Sonically, the Featheweights have a bit more of an “acoustic” nature to them than most solid body guitars, though you’ll have no problem rocking out with the best of them. The Model 1 Featherweight shares the same hardware, pickups, and electronics as the Classic, the difference being in the wood and construction of the body.
Just 5.5lbs
The Deluxe Featherweight Model 1 is built with a .100″ thick 5A Flame Maple* top and back bent over a very light weight and resonant Western Red Cedar body core.
Tonally the tops and backs do make a noticeable difference with harder woods such as rosewood adding more sparkle to the high end and the medium woods like mahogany and maple providing a mellower tone.
The Extra Details
Our In-House
"Hot Humbucker"
Compare Models
Electronics – The Model 1’s have our in-house-made “hot humbucker”, the passive models “A” run just straight out with a volume and tone control with a push-pull coil cut switch on the tone control. Option “B” uses the same pickup but with a high-headroom 18 volt preamp (the D-TAR Eclipse) that has trim potentiometer adjustable gain which allows anywhere from 3 to 12 dB of additional gain and a buffered output. Both options “B” & “C” allow for blending of a piezo pickup “P” suffix or a second magnetic pickup.
*Finishes – The earliest Model 1 guitars and basses from the late 1970s and early ’80s were all finished natural, but they have aged to a warm tan color, so if you are seeking to achieve that early look, you should ask for the tan stain which is done directly on the wood to enhance the natural look of the wood. In more recent years we have done a lot of Model 1s in a deep maroon or dark brown. We have a wider color pallet on the FeatherWeight series where many of the lighter colored woods can en given various forms of sunburst and transluscent stains. Call if you’re interested in custom colors.