Birdsong - The company

Birdsong was first a name of an early guitar I built in the late '90s in the back of a little
music shop in Melrose, Massachusetts. By 2001 it was the name I built under in a corner
of friend "Uncle Johnny" Kirtland's workshop in the woods of Wimberley, TX.

Scott Beckwith
Captain of the ship
"Music, guitars & old cars ~ that's my life."

Jamie Hornbuckle
Co-pilot emeritus
Now pursuing a Master's in Sociology

The Birdsong Hand Built Guitar Co. (and this site) was launched July 4, 2004 by me
and my wife Jamie. We set up in what had been a Harley repair shop and started
filling the world with Cortobasses. Slowly.

Word spread and we continued to grow... more models, more diverse builds, and even
seeing our little basses on TV, in concert video, and in the Hand Made, Hand Played
book. In 2008 an intentional community circle we helped form helped us build
homestead workshops and we moved back out into the woods.

One of these buildings is built from pieces of our late friend Johnny's workshop.

Along the way we were helped out both in the shop and behind the scenes by some
truly good hearted souls, including my right hand man luthier Jake Goede. As
more and more hear about the Birdsong "experience" our phone and email
continue to bring us into connection with people from all over.

In the Summer of 2010 a larger workshop in San Marcos, TX was set up ~
come by sometime and see where the magic is made!


Jake Goede	Don Dodd
Jake came to us a few years back for advice, then to show us the instruments he built at Luthier's school. Now I ask him questions and he runs the dusty side of the workshop! Man or machine? Both, and then some. None of this would be happening at this level without him. Also builds Guitars by Jake... check 'em out!	Don is a long lost brother; we go back 20+ years. He pulled up & picked up whatever tools needed working to help make the new shop happen. A man of much mystery, many trades & mega skills. He's even more obsessive than I am, and is a soup to nuts helper. Ok, more nuts than soup... I'm grateful for him every day.