Birdsong Sadhana (middle); Hy5 next to an Epiphone Jack
Casady;
Cortobass / Strat-style comparison
So how do they sound so big? A Birdsong is
a well thought-out design built with no compromises in quality by people
who understand instruments and tone. We
know what we're doing and short scales are the only basses we make.
All Birdsongs are built by hand by real luthiers in San Marcos,
TX USA! These are
not cheap imports, or cheap imports
disguised as handmades...
they are the real deal!
Please call us at the workshop anytime. (512) 392-4400
The
Cortobass
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The bass that built Birdsong, and the basis of our entire
line.
Played all over the world as a
fantastic sounding alternative to bigger, heavier basses.
After 20 years in music and having held, played and/or
repaired thousands of instruments, I designed in everything I wanted
~
and engineered out everything I didn't ~ into a professional
quality bass about the size of a guitar.
The Cortobass comes standard with a fully contoured
Mahogany body, is perfectly balanced, easy playing and
weighs in the 7 pound range; a very versatile and
comfortable professional
tool.
The simple original Cortobass is our vision of the perfect bass.
Here is a whole page about this amazing little instrument!
$1850
includes case & Continental USA shipping
Shown is a standard Cortobass with optional
matching headstock overlay.
"I'll give a better report probably in a couple of days after
I'm able to put it down for awhile. But I'm already positive the seven
day grace period for returns is irrelevant. I think already you'd have
to pay more to get it back than I paid to get it."
~Richard
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All the advantages of the small, light 31" scale Cortobass
but with vintage touches and P-flavored
tone! Over the years one steady request has been for the
comfort, balance & quality of a Birdsong but with THE
"traditional" single pickup bass tone. Just
slapping a P-style pickup in a Cortobass wouldn't do it;
there's more to it than that.
The Cbass (like all Birdsongs) has been thought out &
engineered to keep the tone BIG and the bass small. So now
there's no excuse to be strapped to some big, heavy, uncomfortable
bass; strap on a Cbass and...
"C for yourself!"
To keep the Cbass the simple, more traditionally flavored
bass it is, each is crafted with an Alder body, control plate
with volume, tone & jack, single rearranged DiMarzio P-style
pickup, and chrome hardware. Options are ~ your choice ~
Rosewood or Maple fretboard, vintage tortoise or aged pearloid
control plate, right or left-handed.
$1750
includes case & Continental USA
shipping
"Delayed e-mailing you as we had a couple of gigs this weekend and
had a chance to try out the new bass. Brilliant and up to your usual
high standard! Knocks me out that you can produce a short scale bass
with so much bottom end, a really lovely sounding bass." ~Chas
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A fusion tonally of big, round, deep upright bass and
clear, punchy electric; a fusion visually of our Cortobass and
Sadhana shapes. With a classy, jazzy vibe and an organic, warm
voice that sounds as woody as it looks.
Same great Cortobass neck & hardware, but this bass is
equipped with a special pickup and the kind of clarity you
won't find in other neck-pickup short scales... with plenty of
all the lows & mids that make it perfect for jazz, blues,
and acoustic accompaniment. And it
can rock, too.
The Fusion comes with a Walnut body, belly contour only,
well-voiced standard tone control, Ebony pickguard, and the
black hardware is standard. A simple, elegant and earthy
creative tool. Did we mention it
can rock, too?
And if you're thinking fretless & tapewounds, this is
definitely the place to start! (Fusions come equipped with
flatwound strings but I'll put on roundwounds at your
request... they all sound great.)
$2000 includes case &
Continental USA shipping
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A two pickup "Double
Fusion" is available, shown trimmed out in
Rosewood. The specially-wired pickup we use sounds
fantastic in the bridge, almost like a big single coil.
Clarity & warmth, plus the "both on" tone
is nice and round with "soft edges"; not a
hard rock tone, still more Jazz, Blues, old Country, or
backing up a singer-songwriter. ($2200) |
"I received my Fusion bass
today and I can't tell you how pleased I am about it. When I opened the
case I was at first skeptical because of the size of the bass. But
when I plugged it in, it was all that I was hoping for... and even more.
Wow! I find it hard to believe that the sound I'm getting out of it,
compared to its size, is remarkably rich and full. I wanted a short
scale custom bass primarily for jazz that would give me
that rich full sound I was searching for and you didn't disappoint me.
The short scale neck is fast and fits perfectly in my hand. The
workmanship is excellent. My compliments to the Birdsong staff of
artisans. PS: Now I know
who to go to for that fretless I've been considering." ~Bob
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5-string
Do they really work? Yeah, they really work. Ask Ben. |
They said it couldn't be done, and now say it can't be...
someday they'll say it never happened. Ask those who have
actually played Birdsong's Hy5 ("High 5" or
"Hybrid 5") and they'll tell you it's a real
5-string with depth, rich tone, and a B that speaks... in a
bass not much bigger than a guitar!
Hy5 & Strat, Hy5 & Fodera 5.
Truly an answer for those uncomfortable with the reach and
bulk of full and extended scale 5-strings but who still want
the deep notes and ability to walk in one position on the
fretboard. It comes standard much like the Cortobass ~ natural
Mahogany body, chrome hardware, curvy black control plate, and
all the mojo we can build in for you.
It has its own body balanced to the 5-string neck; we really thought it all out, including our
Double String Through stringing (DST, patented) on the
B. No special strings, use a 35" scale B and a standard
length 4-string set. Two tons of tone in an 8 pound bass! Or,
we can build it EADGC.
$2300
includes case & Continental USA
shipping
Shown is a Hy5
with optional black hardware, wood control
plate, and headstock overlay. We can do the headstock &
plate to match, contrast, or whatever you'd like. The last
picture shows a more standard Hy5 coming together, but with
optional face dots (side dots only are standard).
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The
Featherbass
"Just wanted to let you know I got a chance to
do a couple of gigs with the Feather bass. Fantastic!
Great old school tone. Sounds to me like something
Bootsy would have played with James Brown. The weight
and balance is great, but it's the tone that really
makes it great." ~Joe
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As an option, we can overlay the
headstock with the same wood as the control plate &
core laminate; in this example, it's Wenge. |
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Ultra thin body concepts have
been explored in the past by various companies & builders.
The Cortobass has proven itself over the past eight years to not
only be a great bass design in itself, but to be very adaptable;
what if you take a good concept and apply it to an already great
bass, that's already balanced & comfortable?
In this case, you get the FIVE AND THREE QUARTER POUND
Featherbass! A careful recurving of the
ergonomic Cortobass shape keeps it comfy & balanced... and
some cool wood tricks & trimmings give it a look all its
own.
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Two pickup voicings are offered... the standard Lace
humbucker from the Cortobass, giving old-school punch with a
horn-like midrange if you dig in; or the Fusion pickup with its
milder, clear "big single coil" type voice and wood
cover.
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A fine, full-range bass tone, our easy playing neck... and our
legendary workmanship, too; each is made by the same hands as
the rest of our line. Clean pockets, tight routs, professional
detailing throughout.
$1900
includes case & Continental USA
shipping
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"Great balance, even with a cheesy
thin nylon strap on small shoulders, and well under 6
pounds!" |
Some standard options aren't available on a
Featherbass, but that core pinstripe & control plate can be
dark (Wenge, shown), red (Bloodwood) or light (Maple) and the
hardware can be chrome or black.
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The Ferrari of short scale basses, the Sadhana is the
flagship of our standard offerings. It is "Benchmade", completely
hand made on a workbench with a minimum of power tools and a
carved in set neck.
The Sadhana is swoopy
& sexy, very classy but definitely not subtle. It's like
driving a custom car ~ be prepared to have a conversation every time you
take it out.
Each benchmade Birdsong is a result of many hours with
spokeshaves, rasps, files and lots of sanding & final
shaping. They are fully hand carved by head
luthier Jake Goede right here in our San Marcos workshop...
...amazing, easy playing works of wood sculpture with all the
balance & tone Birdsongs are known for, and more mojo than
you'll ever find on a rack.
"Benchmade" Birdsongs start at
$2500. Please contact for further information and current
build time estimate.
Be prepared to be patient and give us some artistic freedom,
and let us do what we do best to our highest for you. |
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Birdsong
Customs
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Ok you say, but what you really
want is a Fusion in Mahogany with a Maple fretboard, Cbass
pickup, rear routed with gold hardware...
One model with another's pickups, mix 'n match features, and all
sorts of fun like that are now available as a "Birdsong
Custom". If it's going to veer from the models' features as listed,
this is where we start ~ one on one on the phone, working you up your
own combination. You know what you'd like from the different Birdsong
models and we know what'll work together. That's a great combo to start
with!
We've always done some and as we've grown
the lines between "standard build with some options" and
"custom order" have blurred; but now it's official, you can come up with your own "Best of Birdsong"
mix bass and we'll see about making it happen for you! Keep in mind we
do stay with our own body styles and pickup offerings, since we like
them and know they balance and work well.
Here is the Birdsong Custom page.
You'll also find some great other models to base a Custom build
off of there, like the Odyssey & Skyrider.
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Singing works of art
Crafted by hands inspired;
Builder's summer bloom
Rare Birds, these are; most only seen by those whose destiny it is to
own one. Sounds so dramatic, I know; but it's true. Their owners-to-be
come looking for something super special, maybe commemorative or in
honor of another and, lo and behold, we have some wild side project bass
happening and... there you have it.
That's how things happen in inspired
gardens.
Starting with one of our models or a combination of their features, or perhaps something totally
different, many hours are spent embellishing these special
instruments far beyond even a "Custom" for the few who will own them. As they become
ready to reserve or purchase, I'll put them up for sale.
Maybe.
Named & serialized separately from other Birdsongs and
hand signed & dated, these works will be expensive ~
some may even be hand delivered ~ and will represent
everything I can bring to them as an artist and builder, and
the best of the talented artisans & craftspeople I
know...
Our humble offerings to the universe.
Shown are a few examples of past artistic work, some of it
commissioned; We prefer to build what we feel moved to in the moment,
however WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING COMMISSIONS on a few Artist
builds. For example... anyone up for a Benchmade "Cocobolo
Special" doubleneck? A Rosewood-themed triple pickup
Skyrider with an Eagle bridge? All Maple & gold
triple-pickup Odyssey with wild Turquoise inlay...
If you truly want the best of the best, you understand the cost,
time, and artistic leeway involved. For all the details please
call Scott directly at 512.392.4400.
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"I'm sorry it has taken me such an incredibly long time to send
you this!
It's kind of hard for me to put into words how I feel about this
instrument.
In the same way that I can just sit and watch my beautiful dog
sleep,
I often find myself just staring at my bass as it sits on its
stand.
It's a joy to play, the workmanship is superb, and people seem to
take quite an interest in it. I think all were a bit skeptical at first
because of its size, but after playing it were convinced I had found
something special. Thank you for creating an instrument that is
such a pleasure to have." ~Marilyn
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Most Models Include... |
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Specs
& Features Common to Birdsongs |
| Black or gold hardware |
50/75 |
Our own 31" scale 24-fret
neck |
| Headstock overlay |
100 |
Most have Rosewood fretboards |
| Tortoise or aged pearloid control plate |
25 |
1.5" wide at the nut,
2-1/8" (55mm) @24th fret |
| Wood control plate |
75 |
(1.75" and 2-3/4"
(70mm) on the 5-string) |
| Rear routing with wood back cover plate |
150 |
2-way truss rod for full neck
adjustability |
| Wood thumbrest |
25 |
17.5mm string spacing @ bridge -
17 on 5s |
| Standard tone instead of 6-way varitone |
N/C |
USA Hipshot bridges and tuners |
| Fretless |
N/C |
Individual volumes & nicely
voiced tone control |
| Extreme upper fret access carving |
25 |
Pickup arrangements designed for
rich & diverse tones |
| Piccolo strung |
N/C |
Passive wiring only - fully
shielded & star grounded |
| Left handed |
N/C |
Perfect balance & light
weight |
| The "Jazz Scroll" on upper horn |
300 |
Natural hand-rubbed oil finish |
| Side dots are standard; dots in face |
25 |
Seven day approval & five
year warranty |
| Other woods, stringers & laminates |
Inquire |
Case & Continental USA
shipping included in price |
| Customs are priced by the build |
Inquire |
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Gallery
of past builds |
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Even
more info
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FRETLESS BASSES?
YES!
We offer an unlined Ebony fingerboard strung with flatwounds (or tapewounds,
as shown.) For side markers we like to woodburn side lines or combine them
with dots.
NO CHARGE. |
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PICCOLO BASSES?
YES!
We can string & optimize the setup
of your bass with piccolo strings; our little basses make fantastic picollo
basses!
NO CHARGE. |
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LEFTY BASSES?
YES! NO CHARGE.
(And we'll even make sure the
knobs work "right" for you!) |
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The "JAZZ SCROLL"
For when you really want your bass to be a work of art!
Lots of chisel, file & hand sanding work... this option works great with
tops & laminates that reveal in the carving. (Shown on a Hy5) |
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The Best of Both Worlds:
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We use modern CNC carving and slotting of
the necks for consistency & accuracy (that's the science part) and
old-school luthiery in our joining, shaping, and routing of the bodies (the
artist/craftsman part). Each Birdsong is hand finished, fitted, put
together, and set up & adjusted in our own workshop.
"Benchmade" basses are entirely made in-house with set necks.
Every detail of the design, from the properties of the woods to the pickup
layout and wiring, right down to the strap buttons and strings we string
them with has been tested and tweaked until it all clicked together as a
finely tuned, dialed-in, complete "works great" design we feel
confident in offering you.
This is why some things are optional on a Birdsong and others are not -
we're not trying to reinvent it every time. It works very well and we tend
to stay close to it. There is enough variation between the models to suit
most styles, and bassists of all skill levels, sizes, shapes, and walks of
life are playing Birdsongs. Guitar players love them too since they play so
easy.
We bring our best to every build ~ we love what we do and that can't help
but get built in too. Classy handcraft touches like wood knobs, carved
arrowhead truss rod cover and burned-in headstock logo speak of these
instruments' workshop heritage.
We wouldn't do it any other way.
Thanks for checking us out! Call or email us anytime with questions. |
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