The Resoncast on original Talmans was medium-density fiberboard (MDF), which took otherwise unusable bits of alder and mixed them with resin for a high-pressure compression. This material actually had a very "vintage" sound quality. For pickups, the Talmans used Sky pickups, from Korea. Skys were one of the few pickups at the time that were actually wound as replicas of the original Danos. Talmans also used Sky replicas of '60s mini-humbuckers.
The firstTalmans were the TC530, TV750, and TV650, all of Resoncast with bolt-on maple necks.
The TC530 featured three of the Sky lipstick pickups and a Vibrato, great for Ventures tunes.
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The TV750 offered one lipstick flanked by two of the mini-humbuckers, plus vibrato. Both were unbound bodies and were available in gravure flame finishes, The TV650 was similar to the TV750, but had a top bound in pearloid celluloid. These models were made in Japan and were offered for only one year.
In '95, the first batch was replaced by an expanded line. Most were still Resoncast, but began to use more traditional materials. Resoncast models included the TV550 (mini/lipstick/mini,vibrato), TC620 (two soap-bar humbuckers, stoptail or vibrato),
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and the TC630 (three lipsticks, stoptail). Two wooden models debuted, the TC830 (flamed maple over alder, three lipsticks, stoptail) and the TC420 (solid basswood, two humbuckers, vibrato). After 1995, the Resoncast Talmans disappeared and production shifted to Korea. The TC620 was continued in 1996 as a light ash model.
The TC630 also became light ash and lasted into 1997. The TC420 remained in the line through 1998.
The new Korean Talmans were joined in 1996 by two more models, the TC625
(alder, two Super 58 humbuckers, Bigsby) and TC730F (light ash, three lipsticks, stoptail). These lasted only a year.
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In '97, the Talman line shrank to the TC630 plus two new models, the TC825 (sparkle-finished alder, two Super 58s, Bigsby) and TC740 (alder, two lipsticks and one V8 humbucker, vibrato). The Talman's next-to-the-last gasp came in '98, when they were joined by TC220 (agathis, two humbuckers, vibrato) and a lefty version of the TC420L. After '98, the Talman line expired, except for being reprised later as an acoustic/electric model.
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