The discontinued Talman line came up in this comm recently. I happened to have one (and someone requested a share), so I thought I'd show it off.
Went to the music store with my friend who really plays guitar about a decade ago. I was angling for something on a super low budget, but he convinced me to spring the couple extra hundred for this beaut. (Still a lower-end model, I know.)
I don't understand all the intricacies of what makes it stand out, but I know it's super comfortable to hold, looks great on the wall, and sounds great (aside from my playing ability ๐ ). Really glad I went with it.
I had also asked about cleaning recently, this is the one I was needing to touch up. So as a bonus, here's a little before/after shot.
The before frets were grimier than they look in that pic. The area around the bridge comes off worse in the photo than it was. All around it seemed clean at a distance, but was actually pretty gross. I wound up just giving the fretboard a good rub down with a microfiber cloth, same for most of the body, and using a touch of Brasso I had around the house on the metal sections. Not perfect but much better.
looks good to me. i have a few that need similar treatment, whenever I can find time.