blog** · 03-09-2019, 10:13 AM

That's a no brainer. A Tal of course. But why a new one? A used Tal is the best bang for bucks.

The TF is the best value for money Gibson has ever made. It beats any L5, Super 400, a Byrdland and what have you in the price quality department if you buy one used.

I once compared my 98 reissue with a 64 Tal and it was by no means a lesser guitar.

DB

**DB's Jazz Guitar Blog** · 03-09-2019, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by Drifter

In Europe a Tal is much harder to sell than an Eagle but with a little patience, the resale value of the Tal willl still be higher.

Really? I'd say the opposite is true ... Why do you think so?

DB

**mr. beaumont** · 03-09-2019, 10:24 AM

I still think about the used viceroy brown Tal I passed up at 3k (at Guitar Center, of all places) about 10 years ago.

Probably should have bought it and ate macaroni and cheese for a few months.

Feels like an L5, sounds like the best 175.

**Drifter** · 03-09-2019, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by DB's Jazz Guitar Blog

Really? I'd say the opposite is true ... Why do you think so?DB

I have sold my two (Golden) Eagles very quickly and I see Tals for sale for many months or even years. Eagles are extremely rare on the European used market, Tals are available now and then.

**joe2758** · 03-09-2019, 01:19 PM

thanks for the input guys. i have a 175 that i love. therefore my thinking is do i stay close to what im used to or “branch out” (not really branching out imo to go from one classic jazz tone to another). I think as a major purchased the eagle might make more sense. i like that sound, it just doesnt sound like “me” bc ive had the 175 only for 5 years

**joe2758** · 03-09-2019, 01:21 PM

also, i have no need for practical versatility like pros do

**don_oz** · 03-09-2019, 02:07 PM

What kind of sound are you trying to go for?

**DB's Jazz Guitar Blog** · 03-09-2019, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by Drifter

In Europe a Tal is much harder to sell than an Eagle but with a little patience, the resale value of the Tal willl still be higher.

I dunno. I know many jazz guitarists over here but I have actually never seen one with a Heritage Eagle, come to think of it. Not one. Even worse, I could not even name a more or less known player that plays one of their other models. Granted, Tals are rare too but not totally absent. Resale value for any Heritage will be much lower indeed ...

DB

**joe2758** · 03-09-2019, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by don_oz

What kind of sound are you trying to go for?

im trying to find an alternative guitar to my 175. im trying to decide if i want a similar sound to what i already get (which i love), or go with the eagle for a bigger difference in sound. i’ve basically narrowed down my search to these... so im not just blindly poking around in tthe dark

**Hammertone** · 03-09-2019, 02:33 PM

Originally Posted by joe2758

im trying to find an alternative guitar to my 175. im trying to decide if i want a similar sound to what i already get (which i love), or go with the eagle for a bigger difference in sound. i’ve basically narrowed down my search to these... so im not just blindly poking around in tthe dark

Just blindly poking around in the light, eh?
Why don't you find some place where you can actually play these two instruments "side by each," as they say in Quebec? Then get the one you like better.