Gibson/Epiphone Byrdland Experiences

helios · #1 05-30-2010, 02:58 PM

Hello,
I recently acquired an Epiphone Byrdland Elitist, and I must say that I am very pleased with it! Before purchase, I was apprenhensive about the scale short length (23.5), and the relatively thin body (2.25")--all with regard to producing mellow jazzy tones. I can say that I have banished such concerns, now that I've played it for a bit. I will swap the pickups with some Lindy Fralin unbuckers (as I like their unbalanced coil design), however the stock pickups are not bad sounding. The Gibson Byrdland would have been $3000-4000 more than the Epiphone, so I avoided that, but I have no doubt the Gibson is even better.
I would be pleased to hear of any other Byrdland experiences (Good or Bad) that others may wish to share. I am also pleased that this forum is here to help satiate my inner guitar geek!
Here is a link of a gentleman coaxing some nice sounds out of a Epiphone Byrdland Elitist:

Best Wishes!

YouTube Video

derek · #2 05-30-2010, 03:46 PM

I played an Elistist Byrdie a couple of years ago at MF Clearance Center. I was pretty impressed. Not the guitar for me, but nice just the same. Check out Anthony Wilson, guitar player for Diana Krall, he is a Byrdie player.

YouTube Video

Steve Hoffman · #3 05-30-2010, 05:25 PM

Most players of the era (1950's) stuck up their noses at the Byrdland. The short scale offended them or something, I don't know. Never played the Epi reissue but the original played pretty nice to me. Thing is, it's now more than an L-5 of the same era for some reason. Might as well get the full-sized box for that giant amount of money.

The Epi version is certainly the right price.

Enjoy it.

SamBooka · #4 05-30-2010, 07:04 PM

I think I would have bought one by now if it werent for the scale. I have an Epi EmpReg and a Gib 165. The 165 is a better guitar but the 25.5 scale and 17 in body FEELs right. I dont think I could swing (no pun intended) a 23.5 scale guitar. I have a 59 Fender musicmaster and.. uh.. no thanks.

helios · #5 05-30-2010, 07:37 PM

The Gibson L5 is a fine instrument, however I dislike it's 25.5" scale. The 23.5 scale of the Byrdland appealed to me, as did the ergonomic thin body. I have been pleasantly surprised by the Byrdland tone.
To the gentleman who posted the Anthony Wilson clip, I had heard his fine playing on the Seattle radio, but I had no idea he used a Byrdland-thanks for the post!

derek · #6 06-01-2010, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by helios

The Gibson L5 is a fine instrument, however I dislike it's 25.5" scale. The 23.5 scale of the Byrdland appealed to me, as did the ergonomic thin body. I have been pleasantly surprised by the Byrdland tone.
To the gentleman who posted the Anthony Wilson clip, I had heard his fine playing on the Seattle radio, but I had no idea he used a Byrdland-thanks for the post!

Well, to offset that, I will offer a clip of a much more famous Byrdie player. Cheers!

YouTube Video

helios · #7 06-01-2010, 11:47 AM

After listening to Mr. Anthony Wilson and "The Nuge", I conclude that the universe is indeed a balance of energies!!!

BigDaddyLoveHandles · #8 06-01-2010, 11:51 AM

Ted Nugent should have done a cameo in the movie, The Road. Maybe as one of the bow and arrow snipers?

Steve Hoffman · #9 06-01-2010, 12:28 PM

Bet you guys never actually saw Billy Byrd. Go to the halfway point, there he is!

YouTube - I'll Step Aside - Ernest Tubb

And the other half of the guitar, Hank Garland.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPj3yjXJzYw

A wonderful player who's tragic accident ended his career.

Neither one of these clips has an actual Byrdland guitar but the living, breathing people are great to watch.

helios · #10 06-01-2010, 01:10 PM

I never have seen Billy Byrd, and I do notice he's playing an L5. Now that I think of it, I don't think I've ever seen a video Hank Garland actually playing a Byrdland either! Thanks!

Steve Hoffman · #11 06-01-2010, 01:28 PM

I think Hank really liked the ES-345. Who knows? He played a Fender Jazzmaster on his famous licks from Elvis' LITTLE SISTER.

Billy Byrd had his demons and didn't play much as his disease took over.

Sad but two very great players.

Just wanted you all to see them actually as people and not just names on a guitar.

helios · #12 06-01-2010, 03:06 PM

I read somewhere that Denny Dias (founding member of Steely Dan-soloed on "Do it again") had gotten his jazz oriented "chops" from Billy Byrd.

Steve Hoffman · #13 06-01-2010, 03:09 PM

Interesting. I've only heard Billy Byrd on old Ernest Tubb records. He strikes me as a very clean "no frills" type of player. I'm sure he could jazz it up with the best of them though.

I once flagged a taxi in Nashville in 1986 and was astounded to find my taxi driver was THE Billy Byrd. I had heard he was driving a taxi but only half believed it. It was very weird sitting in his back seat and longing to talk to him. He was NOT talking though. A shame but such is life. He seems so nice in that YouTube clip above. See how he winks at the camera during his solo? A great player.

derek · #14 06-01-2010, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Hoffman

Interesting. I've only heard Billy Byrd on old Ernest Tubb records. He strikes me as a very clean "no frills" type of player. I'm sure he could jazz it up with the best of them though.

I once flagged a taxi in Nashville in 1986 and was astounded to find my taxi driver was THE Billy Byrd. I had heard he was driving a taxi but only half believed it. It was very weird sitting in his back seat and longing to talk to him. He was NOT talking though. A shame but such is life. He seems so nice in that YouTube clip above. See how he winks at the camera during his solo? A great player.

Crazy story. IF winking is all it takes to be a great player, man I can wink with the best of them.

See?

Steve Hoffman · #15 06-01-2010, 03:57 PM

I can wink with the best of them but I can't play with the best of them..

I found a clip from 1970 that shows a reunited Ernest Tubb and Billy Byrd. Looks like Billy is playing a Byrdland with a Bigsby..

YouTube - Ernest Tubb Thanks A Lot Gone The Wilburn Brothers Show RFD TV

SamBooka · #16 06-01-2010, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Hoffman

I can wink with the best of them but I can't play with the best of them..

I found a clip from 1970 that shows a reunited Ernest Tubb and Billy Byrd. Looks like Billy is playing a Byrdland with a Bigsby..

YouTube - Ernest Tubb Thanks A Lot Gone The Wilburn Brothers Show RFD TV

Never seen a double cut byrdland.. interesting.

Steve Hoffman · #17 06-01-2010, 04:48 PM

Me neither. Maybe it isn't..

(Checks again).

It's a Byrdland. They probably made a double cut just for Billy Byrd. Could be the only one..

helios · #18 06-01-2010, 06:50 PM

Here is a link that answers the burning question about the double cut-away Byrdland! You are correct! It is indeed a one of a kind instrument, now located in the Nashville museum of country music! There's a photo of it on post #4 of the link:
Gibson Byrdland, Famous Players - Hollow and Semi-Hollow Body Guitars - Gibson Forums

ES350 · #19 06-02-2010, 10:55 AM

Does the modern Epi Byrdland have the narrow neck like the originals? I had a 50's ES350T for a short time and really wasn't very happy with it...the earlier 350 is more my cup of tea

.

Steve Hoffman · #20 06-02-2010, 11:10 AM

The one I tried did, yes. But it did NOT feel like a vintage Gibson Byrdland. It was sort of unique.

Thing is, the guitar has two things I'm not fond of. The Florentine cutaway and the short scale.

The thing was designed to be comfy and easy to play while standing up with a strap (like those country gee-tar dudes have to do). If you can play sitting down, why bother with it?

BigDaddyLoveHandles · #21 06-02-2010, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Hoffman

Thing is, the guitar has two things I'm not fond of. The Florentine cutaway and the short scale.

There are some Venetian cutaway Byrdlands, but there less common: Nuge's stable can be taken as a random sample

But yeah, the short scale is a deal breaker for me, too. 25 1/2" is my favourite and I want to stay there.

Steve Hoffman · #22 06-02-2010, 11:54 AM

Even the 25" of the Johnny Smith is OK (like his old D'Angelico) but anything shorter is just weird to me for a full-size archtop guitar..

BigDaddyLoveHandles · #23 06-02-2010, 12:00 PM

I also don't want the "Nugent clone" ribbing. It's bad enough that I only eat what I kill.
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Just kidding!

helios · #24 06-02-2010, 12:03 PM

It seems that the majority of the Byrdlands I've seen for sale lately on Ebay are of the Venician variety, and certainly all of the Epiphone versions are. Perhaps Gibson/Epiphone should make available the double cutaway Billy Byrd version!!!
The Byrdland short scale makes easy work of stretchy chords, and string tension is lower due to the 23.5 scale-but of course the things some people love about the Byrdland, are the things other's dislike about it. To me, it is an easy and fast player (and sounds great too).

Steve Hoffman · #25 06-02-2010, 12:12 PM

Gee, that one is so pretty. I'd learn to love it..

helios · #26 06-02-2010, 12:19 PM

If Billy Byrd's version ever went up for sale, Ted Nugent would probably buy it anyway! Come on Gibson/Epiphone-Let's get this into production for the masses!!!

Doctor Jeff · #27 06-02-2010, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Hoffman

Billy Byrd had his demons and didn't play much as his disease took over.

Maybe it goes back to the Robert Johnson deal with the devil...what great guitar players didn't/don't have demons??

It would be a pretty short list...

BigDaddyLoveHandles · #28 06-02-2010, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff

Maybe it goes back to the Robert Johnson deal with the devil...what great guitar players didn't/don't have demons??

It would be a pretty short list...

I didn't know anything about the private life of Bill Evans until I read the Wikipedia article recently:

Evans's drug addiction most likely began during his stint with Miles Davis in the late 1950s. A heroin addict for much of his career, his health was generally poor, and his financial situation worse, for most of the 1960s. By the end of that decade, he appeared to have succeeded in overcoming heroin, but during the 1970s, cocaine use became a serious and eventually fatal problem for Evans. His body finally gave out in September 1980, when—ravaged by psychoactive drugs, a perforated liver, and a lifelong battle with hepatitis—he died in New York City of a bleeding ulcer, cirrhosis of the liver, and bronchial pneumonia. Evans's friend Gene Lees bleakly summarized Evans's struggle with drugs to Peter Pettinger as "the longest suicide in history"

helios · #29 06-02-2010, 01:48 PM

Interesting story about the first Byrdland:
http://www.pbase.com/jroy/55byrdland

mr. beaumont · #30 06-02-2010, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

I didn't know anything about the private life of Bill Evans until I read the Wikipedia article recently:

Evans's drug addiction most likely began during his stint with Miles Davis in the late 1950s. A heroin addict for much of his career, his health was generally poor, and his financial situation worse, for most of the 1960s. By the end of that decade, he appeared to have succeeded in overcoming heroin, but during the 1970s, cocaine use became a serious and eventually fatal problem for Evans. His body finally gave out in September 1980, when—ravaged by psychoactive drugs, a perforated liver, and a lifelong battle with hepatitis—he died in New York City of a bleeding ulcer, cirrhosis of the liver, and bronchial pneumonia. Evans's friend Gene Lees bleakly summarized Evans's struggle with drugs to Peter Pettinger as "the longest suicide in history"

BigDaddy, the Evans bio "How My Heart Sings" is an excellent read, and gives you a real insight into the man and his music. I think you'd like it.