The Birdsong Story

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.

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!

We were doing the “back to the land” thing and in 2008 Birdsong came out to the homestead workshop built by an intentional community circle. And soon after, the old workshop of friend “Uncle Johnny” was taken apart and rebuilt out there in his honor next to it. There were the “bigger shop” years more in town 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). Co-pilot emeritus Jamie is a really great real estate agent in central Texas ( link coming ).

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!

The Music Shop in Melrose, MA - Founder Scott's guitar building journey began here. The shop is still there, serving the community. Scott sold it in 2000 to go begin an adventure on a piece of raw, Texas Hill Country land.
Early assembly rack photo, probably 2005. Cortobasses of mahogany, alder, and poplar.
Scott checks out an early Sadhana bass, our second official bass model. This one was solid spalted Texas pecan, a wood we still love to work with!
The original company workshop, pic from around 2007. It's a one bay garage in what used to be a motorcycle chop shop behind a little shopping center.
It's a great day when your assistant, who is a foot taller, comes to work on Halloween dressed like you. Scott and Thom.
The Birdsong workshop of 2008-10 and 2014-2024 (and the "Scott" side project shop all through all of that) being built by a circle of friends. A great workshop that served well and gave its all.
Necks now out playing music to the world!

FACTOIDS…

The first Birdsong of ours was a guitar.
“The first Birdsong branded instrument was a guitar I made in the corner of my friend Uncle Johnny’s workshop and gave to singer-songwriter Eliza Gilkyson, a gift in 2001 to repay what some of her music brought to me when I’d been living in my van in the mid 1990s. It was named Rainmaker, and she gifted it back many years later. Birdsong was a name but not a company yet, and Wimberley TX was still wild - the wood came from a hippie wood guy who lived in a trailer by the Blanco River.” ~Scott

Scott & Jamie lived in a school bus in the woods.

A mysterious stranger set Birdsong’s course.
“I was burned out from chasing too many directions at once. On a road trip to clear my mind and decide what to put first in life, a stranger in black with lots of turquoise came up and spoke to us, she said ‘You… you work with the wood.’ Many years before, a creepy French psychic had told me ‘You must find the man who works with the wood.’ When I realized it was me, who my path had turned me into, I decided - and that was it.” ~Scott

Scott dreamed up a lot of this.
Literally, in dreams. Names, shapes, concepts.

Birdsong’s first company workshop…
Had been a motorcycle “chop shop” that cleared out one night!

MUCH more to come!

The 5th Anniversary builds in process in 2009. "Rainbow" random-wood Cortobasses! Boy, the stories some of THESE have had.
Cortobass #1, the prototype that pulled everything Scott thought would work into one short scale bass. This one is still in the extended Birdsong family circle.
Wimberley workshop shot from 2017 or so. That's a Fusion on top.
"Jamie. Best sport ever. Moves out to the woods, lives in a bus, helps start a guitar company. 20 years I'd never trade, and we still message every week. Birdsong as we know it wouldn't have happened without her." ~Scott
Pre-company and pre-Birdsong brand, this is an early short scale "Scott" prototype named the Dragonfly. You can see influence on what became the Cortobass: The neck pickup and position, the control plate, the natural look. This one was sold to the la
Original company workshop in 2005.
John C. "Uncle Johnny" Kirtland; storyteller, life of the party, redneck shaman, mystic woodcrafter, deck builder. Pre-company Birdsongs were built in the corner of his shop he let Scott use, then a music shop in Wimberley, TX they had, and he lived
Assembly from 2016 or so. Lefty Sadhana, Cortobass, Sadhana, Cortobass, and a Custom with the body of a Fusion and the pickup setup of the Cortobass.
Last instrument out of the worn out, leaky Wimberley shop in early 2024. Each work station this one moved on from got torn apart behind it. It's a special order 6-string Bliss bass of wild Texas pecan.
"My new friend "Uncle Johnny" had this shop, and I needed a place to work because I was living in a van out on some land in TX. The Birdsong journey began in here, and after he passed, I cut it up into '74 Dodge pickup sized pieces and brought it out
Serious guitar crafting music. One of Scott's favorites to listen to.
One of the 20th Anniversary basses. Scott glued up and cut the bodies and carved the scrolls; Jake made the rest, and the rest from there will be history to look back on in another 20 years!