HF-413 ATB/ARS

From 2016, Headway has been working on an "advanced rear shift". First adopted in a custom model manufactured by Momose, and then, thanks to everything learned on the production of many prototypes, we will finally bring it to fruition in the Aska team build series in 2017. Following the rosewood side and back equipped HD-115 ATB/ARS, we present to you the Honduras Mahogany side and back equipped HD-113 ATB/ARS.

Originally, we didn’t think that the upgrade of the rosewood side and back into ARS equipped Mahogany was an effective enough upgrade, but, our master builder, Momose, insisted that it would bring very good results so we decided to listen to him and follow his specifications.

The -Advanced rear shift- is a design where the bracing crossing point is shifted slightly closer to the bridge. Common knowledge tells us that a forwards shift is the most suitable design for a good sound and that moving closer to the bridge will result in a more stiff and unwieldy sound, but through trial and error and enough adjustments, we landed on a design that not only avoids these downsides but also gives a more articulate tone and particularly a great boost to the sound on the high E and B strings.

The extreme care put in the perfecting and fine-tuning of this design gave us an impressive result. Additionally, moving the bracing closer to the bridge, the overall integrity and durability of the body top also went up, making it so you can play with this instrument for a really long time.