What? What’s this? Oh nothing. No, I’m fine, really. I’ll be OK. It’s just a guy saying goodbye to an old truck.
No no, I’m really not sad… it’s just hard, you know? Sometimes you character yourself around things in your life for so long it makes no sense to the brain, or the heart, when it’s time for them to go. Joe The Truck is a 1974 Dodge pickup that was THE first tool I bought in 2000, even before a chainsaw, when the change for that time was to settle a raw piece of rural land. Over the decades, he hauled lumber, supplies, truck-sized pieces of old buildings, engines for car projects, shop tools when we moved workshops, lots and lots of guitar making wood, and that was just for us. Others borrowed or otherwise were helped by Joe. A great old truck, a mentor for a young guy wanting to be sturdy and adaptable, useful and strong, low maintenance and not a lot of complaining. Joe helped me become that. My big influences who shaped who I’ve become? Some great women, a few good men, and a truck. This truck. Joe.
Today was springtime for Joe, who was parked a while ago because of all the work a 50-year-old machine can come to need. He’s going to get that work! I bought Joe from the older son of the original owner here in town, and now, as old now as that guy was when I bought it, just sold the truck to a younger man as a father-son project. His kid’s 7 and just obsessed with old trucks. Ol’ Joe is about to be a magical machine that showed up in a kid’s life one day, brought home by daddy, and became something incredible that changed it. He’ll teach his son how things work, how wrenches turn… and probably a lot about life while they wrench on old Joe together. Beats the hell out of sinking into the dirt like there’s no future. It’s springtime, baby! Go plant that garden. Go start something. Go find what you want to be a part of and help make good things happen! You CAN. But… you have to let go.
I have an old hat from a long-gone old Tennessee hillbilly name Joe who I learned some from when I first landed in Texas 35 or so years ago. He’s who I named the truck after years later. I’m keeping Joe’s old hat, but I did send one of my own on with Joe the Truck. Onward, friends.
Birdsong is in a springtime of its own, here’s something that’s next up on Jake’s bench - a gorgeous Texas pecan Birdsong Corto2 bass! The Corto2 is our most popular model ever, combining the beauty, proportions, and ergonomics of the Cortobass body & neck with twin humbucking soapbar pickups placed in our own “J”bass formation. It’ll do the 2-pickup traditional tones, but with higher fidelity, no noise, and - when you want to push the gas pedal down a bit - much more chutzpah. It’s got plenty of all of what it’s got! Back the volume down on the neck pickup and it gets a motowny P, solo the bridge pickup and Jaco out, and dial on both to shake the walls. All in a balanced 7-8 pound easy playing short scale bass. Want one?
Just get in touch! It doesn’t matter where I am, I answer the phone and YOU are my priority. I am, first, Captain of Birdsong. Don’t hesitate to call me, 512-395-5126, I’ll be happy to answer your questions or write up a custom build for you and get it rolling. It’s in good hands, my friends. Like that pecan wonder, and like Joe the Truck, and like I feel I am. We are so grateful. Thanks for reading my ramblings and staying up with our little guitar company for 20 YEARS!!!
Catch you in a few with another update! For now, keep up with all the goings-on RIGHT HERE and:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057190700974
https://www.facebook.com/goede.guitars
https://www.facebook.com/scott.beckwith.35
www.sbeckwith.com
https://goedeguitars.com/birdsongs-in-progress-1
And HEY - Head Luthier Jake has a guitar build of his own he’d love to finish up for someone in the Birdsong circle - he’s even going to hand-wind the humbuckers for it. $1950 gets it and gets it to you, and you can’t touch this kind of response and hand work for the under-2K price tag. I’ll back that up myself, I’ve owned a lot of Jake’s guitars, and I own my own guitar company!
Go to www.goedeguitars.com
Peace, love, and music,
