GIORDANO DESIGNS

Made From Wood in My Backyard 

( pine top; oak back and sides; cherry neck )

YARDBYRDTM

"Mark Giordano does incredible set up on guitars. While at his shop , he showed me one of his finished guitars, the Yardbyrd! I’ve heard people describe guitars as having many colors, round tone, and separation. When he played it for me, I almost swooned. I had never heard a guitar like that before.  It had everything that I described above.  You owe it to yourself to have listen.
You won’t be disappointed."

- Sanford Protich. Newport News, VA -


( BELOW: YARDBYRD VIDEO REVIEW AND DEMOS BY BROOKS ROBERTSON & OTHERS)

This guitar doesn't sound the way it does by accident. When they play it, they hear it.

Brooks Robertson Reviews the Yardbyrd

I recently went out to the Pete Huttlinger Guitar Camp, where Brooks Robertson, Parker Hastings, and Joe Robinson  were giving instructions on Travis style finger picking. Aside from being one of the best players today,  Brooks is an assistant professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is an extraordinarily gifted musician, with many influential videos online in YouTube.  I had taken the YardByrd with me to advance my playing skills.  After a session one day, Brooks asked me if he could play it. 

And this happened...

("Winding West" Recorded on iPhone).


Another Demo; This guy's got a touch like nobody else.

Brooks Robertson: Finger Picking Demo

It's been said that "Brooks Robertson plays

like the house is on fire". I'd add "and he's

going nowhere 'til the song's done."

Buster B. Jones, Jus D-Orange Cover arrangement by Brooks. (Recorded on iPhone)

There's something about this guitar...

Jonathan Huitt Demos the YardByrd

When Jonathan comes over to test a new guitar, he's not performing. He just starts checking the sound with some of his songs, so he can feel how it plays and hear how it sounds. He's particularly interested in response and playability.

He really likes the Yardbyrd.

Wayne Henderson Checks Out the YardByrd

Wayne was working on his 933rd guitar when I stopped by to show him the Yardbyrd guitar. Although Wayne is also recognized for his masterful bluegrass style, this video isn't meant to be a performance. He's just listening carefully and looking at the workmanship. His daughter, Elizabeth Jane is an advocate of sustainable instruments. As to the Yardbyrd, the experiment was to see just how much torrefication would affect plentiful, indigenous woods when coupled with responsive bracing. The top is common Virginia Pine. You can still hear its timbre on this video, proving the extent to which bracing affects the tone of a guitar, but because of the byte limitation of my web host, it doesn't come close to what this guitar sounds like live. Have a listen to Wayne listening carefully to the Yardbyrd.

  (Recorded on an iPhone)

Redd Volkaert On the YardByrd

We didn't expect Redd Volkaert to stop by for a visit. Wayne suggested that he should have a listen to the Yardbyrd. Redd was all in to hear a new guitar, especially one as curious as having a pine top. When seasoned players as great as Redd pick up a guitar, they aren't performing. They are listening to the responsive quality of the instrument as it sounds in their style. It's pretty interesting to watch them listen. Redd has a special touch like no one else. He can suck the tone right out of guitar with his inimitable honky tonk, chickin' pickin' style. The action that day was a bit low for a player of his strength and force, but you can sure hear the years of his art on the new birth of the first Yardbyrd guitar.

(Recorded on an iPhone)

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