HD-501 A,S/ATB

The long-awaited new regular -No.500- Model

The product lineup of the Headway Custom series released during the first half of the 2000s was divided into two types, 500 and 700.

The No. 700 has a vintage-like decoration and appearance with the Showa Headway as its focal point. In terms of sound, it had a gorgeous and firm sound, and the sound did not collapse even when played strongly with a pick stroke, the sound also had a good graininess to it.

On the other hand, the No. 500 has a modern appearance and specifications with a fingerpicking style in mind since it was gaining popularity at that time, and in terms of sound, it also has a soft and harmonic sound with a wide tone range that was different from other Headway models up to that point.

This model is an updated version of that original No.500 model that keeps all of those great features while providing excellent playability and construction that allows for a balanced and rich sustain even when fingerpicking.

Main Characteristics

1. Neck Grip (Slim U)

 
The neck grip has a big influence on how easy the instrument is to play. We went for a neck grip 1mm slimmer than the usual Slim neck grip.

2. -High Density Bone- Nut & Saddle

 
Both the nut and saddle are made out of high-density water buffalo bone.

3. Grover machine heads

The machine heads in this model are GROVER/10-18N machine heads.

4. Lower string action

 
The string height at the 6th string, 12th fret is around 2.2mm.

5. Headway original frets

Equipped with Headway original frets (Model: HHF-AG). Using tough Nickel, they are taller than ever before and have better durability. Also, the fret leg’s studs are thicker in order to prevent the frets from popping out of place.

6. Pink pearl Headway logo

A pink pearl Headway logo is included on the headstock.

7. Conversion endpin

 
For the endpin, we included a conversion endpin compatible with 12.2mm endpin jacks. Thanks to this feature, adding a preamp is a very easy task.

8. Includes battery holder and cable hook

Equipped with a battery holder and a wiring hook. Normally, no matter which side the battery holder is in, there’s always a risk of the battery dethatching and damaging your instrument but for this model’s holder, a screw holds the battery in place, so no matter if you are transporting your instrument or mid-performance, you don’t have to worry about it dethatching.

9. Half satin-matte finish

 
The finish on the neck grip is a bit different to what we have done in the past. Instead of going with the regular matte finish, a “Half matte” finish. It feels better to the touch and the playability was improved thanks to this finish.

10. "Luminlay" side position

We used Luminlay for the side position. Thanks to this luminescent material we get a more flashy look.