Yasuo Momose
~Following the trajectory of master craftsmen and Headway~

Preface ~To pass on the story of Yasuo Momose, the craftsman~

Deviser Co., Ltd. is a musical instrument manufacturer based in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture.
The acoustic guitar brand that forms the core of this is Headway.

The 1970s were the peak of the folk music boom.
Founded in 1977, during this period, the brand, centered around master craftsman Yasuo Momose, has earned the deep trust of many guitar enthusiasts through its meticulous craftsmanship by skilled artisans and thorough quality control.

In its early days, Headway steadily increased its production volume.
However, in the 1980s, the computerization of music progressed rapidly worldwide, and keyboards and programmed sounds became the mainstream of music.
This trend also reached Japan, and the demand for acoustic guitars gradually declined.

To make matters worse, in 1983, two fires broke out at the Headway plant, causing significant damage and forcing the company to suspend production.

Nevertheless, calls for Headway's revival never ceased.
In response to the fervent anticipation from long-time fans, Headway resumed production in 1999.

From the brand's launch to its hiatus and subsequent revival, the person at the heart of its technology was none other than Master Builder Yasuo Momose.

And now, Advance Guitars has two special guitars in stock.
One example is "Style 45 in its Rebirth Period," which Momose created shortly after Headway began its journey again.
The other is the "Style 45," a masterpiece in which he poured all his skills from his later years.

I suspect that the former embodies the passion to "respond to the voices of the fans and rebuild the brand," while the latter reflects the "maturity achieved as a craftsman."

"How can we possibly leave these things unrecorded in writing?"

Mr. Momose passed away on March 19, 2024.
What he left behind for us.

Standing before a guitar whose design is so palpable, and as someone in a position to touch it, I want to convey something and leave a legacy.
That feeling became the driving force behind creating this page.

For those who love headway.
For those who admire Japanese-made guitars.
And to all who pay tribute to the life's work of a single craftsman.
I hope this article will help, even in a small way, to connect the journey of craftsman Yasuo Momose and the charm of the guitars he has created to the future.

Yasuo Momose, a craftsman—a master craftsman of Shinshu

Yasuo Momose was born in Nagano Prefecture in 1944.
After graduating from junior high school, he enrolled in the woodworking course at a vocational training school and joined Ida Furniture Co., Ltd. in 1962.
It appears that he had a clear intention and passion to pursue "manufacturing," especially woodworking, from an early stage.
This likely laid the foundation for later outstanding technologies.

In 1964, during his second year as a furniture maker, Momose received an offer that would shape the direction of his life.
I was approached by a senior colleague and changed jobs to Fuji Stringed Instrument Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (now Fujigen).

From this point on, Momose's career as a guitar craftsman truly began.
At the time, Fuji String Instruments primarily manufactured electric guitars, including semi-acoustic guitars, but also produced classical and acoustic guitars.

After working there for about a year, I was invited again by my senior colleague, the head of the technical department, to leave Fuji String Instruments.
In 1965, relying on connections from his furniture-making days, he rented a corner of Hayashi Woodworking Factory and co-founded a company that manufactured baritone ukuleles.
However, performance was poor, and the company unfortunately went bankrupt after about a year.
In this context, when Hayashi Woodworking entered the guitar manufacturing business, Mr. Momose was brought in as the leader of the technical department.

Hayashi Woodworking initially manufactured necks and bodies as a subcontractor for Fuji Stringed Instruments, but later took on OEM manufacturing for the export brand "KENT," and further expanded into its own brands, "MOUNTAIN" and "PEARL."

Mid-1970s.
Cross Musical Instruments, a musical instrument wholesaler based in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, commissioned Hayashi Woodworking to manufacture its own brand, "Rider," on an OEM basis.
The representative of Cross Musical Instruments at the time was Megumi Yatsuzuka, who is now the chairman of Deviser.
Mr. Yatsuka was captivated by Mr. Momose's technical skills at Hayashi Woodworking, and above all, by his sincere character.

 

At that time, guitar design and manufacturing methods had not yet been established, and some guitars had designs that looked unnatural from today's perspective.


However, there was little information or knowledge about guitars, and the market was booming. It was a nascent period where any affordable folk guitar would sell.

Given the historical context of the time, Mr. Yatsuka, who was in charge of wholesale guitar sales at Cross Musical Instruments,consignmentI felt there were limitations to the quality level of our products.
The rigorous quality standards he demands are:consignmentIt was far too difficult for Saki.
As a result, we continued to be unable to create products that we were satisfied with.

"To make better guitars, we have no choice but to bring Momose into our factory."

Convinced of this, Yatsuka spent about a month working tirelessly to recruit him.
There's an anecdote that the cost of long-distance phone calls between Tokyo and Matsumoto was a staggering 500,000 yen per month.
They needed Momose's skills that badly.

So Mr. Yatsuka made a momentous decision.
He decided, "I'll set up my own factory and pursue the ideal guitar to my heart's content there."
And so, in their search for someone who shared their vision, they finally settled on a man named Yasuo Momose.

And then it was June 1977.
Headway Co., Ltd. was established through the combined efforts of Mr. Yatsuka's passion and Mr. Momose's desire to "create great guitars."
The company started with just five employees, and only three of them were involved in manufacturing.

When the brand was founded, Mr. Yatsuka wanted to "do something unique that other companies weren't doing."
In response to that spirit of challenge, Momose proposed two groundbreaking ideas.
These innovations included the "dovetail joint" for the neck joint and the "post-assembly" method of painting the body and neck separately before joining them.

Actually, the first thing they tackled after the company's founding wasn't guitar production, but rather the disassembly and study of the Martin HD-28, one of the top-of-the-line models at the time.
This process gave rise to structural concepts that would later become iconic for Headway, such as the "dovetail neck joint" and the "post-assembly" method of painting the body and neck separately and then assembling them later.
Rather than simply imitating the outward appearance, it conveys an attitude of trying to understand the structural essence of why a masterpiece is a masterpiece.

The research and equipment preparation took a considerable amount of time, and by the end of 1977, only three guitars had been completed.
It was first released to the public in early January of 1978, and the first guitars produced sold out immediately, marking the beginning of Headway's true history.

However, five years later, in 1983...
The Headyway factory was completely destroyed by two fires.
Everything, from the production machinery to the jigs, was reduced to ashes.

Furthermore, coupled with the fact that the popularity of acoustic guitars was already declining at the time, they reluctantly shifted their production to electric guitars.BassThe transition to this new system meant that acoustic guitar production ceased for the next 16 years.

During that time, calls for Headyway's revival never ceased.
In response to that enthusiastic demand, production of acoustic guitars resumed in 1999.

He was, of course, at the heart of that resurgence.
From the brand's launch to a desperate hiatus, and then its rebirth.
At the heart of Headway has always been the presence of a craftsman named Yasuo Momose.

I have faced sound head-on.
Furthermore, he has always been relentless in his pursuit of guitar-making, never settling for the status quo.

Yasuo Momose's life's work continues to live on in the hands of many musicians.
I would like to express my heartfelt respect and gratitude for their remarkable achievements.
In the next section, we will take a closer look at the two products made by Mr. Momose.

Style-45 in the early 2000s, an era that aimed for a revival.

Manufactured in 2001 / Headway HD-250

This Style-45 dreadnought was handcrafted by Yasuo Momose himself shortly after the Headyway workshop restarted operations.
This guitar embodies years of refined technique and a pure passion for acoustic guitars, poured into every detail.

The Mexican shell inlay surrounding the body is a handcrafted process, where each piece is carefully examined for its texture, light reflection, and color before being carved and fitted together.
Unlike the more commonly seen silvery-white sheen, the shells used in this vessel emit a deep, jade-green light.
Considering that the inlay was selected primarily based on this color scheme, I imagine that they were seriously trying to create a truly special instrument—in other words, "the best in the world."

The head is from this modelRecruitThe vertical "Headway" logo is incorporated into the design.
Needless to say, this vertical logo is a symbol of Martin's high-end instruments and a visual sign that it is a "special instrument" for us guitar fans.

The fretboard is made of ebony with hexagonal inlays.
This traditional motif, which first appeared around 1939, is a luxurious design that symbolizes Martin's top-of-the-line models.
The deep, dark texture of the ebony wood complements this, visually conveying the depth of the tone.

Furthermore, the bridge has a long saddle.Recruit。
This was a standard specification at Martin until 1965, and is now only carried over to a very limited number of high-end lines, such as the Authentic series.

If you only consider these external features, it would be natural to think, "Could this be based on the D-45 from 1939-42?"
However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that this is not a reproduction or imitation, but rather a guitar that Mr. Momose has created to embody "his own vision of the ultimate Style-45."

Next, let's examine the internal structure.
The truss rods utilize Headway's unique mechanism called "aluminum channel truss rods."RecruitIt is being done.
Later, a truss rod called a "steel rod core" was developed as a material that would have minimal impact on the sound of the wood.RecruitWhile it has been modified, I felt that it also produced a sound unique to aluminum channel truss rods.

Furthermore, the number of crack stoppers attached inside the body and the position of the X-bracing intersections differ from the 1980s-1990s Martin D-45s we have in stock.
Looking at the details in this way, I've come to the conclusion that this isn't a reproduction or imitation, but rather a piece that Mr. Momose has created to embody his own vision of the ultimate Style-45.
So, what about the most important thing: the sound?
To be honest, I had a preconceived notion that Japanese-made acoustic guitars had a somewhat harsh and sometimes unruly sound.
However, when you look at the presence of this guitar, that impression seems inappropriate.
The moment I played the chord with that thought in mind, that preconception completely vanished.
The deep, resonant tone of rosewood and the transparent overtones that seem to illuminate the ceiling.
A brilliant and dense tone, typical of Style-45.
The sound possesses the same kind of "class" as the elegant appearance.

The appearance, the structure, and the sound.
None of these can be explained simply by them being imitations of a D-45 from a specific era.
I strongly feel that this is "a guitar that embodies the 'special' qualities that Yasuo Momose has been able to create at Headway since its relaunch."

The late Style 45—a masterpiece of technology

2018 model / Headway HD-450 Custom

This instrument is one of Yasuo Momose's finest works from his later years, and it is made using Brazilian rosewood that he had carefully preserved for many years, along with carefully selected German spruce.

The production concept was clearly based on a 1968 Martin D-45.
This was a monumental year in which the D-45, a legendary weapon revived after the war through a reproduction project spearheaded by Mike Longworth, saw its legacy reborn. Only 67 units were produced that year.
The sides and back are made of Brazilian rosewood, which is now difficult to obtain, and although the bracing structure and details differ from those of the pre-war era, it was enthusiastically welcomed as the "flagship of a new era."
Furthermore, since the use of Brazilian rosewood (Jacaranda) ended in 1969 (due to material supply issues, etc.), D-45s with Brazilian rosewood sides and backs were effectively only produced for two years, 1968 and 1969. The total number of these guitars was 229.
Its rarity goes without saying.

This instrument is a model that deeply understands the philosophy of the "1968 D-45" and has been reconstructed using modern technology.

The pickguard is a thick black one.RecruitFurthermore, by chamfering the edges and then applying multiple coats of paint, the texture of the original "painted guard" is skillfully reproduced.
The headstock shape is a rounded "round head," characteristic of the 1960s, and combined with gold Grover milk bottle tuners, it exudes the distinctive elegance of a 1968 model.
The headplate is adorned with a beautifully shining torch inlay, symbolizing its special nature.

The design is also thorough in terms of structure.
The bridge plate is made of small pieces of Brazilian rosewood.Recruit。
This specification aligns with Martin's history of switching from maple to rosewood in 1968.
Furthermore, it can be confirmed that the intersection points of the X-bracings also follow the original design.

And then there's sound.
A majestic and resplendent sound, somewhat reminiscent of church bells.

This guitar possesses elegance and depth, born from Mr. Momose's deep understanding of the significance of the "1968 D-45" and his own reconstruction of it using his own skills and sensibilities.

A 2001 HD-250 and a 2018 HD-450 Custom.
Although both are "Style-45" models, I'd like to record my impressions after actually comparing these two.

First of all, what I feel about the HD-250 is the energy and sincerity of a comeback.
At that time, Headway's workshop had just started operating again after a long hiatus.
It's clear that he approached the production process with a sense of mission: "to create the ideal guitar in the best possible form."
The HD-250 seems to embody the fighting spirit of that era.
The aura emanating from the look of this guitar, and the sound it produces.
You can really feel the strong determination of "This is the kind of guitar I want to make."
Perhaps it wasn't imitation, but rather a presentation of "Yasuo Momose's vision of the 45 = the ultimate guitar."
While drawing inspiration from pre-war .45s and vintage models, this is a gun that exudes pride and a sense of challenge, demonstrating "this is what I can achieve with my own experience and skills."

On the other hand, the 2018 HD-450 Custom stands on a completely different level.
Here, respect and skill coexist beautifully.
With the clear motif of a 1968 D-45 as its inspiration, every detail—from the selection of wood, bracing position, bridge plate material, headstock shape, and reproduction of the painted guard—reflects respect for Martin and the skills honed throughout his career.
However, that's not the surprising part.
No matter how closely it adheres to the original's structure and specifications, I feel that Momose's distinctive style definitely remains in the sound.
If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be that the sound and construction are perfectly aligned and beautiful.
It's as if the image of a craftsman who approaches his work with meticulous care has been directly translated into sound.

The HD-450 Custom is a guitar that "combines respect and individuality," while the HD-250 is a guitar that "embodies ideals and determination."
Nearly twenty years later, the same creator has chosen a completely different approach to the same Style-45 theme.
This contrast even gives the feeling of peeking into the life journey of a single craftsman.
And I realize it as I play.
"Neither is an imitation; both have the creator's spirit flowing through them."

I feel that his philosophy—that "an instrument only has value if it can resonate for a long time"—is embodied in it.
The more you compare the two, the more you realize...
"I want to experience more works of art."
"I want to know how it changed from its early stages to its later years, and what it continued to cherish."
That feeling grew stronger.

Afterword

"Yasuo Momose"
Having dedicated himself to guitar making, and having worked at Fuji String Instruments, Hayashi Guitars, and Headway, he is one of the people who has shaped "the very history of Japanese acoustic guitars."
When you pick up one of his guitars, you are immediately captivated by the orderly beauty of its sound.
This applies not only to the two acoustic guitars I've introduced here, but to all of them; a single belief runs through them all.
The more you interact with the guitars that Mr. Momose has created, the more you will realize the consistency of his beliefs.
The HD-250 from 2001 and the HD-450 Custom from 2018, made in his later years.
Listening to these two side-by-side reveals the evolving "sound of Momose" that has deepened over time.
What resided in the HD-250 was a powerful energy, a surge of experience and passion reaching its peak.
On the other hand, the HD-450 Custom had a mature sound that stemmed from years of exploration and quiet confidence.
Neither is an imitation; both have their own blood pulsating through them.
Being able to perceive that evolution is, in my opinion, the greatest happiness for someone who plays the guitar.
And Momose's legacy continues to thrive today, carried on by his disciples, such as Masato Yasui and Arata Furihata, who honed their skills alongside him. They have faithfully inherited his philosophy and techniques, adding their own unique expressions to them.
When you listen to their guitars, it becomes clear that each of them, as a creator, has built upon the foundation laid by Momose.
The guitar is a mysterious thing.
It is not only a musical instrument, but also a part of history, a work of art, and a "medium" in which the thoughts and soul of its creator reside.
The guitars created by Mr. Momose serve as a reminder of this, and will undoubtedly be passed down to future generations.

And we at Advance Guitars want to continue to play a part in that trend.
It is about respecting the passion and skill that artisans have poured into their work, and passing on that value to the next generation.
I believe this will be a small way of giving back to the master craftsman Momose and to the guitar making he dedicated his life to.

Advance Guitars
Yasuo Momose ~Following the trajectory of a master craftsman and Headway~

Author of this article:Advance Guitars Store Manager Inoue - Vintage Guitar Researcher

Having been involved with musical instruments since childhood, he is an expert who has been involved in the appraisal and sale of thousands of vintage guitars. He also has strong connections with collectors and dealers overseas. Believing that "the history of a guitar changes with even a single color or stamp," he strives to provide detailed and passionate explanations.

Qualifications and experience: Eight years of experience as a musical instrument appraiser, contributing articles and supervision to Guitar Magazine and other publications.

If you found this article helpful, please show your support!