HF-Autumn Leaves ’22 F, S/STD

Introduction

An Autumn themed guitar for Headway’s 45 anniversary, is the -Autumn Leaves- model

The -Autumn Leaves- model is, as the name indicates, an autumn-themed model for Headway’s 45th anniversary, and is a -Japanese wood- model that can only be developed in years when Kaede (Japanese Maple), a rare wood, is available. This year’s theme is “Autumn scenery and its foliage”, and Headway’s designers have spent many years fusing design and storytelling to create an anniversary model that colors the four seasons in Japan. In expressing the changes of the four seasons, the acoustic guitar incorporates the melancholy beauty of autumn, a common interpretation of the season among Japanese people. The design of this limited edition model, which is appropriate for Headway’s 45th anniversary, combines the tone and design that Headway is proud of, this time expressing the scene of dragonflies flying above the calm fields at dusk as the day turns into night.

Headstock

The design is simple yet evocative of the Japanese autumn, with dragonflies and autumn leaves portraying the slow flow of time.

Fretboard

The image depicts dragonflies flying over a meadow colored with magnificent autumn silvergrass and the ephemeral shimmering of autumn leaves.

Kaede

In recent years, high-quality wood has become hard to obtain due to the rising cost of lumber. The Kaede (Japanese maple) wood used in this project is characterized by its very high-quality white wood with a beautiful grain. Kaede itself is a rare material, and the craftsmen carefully selected and milled each piece of wood to make it the best it could be for the limited edition model. The crisp treble and expressive midrange characteristics of Kaede wood are a perfect match for this design.

Dovetail joint

Headway uses the traditional dovetail joint method. While in recent years, models with simpler bolted joints have been on the rise, the dovetail joint has a larger joint area, and when finished precisely, the neck and body produce a rich sound as if they were one single piece of wood. The joint’s protrusion referred to as “dovetail”, is made larger than a standard joint, and is joined using a special jig and a lot of precision. Adjustment of the neck angle and other parts at this point greatly affects playability and sound, and is a process that requires a high level of skill to pull off correctly.