When I was approached by Megumi Yatsuka, the first Headway president, to start Headway in 1977, I wouldn’t have thought that the brand would last for 45 years.
I had been working for a guitar factory that mainly produced guitars on an OEM basis, and it was difficult for me to make guitars that satisfied me. During the years we developed, from scratch, the jigs and other tools used in the production process, and have been striving to produce better guitars by learning from traditional guitar making techniques and developing methods that require high precision, such as dovetail joints and post-finishing neck fitting using our own originally developed equipment.

I believe that we have been blessed with fortunate “encounters with people” that have allowed us to continue Headway for 45 years, even though production was interrupted at times along the way. I was just a regular craftsman, but Mr. Yatsuka, the first president of Headway, enthusiastically invited me to join him in establishing a new factory. I would like to thank Mr. Yoshida-san of “Headway Guitars”, the young craftsmen who have inherited and nurtured the Headway philosophy, and above all, the customers who love and play Headway guitars, who have made it possible for me to continue to do so.

I do not know how much longer I will be able to be involved in guitar production, but the next generation of craftsmen, including Yasui and Furihata, are being trained well, and I feel that they will carry on the Headway tradition and spirit without a problem.

We will continue to carry on the philosophy of the company’s founding and make sincere efforts to produce better guitars even as the times, the guitar industry, and the world change around us. We look forward to your continued support of Headway.

I joined the company about 20 years ago, not long after Headway reopened its doors. At that time, guitars were manufactured by an even smaller group of people than now, led by Mr. Momose. Soon after I joined the company, I was involved in assisting in the production of the 25th anniversary model, and I still remember the sense of responsibility I felt making guitars for a brand with a long history. Another 20 years have passed since then, and this year marks the 45th anniversary, so I’m truly left with the feel of how fast time flies.

On the occasion of the 45th anniversary and in light of the future of Headway, there are two things I would like to emphasize. First and foremost, I want to preserve the Headway tradition of guitar making that Mr. Momose has built up over the years. It is our role to carry on the philosophy that has been a core value for Headway from the time of the founding of the company, which is to provide a long-lasting, reliable, and good sounding product, and to pass this philosophy on to the next generation.

Mr. Momose will continue to unabashedly challenge himself with new techniques, while keeping the fundamentals of guitar making at Headway that he has built up over the years. We look forward to meeting users again through events and other gatherings in the future.

I think it was about 15 years ago, when I was a student, that I was given a tour of the Headway factory. At that time, I admired the way Mr. Momose made guitars and decided then and there that I wanted to become a guitar craftsman like him and pursue this career.
I joined the company in 2009, and after a period of working as an underling, I was assigned to the Headway department at the Aska factory, where I was able to start making guitars under Mr. Momose, which was my long-cherished dream. However, when I first started working with Mr. Momose, I learned that the road to becoming an ideal guitar craftsman was not as easy as I thought it would be. I realized how great he really was, and how much technical skill he had, which I could understand only when I was by his side. I continued to chase his desperately, trying to take as much of his skill as I could and make it my own.
Eventually, I was in a position where I was entrusted to make guitars for a custom store, and I truly believe that I was able to grow to this point because I had someone I admired close to me who’s steps I could follow, and I had friends alongside me to work hard with.

Now that Headway is celebrating its 45th anniversary, guitars made of cherry tree wood and other materials are gaining recognition, and the company is boldly taking on new challenges as it broadens its product lineup. I would like people to look forward to these new Headway guitars, but in the custom store guitars that I make, I will continue to work even harder than before to inherit and develop the “traditional Headway guitars” that Mr. Momose has built up all these years.