|
So let's see what interesting stuff we can find around the shop today with
the camera...
One of Scott's personal projects, a tiny Sadhana guitar... with
years of dust in it...
Spalted Maple getting glued up for Sadhana #27...
Hmmm... over here are some Hy5 bridge blanks being glued up... but
hopefully not together!
What the... a Birdsong lap steel?! Why not??
This body here was an unfinished Uncle Johnny project. Finally cut
it out exactly to his lines... now the rest is up to me...
Oooh, and here's one of the most interesting shop features. Here's
Jamie sanding on a Hy5!
...and here, conspicuously not commenting on the instrument itself
at all, we see Mama Dot's old chair helping with the carving of a... errrr...
project... ok let's move on over here now.
By the way, that's a happy tool. :)
Aaah, the end of the day. That's orange juice in the cup, by the
way. "Lots o'Pulp"... yesssss....
Well the lava lamp is on, must be nighttime at the Birdsong nest. Sweet
dreams!
*
Some pictures from the new shop...
*
2 Birdsong custom guitars were stolen November 5, 2007 from a
client's house near Sterling, Virginia. Here are
some identifying pictures.
One is a 12 string Mesquite guitar with an Ebony inlaid Zia Sun
symbol; the other is a 6 string in Mesquite with a stringer in the center and the Zia sun symbol
woodburned on the upper bout.
Please contact us if
you have any leads. If you unknowingly wind up with one or both, don't be scared, just help us get them
back to the rightful owner. Thank you all so much for your help.
*
There is a collector in Georgia offering his Birdsongs to help defray
medical bills. As
a guy whose love & sweat are in these instruments I wish to make the following clear:
1. They are all legit, most custom orders.
2. Ben is one of the nicest guys on the planet.
3. Don't pester him with low-ball offers or Emails
specifying how many percent above what a new
(standard) one costs he's asking for his customs
- all Birdsongs are hand built and special, but some
of these instruments he has are just over-the-top;
very customized & unique builds that could cost
you 50% more than what he may be asking.
4. Low serial numbers are worth a premium. That's
fundamental. These aren't toasters or Fords and
should be judged by different criteria, along with
other hand crafted, limited production, in-demand
items. Same goes for ad / show basses and sets.
This is basic guitar collecting stuff, so don't
be put off by it. Ben's not unreasonable by
any means, but if you're looking for a bargain
on a stock Birdsong you may just be operating
out of different books, that's all. They do come up
occasionally for sale and they do sell. Even
then though, they hold a good chunk of value,
standard equipped and played... Most of Ben's
will be near mint and custom orders.
Again - we devote ourselves to making little gems, all of them are special builds
to us. But many of Ben's are one-offs, low serial numbers, sets, or out-there
customs the likes of which won't be repeated. So please treat him, his
situation, and these basses with respect and bargain-hunt elsewhere. I'll
be happy to help however I can with information... just no prices or
confidential client info. As always, much love to all you music makers and
to the Birdsong community & know you can call me anytime
(512.847.6014). I'm sad to see Ben sell them but am happy to see them
finding their next good homes while a really good & generous man is
helped out in his time of need. Thanks! :)
Here is a direct
link to his site - some basses may be shown as "for sale"
and some not. Please use his contact information on the linked page to
inquire and ask questions about availability & pricing.
Peace,
~Scott
|
IN
THE NEWS
Seen
one like this?
Scroll down left
column...
Also for info on Ben's basses for sale in Georgia, scroll down
left column...
LATEST
NEWS...
May 7, 2008
Updated the Luthier's
Specials page with some of the one-off and very limited run projects
coming together at the Birdsong nest. The latest pics of the XL Guitar
project, the Tulip bass, and the "Texas Natural" lap steel are
there, along with all the info so far.
Fun, we're having FUN I tell you!
Peace,
~Scott
Listening to:
The Mars Volta The Bedlam in Goliath
The Electric Prunes Mass In F Minor
*
May 5, 2008
Hey check out this
Hy5 - solid Zebrawood! Yeah, like chunks, all the way through, the real
deal. I'm so honored to be a part of these instruments manifesting into
the world!
People send us stuff all the time - little pieces of their life & art.
We love it, can't thank you enough, just hope to be worthy with our humble
craft... but the past week brought the 2 strangest gifts yet. A completely
anonymous $100 gift card for Lowe's (I mean not a clue on the
envelope or anything), and Wig's gifting to us of a large propane tank.
Wig's a local, very cool dude, and he saw the small containers we
use at the homestead (one was here to take to exchange), and so when the
setup on his guitar was done he showed up with this. All we can say is "Tanks
a lot!"
(You may think I'm strange, and I may be, but YOU just clicked a picture
of an old purple propane tank to see it full-size... )
And this seems like
an amazing coincidence, and it just may be, but another
of Uncle Johnny's creations has come in for repairs... the Parrot! This
was an experiment in bonding fabric to the body and finishing over it.
Being the connoisseur of tasteful shirts he was, he found this fabric and
used it for a nice, subtle effect...
I see that goofy looking Parrot giving me the side-eye from the
headstock and I swear I can hear Johnny laugh. It's completely absurd. By
the way, that headstock photo - you photographers, how's THIS for visual
clutter, eh? Huh? It almost made my head spin when I looked at it
so I didn't crop it at all. The only thing that could make that picture
any more jarring would be ten circus midgets piling out of a tie-dye Volkswagen
at a carnival in the background. On the fourth of July. With the Dillinger
Escape Plan on.
Ok enough of this - I have work to do.
Peace & love,
~Scott
Listening to:
The Mars Volta The Bedlam in Goliath
The Mars Volta De-Loused In The Comatorium
John McLaughlin Shakti
*
April 28, 2008
Note to Uncle
Johnny ~
Got to work on one of your guitars today, and she brought cookies like she
always did for you... hazelnut white chocolate chip! Man, you should've
stuck around for this... I'm eating your cookies Johnny... see? Lookit!
Mmmmmm and they're good cookies too, could be the best ever.
Yep, I'm eatin' 'em... yum, yum...
Aw hell...
To get all Garrison Keillor-like on the rest of you,
"Well it's been a busy week at the Birdsong nest, my home base, out
in the woods... Joe The Truck is back on steelies, his chrome-wheel phase
over. He now rides on the steel wheels from the old Dodge van Joe the
actual old Tennessee hillbilly used to drive. Funny how, given time, it
all ties itself into little circles. And wheels are circles. And most
things of power move in circles. And I'm hungry for another cookie."
Joe the Truck: A Thing Of Power.
In bass building news, we're busy little gnomes! I just updated the client
page, and if your number hasn't come up yet just sit tight, 'cause all of
a sudden one day it hits sanding, and then it's a short run into finishing
& assembly. Most of the wait for an order is for it to have its
turn... then things get rollin'! Like this...
C116 - a body on a finishing stick & a neck this morning...
Speakin' of which, it's time I roll on out of here like so much rain off a
tin roof (We're fine, by the way. Just another Texas rain.)... I think
some chips and chipotle salsa are in order, or at least a darn good start.
See ya!
Peace,
~Scott
Listening to:
The Mars Volta De-Loused In The Comatorium
Radiohead The Bends
April 21, 2008
If this isn't
updated for a few weeks, it's usually because we're powershifting in here
making basses. :) Thus, the gap. Coming up for air (for the moment), I
will fill you all in. Spring has sprung, the garden at the homestead is
full of plants, and it seems little Birdsongs are almost ready to fly the
nest. Here's a shot from assembly this morning. Yes, one is white. Don't
ask and I won't tell. That's a one-time-only thing and it's already "thunged."
:)
The batch in
assembly right now as of late afternoon are C111, 112, 113, 114, 115,
Sadhana 26, and Hy5 #11. Next batch in will be Hy5 #8 and more
Cortobasses! Fun, fun, fun.
There's a Bbox in inventory, and the client
page got some new pics...
Caught the Mars Volta show at the Austin Music
Hall, man that was something. You know, I'd really like to chat, but we're
mailing a bass today. That means a trip into the city of San Marcos. And
THAT my friends means dinner at Thai Thai. So needless to say, I'm going
to make like a shepherd and get the flock out of here! We LOVE you!
Peace,
~Scott
Listening to:
Frank Zappa Apostrophe
and too much else to list... great googly-moogly!
Thai iced tea and veggie fried rice...
April 3, 2008
Check out the
second workshop that went up this past weekend. Can any of you find some
of Uncle Johnny's old workshop in here? MOST of the walls and hidden floor
structure are the pieces of his shop that I cut apart last year...
Special thanks to Dianna, Henry, Mark K., Michael, Wyatt, Travis, Mark R.,
Dax, and of course Uncle Johnny... he built a lot of the floor structure
and those walls back in the '90s...
And here's a goofy shot of Wyatt in the wiring area today I thought I'd
share...
We do have a lot of fun around here... I think Zappa's "Yellow
Snow" suite was playing about this time.
Ok, I'm spent for today. Love you all.
Listening to:
Fu Manchu King Of The Road
Frank Zappa Apostrophe
Foo Fighters Foo Fighters
March 28, 2008
Check out the new
Luthier's Specials page - this is where you'll find stuff we really want
to manifest & bring to life but are only planning on very limited runs
- handful of this one, three of those, etc. Exciting and fun
stuff-to-happen!
Also a new link off the Detritus page called
"Shot Straight" where I address (in this episode) helping a cool
guy that was told he couldn't get a good bass tone unless it was
neck-through. Shot Straight; thank me later, help the next guy.
Peace,
~S
Listening to:
Dungen Tio Bitar (Booooy is this awesome...)
*
March 21, 2008
Steven from Texarkana,
Texas had a dream about us. Now, we do get mail like this more than one
would think and we're very honored to be there in your dream movies... but
this? This is the best. The cake has been taken.
Hey Scott
About a week ago I had this crazy dream where I accidentally
ordered a bass from you guys without knowing it (somehow) and you
and Jamie hand delivered it to me. But I am completely totally
broke (even in my dreams, sad) so I couldn't pay you for it and it
was extremely sad.. because like that meant you guys couldn't even
afford to drive back or eat anymore or whatever.. it was sad, but
I also remember that in the dream we all went to some crazy hybrid
Hindu-temple/restaurant/airport? and I think it was kind of
implied that we were on mushrooms or something...
so, yeah, pretty wild. oh, and for the moment that I got to play
the bass in my dream, it sounded great!
peace |
Is that a great email or what? You know, you start building basses and
set up shop and the years roll by and the basses fly out and it never
occurs to you that this sort of stuff will start happening. How much fun
is this? Thanks, Stevemeister!
Speaking of fun, had the camera in the shop the other day and thought
"I wonder what cool stuff I can share with all our friends out
there?" so to the left there's a little pictorial of the nooks 'n
crannies and some of the projects going on in the little workshop in the
woods where we eat, breathe and sleep Birdsong. It really is a way of life
for us. Thanks for being a part of it!
Listening to:
Tapes of an undiscovered old south Texas bluesman
Amplified Heat
David Harbour Ideology
John Entwistle's Rigor Mortis Sets In
Peace,
~S
*
March 14, 2008
BIG client
page update with lots of pictures. Just got in a box of Ebony and some
white pearloid pickguard material. Fun! And I'm getting on some Bboxes
(haven't forgotten about you patient Bboxers-to-be). For those of you
keeping up on the whereabouts of those cool people who have worked with
us, Wes is playing with the band Jets
Under Fire.
Check out this cool Hy5 in assembly...
Ok, back on my head!
Peace,
~S
Listening
to:
David
Harbour Ideology
Ravi Shankar Chants of India
March 9, 2008
All you Jazz
fans, this is fantastic - had to share it. Thank me later.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TebUMhJAKSM
~Scott
March 7, 2008
Hi
everyone! With a little sadness and great relief, I am informing you
that there will be no Birdsong gathering this year. Not many people
responded with a yeah, and we've got a lot going on here that will be
all
settled out by the gathering next year. So the universe is telling us it
should
be a biennial event, and that's cool with us! You are all welcome to come
anytime, though, so if you're up for a trip to the Texas Hill Country,
don't
hesitate... it's beautiful here and we'd make sure to show you a good
time.
Thanks once again to all of you for your support, friendship, and
your music!
Peace,
~Jamie
March 3, 2008
Read an
absolutely fantastic book I highly suggest to anyone with a fascination
about stringed instruments & the odd sorts that make them. It's called
"Clapton's Guitar - Watching Wayne Henderson Build The Perfect
Instrument" written by Allen St. John. Loved it, loved it, loved it.
Want to say more but the rain is coming down Texas-style (thank goodness -
we need it) and I'm turning the computer off. Have a great day everybody!
~Scott
Listening to:
Scott Cook Long Way To Wander
Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers
Baroque Concertos for Mandolin, Lute & Guitar
(Rain on a
tin roof. What can I say, it's music to me.)
*
Feb. 26, 2008
There's a wild
"CortoCustom" on Ebay - this is
a really early Birdsong, in the "teens"... definitely
one of a kind! Sad to see it being sold, but this stuff
happens after you've been around long enough to
have 150 instruments out there...
*
Feb. 20, 2008
Here's Mark
picking up his Hy5 at the shop... a jam was had with Jamie on djembe drum!
We think he likes his Mesquite, Pecan & Turquoise bass...
Lots of woodchips flying, check the client
page.
Also 2 new bodies-to-be in inventory!
And to the left, some shots from the new shop!
More to come as we go...
Listening to:
Japanese Temple chanting
John Coltrane One Down, One Up
Devo Freedom
Of Choice
That, my friends, defines "eclectic."
Peace,
~Scott
Feb. 13, 2008
Had
dinner with our friends Dennis & Rhonda the other night. Dennis is
none other than the singer of the late 60s band Fever Tree. He is in great
form and has put together a band to resurrect the great Fever Tree music.
Believe me, Dennis wouldn't put it out there it if he couldn't pull it
off.
Fever
Tree Rising on MySpace
Davie
Allan & the Arrows w/ Fever Tree Rising,
Freddy Steady 5, & 3 Balls of Fire
Saturday, February 23rd
Doors open @ 9:00PM
Continental Club - Houston, TX
And in Austin
@ Rutamaya Feb. 29th 11PM
Feb.
9, 2008
Updated the
client & inventory
pages.
Listening to Jerry Garcia's 1st solo album
and Fleetwood Mac Then Play On.
More soon, but the day is over & I'm spent.
Pics from the new shop coming too!
Don't touch that dial!
Peace,
~Scott
Feb. 5, 2008
Just
updated the client page.
Having lots of fun in the new shop! Finally,
there's a work space where I can have as
many things going on simultaneously as
there are in my head! Pics to come...
Peace,
~Scott
On another note... we're starting to think about
the next Birdsong gathering and I'd
like to know who'd be interested in coming.
Here's a link with some info & pictures
from
last year's gathering - it was a blast!
It would be in April or May, so those of you who
would like to come, please email me with
GATHERING in the subject line and shoot out
some dates that would or wouldn't work for you.
Promises tons of fun-osity!
Beans and rice,
~Jamie
Listening to:
Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Country
The Mars Volta The Bedlam In Goliath
Ronnie Cuber Live At The Blue Note
Frank Zappa Hot Rats
Pat Metheney Quartet
Jan.
30, 2008
Just
updated the client page. Weather has really been with us, 70 all week
during the day. Tons of cutting & glue-ups, some interesting
prototypes I'm not telling you about yet, some Bboxes... fun days in the
shop! Breaking in our new 15" planer... what a Godsend. Literally.
Well the sun's out again today and there's plenty to do. I know Greendog
& Mel are up way North freezing their cojones off... to all of you
where it's cold, I wish you safety & warmth.
Peace, ~Scott
Listening to:
Ben Folds Five Ben Folds Five
Frank Zappa Hot Rats
John Scofield Grace Under Pressure
Pat Metheney Quartet
*
Jan.
21, 2008
We're
baaaaack!
Hello and Happy New
Year to all of you!
We're back on it,
saws & routers should be making chipendusten in the next few
days. We didn't really go anywhere, just been working on the new shop and
around the homestead. Next scheduled big break is the month of
August. That's how we do it - bust butt a bunch for you, then take a month
off over the Holidays & the month of August for us. What a fun year
this is going to be! I'll get some further-along pics of the shop up
shortly.
My favorite part is the workbench... a board was found in Uncle Johnny's
workshop with a note to me on it from years back, and I built it into the
workbench. The inscription will be under glass just to the left of a
bandsaw; just the way he'd want it.
Been a little chilly to give a full report on the homemade solar hot
water heat exchanger, but early indications are by march we won't be
firing up the water heater 'til November or so... stay tuned and we'll let
you know how it works.
Here it is prior to mounting on the roof.
We're splitting our time & tasks between the old & new shops, so
sometimes it may take a day or two to get back with you in 2008. As
always, it'll always be ASAP and we look forward to talking with you!
There have been some changes and there will be more. Keep your eyes open
for what's coming to the Specials page...
that's where you'll find oddball runs of our "side projects" -
the redesigned Electric Jazz guitar for 2008, other guitars, and who knows
what else. Also keep an eye on inventory, as
some stuff will just go right on there as they're ready to be had.
Standard Cortobass orders we're shooting for 90
day build time... everything else four to six months. Wild
custom orders can be up to nine months or more. Well worth the wait we
think, but keep in mind how tiny our company is. We're nice and busy. That
said, I'm postponing taking any Hy5 orders for
the next month or two so I can catch up. (I'm working on this too). Call
or keep checking in here for updates.
Greendog, this page should be loading a bit faster for you. :)
Ok, time to put on some tunes, grab the notebook, and list out what's
going to happen... major superdy-duper woodcutting going on at the new
shop tomorrow.
In the CD player:
Various Alice Coltrane CDs & The Wallflowers' 1st album
Thank you all again for being in our lives.
Peace, love & music to you!
~Scott |
