Gibson Byrdland
By Chris Swope
This famed guitar takes its name from not one but two great Nashville guitar players; Billy Byrd and Hank Garland. Billy and Hank are best known as two of the founding fathers of Hillbilly Jazz. Take a brief moment on youtube and you'll see plenty of footage of Billy playing with Ernest Tubb and Hank playing with Faron Young and others. Both guitarists had been experimenting with piano chord voicings that were difficult to reach on a long scale L5. Here is a clip of Hank playing Billy's Stromberg which was to be one of the guitars that influenced the design of the Byrdland!
Hank Garland's story is especially compelling. Don’t get me wrong, I love Hillbilly Jazz and Hank's playing in that genre is stunning but Hank was much, much more than that. Though a very busy session man, recording with the likes of Patsy Cline, Conway Twitty, Roy Orbison and yes, Elvis, Hank loved bebop and could be found sharing the stage of many a New York night club in the late 1950s with the likes of Charlie Parker and other Jazz greats. Then in 1960 his landmark album Move finally showcased that talent to the world. Tragically, an automobile accident in 1961 ended his career.
The Byrdland guitar debuted in 1955 and went through various production changes through the next two decades. This Custom Shop example displays classic features from the late 1950s with its humbucking pickups and Venetian (rounded) cutaway.
The Byrdland has a 23.5” scale neck which allows for some very nimble finger movement whether you’re hillbillying it up with Sugarfoot Rag or getting down and dirty in a funky organ trio. Don’t let the shorter scale fool you. This is a full feeling neck and yields a fat, warm sound. Its shorter scale allows you to beef up with a heavier gauge string and not suffer the tension that a 25.5” L5 would present. Lest you think this guitar is only for Jazzers, don’t forget one of the Florentine cutaway version Byrdland's most loyal players, The Nuge!