Here we go, you hard core songbirds and somnambulant insomniacs! It’s just after midnight CST July 4th, 2019 and on behalf of all the hands past and present who’ve helped it all to happen so far, welcome to the 15th Anniversary of Birdsong Guitars. Before that though, happy 4th to you and your circle – be safe but make some moments!
So let’s clarify the 15 number with some quick history. Birdsong started as a model name in my early years of building in the 1990s, became the name I built under starting in 2000, and then the short scale bass design I’d been refining came together… the Cortobass… and a legit company was built around it. That website was launched – you guessed it – July 4th, 2004. A factoid for you, it was started by my then girlfriend Jamie and I and we got married while doing the paperwork for it in January of that year. By July we had remodeled the old motorcycle chop shop bays we rented to start in, borrowed some tools, and were all in. I mean 24/7 for years.
So here we are, 15 years later! We’ve been in three shops, had under a dozen people come through helping it happen, and last guesstimate is somewhere coming up on a thousand instruments out. Every anniversary there’s a sale, there are special builds offered, and I’m available while it’s happening midnight to midnight – call 512-395-5126 (verbally leave your number for a call back if you get the message, I’m low tech), email scott@birdsongguitars.com, or find me (Scott Beckwith) or Birdsong Guitars (or SD Curlee) on Facebook. Heck, find – friend – share all 3. CALLS ARE BEST, though - especially if you’re going to go for something at the last minute! I’d love to talk with you, business or not, and know we thank you all VERY much whether you’ve been with us since the pre-company days or just showing up five minutes ago.
***** UPDATE: Wee hours, July 5th - THIS YEAR’S ANNIVERSARY WAS GREAT, thank you all so much! Taking Friday and the weekend off to regroup. I’ll leave this part posted… *****
Birdsong is doing fine, I’m in here kicking ass, we have new hands helping with some sanding and shaping, and though at a deliberately less frenetic all-in pace now, we’ll still be kicking it hard the rest of this year and on into 2020. THIS year, I’m taking a little time off in August but not all of it – there are a handful of you waiting very patiently on some builds that ran very late due to my knee issue late last year and early this year. And I can’t in good conscience take a lot of time off until your builds are done. It’s that simple. But I don’t want to go back to the hospital either, so it’s a balance and August is the mid point. This year we’re finishing up the 1st of December for Holiday/winter break. In 2020 the main focus will be “Spring batch” and “Fall batch.”
SO HAPPY 4TH AND BLESSINGS TO YOU, HUG THE BETTER HALF, and NOOGIES TO ALL THE KIDS. Thanks for being with us, thanks for helping us celebrate 15 official years (which is huge – any time valid in the music business can be measured in dog years) and – speaking of dog years – here’s a picture of Maggie the Heeler! She thanks you too!
FROM ALL OF US, thank you so much & happy 4th of July!