# Song Guitars



## sivs (Aug 5, 2009)

I picked up a guitar on kijiji in Calgary a few months bad made by "song". A bit of poking around revealed that a guy named Tom Song got together with a guy named Andy at the Guitar Connection and started making guitars, but things have gone a different direction since then (Andy's taken over and is getting an offshore company to make them and someone else in the states to assemble them). 

Long story short, has anyone else ever heard of song guitars? They've got a website (www.songguitars.com) which is in sore disrepair, but that's about all I can find. The one I've got is a lot of fun - single humbucker sized P90 in the bridge with one volume knob. It really reminds me of why I love to play guitar! I'll put some pictures up soon, but I wanted to see if anyone else owned a Song guitar or has had any experience with Tom.


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## sivs (Aug 5, 2009)

Some pictures:








I believe it's an ash body, flamed maple neck with rosewood board. The pickup is a Bill Lawrence - or so I was told, I haven't taken it apart to find out for myself yet.








I had the string tree installed because it's got a non-angled headstock and the nut was cut low enough that the strings were popping off when I really strummed them on open string stuff.
















It's got a serial number of "00000" stamped into the back of the headstock. All of the other songs I've seen (there are still a few at the Guitar Connection in Calgary) were set gloss necks with maple tops. It's definitely a fun guitar!

Anyone else ever even heard of them?


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

Looks cool - I like the top. That volume control seems to be in a bit of akward position though - I think it'd look better if it was further back.


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## sivs (Aug 5, 2009)

hmmm... never noticed that the volume knob looks to be in a weird place. It usually feels about right and hasn't gotten in the way yet, but I'll have to think about it next time I play. I mostly play a G&L strat and tele, so it's not too far off from those in placement. 

The top is rather cool... it's actually the whole body, so the back looks like that too. I think it's ash, but if anyone else knows better, let me know!


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

It definitely a looker! I really dig how it looks, but yeah, I would have thought the volume pot is in the way too, but I guess if you strum forward enough on the body, it wouldn't be.

Never heard of Song though. What type of $$$ ballpark are we talking about here?


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## sivs (Aug 5, 2009)

I don't know what this one was priced new - the guy I got it from traded an amp for it (it was the maker of Clara amps, another Calgary guy). I think Andy said that Tom's now only building a few guitars a year and they go for multiple thousands of dollars.


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## drift_boat (Feb 2, 2006)

*Song Guitar*

Ive played that particular one and was impressed by the feel and playability of it. Quality components and excellent craftsmanship too IMO. Good score!! Especially at that price!!

I read a newsclip some years ago about a collaboration between the maker and the marketer (Guitar Connection). I think that relationship has ended afaik.


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## sivs (Aug 5, 2009)

You've played this exact one, eh? Pretty cool... guitars seem to get around I guess!

I think you're right, Andy from GC isn't working with Tom anymore. It's too bad but I'm not complaining... I still got a sweet guitar out of it.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I'd miss the neck pickup--I've really been getting into them the last couple of years, but it's a nice looking guitar and good price as well.


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## Bevo (Nov 24, 2006)

Very nice, does the volume double as a tone?


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

sivs said:


> I don't know what this one was priced new - the guy I got it from traded an amp for it (it was the maker of Clara amps, another Calgary guy). I payed less than $500 for it if I recall correctly and the few hanging around the shop in Calgary are $1000 a piece. They're way better guitars than that though, and I think Andy said that Tom's now only building a few guitars a year and they go for multiple thousands of dollars.


For that price and judging the quality of the guitar by the way it looks, I think you got a pretty good deal!


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## sivs (Aug 5, 2009)

Bevo - rolling to volume off seems to roll the tone back too, but I'm not sure if that's just the characteristic of the pickup or not. Maybe that's what you're talking about?

And yes, I do think I got a good deal on the guitar! It's a great one to have around - a nice third or fourth guitar, I don't think I could ever use it as my number one. I do love the 25" scale on it though...


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## Bevo (Nov 24, 2006)

No, I had a single pickup guitar and if you pulled out the volume it would act as a normal tone control. Pushing it back in locked the tone where you had it and your volume works normaly.

Nice and clean.


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## sivs (Aug 5, 2009)

Bevo said:


> No, I had a single pickup guitar and if you pulled out the volume it would act as a normal tone control. Pushing it back in locked the tone where you had it and your volume works normaly.
> 
> Nice and clean.


Hmm... I might try to wire it up like that. I don't know much about wiring, but I figure now's as good a time to learn as any! I'm also debating trying it with a humbucker... and maybe putting on some different tuning heads (I've got some mini shaller's with ebony buttons on another guitar which isn't seeing much use).


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## Thecollector* (Aug 3, 2011)

I recently purchased one off of kijiji


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## Boy_Narf (Oct 26, 2016)

Hey just wanted to necro bump this thread saying I am the latest owner of this beauty 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6z99Jlbat2hY6Byl2

It is indeed, back in Calgary. Looks like it has a new knob now, a mountain of gunk, and a few more dings, but everything is in working order. It will be getting a proper setup and look over later this week. It's definitely been played...

EDIT: Looks like someone added some Gotoh 510 Supers to it along the way. So thanks to whoever did that and nice choice


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## Adam T (Jan 14, 2019)

Yet another bump...

I just wanted to add to Tom's story a bit. I have one of his guitars and I love it! Built like a tank, sounds great. Its a bit heavy, but so is a Les Paul. I never met Tom myself, but I got my guitar in a trade deal in Las Vegas from the guitarist in my band at the time. He played in a lot of different projects back in the early 2000's. One of them was a jazzy/boutique/euro style band in Vegas called The Sideroom. Both he and the bassist had Tom make instruments for them. I remember the bass being a very short scale, plunky little thing, but very cool. Both of these instruments used the same template as your guitar. So I know there is also a short scale bass of this design floating around out there.

Jason, my guitarist, got picked up by a band on RCA and was getting ready to hit the road. He took his Song with him, but before he left, I know that he and Tom shipped this guitar back and forth several times, changing things, sanding the gloss off the neck, etc. Tom was very accommodating to every request. I fell in love with this guitar the moment I saw it, but he wouldn't trade me for it! He stopped playing it because he preferred his Strats and it was just too heavy, so it got buried away in his studio closet.

Years later, I managed to get the guitar as part of a package trade deal (...along with 2 late round draft picks, an AHL'er and a puck bag...ok, kidding). I left Vegas 3 years ago and moved back up north, and it came with me. Thats where the trail grows cold. I heard Tom doesnt make guitars at all anymore, which is a damn shame since he is quite good at it. I cant find much on him or his apparently now-defunct guitar company. I just took it out of its case earlier today and have it sitting here in my studio.

Its the best I can offer in the complex puzzle of the Tom Song mystery.


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## stripcycle (Feb 12, 2019)

I'm glad some of these guitars are still being played and appreciated!

I don't have much detail to add, it was a long time ago but ...I worked for Tom briefly in about 1996, I was introduced to him by Andy from Guitar Connection. Tom was making guitars for the shop and for customers at the time and I worked for him on a few guitars mainly on rough shaping necks and bodies and cutting / routing bodies ( I had previous experience / interest in guitar making and had also worked a brief stint at Larivee in Vancouver in '94 in the buffing department ). It was a great experience and Tom seemed like a cool guy but the business of guitar building itself was not really viable back then. I lasted less than a year, and I remember at one point we did a stint mowing lawns in the morning and building guitars in the afternoon to make ends meet.

When I worked for Tom these guitars were very hand-made - he bought wood, routed bodies, cut and shaped necks by hand, did all the gluing and laminating and finishing himself and the setup. We did a series of solid walnut natural finish guitars that year that were just gorgeous, as well as gloss flame maple tops, etc. The aesthetic was very PRS-meets-surf guitar shape. Eventually I would love to chase down one of those walnut guitars even though I don't play much.

Another thing I remember about Tom is, he was a great, I mean GREAT Jazz guitar player and I assume still is.


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## Boy_Narf (Oct 26, 2016)

Hey guys,

Thanks for adding to the story. Would be great to hear more about this model if anyone has any info.

I had the guitar into the tech I've been using for a decade and he got it all cleaned up for me. I read another post saying this was a Loller pickup, but looks like they were either mistaken, or it's been swapped out with a generic GFS. Not the hottest pickup I've played but quite defined. There were also two fairly deep dents in the back of the neck which he was able to steam up, then did a coat of shellac to smooth everything out (one of the nicest necks I own now). I'm happy to say she is back up and running, and it has quickly become one of my favorites 

@Adam T, do you have any pics? Would be cool to see what your model looks like.


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## Adam T (Jan 14, 2019)

These are not the best shots, but here is the one i have. I can find absolutely nothing on Tom or his guitars aside from this one thread. I would be happy to post better pics, or even more specific areas if you would like a closer look. I wont be parting with this guitar any time soon.


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## Adam T (Jan 14, 2019)

...ok, they turned out better than I thought.


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## Assailant (Jan 20, 2021)

I am the owner of both Tom's first guitar he ever made and, if I'm not mistaken, the second bass he ever made, which he almost cut his hand off in a table saw accident cutting the body. My godfather, who bought both instruments in the 80s (and had to complete my bass while Tom underwent extensive physical rehabilitation) commissioned said guitar and bass, as well as another, which might have been the first bass he made.

The difference between my bass and the other was colour, the first was blue, and the pickups I believe. Mine has Alembics and I believe the other had EMGs. It has a Hamer bridge and Hamer tuning keys. It was stripped of electronics for years until I had it restored in 2008, but the dinguses made it passive instead of active. No big deal, as Alembic pickups are second to none for tone and quality, in my humble opinion. I am unaware the materials used to build it, but I am able to find out and will update accordingly.

I was recently given the guitar and plan on restoring it. I've owned the bass for almost twenty years. It's a mean sounding bastard with heavy action. I'll upload pictures of the guitar once I'm able to take pictures with more information. Enjoy!


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## Stevie007 (Aug 14, 2017)

Adam T said:


> These are not the best shots, but here is the one i have. I can find absolutely nothing on Tom or his guitars aside from this one thread. I would be happy to post better pics, or even more specific areas if you would like a closer look. I wont be parting with this guitar any time soon.
> View attachment 334801
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Adam T said:


> These are not the best shots, but here is the one i have. I can find absolutely nothing on Tom or his guitars aside from this one thread. I would be happy to post better pics, or even more specific areas if you would like a closer look. I wont be parting with this guitar any time soon.
> View attachment 334801
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I have a Tom Song that looks very similar to this and has a serial # of 57440. I acquired it in a trade deal. It has a similar humbucker configuration with Seymour Duncan Zebra Humbuckers but it also has Piezo saddle pickups for acoustic sounds and it is wired for stereo output.
Mine is gloss jet black and has lots of wear and finish checking. Apparently it was used by guitarist Russell Broom (also a sound engineer / producer) . It apparently went on a tour with Jann Arden. It is really a great guitar with a sturdy 5 bolt neck attachment. I find the neck very comfortable and has a wonder, bare, type of finish. I have several expensive guitars and I find myself picking this one up very often. I think Tom Song is one of those great Canadian guitar builder mysteries


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## Assailant (Jan 20, 2021)

Here are some pictures of the first guitar Tom Song ever built. I have to replace the Floyd Rose and get electronics for it. Hope to do it soon.


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## Midnight Rider (Apr 2, 2015)

sivs said:


> Some pictures:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wonder if it is a prototype with the '00000' serial number. May be worth more if it is.


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## Assailant (Jan 20, 2021)

Midnight Rider said:


> Wonder if it a prototype with the '00000' serial number. May be worth more if it is.


Honestly makes me happy knowing there are people out there who have got to experience the greatness of these instruments besides myself and family. Tom and my godfather were great friends in the 80s and 90s and Tom apparently was one of the best guitarists in Calgary at the time. Heard him described as a robot with emotion, pertaining to his mastery and speed of the fretboard. I'd love to meet the man who built me the one thing that's being buried with me.


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## Midnight Rider (Apr 2, 2015)

Assailant said:


> Honestly makes me happy knowing there are people out there who have got to experience the greatness of these instruments besides myself and family. Tom and my godfather were great friends in the 80s and 90s and Tom apparently was one of the best guitarists in Calgary at the time. Heard him described as a robot with emotion, pertaining to his mastery and speed of the fretboard. I'd love to meet the man who built me the one thing that's being buried with me.


Where did you say you were being buried again? lol


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## Assailant (Jan 20, 2021)

I believe my bass and it's brother are the first legit products Tom put out. I believe it because the original owner of both told me that he had a 1977 Musicman Stingray, serial number 01477 or close to it, that he loaned to Tom for the outline of his first attempt. When said owner got his Stingray back, the neck was all warped and twisted. This was due to Tom having his own unique truss rod style, which, from what I've heard, he was hesitant to part with the intellectual property of, which lead to the Stingray being mothered in the name of progress. Also, early Musicman instruments had a tendency for warping so who knows.

You can tell the Musicman inspiration by looking at the instruments, mainly the headstock being 4/2 or 3/1, but even the body design of my guitar too. The bass however, was inspired by Rudy Sarzo and his mid to late 70s Washburn WB-44.

Im very lucky to have grown up learning music on such amazing instruments.


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## Boy_Narf (Oct 26, 2016)

Hey guys just reporting in. I had the craziest urge to list this guy for sale but after taking a few beauty shots and giving it another play I just can't part with it 

Since we spoke last it got a full once over from a local luthier including a new CTS pot and a Gibson P94. One of the best necks I own.

I'm not at all keen on the volume placement and had intended move it further down but I can't bring myself to drill into this top hah. I think something like this should remain free from serious modifications. It's got an acoustic quality to the clean tone. Very hi-fi and present.

I found a few achieved versions of the Song Guitars website and I think this is either an AC custom model or a Dynasty model prototype. Wasn't able to find this one specifically though.


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## Boy_Narf (Oct 26, 2016)

Well small city it seems. I got to chatting with a fellow on Kijiji about Canadian guitars and I brought this one up. He said this was indeed built by his old teacher/luthier, Andy from GC. He reached out to Andy and asked if there was any fun story behind the 00000 and he said no ha.


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## Stevie007 (Aug 14, 2017)

Adam T said:


> These are not the best shots, but here is the one i have. I can find absolutely nothing on Tom or his guitars aside from this one thread. I would be happy to post better pics, or even more specific areas if you would like a closer look. I wont be parting with this guitar any time soon.
> View attachment 334801
> View attachment 334803
> View attachment 334802
> ...


This is my Tom Song which I believe was owned by Russell Broom, a music producer and guitarist for Jan Arden








Tom Song Custom Guitar


This unique guitar was made in Calgary by Tom Song and was owned by writer/producer/guitarist Russell Broome. Russell added the undersaddle acoustic pickups and the stereo blend cable to give this guitar a tremendously flexible number of tones. Tom Song did not make a lot of custom instruments...




www.flickr.com


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## RadioAKtiveKat (Dec 19, 2021)

I met Tom through a friend when I was looking for a custom made V in the Jackson style in 1988. I had made some decent money and he had made a nice looking Strat style guitar for said friend. Some questions and “Monster“ was born. 
Longer than the Jackson King V and just slightly wider at the horns, the body was made of two pieces of Mahogany milled together. You may joke about Les Pauls being bricks, but this weights about five pounds more and the bottom end tone is killer.
I have been trying to find Tom again, to let him know one of his early creations is still making joyous noise (more pictures later).


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

Post some more pictures of that guitar!


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## RadioAKtiveKat (Dec 19, 2021)

MarkM said:


> Post some more pictures of that guitar!


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## RadioAKtiveKat (Dec 19, 2021)

A few battle/stage scars on the horns after all these years, still plays like a dream.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

RadioAKtiveKat said:


> A few battle/stage scars on the horns after all these years, still plays like a dream.


The story of the horns is the paint got knocked off beating off yahoo's that made it through the chicken wire to the stage!


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## RadioAKtiveKat (Dec 19, 2021)

MarkM said:


> The story of the horns is the paint got knocked off beating off yahoo's that made it through the chicken wire to the stage!


Not too far off, but I can’t remember playing High River…lol.


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## Loran (Jan 3, 2022)

Reviving an old thread to post mine:

















S/N 57459. 
Bought in Calgary from Andy around 1997-ish. A bit weird with gold tuners but the other hardware chrome.


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## Prototype_ (26 d ago)

Hi all, First post on the forum, but I happen to own one of these guitars and wanted to add it to the lore of custom Song guitars!

This axe here has a bit of a les paul look and feel. Although its much lighter and a bit smaller. Received it as a gift from my aunt--a momento to remember my uncle by. It came with a tag in the case which reads "100 000 99 Prototype"

What I know about this guitar: it was custom built for my late uncle, Kevin Herring. Kevin was a guitarist mainly playing in Calgary, Alberta for bands like Dice Deluxe and The Love Bullies.

Honestly an absolute one of a kind beaut. The cutaways and body contouring is truly original. Plays very warm to plug in dry. These Song guitars have a very special feel to them. Its wild to think no other guitar like this exists on the planet. Check it out!


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