Heatley Rosewood Hollowbody

For photos, please see http://www.heatleyguitars.com/James/james.htm

Scott Heatley of British Columbia, Canada completed this fine guitar in August 2003, just in time for my 41st birthday. It is hand-carved from old-growth rosewood that was imported from Brazil in 1930. The one-piece neck flows from the tip of the headstock and connects to the side at the lower strap peg. Suspended within the clamshell top and back, the neck attaches to the top and back only at the bridge. It also sports a 4 degree neck/body angle and essentially no heel due to the extended neck tenon. The top is a bookmatched piece of deep quilted maple stained a beautiful smokey Tiger's Eye finished in nitro. It has Sperzel locking tuners, a Tone Pros tune-o-matic bridge with a stop tailpiece, custom wound Wolfetone pickups, a Fishman piezo preamp, push-pull volume pot for coil splitting, a bone nut, and highly figured white Mother-of-pearl block fretboard inlays. The 'H' headstock inlay is also inlayed white Mother-of-pearl. Included was a beautiful, custom made rectangular case build similar to a flight case in Tolex. For a hollowbody, it?s on the heavy side at 9 lbs, but still very reasonable at about the weight of a Les Paul style solidbody.

The sound if this guitar is like no other I?ve played. It is full and resonant while maintaining a crisp attack on each note. And that?s with just the magnetic pick-ups. Blend in the Piezo and the tone is organic, lush and pure. It?s just incredible. I play mostly new-age, fingerstyle guitar and this instrument is perfect. It just sings and the sustain is like nothing I?ve heard before. I believe this has to do with the immaculate construction and the old-growth, quartersawn rosewood that has been air-dried now for over 70 years just waiting to perform. With the neck-through design each note carries on and on. My brother was over this past weekend and was blown away. He is an accomplished blues/rock guitarist and put this hollowbody through some SRV and self authored tunes. With the added sustain, the sound of the lead notes flowing from one to another was just too cool for words. Each time I play it I am amazed at the pure beauty of the tone that rings forth.

The words perfect and flawless instantly come to mind. The action is buttery smooth and the neck very fast. Scott is a total perfectionist. I have inspected every aspect of this guitar and there is nothing that he didn?t perfectly create. His attention to detail is phenomenal. There is virtually no space between any of the MOP inlay and rosewood. Every fret is perfectly dressed. The faux-binding around the top and within the sound holes is beautiful. Scott?s joinery is so tight that in places you?d swear that the guitar was carved from a single block of rosewood. The nitro finish is buffed to an immaculate shine. I really don?t see how this guitar could have been better.

The construction of this guitar is crafted to incredibly high standards. The wooden components are carved from premium materials that have stabilized for decades. With each joint an absolute precision fit I expect it to play at peak performance for my great-great grandchildren and beyond. There is not a single piece of hardware that isn?t completely solid. And there is not even the slightest buzz anywhere to be found. Definitely top shelf quality.

You couldn?t find more personal and professional customer support than Scott Heatley. He?s been building guitars for many years and really knows what he?s talking about. He kept me posted on all aspects of the guitar during construction and promptly answered all emails that I sent his way. He treats his customers like friends, because during the evolution of guitar concept to the final creation, that?s what you become. He is deservedly but modestly proud of his instruments and would undoubtedly stand by any of his instruments if something was to happen in the future.

My quest for this guitar all started over two years ago when I was fortunate to come across a large stash of old growth rosewood imported from Brazil in 1930. I took the risk and purchased the whole lot, knowing that wood of this quality is a very rare find today, and that in my opinion, it deserved only to be transformed into the highest quality instruments. As an instrument, the karma in this wood gets to be shared and enjoyed through music forever. My research led me to Scott Heatley and his innovative neck through hollowbody. I couldn?t be more pleased with the outcome of this exquisite guitar. Scott?s incredible talents combined with the almost sacred old rosewood resulted in a guitar beyond my dreams. I am honored to be able to make it sing for the rest of my life and then past it on to my son. Thanks Scott.