This radical winged headstock design promises improved sustain, easier bending and enhanced tuning stability – and it just got a new look

Canadian guitar company Morifone Guitars caused quite a stir with its debut electric guitar. The Quarzo was a ’59 Burst-inspired model that showcased Morifone’s patented Aileron headstock – a winged design that promised improved sustain, easier bending, and enhanced tuning stability.

Now the firm has followed up its 2019 release with a new guitar model, the Spada – and an update of its radical headstock to boot.

We’ll start at the top, as the Aileron 2 remains Morifone’s USP, but here has been given a vintage-inspired curved tip as opposed to the original’s more angular outline.

Aesthetically, its winged design was inspired by jet fighters and Italian cars, but crucially, there are practical benefits, too, in that it reduces the break angle to the strings at the nut.

According to the company, this not only makes strings easier to bend, but also increases projection, tone and sustain – with notes lasting up to twice as long as its competitors, apparently.

As an added bonus, the angled design ensures the tuning pegs won’t come into contact with a flat surface when the guitar is laid down, preventing unwanted tuning slips.

The Spada guitar itself is designed to be a more streamlined and affordable alternative to the company’s flagship Quarzo model, and while the headstock may be more curved, the body is still plenty angular.

That’s in part thanks to its triple-pickguard design, which can be customized to personalize the guitar’s look. Those ’guards are screwed onto a mahogany semi-offset body, featuring a one-piece set neck with a 24.75” rosewood fingerboard.

Fralin pickups are onboard, with a choice of humbuckers or P-90s, while the control configuration offers two volumes, one tone and a three-way switch.

Hardware, meanwhile, comes courtesy of Graph Tech, with a Tusq XL nut, Ratio tuners and a Resomax wraparound bridge.

Those are the specs for the base Spada Speciale model, which comes in at $2,199. The Spada Deluxe is an extra $200, and adds a 1/4-inch maple top and Resomax Tune-o-matic bridge.

Now, we can’t speak to Morifone’s headstock claims, but the look of the Spada is certainly in line with some of the more adventurous single-cuts we’ve seen lately from the likes of D’Angelico.

There’s a sort of Ibanez Jet King vibe here that we’re very much into, although the out-of-the-way toggle position could be a cause for concern for frequent pickup switchers – or, alternatively, a blessing for anyone fed up of accidentally changing humbuckers in the heat of battle.

The Spada is now available to order in a wide array of finishes from Morifone Guitars.