Wildwood Instruments :: What's New

Workshop Construction

2015-02-16T11:08:00.000+11:00

It has been a while since my last update on the happenings at Wildwood Instruments. As you may or may not know instrument construction has been on hold for two years now. We closed the shop/workshop in Brunswick and relocated to Mount Franklin (near Daylesford, Victoria) at the start of 2013. It took about a year to renovate the house we bought. Well, actually there is always more work to be done around the place, so it is never quite finished! ... but thats another story! Then it was on to setting up the business again. However, with no funds left, this made the process a little slower than planned. Without a proper workshop I could not make any instruments, so I have been doing handyman work around town to earn a crust. After much planning, budgeting and compromising, my grand plans for a workshop were condensed down to fit within the existing shed on the property (almost). So this humble two car garage is now being converted into a humidity and temperature controlled workshop. There was a nasty, cracked up concrete floor in half the shed, so that has now been removed and a new slab has gone in. Of course the shed has all my machinery and tools in there, as there is no other space to store them, so this makes things more difficult. The slab was done in two halves, so I could move everything around in there. The tilt door came off and some recycled doors and windows have been put in. I am currently working on an extension to the shed, for a much needed store room and a verandah/outdoor area. There is still power to go in, then insulating, plastering, painting etc. The exterior will be lined with recycled timber, then it should be good to go!
Once this is complete, the new business concept will be launched. This will be a focus on instrument making classes. We will be offering 2 day intensive courses every weekend, where you can come and assemble your very own custom made electric guitar. Everything you need will be provided including guitar parts, electrics, hand tools, machinery, consumables and of course expert advice. You will have a choice of all the classic models, you can design and fashion your own headstock shape, choose the colour and so forth, with many options to customise your axe! By the end of the course you will have built your own custom guitar ready for you to take to the stage (or bedroom!) If/when the new concept takes off it is anticipated more instruments will be added, including acoustic guitars, mandolins, ukuleles etc.
Anyway, I need to get back to building the workshop, so stay tuned for the new and exciting adventures of Wildwood Instruments and get ready to come and build your own instrument soon!

Back to Business!

2014-01-01T11:10:00.001+11:00

After taking a year off to renovate my house, I am now back to making instruments. Mandolins, Weissenbabies and Xylophones are back in stock. Some dulcimers are next on the list, then some Travel Guitars hopefully. I am yet to build a suitable workshop at our new location in Mount Franklin, central Victoria, so the instrument making classes will be some time away yet. I will keep you posted as to it's progress!

National Folk Festival 2013

2013-03-29T12:15:00.003+11:00

National Folk Festival 2013
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from National Folk Festival in Canberra! It's been a bit of a mad rush on the first morning of the festival. This will also be our very last folk festival for some time, so do come along and say hello. It's been a fantastic 8 years at the National, and we'd like to thank you all for your support over the years.

National Folk Festival 2013

2013-03-29T12:15:00.001+11:00

National Folk Festival 2013
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

National Folk Festival

2013-03-24T20:18:00.000+11:00

We are off to the NFF for possibly the last time, over the Easter break. We will be displaying in the Instrument Makers Exhibition. Instruments have been flying out the door and our stock is running out fast. Quite a few items are no longer available, so get in quick if you have been thinking about a Wildwood instrument. Don't forget to get your raffle ticket at the National, as you could be in the running to win a Wildwood Acoustic Guitar and your choice of a Mandolin, or Travel Guitar, or Ukulele! What a great prize! Have a happy Easter and hope to see you there if you are going.

Port Fairy Folk Festival 2013

2013-03-09T15:43:00.001+11:00

Port Fairy Folk Festival 2013
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Port Fairy! We're set up at InstrumentWORX this long weekend, so do drop in if you're in town!

Brunswick Shop Closing

2012-11-23T15:57:00.003+11:00

Our shop in brunswick will be closing its doors for the last time on 1st December. We are moving the business to Daylesford, in Victoria's Spa country. A beautiful place only 1.5hrs from Melbourne. We plan on running a comprehensive range of instrument making courses, along with providing accommodation cabins and hopefully a restaurant, to complete the instrument making wonderland! I have to build all of this so it is going to take some time to open, but it will be worth the wait! We shall keep you posted of its progress. In the mean time you can catch us at some up coming festivals, including Woodford Folk Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival and the National Folk Festival. Hope to see you around somewhere!

Bodhran Making Course

2012-09-06T09:24:00.000+10:00

The last course for the year is a one day Bodhran Making course, set for Saturday 6th October. If you would like to make your own tunable bodhran and tipper, and learn about all the processes involved in its construction, all in one day, why not sign up for our course? Further details can be seen at www.wildwoodinstruments.com.au/courses.html#bodhran Be quick as places are limited.

Instrument Making Courses

2012-07-10T16:09:00.000+10:00

We have a Travel Guitar, Mandolin and a Weissenbaby Making Course set for August. This will be the last courses for the year, and perhaps for some years! (more about this soon!). So don't miss out, if you would like to learn how to make an instrument. See our courses page for details.

National Folk Festival 2012

2012-04-06T09:41:00.001+10:00

National Folk Festival 2012
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Canberra! It's our 8th Easter at the National, and our very 1st presentation in the Instrument Makers Exhibition. Do drop in at the Quokka Pavilion this weekend if you're here, and check out the new Wildwood Acoustic Guitars!

FREE delivery on Strings!

2012-02-25T12:22:00.004+11:00

To introduce our new environmentally friendly string packaging, we are having a super special of FREE shipping on all our strings, anywhere in Australia!
Each packet is made from a single A4 sheet of paper, folded to make a 100% recyclable, sealed envelope. A small step in an environmentally conscious direction! The strings themselves are the same quality, USA made, strings we have been supplying for years, individually labeled then all coiled together, to save on superfluous packaging! Check them out at http://www.wildwoodinstruments.com.au/accessories.html#strings

The WIldwood Sessions 1st Birthday!

2012-01-17T11:52:00.003+11:00

The 12th Wildwood Session is on this Saturday evening (21st Jan) They have been running for a year now, thus, we will be celebrating our 1st birthday! Yay! Please feel free to come along and join in. Acoustic music, in all its various styles, is welcome and all levels of playing too. Held in our shop at 307 Albert Street, Brunswick, VIC. Hope to see you there!
More info and updates can be found at The Wildwoos Sessions facebook page.

Woodford Folk Festival 2011/2012

2011-12-26T19:37:00.003+11:00

Woodford Folk Festival 2011/2012
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Season's Greetings from Woodford, Queensland! This is our 5th year at this festival, and we're hoping the weather will remain fine until New Year's Day! As before, we're opposite The Palace, on the corner of Ilovea Parade and Ina Way. Have a safe break, and hope to see you at the Wildwood stall!

Woodford Folk Festival 2011/2012

2011-12-21T19:43:00.004+11:00

We are off to Woodford Folk Festival in Qld over the Xmas to New Year Break. Please come and say hi to us at our stall if you are going! The full sized Acoustic Guitars will be on show for the first time, just waiting for you to try them out!
The Brunswick shop will be closed until the 20th January 2012. Internet orders will be processed after this time also.

Hope you have a fantastic festive season and hope to see you in the New Year!

Movember - The Craft and the Pride series

2011-11-23T09:39:00.002+11:00

Here is the clip of Cajun (the Golden Retriever) and I in Movembers 2011 campaign, The Craft and the Pride series.

Wildwood Acoustic Guitars

2011-11-16T09:52:00.003+11:00

We are proud to introduce our new line of instruments, the Wildwood Acoustic Guitar! We are now producing full sized acoustics in the beautiful, natural and organic style you are familiar with in the Wildwood range. A superb sound and artistically appointed with the unique "Wild design" motif on the front of the instrument. Check out the promo video, drop into the shop, or visit us at one of the festivals we will be attending, to test them out!

Festival Season!

2011-10-24T20:10:00.003+11:00

It's festival season again! First one up is Maldon Folk Festival this weekend (28th-30th Oct). It will be our first time exhibiting with the other instrument makers at Maldon. Hope to see you there if you are planning on attending!
Woodford Folk Festival is not far away either (over the Xmas to New Year week) which we will be making the trek to Queensland for. Hoping for better weather this year! And that is just the beginning of what is to be another fantastic season 'o' festivals! Hope to see you at one !

A New Instrument!

2011-10-08T17:13:00.003+11:00

A new stringed instrument is under construction at the Wildwood factory! What could it be? Well I am sure you will all be pleased and wanting to get your hands on one of these!
Much of winter has been spent developing it and rejigging the workshop to accommodate the construction of this new creature. Many jigs, molds and tools have been built and acquired, to create the biggest and, dare I say, most impressive instrument of the Wildwood range! More details to come soon.

I'm such a tease, aren't I!

Wildwood Instruments - The Movie

2011-07-03T12:46:00.005+10:00

We have just uploaded a short documentry about Wildwood Instruments to Youtube. This 7.5 minute presentation goes through the history of the business from its humble beginnings to now. It also runs through the construction process of a travel guitar.
It is a student production from NMIT, and I think they did a fantastic job at telling the story of Wildwood. You can find it on youtube here http://youtu.be/XYPBgJXjR-0

Mandolin to star in an Opera!

2011-06-07T11:42:00.004+10:00

A Wildwood mandolin will be starring in Melbourne Operas version of "Faust", opening 18th June at the Anthenaeum Theatre. A dramatic role in which mandolin will be transporting you through an emotional journey, only to meet a tragic ending when it will be brutally murdered on stage!
After the great (car) crash of 2006 (Wildwood van rolled three times on its way to Port Fairy Folk Festival) it was thought that mandolin would never perform again. However, with a change of career from music to acting, mandolin will grace the stage after all!

Dulcimer Cases and Capos!

2011-05-02T18:10:00.004+10:00

Finally, after a very long search we now have in stock, padded bags and capos for the dulcimer! Yay! Made in America, these bags are great quality and should give your lovely dulcimer some well needed protection whilst carrying it around. The beautiful capos come in a range of solid american timbers. They are a great fit to the Wildwood dulcimer and allow you to change key quickly and easily, without retuning. Please visit our Accessories page for details.

National Folk Festival

2011-04-20T15:50:00.004+10:00

We are off to the National Folk Festival once again this Easter. Come and say hi at our stall if you are going too, and check out our new ukuleles while you're there!
The Wildwood ukuleles are now strung with Aquila strings, the best uke strings you can get*(*so it has been said!), allowing these instruments to perform at their best. Try them out for yourself!
The shop in Brunswick will be closed this Friday and Saturday, but will be back to normal the following week.
Have a good Easter, where ever you may be. :)

New Courses

2011-04-18T20:26:00.004+10:00

The two instrument making courses in May are fully booked but we now have a Bodhran Making course, Weissenbaby Making Course and a Mandolin Making Course available, due to start in July/August.
- The Bodhran Making is a one day course (16th July) where you get to make your own tunable bodhran and tipper.
- This is the first time the Weissenbaby course has been offered. Be one of the first to make this awesome mini slide guitar. (Starts 1st August)
- The very popular Mandolin Making course is running again (Starts 2nd August)
Only 4 students per class so get in quick as they do book out! For more details please visit www.wildwoodinstruments.com.au/courses.html

In the local Newspaper!

2011-03-28T21:07:00.005+11:00

Cajun and I appeared in the Moreland Leader this week, along with the Moreland Mayor, Oscar Yildiz (page 4). As you can see, we were jamming out in the Wildwood showroom.
The council is offering free mentoring sessions to small businesses, which I took full advantage of. Thank you Elisa Grassa (Senior Economic Development Officer at Moreland Council) and Moreland Council for offering this service.

Port Fairy Folk Festivaled Out!

2011-03-15T19:45:00.004+11:00

What a great weekend we had at the Port Fairy Folk Festival. This was the first time Wildwood has displayed in the instrument makers exhibition tent, in the heart of the festival. A very bustling and exciting place to be! The excellent Shane Nicholson is now a proud owner of a Wildwood dulcimer. A brilliant musician who will undoubtedly put the instrument to good use!
Lots of fun was had, and as you can see in the pic, Jeff and I were having a nice photo taken when some VB drinking yobbo stuck his head in ..... oh its Tony McManus!