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Double-D Seymour Duncan pickups designed to Jol Dantzig's specifications

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Pickups

Dantzig was adamant the Talladega would have the sound he heard in his head - that "airy snap and rich fundamental". So after collaboration with Seymour Duncan, two individual pickups came to be. "Because I wanted to be able to join the pickups in series as well, the balance was extra important," he explains. So each Double-D single-coil is ever so slightly different.

Although both are housed in humbucker-sized surrounds with a single line of non-adjustable polepieces down the centre, the neck pickup uses steel poles over P-90-style bar magnets, whereas the bridge model uses Tele-style 'magnet' polepieces with the bobbin set atop a copper reflector plate for better string separation and 'twang'.

Jol's mention of "series wiring" implies more than the Telecaster's basic three-way selector. Sure enough, here we see one of our favourite Tele upgrades: the four-way switch provides Dantzig's 'in-series' facility, allowing the pickups to be wired 'one behind the other', rather than the more traditional 'side-by-side' (parallel) found in almost all other guitars. Queen fans will know that Brian May's Red Special has the series option and it's this that gives those giant walls of sound.

On the Talladega the 'series' setting is found at position one - towards the fingerboard. The remaining three are: position two, neck; position three, both pickups in parallel; position four, bridge. With the luxury of a Cornford Carrera and a Divided By 13 RSA31 to hand, let's have a listen...

Sounds

There's a real snarl to this bridge pickup. Think of a halfway house between a Les Paul Junior and a great Tele and there you have it. Through the non-master-volume RSA31 it is fat and punchy, with that unmistakeable 'snap' that favours Zeppelin-style riffage or mad country leads (Brad Paisley would have a field day). Through the driving Cornford it is almost more P-90 than Tele, but listen closely and that telltale bite is there - the copper reflector plate working its magic, perhaps.

With both pickups on, position two is 'Stairway lead mode', or a sound that would handle any rhythm duties from The Beatles to AC/DC. Switch to position two and we hear the neck pickup on its own. Through the Divided By 13 it's warm and fluid; anything from vintage rock 'n' roll to dirty jazz or early blues is there. It is always more comfortable with medium or less gain, so if your playing can stand the exposure you will reap the rewards!

Flip to position one, series mode, and things get extremely girthsome. Any small amp driven into heavy overdrive will struggle to cope - unless you really pile it on for those throbbing Queen-style chords or harmony leads. The Cornford loved it! But in most situations, where you want to hear the fruity neck pickup and the bridge's rawness in equal measure, backing off the front end a tad is all but mandatory. The Talladega has that rare combination: a voice of its own - in fact four great voices - but all within boundaries we've come to know and love.

Stunning quality, plus performance updates on tried and trusted designs, has always been a Hamer hallmark. From the Sunbursts and Standards of the '70s, right up to this Talladega, Jol Dantzig's desire to make 'quality' and 'quiet innovation' the company's watchwords has resulted in some true greats.

Almost impossible to fault, it's one of those instruments that - if you want understated beauty combined with ruthless efficiency and unmitigated class - must go straight to the top of your shortlist.