Model 1 Featherweight

Incredibly acoustic and detailed... screams louder and longer than any guitar you've played.

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 mahogany top and back (other wood options, such as the maple pictured here, are available as upgrades) bent over a very light weight and resonant Western Red Cedar body core.

 

The Extra Details

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. Piezos also make a great addition to any Featherweight.
Pegheads with Rick’s signature 5 layer veneered backstrap overlay and neck joints with multi-layer purfling.

Our In-House
"Hot Humbucker"

In a word, the Model 1 is all about versatility. Whether you’re playing the passive model running straight out with volume and tone control (push-pull coil cut) or the high-headroom 18-volt D-TAR Eclipse preamp with Turner Parametric EQ, both options allow for blending of a piezo or second magnetic pickup.

Compare Models

 
Deluxe
Special
Body Finish
Deluxe
Gloss
Special
Gloss
Finish Colors* Upgrade options from custom colors to multi-tone sunbursts etc...
Deluxe
Burgundy or Natural
Special
Burgundy or Natural
Body
Deluxe
Mahogany over Western Red Cedar
Special
Mahogany over Western Red Cedar
Body Binding
Deluxe
Fully Bound Black, Ivoroid or Tortoise
Special
None
Neck Wood
Deluxe
5 Piece Laminated Maple/Purpleheart
Special
Mahogany
Fingerboard
Deluxe
Bound Ipe
Special
Ipe
Back-Strap Overlay
Deluxe
Multi-layered
Special
None
Peghead Binding
Deluxe
Black, Ivoroid or Tortoise
Special
None
Tuning Machines
Deluxe
Gotohs
Special
Planet Waves

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. Option “C” adds a semi-parametric EQ. 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 be given various forms of sunburst and transluscent stains. Call if you’re interested in custom colors.

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