Deviser/Headway

Deviser is a guitar manufacturer that has the distinct history of making incredible acoustic and electric guitars and basses since the 1970s. 

They have a lot of pride in their craftsmanship and make all their instruments by hand.  No machines do the work.  Currently, there are essentially 4 different divisions of Deviser;  one that focuses on special custom models (such as the popular Zemaitis clone they made in the 1990s), Headway, which focuses on making high-end acoustic guitars, Momose, which makes very limited quantities of ultra high-end Fender replicas and Bacchus, which is the most well-known division,  that makes extremely nice basses and used to make, up until 2005, jaw-dropping vintage Fender and Gibson replicas. 

Deviser is well-respected within the Japanese guitar collecting community, which has attracted attention overseas in recent years, as more of their hand-made Japanese domestic guitars find their way to other countries and in the hands of professional players. 

“Headway” began making hand-made acoustic guitars back in 1977.  By 1981, they decided to expand and join the ranks of Japanese electric guitar makers and began building their first Fender and Gibson replica guitars along side Tokai, Greco and Fernandes. 

In 1991, Headway created “Deviser,” their division of unique and very high-end original-series electric guitars, which eventually became the parent name for the company.  Their motto was “devising the future,” hence their name “Deviser.”