Wildwood Instruments :: What's New

Environmentally Friendly

2008-09-11T21:08:00.002+10:00

Wildwood Instruments are now using bulk unpackaged Martin&Co strings for our stringed instruments. This will save hundreds of tiny paper string packets being discarded. Previously, every individual string was supplied in its own paper sleeve, which accumulated to a substantial amount of unnecessary waste.
This is a small step, but as they say, every little bit helps!

The first Wildwood instrument making course is now about half way through. The three students are enjoying themselves and are keenly taking on the challenge of handcrafting their own instrument. I will post some pics of them at work soon.

Oh, and the latest celeb to join the list of professional players using/owning a Wildwood instrument is none other than Mick Thomas. What an honor to have him on the band wagon!

Instrument Making Course Update

2008-07-06T17:49:00.002+10:00

The travel guitar making course has been set back to the 12th August 2008. This gives people a little more time to gather their pocket money and convince the other half of their intentions! There are a few places left so get convincing!
Details are on the courses page.

Instrument Making Courses

2008-06-19T22:31:00.002+10:00

Build your own Wildwood travel guitar! The first instrument making course begins on 15th July 2008, where you will be guided through all the steps on constructing your own travel guitar. Be quick to book as places are strictly limited. See here for more details.

Closed for the Queens Birthday!

2008-05-13T22:48:00.002+10:00

The Wildwood Instruments shop will be closed on the 6th and 7th of June, the Queen's Birthday long weekend. In fact, I will be unavailable from the 1st to 12th of June. Apart from that, it is business as usual every Friday and Saturday 10am to 5pm.

Oh What a Night!

2008-04-21T21:54:00.006+10:00

What an amazing night the launch was! The performers were fantastic, taking on the challenge of playing the whole evening on only Wildwood instruments. With jaw dropping performances by Dan Dinnen, Wendy Ealey with Unsung, Peter Miller Robinson, Judy Small, Mark Pengilly, Michelle Chandler, Christina Green and Jane Coker, and a spell binding set by the fresh new talent of Madeline Hudson.

Peter Miller Robinson jumped up again to play an encore, into the wee hours of the morning. I believe a great night was had by all! The excellent finger food was a highlight, and the little cup cakes with the Wildwood logo went down a treat too! Thanks to everybody who attended.

Photos and possibly some video footage of the launch will be posted soon.

The shop will now be open Fridays and Saturdays 10am to 5pm.(including ANZAC day, Friday 25th) Please feel free to come down and have a browse and say hello. Hope to see you soon.

The Launch Performers

2008-04-04T23:48:00.002+11:00

The phenomonal amount of performers performing at the launch now includes: Judy Small, David Arden, Dan Dinnen, Peter Miller Robinson, Kate Eve, Maria Forde, Michelle Chandler, Mark Pengilly, Wendy Ealey, Christina Green, Madeline, and possibly some extra, extra special guest appearences(if that wasn't special enough!). They will all be playing on Wildwood instruments, so it will definately be a night not to miss. For further details see last post.

Firing Up for the Lanuch!

2008-04-01T23:46:00.004+11:00

With the Launch just around the corner, the Opening Party is set to be a Blast! We have secured some amazing acts, including Judy Small, David Arden, Dan Dinnen, and many many more, to perform on the night. They will be playing on Wildwood instruments, so it is indeed going to be a magical evening!
Everyone is welcome to attend. It is a free concert, with snacks and drinks to keep you happy. We won't be offended if you wish to "bring your own", as I am sure the party will go on till the wee hours!
Please mark in your diaries Friday the 18th April, with a big red circle around 7pm.
Corner of Albert and Leslie St. Brunswick, right next to the Brunswick train station (Upfield Line) or just off Sydney Rd tram line. There should be plenty of street parking too. I really hope to see you all on the night. Oh and there may be a door prize too!

National Folk Festival 2008

2008-03-22T10:07:00.001+11:00

National Folk Festival 2008
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Canberra! We arrived yesterday in very balmy weather, but it's turned so cold today! Nevertheless, our Easter weekend has started well, and we've been off to a pretty good start. Have a safe and wonderful Easter!

Port Fairy Folk Festival 2008

2008-03-09T12:16:00.001+11:00

Port Fairy Folk Festival 2008
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Port Fairy, Victoria! It's been a rather relaxing weekend, and it feels like the town's festivities slow down after sunset as well. We managed to catch Loren and The Grow Your Owns last night, and watched The Go Set rock the Reardon Theatre, with a Wildwood mandolin, no less! The breeze is blowing through the heat today, so do drop if you're in the area. Happy Labour Day!

Sydney Road Street Party 2008

2008-02-24T17:24:00.001+11:00

Sydney Road Street Party 2008
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Brunswick, Victoria! It's been a busy day on Sydney Road, and everyone's out in droves! Come along if you're in the area!

So Much Happening!

2008-02-23T11:21:00.003+11:00

We will be at the Sydney Street Road Street Party on Sunday 24th Feb. between 12 noon and 7pm. You can find us between Phoenix and Albert St.

A launch date has been set for the shop opening. Circle the 18th of April on your calendars and keep it free because your invited to the official opening party! More info to come, closer to the date.

Deluxe Mandolins are now back in stock. Order at will!

Up coming festivals include:
Port Fairy Folk Festival 7th - 10th March
Yackandandah Folk Festival 15th - 16th March
National Folk Festival 21st - 24th March

See you somewhere soon!

Australia Day 2008

2008-01-26T14:27:00.001+11:00

Australia Day 2008
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Wildwood Instruments would like to wish everyone a very Happy Australia Day from Alexandra Gardens, Melbourne!

Illawarra Folk Festival 2008

2008-01-20T12:30:00.001+11:00

Illawarra Folk Festival 2008
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from New South Wales! We thought it would be another rainy weekend a la Woodford, but after two days of rain, the clouds have passed and made way for blue skies! We also met Rodney Rude yesterday, who now owns one of our Travel Guitars. Good times!

Illawarra Folk Festival Here We Come!

2008-01-11T17:08:00.000+11:00

Woodford Folk Festival was amazing! The seven days of twelve hour trading was quite a test and not to mention the continual rain that did not let up for the whole festival. There was a whole lot of mud and some venues even turned into swimming pools! But I do believe a good time was had by all and a very successful inaugural appearance for Wildwood Instruments. Hopefully we will be seeing you there again next year!
The new year holds many more exciting adventures for us, the first being the Illawarra Folk Festival in NSW, on the 18th to 20th January.
Following that we will be appearing at the Australia Day celebrations at Alexandra Gardens, Melbourne, on you guessed it...Australia Day, 26th January.
Hope to catch you soon.

Woodford Folk Festival 2007/2008

2007-12-26T23:29:00.001+11:00

Woodford Folk Festival 2007/2008
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Woodford Folk Festival, Queensland! It took the Wildwood van 3 days to get to Woodford, and we'll be here to usher in the New Year! The crowds started coming in today, so it's looking to be a great week ahead. The rain has been coming down, but just enough to keep the heat off. If you can't make it here, we hope you've had a wonderful Christmas, and we look forward to seeing you at a festival in 2008!

Xmas at Woodford Folk Festival

2007-12-18T20:06:00.000+11:00

We are heading up to Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland this weekend. It runs from Boxing day to New Years Day. A super festival from what we have heard, as this is our maiden voyage to those parts. I have been flat out for the last few months building a bucket load (a very big bucket that is!) of instruments in antisipation for this, the largest folk festival in Australia.
Wildwood Instruments will be 'out of the office' until 10th of January. We would like to wish you all a safe and Merry Xmas and and a Joyous and Elated New Year! (Happy was so last year)

See you in 2008!

Queenscliff Music Festival

2007-11-25T09:00:00.000+11:00

Queenscliff Music Festival
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Queenscliff, Victoria! The crowds have been making their way down the main street to the festival grounds, and many have stopped by for a looksee. It's been a great weekend so far, hopefully the clouds will make way for the sun soon!

Music at the Creek 2007

2007-11-17T09:00:00.000+11:00

Music at the Creek 2007
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Majors Creek, New South Wales! Oh, what a great little festival! The sun's out for the weekend, so we're getting good vibes all around!

Festival Frenzy!

2007-11-13T23:14:00.000+11:00

We decided at the last minute to whip up to the Majors Creek Festival this weekend. Just a short 8 hour drive! Hope to see you there.

Festival Dates So far...
16th-18th Nov. Majors Creek Festival (NSW)
23rd-25th Nov. Queenscliff Music Festival (VIC)
27th Dec.-2nd Jan. Woodford Folk Festival (QLD)

With plenty more to come in the new year.

Maldon Folk Festival was a nice affair last week, a great way to kick off the festival season. A good time had by all, I believe, with the weather holding out for the most part.

Maldon Folk Festival 2007

2007-11-03T09:00:00.000+11:00

Maldon Folk Festival 2007
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

It's our first weekend of the festival season at Maldon! Well, we got a little rain throughout the day, but everyone was in great spirits. We've had a positive day, and we know some happy people who are enjoying their new Wildwood Instruments!

Festival Season!

2007-10-18T22:37:00.000+10:00

Its festival time again! Wildwood Instruments will be attending Maldon Folk Festival (2nd-5th Nov), Queenscliff Music Fetival (23-25th Nov) and Woodford Folk Festival (27 Dec-2 Jan) in what is left of 2007. More festivals are planned in early 2008 and will be announced when confirmed.
Hope to see you there!

Wildwood Instruments Newsletter

2007-10-18T20:53:00.000+10:00

For those of you who may have missed it, here is the Wildwood Instruments Newsletter. It was sent out to the mailing list, so if you didn't receive it why not sign up and next time get it delivered to your inbox.

WILDWOOD INSTRUMENTS NEWSLETTER

Hello and welcome to another instalment of the life and times of Wildwood!

As you probably know by now, Wildwood Instruments has moved to Melbourne, found a great factory in Brunswick, and has been setting up the very first Wildwood Instruments shop there. It has been a busy year with all the relocating, giving me little chance to make any instruments. So, unfortunately, I will be putting off the opening of the shop until after the festival season. With many instruments to be made and many festivals to attend, there is not enough time to complete and run the shop as well. You can still order instruments online and have them posted to you or you can collect them from the factory. I will also be attending a whole bunch of music festivals across Australia over the summer months (soon to be posted on the website) where you can come try, and buy the whole Wildwood range. Maldon Folk Festival is the first on the list, with the Wildwood stall putting in an appearance on Saturday the 3rd of November.

A set of Deluxe Mandolins has just been finished. Those of you, who have been patiently waiting, thank you for your patience. Stock is now available if you wish to place an order.

Large Xylophones and large shakers are also in stock again. Hooray!!

A new model of fiddle is about to be launched. Three prototypes have been designed and are nearing completion. They will then be subject to some scrutinising by the fiddle aficionados which will lead to the new Wildwood fiddle being reborn. Pictures of the new models will be posted on the website shortly.

The instrument making classes have been postponed. These will begin next year about the same time as the shop opening, if all goes well. I will let you all know when I will start to take bookings.

So much to do, so little time.. Oh well, we will get there in the end.

Hope to see you soon, at a festival or somewhere!!

Cheers

Nick Carpenter
Wildwood Instruments
www.wildwoodinstruments.com.au

Building Shop and Postponing Classes

2007-08-19T13:16:00.000+10:00

The brand new Wildwood shop is slowly coming together in Brunswick, Victoria. Hopefully it will be ready by the end of September. With so much to do for a lone instrument maker (ie. removing walls, hanging beams, plastering, carpeting, laying flooring, building shop fittings and counters, painting, etc), it's no suprise I haven't made a single instrument this year. Well, I have started some deluxe mandolins and a new improved version of the fiddle (details coming soon!), but the new spray booth is yet to go in, so.... first things first!

Unfortunately, Wildwood Instruments will not be running instrument-making classes as previously planned, but have been put on hold until next year. Due to the enormous effort of setting up the shop, and the fact that the festival season is nearly here, I do not have the time to start the classes now. But never fear, as next year will be here before you know it! I will keep you up-to-date with when I will start to take bookings in the new year.

We have concluded our Survey!

2007-06-11T00:28:00.000+10:00

Our "Seeking Expressions of Interest" survey has ended. Thank you to all those people who contributed, your feedback will help us determine what classes to run, when and for how long to run them, among other things. If you would still like to add any comments or suggestions please feel free to e-mail us. All suggestions are welcome.

It will still be a while before we are ready to open. The course times and prices will be posted closer to the launch date. Until then, we leave you to ponder the many wonderful things that you will soon be able to build!

We have a New Website!

2007-06-09T09:00:00.000+10:00

We have a new website! Jeff has redesigned the website to make it more user friendly, with drop down menus from the main categories, a new section of what services Wildwood Instruments can offer, feature enhanced roll over buttons and pictures, slide shows and a site map, so you can easily find everything. Some info on certian pages is still to come. However, please enjoy the new site, for your surfing pleasure!