Birdsong has its roots in the central Texas “Hill Country” where the basses are still hand crafted today. The pre-company years of 2000-2003 saw founder Scott Beckwith building in the corner of a friend’s workshop in the woods. “Uncle Johnny” showed him how to turn the guitars he was making into art, and he showed Johnny how to turn his woodcraft into a few guitars.

“I had gone back to the land after selling a little music shop in MA (The Music Shop - still there), hooked up with some musicians, and this cool local John C. “Uncle Johnny” Kirtland invited me to take a corner in his workshop in the woods. I was signing headstocks as Scott before that but started calling my instruments Birdsong, named after what I woke up to every dawn out in the woods. This was 2000.” ~S.

In 2004 with wife Jamie Hornbuckle, the Birdsong Hand Built Guitar Co. and the first version of this website were launched from a rented commercial garage space with an office. With an idea for a great bass and some borrowed tools (and an orange chair), we built the beginnings of a dream. With helping hands over the years the dream flew!

“Jake came along in 2007 or 2008 right out of luthier school. Nobody else of us had ever been trained; I’d had a lot of experience from repairing and modifying and figured out what I had to of the rest. Jake was trained. Came over with an acoustic and an electric, rough but very daring, and left with a Cortobass body. I told him it’d be a miracle for me if he could bring back two and I couldn’t tell them apart. Well, he was a miracle.” ~S.

We were far along into the “back to the land” thing by 2008 and Birdsong came out to the homestead workshop built by an intentional community circle. And soon after, late mentor Johnny’s old workshop was taken apart and rebuilt out there in his honor next to it. There were the “bigger shop” years more in town (San Marcos, TX) 2010-2014, and then a return to where it felt more natural to be. Meanwhile instruments went all over the world. Many hours were spent in those workshops, windows open, music playing, and Birdsongs becoming in the Texas sun.

An amazing run that continues!

In late 2023, long time right hand man Jake Goede returned to take over the day-to-day building of Birdsong basses in a workshop down the road in Seguin, TX for the 20th “official company” year. He also builds his own line of guitars and basses (www.goedeguitars.com). Scott runs Birdsong business and communicates with clients, building small batches of his own guitars and little basses at his New Shanti workshop in rural New York (www.sbeckwith.com).

“I was kinda wearing down, life was changing at the tail end of a 20 year run, and it was time for some new scenery. Jake came in strong and younger and already having hundreds of Birdsong builds (and many of his own) under his belt, and in this era “working remotely” is a known thing. So, he took over the workshop end and I ran it all from the road for a while, writing up orders from the housetruck Moondancer, a Grand Caravan, and motel rooms before settling in with the seasons of the far northern Adirondacks. Birdsong focused in on our 31” scale basses - the 25.5” super shorties (like the Sparrow and Sport) came with me. I build handfuls of those up here now, signing the headstocks like I have since the 1990s, and run Birdsong, from an 1800s homestead I named New Shanti (“New peace.”). And your Birdsong is STILL made in a small rural workshop, for real, now even better than the ones that got us known! We might sell every one we make, but we never SOLD OUT.” ~S.

Co-pilot emeritus Jamie is doing fine, she’s still based out of the Texas Hill Country and doing real estate and other things. There’s a team behind the scenes too, helping with the numbers since day one, still there too. Dax & Taryn have been part of the wind beneath our wings. Scott’s designs, Jake’s hands, and the now well-known Birdsong customer service all look forward to serving you and your music for the next 20!

“We are all so grateful for each other, and all the helping hands past and present, and this incredible story we all share part in… but mostly for YOU. Without you, this is just a hobby. We can’t believe the stories and lives our little basses have been a part of, but they’re real - as are we - as are these hand made tools of creation. Onward & upward, friends!” ~S.