The Gibson Tal Farlow

[Shepherd101]

So you prefer this to your L-5? Maple top and all? Is it less prone to feeding back at gig levels?

[esmusat]

I had the pleasure of enjoy a Tal´s live performance in Valencia, Spain in the early ninentys. Tal was one of my favourite guitarplayers since i saw one documentary about him in the spanish T.V. when I was a kid,

[Dvareckas]

super!!!

[tdeecy]

I've known Tal Farlow all my life. He used to hang around my house (my brother is a jazz musician) - even slept there!

He gave me my first guitar lessons. I still have the pick he gave me. I could tell you a million stories.

Tom D.

[Jkasperovich]

What strings are you using on the Tal? The L5? Thanks.

[Hoopermazing]

I don't see how Tal Farlow managed to play so well on those tiny-necked guitars. My hands are probably in the same size range as Tal Farlow's, and you couldn't give me a guitar with less than a 1 7/8" nut-width.

[SIRONEDRAGON]

Dick I was blessed to jam two songs with Tal at a wokshop of his here in town about 3 or 4 years before he died.. What a great memory fo me..

[MaximusDowns]

too bad you didn't play the guitar so we could hear what it sounded like

[dutchbopper]

There's many clips on my Youtube page on which you can see and hear it.

[filip1900]

@dutchbopper thanks for this Vid. (and also for the l5 one and all your repertoir). I would like to ask your personal opinion on the prs archtop guitar (not the holllowbody, but the full archtop model). thanks. Also i you have played heritage guitars (eagles or h535 etc) i would like to know your view (knowing your are a gibson man jaja)

thanks again and keep it up

[SIRONEDRAGON]

Dick Did you ever get to met Tal or even see him play in concert ?

[dutchbopper]

Unfortunately not. I started studying jazz just a couple of years before he died.

[NJfclef]

@SIRONEDRAGON i did. didn't know how fortunate i was. i grew up in sea bright, nj. turns out he lived there for many years. at the time it had a population of about 1000.  i use to see him play for free at a small restaurant a few blocks away, i was 15. sweet guy. ...didn't know how fortunate i was.

[Mercury6]

Beautiful guitar!

I would love to have one or something similar.

That it is thinner at 3" and 25.5" is my preference.

Since this is not easily available, can someone recommend me something similar?

[dutchbopper]

Sure, the Gibson ES 350t. I have one and it sounds great. Check out my vids with the ES 350t.

[julosx]

To me it's the most beautiful guitar ever made alongside with the L-5 of course.

[AmundLauritzen]

That is one beautiful piece of instrument! I have been looking all over the web for one, but most of them are in the $4000 range and up. Too pricey for a broke student, heheh. How much did yours cost? Did you buy it new or second hand?

[dutchbopper]

It is Amund. I bought mine for way less ... A few years ago you saw them for 2,5 - 3 K. No longer so.

[hulablues]

Nice overview of this jazz box...thanks!. I'm 36, and was able to see Tal play in 1987 in Laurinburg, NC (where Dizzy G. went to school before starting his professional career). I didn't know when this Gibson model debuted, but it's ironic to learn that Tal's signature guitar was arrived just as Tal himself was withdrawing from the bebop life. Do you know any details about his amps, and how he got that dry, throaty sound? No one else gets quite his combination of darkness and articulation.

[BocaFriend]

Dick, this was *really* interesting -- even to non-guitarists like myself who admire the beauty and significance of design among the various instruments. You did a fabulous job

with the video! (Was this beautiful color also the one favored by Tal?) ~Terry

[dutchbopper]

Yeah, this colour is pretty much the standard finish for the Tal Farlow. Tal's guitar faded to a natural color over the years but I think it was quite like this finish originally yes.