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I purchased a '95 Tal Farlow a few days ago. Crazy chance brought me to it ... I don't go to the guitar shop often but I was picking up my uncle's guitar from being repaired. I walked the aisles while they went to grab the repaired guitar and I saw the Tal on the wall. Turns out they just got it in the day prior. I made the mistake of taking it off the wall and playing it... I wasn't looking for a new guitar and even though the price was very fair this was more than I'd like to spend...but I was hooked.
I came back the shop a the next day to see if I still felt the same way. If anything I liked it even more. In fact, for the last 5 days every time I pick it up it seems to get better. It's in magnificent condition and plays like a dream. It was listed on their website but not reverb, which I'm thankful for because I wonder if it would have been gone by the time I decided to commit.
I'm still enjoying the setup it came with but will see how it takes TI flatwounds soon. It actually is loaded with some DiMarzio Bluesbucker pickups (wasn't familiar with these beforehand..yeah DiMarzio, the maker of Super Distortion and various metal pickups) which I'm actually getting some nice tones out of.
The original pups came with it and I will eventually give them a try. I also have a nice Kingman noiseless P90 I'd like to experiment with too.
Lastly, I think these guitars are drop-dead gorgeous.
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04-28-2022 01:17 AM
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Perfection! What a great color!
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Nice
I had a chance to get a very nice one at a great price a few years ago, but just wasn't ready to spend the money
Often wish I had picked it up.
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Wow! What a beauty! Congrats!
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What a find!
Great for you, enjoy!!
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Too good to be true! Congrats for this magnificient guitar.
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She’s looks dynamite. Everyone I know who has owned one of these has been very satisfied with it. Congratulations!
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That's beautiful! Congrats, and enjoy playing the frets off her
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Yeah, I'm going to say goodbye to some pieces of gear that really I like to justify buying the Tal...I didn't want to regret missing out on this one. I've had an interest in this model for years but had never come across one in the wild.
Originally Posted by Bluedawg
My guitar teacher is an old guy and I just happened to have a lesson the same day I first saw the guitar and I think he offered some great perspective: if I can move some gear to help make it happen, I'm going to appreciate this instrument more than I do the pedals and whatnots that can more easily be replaced. And I'm in my late 30's so I have an opportunity to enjoy this instrument for years and years to come.
This is my first full sized jazz box and I absolutely love it! I have an old, restored, thinline Silvertone archtop (profile pic) that had been my primary axe...but there's no comparison here.Last edited by LimehouseBlues; 04-28-2022 at 06:36 PM.
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Congrats, may she inspire your playing for many years to come.
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You have the instrument of a lifetime! Congratulations, and play it in good health! 
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A very nice Tal and a winner guitar you cannot go wrong.
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Plain and simple Tal's rule ! A big congrats. I have 2 of them and they will have to be pried out of my dead hands.
Frankly one of the best archtop models ever made IMO.
I was actually lucky to get the very last one ever made in 2018.
Hopefully someday they will go back into production along with the ES175. Do enjoy.
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Curious to hear a review of the bluesbucker once you have compared
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Lime:
Congratulations and welcome to the TF crew!
How will the Tal take TI flats? It will LOVE them! So no worries there.
BTW, on his, Tal used Chromes, the ‘medium’ set (013, .017, .026, .035, .045, .056)
and replaced the E and B with a 15 and 20 (!). Of course with his hands he could get away with it)))
Also I can get pretty crazy swapping pups, but the Gibson stock are just perfect on my 98. I won’t touch them.
Enjoy! It’s a great guitar!
jk
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I much prefer a Tal over a 175 due to the size and I like the soft cutaway better. They are in my estimation underrated compared to 175's and L5's. Depending on what you pay for one really is the key. In my own mind when a Tal gets to high the trick is how much more money do you have to go to get an L5. Granted a L5 is not a Tal but my mind and thought process work in this fashion. Paying a premium price for a Tal with fantastic woods is probably a smart move regardless. I see archtop.com has a Red one that seems to be reasonably priced at least compared to trying to find an L5.
The advantage of a 175 is that it is a smaller guitar if you like that better. Personally I would rather have 57 Classic PU's but not sure how other combs would change things. I also think in terms of quality and quality control those Tal's from Gibson in the 90's and on have been really good. Possibly because they are not made nearly as much as a 175 and get a bit more attention.
So to end this train of thought, right now cars new and used are going for a premium. You cannot find big ticket items given the present inflation and crazy economy. Housing prices are through the atmosphere and it seems many are projecting crashes or a bubble. Right now I don't see a huge guitar bubble but spending money on a Gibson archtop that they don't make right now to me might be one of the best places to put money. Granted it is not a investment but really I can pull it out from under the bed and play the puppy and if it not taking food from the kids...................buy it.............even another one.
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Well, well, Schwing my ding-a-ling!
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With a little luck I'll remember to record some comparisons! Originally Posted by JohanAbrandt
Tal looks likes he crushes walnuts between his fingers...I think I'll start with the 12's Originally Posted by jazzkritter
Last edited by LimehouseBlues; 04-28-2022 at 10:37 PM.
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My thoughts exactly Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
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Sometimes the unexpected turns out to be the best …
Make that thing swing!
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It doesn't get much better than a Tal Farlow. Enjoy!!!
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looks like someone has really looked after it too. HNGD
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HI Johan, sorry for the late reply but I wanted to let you know my opinion on the bluesbucker pickups: I don't care for them! Originally Posted by JohanAbrandt
If you expect humbuckers with a little bit different voicing, they're fine...but if you buy these expecting a noiselss P90, I would be let down.
They don't feel like P90's...the string separation/articulation, the chime and clarity...it's not there. They feel and sound like humbuckers...kind of muddy, especially in the middle strings (...bracing for torches and pitchforks!).
I'm going to be swapping them out...I have a Kinman P90-bucker neck pickup in another guitar I'm going to try first.
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Thanks for remembering, that saves me some trouble to try them out myself Originally Posted by LimehouseBlues
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