Gibson Byrdland

[superjazzer]

What do people here think about the Gibson Byrdland to play jazz?

[PTChristopher]

Listen to Diana Krall doing "All or Nothing at All" from "Live in Paris". The Anthony Wilson solo shows the Byrd at its best sound in my opinion.

The roughly 2 1/2 minute solo starts about 1:45 into the song:

[docbop]

Many use Birdland's they have nice sound. If thinking of buying one try to play one first they have a short 23" scale so feel is a bit different.

[superjazzer]

What kind of strings and set up he uses? He close the the tone knob?

[tejastani]

Byrdland through a blackface Fender Twin? Nuff said!

[mike g]

Interesting read..
Gibson Byrdland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[PTChristopher]

I like how this vid shows the Byrd sound pretty clearly. The neck PU is pretty well crowded toward the bridge by the scale, number o' frets, and the extra bit of FB decoratively past the last fret.

In my opinion, you can hear the bit of brightness that comes from the neck PU position.

EDIT: Look at the L-5 20-fret PU position vs. the Byrd short scale and 22 fret PU position. (Both have the slight decorative FB extension.)

Chris

[Spook410]

I didn't care the one I had. Burgundy. 70's. Norlin. Never got past the quality flaws. However, putting that aside, didn't care for feel of the neck. Maybe if I only played one guitar I would have adjusted, but it never felt right.

[hot ford coupe]

Byrdland through a blackface Fender Twin? Nuff said!

I had a 1961 Byrdland and played it through the reissue Twin. It had a phenomenal sound with its 2 original PAFs but the neck was too narrow to be comfortable for me. I've got a small hand but the standard Gibson 24 3/4 neck like on a mid 50s Les Paul is more comfortable. My fingers don't bunch up half way down the neck. The thinner body size however is more comfortable than a full depth archtop. If I had a choice, i.e. for me only, I would have chosen a George Gobel L5 CT with a floating pickup instead. In conclusion, if you can get used to the shorter, more narrow neck without your fingers bunching up past the 6th fret, the Byrdland is a great choice for jazz.

[superjazzer]

Ok thank you. Wich kind of strings you use?
The sound is good but strange...on the E high first of all.
And the volume knob has a too fast response: if you go from 10 to 9 the volume and the sound change too much. If you do same on Les Paul is not so.

[PTChristopher]

super-J,

Maybe you could tell us what you are looking for more specifically.

Do you own a Byrdland?

Are you having specific sound problems on your guitar?

>>> the volume knob has a too fast response

This is easy to adjust. If the tech/luthier you use does not know what to do, we can make suggestions.

Chris

[Classicplayer]

Here's Billy........looks like it might a Byrdland.

And here's Hank Garland...perhaps on a Byrdland.

Classicplayer

[kris]

I used Epiphone Byrdland copy...same scale like Gibson.
It was too small for me...and sold it.

[stevedenver]

i purchased a 2002 byrdland , gorgeous white blonde, rounded cutaway horn, about two years ago-drop dead mint-wood to rival a CItation's, wonderful fit and finish

and I purchased by negotiating hard at GC- $4k out the door-and truly indistinguishable from new-


i had wanted a byrdland for thirty years
i love the shape and fingerboard detail and headstock-
to me it was like a thin L5 in overall apperance, but wider-sort of a 'sports car' archtop if you will..not unlike a ...jag...

i am able to adjust and generally enjoy almost any neck and fingerboard-not all, but the vast majority

and, as my first guitar i had a 64 Jag-another short scale (which i never knew i didnt like until i played a strat and and a les paul)

as much as i wanted the Byrd-it went back after about ten days-too expensive to be eye candy-and i knew it wasnt going to grow on me because of how it felt to me

even at a smoking price i chose not to keep it, (nor did i have the confidence to try and re-sell it as between price, archtop, and scale (and potential hassles and shenanigans with a buyer) -i might well still have it, as i fear they arent hot items in the wider realm of guitars or even the realm of archtop lovers-although most guys seem lust after them i have found on other sites-but few seem to actually purchase them )

i found the shorter scale was just really tight in the upper registers, and the fret board has a seemingly tighter radius-i dont know if this is fact true but it felt like it-and i have medium hands and fingers (and i play mando to give you an idea of my tolerance for tight)

also i found while the guitar did have a great electric voice, and somewhat faster decay and perhaps less sustain-through my twin- i found not only a nice jazz tone on the neck pup-but also an amazing rock-a-billy tone as well-and yes they do feedback easily

it had really, no accoustic voice (to be expected) -no more than a 335

otoh-the guitar can take really heavy strings- i used 14 flats and between the scale and the strings -it added quite a bit of meat to the sound without being at all difficult to play-in fact it felt about 2 gauges lighter-which was nice indeed

(im used to 9's on my lespauls, 10s on teles-and 12s on my archtop and 13's on my martin)

my thought would be for anyone who is in love with the looks of this gorgeous instrument, be sure to play it and have the ability to decide after more than a day or so-
its a very specific type of tool/guitar with a special feel that one might not care for-im not sure where this fits -335 or thinlline , comfy jazz box, i think its the type of guitar youll either love or not

i have found that although i primarily play les pauls-24.75 scale, over the years i have grown to prefer a 25.5 scale-

[nopedals]

I recently picked up a 1968 Byrdland to settle an old debt. I could not be more pleased. I have big hands, and switch between this guitar and my acoustic archtop with a 25.5 scale with no issues. I have Jimmy Bruno Sadowsky 13s (polished rounds) on it. This thing is a race car, super easy to play.

[bohemian46]

I have met and spoken with Anthony Wilson about his Byrdland experiences.. he played his for a very long time and still owns it. His tenure with Diana Krall earned him enough money to buy a Monteleone.

There is an Epi Byrdland at archtop.com.
( disclosure... I owned that guitar and miss it))

[helios]

What do you think about Byrdland to play jazz?
Do you have any suggested mp3 or video to send?

The Byrdland scale (23.5) is a matter of presonal taste & preference. I personally like it! Here are a couple of people on Youtube playing Byrdlands:

[Hammertone]

They all sound pretty good to me, but most Byrdlands I've played have stupid skinny little necks in addition to their short scale. No go for me. If I could get one cheap I'd saw off the neck have a real neck put on.

I have played a couple of Byrdlands that were built with regular width and depth necks and the short scale - those were really great.

[nopedals]

> it had really, no accoustic voice (to be expected) -no more than a 335

Not my experience. 335=maple top with wood block; byrdland is carved spruce with no block. Body is a bit larger than a 335, too. Obviously not a full acoustic archtop (like any ES, it is carved and braced to minimize feedback), but easily enough acoustic quality for unplugged practice. This is my experience with a late 60s model. New Gibsons and Epiphones may very well have a thicker carve.

When evaluating nut width issues, remember that string spacing counts, too. Vintage guitars tend to use the whole board; some modern models will sometimes bunch the strings in the middle a bit. Gibson was not shipping expensive guitars that were not playable by pros (at least in those days).

[pantz]

I've lusted after a Byrdland for many years now. Never intense enough to get me to buy one (especially at the prices I tend to find them offered for) but kind of a persistent, smouldering lust. This thread isn't exactly helping.

[pingu]

I have met and spoken with Anthony Wilson about his Byrdland experiences.. he played his for a very long time and still owns it. His tenure with Diana Krall earned him enough money to buy a Monteleone.

There is an Epi Byrdland at archtop.com.
( disclosure... I owned that guitar and miss it))

Anthony's byrdland sound is my all time fave jazz sound .......
I prefer it to his blond archtop

Did he say anything about why/how he found and bought it ?
love to know

[PTChristopher]

>>> most Byrdlands I've played have stupid skinny little necks

I think this is part of the remarkable appeal of the Epi Elite Byrds. They had 1 11/16 nut widths - so "normal" by many standards.

The shorter scale is really only VERY slightly different than playing a given song one semi-tone higher. So if a player can play up a half-step on a more typically-scaled guitar without getting the vapors, then the Byrdland scale is often not a practical problem.

Chris

[bohemian46]

From what I recall of our conversation, Anthony said he bought his from a friend or teacher... he didn't specifically look for one, ie he fell into it.
I too prefer his Byrd sound to the Monteleone... but still very very nice.

His former long time girlfriend is a friend of mine and lives down the road..
When Anthony played with Diana Krall at the Britt Festival in Jacksonville Oregon 2 years back... we all got together.

[kris]

Epi Elite Byrd and Gibson Byrd is a big difference in sound?

[va3ux]

Epi Elite Byrd and Gibson Byrd is a big difference in sound?

I've wondered about that myself. I have the Epi Elite Byrdland. I'm happy with it.