HJ-501 NIKKOSUGI A,S/ATB

Production of this model was limited to only 8 units

We are pleased to announce that we would like to respectfully give a practical use to the old timber from the Nikko Toshogu shrine tree-lined cedar trees that have been designated as a national special historic site and special natural monument.
We would like to ask all of you for your cooperation in making effective use of these 400-year-old historical trees.
October 29, 2012
Nikko Toshogu Miyaji Hisao Inaba

This sign was actually posted alongside the timber at the timber market where these Nikko cedar trees were sold.
Lots of different trees and interested buyers were present that day at the city’s timber market, but everyone's eyes were on the Nikko Toshogu shrine cedar trees, luckily we managed to get our hands on one of them.
Two years after October 2016, when the previous sign was written, in February 2018, we finally started working the timber.

↑Wood being shaved down to the approximate thickness needed for guitar body tops.

It was clear from the get-go that the grain on this cedar tree was abnormally clean and straight, on top of being very dense, all very good qualities for guitar making. Not only were its properties amazing but the grain was also beautiful to the sight, this was undoubtedly going to turn into an extraordinary guitar when finished both in terms of looks and sound.

About the guitar’s decorations

In the headstock, there’s a phoenix made out of yellow mother-of-pearl, with Polaris shining on top of it.
The person enshrined  in the Toshogu shrine is Ieyasu Tokugawa. But it is said that "After death, Ieyasu was led by a phoenix, a messenger of God, to the unwavering Polaris (North Pole Star), and from that place, he protected the tranquility of the Tokugawa Shogunate and assured Japan’s everlasting peace. The head inlay design is based on this premise.

A characteristic building of the Nikko Toshogu shrine, "Yomeimon", was used in the design of the pickguard. Other details such as the 12th fret inlay are also designed to represent the Nikko Toshogu shrine.

The label inside of the soundhole also includes the Phoenix design!

The cedar's relatively soft material gives the finished guitar a rich, enveloping bass sound. Overtone components have also been carefully added to create a unique timbre with a wide sound range.

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2020 Limited product - HOM-501

The limited model for 2020 is a premium model based on the innovative Headway 500 series.
This model seeks to take full advantage of Headways’ latest features which have been thoroughly developed to improve both playability and sound, and on top of that bringing three additional features to further improve this model’s capabilities, these features are: "Premium Select Wood", "Evolved Advanced Rear Shift Bracing" and the "Headway Wood Equalizing System".

Carefully selected “Premium Select Wood”

 
↑ In the middle, you can see the wood currently being used for the ATB series. On the left, the Premium Select Wood being used for the new 2020 Limited model.

In producing this time’s limited model, we carefully selected the most suitable boards for this model from among approximately 300 sheets. Even if it is made of the same log, the grain varies greatly depending on where from that log the board was made from. For both the red spruce top and the Indian rosewood back and sides, we tried to get the densest pieces in order to get the best sound we could get out of this model.

Advanced rear shift placement that improves the sound quality even further

Based on the ARS (advanced rear shift) X bracing that raises the strength of the entire guitar by bringing the crossing position of the X bracing closer to the bridge than before, scalloping each bracing, and improving the sound, but we decided to make a slight adjustment to this design in order to better fit this model. With the X bracing lowered by about 2mm, the top can vibrate more easily, transporting the sound more efficiently.

Original checkered pattern soundhole cover

The included soundhole cover is limited to this 2020 model.
A uniform grid of squares based on an ancient Japanese checkered pattern, which is said to bring prosperity for the descendants and the continuation of the lineage. We included this pattern to accompany all the new additions included in this model to significates our hope for Headway to continue being prosperous for many years to come.

Every one of these unique soundhole covers will be handcrafted with the utmost care.
The soundhole cover has an internal cushion made out of a high-quality material that allows for a tight fit that will protect your instrument while being easy to remove.

・Effective Muffling

Acoustic guitars are made with the capability of producing a loud sound in mind, but if you are playing alone in your room you might want a quieter sound. If you pop the soundhole cover in you can get a muffling effect, and you can enjoy playing the guitar at a relatively low volume be it in your room or any other place or situation where you would want to keep it down.

・Humidity control and moisturizing effect

The outside of acoustic guitars has a protective finish layer, but that’s not always the case for the inner side. In the case of the Headway, we don’t paint the inside of the body except for the special Custom-made and standard series.
(Current Headway standard series products get a thin undercoat applied to the inside of the body specifically for this purpose)
Especially during the dry season and the rainy season, if any liquid gets inside of the body deformations in the wood and many other problems may arise.
By making the cover out of the same material as the guitar, the moisture travels throughout the guitar at a slower rate, lessening the potential harm different humidity levels can cause on the instrument.

“Headway wood equalizing  system” that improves the instrument’s sound

What makes a guitar sound good is the frequency characteristics of the wood from which it is made. Observing wood at a microscopic level reveals that the fibers of the wood are intricately folded and formed from short to long fibers. In fact, it is known that the longer the fiber on the wood is, the lower the frequency they resonate at is, and the shorter the fiber, the higher the frequency it resonates at is.
If a long fiber splits into two short fibers, the resonant frequency shifts from low to high, this way, the “Wood Equalizing System” adjusts the characteristics of the wood by applying a vibration process on the board to tune the sound and achieving a higher frequency as a result.

Immediately after assembling the guitar, the body top plate and back plate are vibrated with a special device to adjust their acoustic characteristics.
People say that “the more you play a guitar the better it sounds”, but thanks to the Wood Equalizing System, your guitar will have the sound of a well-developed guitar out of the box.

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 Characteristhics

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 and 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. Battery holder and cable hook included

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.