FEATURES > Designed from the ground up > 31" scale 24 fret neck > Barely longer than a guitar > Weighs in the 7 pound range > Warm, woody passive pickups > Completely shielded for low noise > All Hipshot USA hardware > Hand-rubbed oil finish > Designed as a short scale > 7 day approval ~ 5 year warranty > Hand built by musicians in Texas! PRICING > One pickup Cortobass $1500 Two pickup Cortobass $1600 Includes hardcase & shipping Standard: > One-piece Mahogany body > Chrome hardware, black plate > Natural finish > Maple neck, Rosewood fretboard > Volume & 6-way varitone controls > Ebony knobs, nut & truss rod cover OPTIONS > Fretless Ebony board, unlined (100)   > Black hardware (45) > Gold Hardware (65) > Other body woods (Inquire) > Stringers & laminates (Inquire) > Tortoise or pearloid plate (25) > Wood control plate (75) > Rear rout with wood cover (150) > Hipshot extender key on E (75) > Engraved plaque (25) > Wood thumbrest (25) > Mother of pearl fretboard dots (25) > Left Handed (No extra charge) > Extreme upper fret access (25) Headstock... every one hand woodburned.    Standard wood is Mahogany, available in Natural, Ultramaroon, or Blackwashed... all beautiful oil finishes hand rubbed with love while good music fills the air. Scott's "wood guru" told him this is when the wood really comes back to life.

This is the standard two pickup Mahogany Cortobass - already built in is everything I ever wanted in a bass, and nothing I didn't. "Corto" means "short" in Italian. Here's a single pickup Cortobass in Walnut with a carved Ebony thumbrest (standard on single pickup basses), and just a volume control and customer requested face jack. The FAQ page answers lots of wood, pickup & wiring questions. ...and here's one of Cherry & Swamp Ash. What will yours look like? I ask myself this... The wild "Rainbow" Cortobass (#C23) shows off the standard Birdsong 5-bolt  dressed away neck mounting, through - body stringing, ergonomic strap button placement, optional rear routing, and how far we can go with stringers & multi-piece bodies!  SOUND SAMPLE PAGE We will always find the time to talk with you. Call us at the workshop anytime...   Click to see a really special fretless in local wild Texas Pecan, trimmed in Ebony with an Ebony control plate... ...and to the right, our optional pearl face dots. Optional because we like the clean look without them; standing up you only see the standard, larger-than-average side dots anyway. But if you really gotta have 'em, they'll be really nice pearl like this. The optional thumb rest is one you can put anywhere... we can make it out of the same wood as the body (like the Flame Maple one shown) or a contrasting wood like Ebony. Here's a classy touch... if you're into it, we'll put on a matching, engraved "Custom built for" plaque. Full, rich tone...  and fits in a guitar case! For a short or small handed person like me, this bass is a revelation. On a larger person, it hangs & plays about like a guitar!   Cortobasses in Mahogany (Blackwashed, natural & Ultramaroon) and Maple.

Who is this bass made for?
Anyone looking for a smaller, lighter, more comfortable bass guitar but who wishes to play something of pro quality, built by a small company in the USA. Dedicated students, women, bassists with small hands & guitar players should check it out too!

"When I ordered it I kind of  dismissed the importance of the ergonomic advantages of the Cortobass.  I was wrong.  It plays & sounds great, but I was amazed at the difference the weight & improved balance made.  Just the feel of the bass is so much better than what I'm used to it's amazing.  And, of course, it's lovely to look at. Thanks so much for a beautiful instrument and for your patience with my questions and changes."   ~ Mike T., Indiana

"She is so different to play than my big clunker that it’s really surreal frankly.  I’m finding that patterns that were very hard to pull off just flow... Amazing. I love the bass, I showed it off at the local guitar shop and they all were blown away by the sound, the impeccable attention to detail, and the playability.  You guys reinvented the bass rather than taking the Strat design and making it a bass.  I love playing the bass and everything about it.  I wouldn’t change a thing."  ~Sean, California

"I couldn't believe how comfortable it was to play through even the awkward bits of the set. Man I love your basses."  ~Frazer, England

See more owner comments on our feedback page & check out the reviews at Harmony Central.

Who's playing a Cortobass?

Millard rocks Huntington Beach! Mahogany standard and a Customized Mesquite GT (not shown)	Christian rocks France! Mahogany standard "Blackwash & gold" package	Bob rocks England! Mint on Poplar standard	Lloyd "Greendog" rocks Michigan! Poplar single pickup "CortoCustom", custom designed & equipped.	Andy rocks the universe! Customized Cherry Standard

"What an amazing axe! It is without a doubt one of the finest, easiest-playing, most versatile-sounding instruments I have ever played (I have 28 other stringed instruments, including a 1920 Gibson F-4 mandolin and four other basses.)" ~Mike, Arizona

Audie rocks Arkansas! Tortoise & gold on Alder	Jim rocks Scotland! Black on Mahogany  Custom woodburned birds	Clark rocks Virginia! Chambered Spanish Cedar Sitka Spruce top	Gary rocks Nevada! Cherry & Swamp Ash   (Photo by S.R. Hausman)	Paul rocks Alaska! With bandmate Hubert's Chrome & Tortoise... another Corto smile!

"It's hard to find the right words for how beautiful it is.  It brings tears to my eyes; I feel like a new mother.  As wonderful as it looked in the earlier pictures, it is much more so in person--the finish gleams, the wood glows, and the color shimmers like burnt sugar going to caramel.  And as good as it looks, it feels and sounds even better.  It sits exactly right, the fingerboard spacing is perfect, everything about it is smooth as silk.  And the sound is amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"  ~ Jill, Maryland

			Their own words	You?
Scott rocks California! Texas Red Elm on Poplar Fretless with black hardware	Blues Jam Jim Rocks CO! Solid Mesquite with Rosewood plate & chrome (The "1st Anniversary" bass)	Lori Rocks Canada! Walnut with Ebony, Maple, and Purpleheart stringers with  black hardware

Yes ~ the real deal, not paid "poster boys." 
These are what REAL "endorsers" look like: 
men & women who bought 'em, love 'em, and really play 'em!


Birdsong Guitars
PO Box 1745
Wimberley, TX 78676
512.847.6014
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