TONENATION GUITARS
HEARTLAND STANDARD
BY DIMITRI SIDERIADIS Deep heel carve Basswood body with maple cap PAF-style humbuckers
The electric guitars we consider clas- sic may be perfect in a lot of ways,
but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to
reinterpret the blueprint. After decades of
wrestling with what he perceived as the
limitations of traditional Les Paul guitars,
Chip Loew of ToneNation Guitars decided to get to work on an alternative of
his own design. He now operates a two-man shop in Copley, Ohio, where he has
been bringing this vision to life for just
over two years. This month, we received
ToneNation’s Heartland Standard—a
set-neck, dual-humbucker electric that
unites traditional construction principles
and more personal, player-oriented design
optimizations—for review.
A chat with Loew about his work
reveals a focus on interesting and unique-sounding tonewood combinations and resonant, acoustically live instruments with
superior articulation. But it’s also clear he’s
determined to nail the sort of playability
and tonal balance players crave.
Appealing Accents,
Fine Craftsmanship
When I removed the Heartland Standard
from its plush Cedar Creek case, the first
thing I noticed was an overall woody theme.
The look reflects the instrument’s function-
ality but also Loew’s fascination with tone-
wood as a design inspiration. The emphasis
on material leads to first impressions of
refinement and honesty in design. This is
not a flashy guitar, but the woods are one of
numerous subtle visual treats.
