TO ORDER A BASS
It’s simple because we like it easy.

1. Read the FAQ below.
2. Get in touch.
3. We work up a bass build.
4. Half payment gets things started.
5. We keep you up on the progress.
6. Balance and shipping.
7. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Thanks so much for your interest! Once you have the basic info on what we do, call or email Scott. Payments can be done securely by PayPal or card over the phone. A build can run from 60 days to 6 months depending on what it is - talk with Scott about your specifics. We post in-process pictures from the workshop, and when the bass is in final assembly, we collect the balance. Continental USA shipping is included in your price; off continent and international, we charge you what FedEx charges us. (International clients should be ready for duties and fees and taxes at Customs). We want you as happy as our other clients over 20 years! That’s the most important thing to us.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
And some grouped frequent answers.

GENERALLY, YES.
Some adjustments in neck measurements. Passive electronics. Natural oil hand rubbed finish. 5-string versions of 4-string models, pickup similarity permitting. (For example: Fusion2 model, yes; Fusion model, no.)

GENERALLY, NO.
Painted finishes, color stains, active electronics, fingerboard inlays, payment plans, trades, designs not ours, and we don’t sell used Birdsongs on consignment.

WHERE ARE THEY MADE?
Birdsong 31” scale basses are hand made in Seguin, Texas USA.

SHOP TOURS
Not something we currently do, as we’re a small workshop that stays very busy on private land. Over the past 20-plus years, that’s the way we like it best. We keep it small and homegrown.

DO YOU MAKE FULL SCALE BASSES?
DO YOU MAKE GUITARS?
Birdsong doesn’t currently, we focus on what we’re best at - short scale basses. BUT Head Luthier Jake Goede, whose hands make the Birdsongs, DOES. He can make something similar under his own name in 34” scale, and his guitars are amazing. www.goedeguitars.com. He has our blessing to get pretty close to our designs, too.

FINISH
The cured oil finish on a Birdsong is best maintained by soft wiping between sets, the occasional rub of Howard Feed and Wax, and repaired with “Boiled linseed” oil.

DESIGNED BY
If you see a bass that says “Designed by Birdsong”, we designed it - we didn’t make it. It’s not a Birdsong, it’s something we helped with for another company’s import product line when they wanted some of that short scale Birdsong expertise. Again, it is not designed for our line or made by us.

SCALE LENGTH
Birdsong short scale proprietary scale length is 31”. Birdsong super short “pocket bass” scale is 25.5” (Founder Scott, that’s his thing at www.sbeckwith.com these days). Birdsong Head Luthier Jake Goede can and does make basses in full 34” and others - he can make something Birdsong-like with his own headstock to your specs. Contact him directly through www.goedeguitars.com. Birdsong only currently offers our 31” scale. There were a handful of others but that time was brief.

SATISFACTION
Though order payments don’t refund (we all commit to following through on what you order from us), when you get your bass we want you totally happy - and that is our reputation for over 20 years. We have a LESS THAN 1% return percentage… and most of those few were natural disaster-related or nothing to do with the instrument.

SERIAL NUMBERS
Most older Birdsongs have a letter (model), number (year, 4=2004, 14=2014, etc.) and then the number of that model made to that bass. It got complicated, so we went to 1000, 1001, etc. Another you may see is a date, of order or start of build.

STRINGS
We currently equip our 31” scale basses with and suggest:
4 string fretted: 45-105 Nickel wound Curt Mangan or equivalent
4 string fretless: D’Addario ECB82 50-105

On the 31” scale 5s with the DST “Double String Through” B string:
Since Birdsong brought out our 5s in 2007, I set them up with…
ROUNDS: Curt Mangan nickel wound 45-105 4-string set for EADG, and his regular length 130 B.
FLATS: D'Addario ECB82 50-105 4-string set for EADG and ordered in SL (for 35s) 132 B.

These days, Head Luthier Jake has successfully been using:
ROUNDS: D'Addario EXL170-5 45-130
FLATS: D'Addario ECB81-5 45-132
These strings' main winding clears the nut with approx. 1/8" to spare.

Any confusion comes from how we string the Bs for better performance, and that during supply chain issues a few years ago, how far the main winding wound up the string began being inconsistent. It has to clear the zero fret and seat in the nut, and the main wind started coming up short here and there. The current strings being used have proved to be consistent so far since, and these are what we know. An extra long B would help guarantee your string choice would work. 

For 25-1/2” scale pocket basses we suggest:
Fretted: D’Addario EXL170S or 160S
Fretless: D’Addario ECB81S
Note: Strung with care, these can also use standard length strings!

ENDORSEMENTS