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 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 Stage Standard & Studio Special have a Figured Maple top and back with upgrade options.

The Extra Details

To save additional weight we laminate the necks out of mahogany or Spanish cedar, and reinforce them with carbon fiber bars in addition to the standard adjustable double, two-way acting truss rod. This construction helps reduce weight of the Model 1 FW to 5.5 pounds.
*All of the Deluxe Series Model 1s feature a 5 piece laminated neck. Upgrade options for the Stage Standard & Studio Special.
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
Standard
Special
Body Finish
Deluxe
Gloss
Standard
Gloss
Special
Satin
Finish Colors* Upgrade options from custom colors to multi-tone sunbursts etc...
Deluxe
Burgundy, Dark Burgundy, Aged, Red & Natural
Standard
Natural
Special
Natural
Body
Deluxe
5A Flame Maple Caps Over Western Red Cedar
Standard
Figured Maple Over Western Red Cedar
Special
Figured Maple Over Western Red Cedar
Body Binding
Deluxe
Fully Bound Black, Ivoroid or Tortoise
Standard
Top Bound Black
Special
None
Neck Wood
Deluxe
5 Piece Laminated Walnut/Maple
Standard
Select Solid Mahogany
Special
Select solid Mahogany
Fingerboard
Deluxe
Bound Ipe
Standard
Bound Ipe
Special
Ipe
Back-Strap Overlay
Deluxe
Multi-layered
Standard
None
Special
None
Peghead Binding
Deluxe
Black or White
Standard
Black or White
Special
None
Tuning Machines
Deluxe
Schaller or Gotoh
Standard
Schaller or Gotoh
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. 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.

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