Wildwood Instruments :: What's New

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!

Port Fairy Folk Festival 2011

2011-03-12T13:47:00.003+11:00

Port Fairy Folk Festival 2011
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Port Fairy, Victoria! We are spending the Labour Day long weekend at the Instrument Makers Exhibition, so do come along and have a look!

Sydney Road Street Party 2011

2011-03-06T14:12:00.001+11:00

Sydney Road Street Party 2011
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Brunswick, Victoria! It's a glorious day to be out in the sun, and it's all abuzz today on Sydney Road! Do come along for some free music, and a bevy or two!

Melbourne Ukulele Festival 2011

2011-02-26T11:13:00.001+11:00

Melbourne Ukulele Festival 2011
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Northcote, Victoria! We're finally set up at the Uniting Church of Australia on High Street, and the day's looking fine and sunny. Do come along for some free music, and we hope to see you here!

Woodford Folk Festival 2010/2011

2010-12-26T21:22:00.003+11:00

Woodford Folk Festival 2010/2011
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Queensland! We arrived on Christmas Eve, and all set and ready when the gates opened this afternoon. It's been raining all this time, and we've been told we're in for a very wet Woodford this year. Do drop in if you're in the area. Hope you're having a safe break, and looking forward to a great New Year!

Woodford Folk Festival

2010-12-21T12:57:00.003+11:00

We are off to Woodford Folk Festival (in Queensland) over Xmas and New Years. Looks like a wet one this year, which is always a challenge to keep the instruments from the elements. Luckily these "travel instruments" are built to take it! Tough and sturdy little beasts!
The shop will be closed until 6th January (reopen on 7th and 8th Jan) and any online orders will be processed after this time.
Wishing you all a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year!

Closed!

2010-12-06T20:55:00.001+11:00

We will be closed until the 16th December. Any orders recieved during this time will be processed after the 16th Dec. and should still be delivered before Christmas (depending on Australia Post) Please contact Nick on 0416188950 with any enquiries.
The shop will be open on the 17th & 18th Dec for any last minute Xmas shopping.
Sorry for any inconvenience.

Books Now Online

2010-12-02T09:02:00.004+11:00

We now have a range of Hal Leonard method books available online. These complement our range of instruments and now allows you to get everything needed to get started on a new instrument! You can find the books on the accessories page of the website.

2010-11-27T10:26:00.001+11:00

IMG_1009
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Queenscliff Music Festival! It's our first festival for the season, and it's good to be weatherproof on this rainy weekend! Come in and say hello if you're in the area!

Instrument Making Courses

2010-11-04T17:41:00.002+11:00

The next round of Instrument Making Courses have been announced. If you would like to make your very own instrument we have a Travel Guitar course starting 23rd May 2011 and a Mandolin course starting 24th May 2011. check out www.wildwoodinstruments.com.au/courses for details. Only 4 students per class so best to book early!

Wildwood Sessions Cancelled!

2010-10-21T20:41:00.002+11:00

Wildwood Instruments has some unfortunate news. We have been planning on running "The Wildwood Sessions" at our shop in Brunswick. The sessions would have been intimate concerts of some of the finest folk performers from Australia and abroad. Watching a great show, surrounded by handcrafted instruments, sipping on some lovely wine! The sessions would have been fantastic! We have acquired a liquor licence for the premises, but the council has unfortunately imposed too costly infrastructure conditions upon us, after many months of consultation. This is very disappointing as years of planning had gone into it. We would like to thank the following artists that were going to perform at the sessions. Thanks Judy Small, Chris While and Julie Matthews, Kavisha Mazzella, Martin Pearson, The Killjoys, Meg McDonald and all the others. Thanks to Marina Hurley as well for her co-ordinating and support for the sessions.
Hopefully we will be able to run some workshops in the future, if the council doesn't object.

Back to Work!

2010-09-10T10:55:00.003+10:00

The holiday is over and I am now back at work. Shop open, and instruments are being made. It was a great break in a number of lovely warm countries, lazing on beaches, drinking cocktails etc. etc. Anyway, back to reality now! There are some very exciting things happening at the Wildwood camp which will be revealed soon! Very, very exciting things! Will keep you posted :)

Closed 23rd Aug to 9th Sep

2010-08-19T19:30:00.002+10:00

Widwood Instruments will be closed for business between 23rd August and 9th September. I will be overseas (holidaying it up in the sun!) and hence, will not be contactable. All orders received will be processed upon my return. The shop is open this weekend (20-21st Aug) if you require an instrument or two in the near future!

New Pics

2010-08-14T11:00:00.002+10:00

I have finally put up some better pics of the Dulcimer and the Weissenbaby on the stringed instrument page of the website. Also some better percussion shots too. Hopefully these will do the instruments justice! Coming soon to the website will be a whole range of books and accessories that have previously only been available instore. They will finally be available online in the next few months.

New Roof!

2010-07-23T10:27:00.003+10:00

The Wildwood factory is getting a new roof tomorrow, out with the asbestos and in with the tin (and insulation, to keep the instruments a little warmer!). Goodbye to all the leaks as well :) The shop will open a little later at about 11am tomorrow (Saturday 24th July) to allow time for the asbestos to be removed safely.
Also, dulcimers are now back in stock. Thanks.

National Celtic Festival 2010

2010-06-13T12:41:00.001+10:00

National Celtic Festival 2010
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Portarlington, Victoria! It's been pretty cold this long weekend, but luckily we're set up inside the large marquee. Do drop in to say hi if you're in town for a jig!

Courses Announced

2010-05-05T09:01:00.002+10:00

The next round of instrument making courses are now available. The mandolin making course will start 22nd June and the travel guitar course will start on the 23rd June. For full details goto www.wildwoodinstruments.com.au/courses Places are limited so book early if you are keen.

National Folk Festival 2010

2010-04-04T12:14:00.001+10:00

National Folk Festival 2010
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Happy Easter from Canberra! We hope you're enjoying the long weekend. We were spared the huge thunderstorm earlier this week, and the sun's been lovely to us. It's still great that the National is about catching up with friends, and having some great music. We're set up in front of Spaghetti Junction, please drop in to say hello!

National Folk Festival

2010-03-31T18:05:00.003+11:00

Wildwood Instruments will be at the National Folk Festival in Canberra this Easter weekend, so if you're in the area, please drop in and say hello!

Our shop in Brunswick will be closed this weekend, but we will resume business from Friday, 9 April. Cheers!

Yackandandah Folk Festival

2010-03-20T12:00:00.004+11:00

We are off to Yack in high country Victoria on Sunday, 21st March, to their fabulous little folk festival. You can find us on the main street, trading from 10am to 4pm. Hope to see you there, if you are going!

WOMADelaide 2010

2010-03-05T22:49:00.001+11:00

WOMADelaide 2010
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Adelaide! It took us a day to drive here from Melbourne, and have started trading today. Hopefully the rain tonight will make way for better weather this weekend. We are across from Stage 2, so if you're in the area, do drop in to say hello!

WOMADelaide Festival

2010-03-02T10:43:00.003+11:00

We are off to Womadelaide this weekend. It is our first time attending this festival and our first time trading in South Australia. The Shop will be closed (on the 5th and 6th March) but will be open again next week. Hope to catch you there if you are going!

Herald Sun Article

2010-03-02T10:28:00.002+11:00

Wildwood will feature in the business section of the Herald Sun tomorrow, Wednesday 3rd March. I am hoping it is worth a read!

Sydney Road Street Party 2010

2010-02-28T14:01:00.001+11:00

Sydney Road Street Party 2010
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Brunswick Music Festival! The crowds are out, the sun is peeking through the clouds, and the music's taking off! Come say hello at our stall opposite Savers.

Performing Arts Moreland

2010-01-27T23:20:00.003+11:00

I have now become one of the directors of the Performing Arts Moreland committee, which looks after the Brunswick Music Festival and the Sydney Road Street Party, among other things. In an attempt to become more involved in the community and the local music scene joining the committee has proved to be an exciting and challenging thing to do.
The Wildwood Instruments stall will again be appearing at the Sydney Road Street Party this year, on Sunday, the 28th February. (and no, this is not a conflict of interest!) Hope to see you there.

Woodford Folk Festival 2009/2010

2009-12-27T11:59:00.001+11:00

Woodford Folk Festival 2009/2010
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Woodford, Queensland! We arrived on Christmas Eve after almost three days on the road from Melbourne, and started trading yesterday. You can find our stall on the corner of Ilovea Parade and Ina Way, just opposite The Palace. We hope you've had a lovely Christmas, and looking forward t the New Year!

Woodford Folk Festival & Closing Times

2009-12-12T11:27:00.004+11:00

We are off to Woodford again this year, running from Boxing day till New Years Day, in sunny Queensland. Come and say hi if you will be there.
The shop will be closed from the 20th Dec till the 8th Jan. No orders will be processed during this time. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and looking forward to catching up with you in the New Year.

Queenscliff Music Festival

2009-11-27T14:42:00.002+11:00

We will be attending Queenscliff Music festival this weekend. Thus, the shop will be closed on Saturday 28th Nov. Come down and say hello, our stall will be on the main street. Hope to see you there!

An Update!

2009-11-13T10:51:00.004+11:00

Weissenbabies will be back in stock next week, along with the new tunable Bodhrans. I have finally tracked down a hard case for the Travel guitars, and also one for the Weissenbaby. They are a tight fit as they are not specifically designed for these instruments, but they do fit!
Wildwood will be off to Queenscliff Music festival on the 28th & 29th Nov (shop open Friday but closed Saturday 28th) then to Woodford Folk Festival over Xmas and New Years.
Be sure to get in early when ordering your Xmas pressies so you don't miss out!

Welcome to another summer of fun and festivities!

Cheers
Nick

On Holiday!

2009-10-31T10:56:00.004+11:00

I will be away until Friday 6th Nov. So any orders received in the next week will be processed the following week, on my return. Sorry for the inconvenience.
A nice relaxing holiday is in order just before the silly season starts!

Shop Closing early on Saturday 31st Oct

2009-10-28T21:26:00.002+11:00

I will be closing the door a little early on Saturday (31st Oct). The shop will be open all Friday and from 10am until 1pm on Saturday. I am going away for the week, so I will be unavailable until Friday 6th November, where normal trading hours will resume. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Darebin Music Feast

2009-09-04T09:35:00.005+10:00

Wildwood will be exhibiting some instruments as part of Exhibition Resonance, an event in the Darebin Music Feast 2009. There will also be a photography display by Chris Hopkins covering the construction process of the Weissenbaby.
Details are as follows;

Exhibition Resonance
Resonance is a unique visual art exhibition developed for the Darebin Music Feast showcasing the art of hand-crafting magnificent musical instruments. Focuses on Australian instruments of wood, string, brass and skin. Resonance is music to your eyes.

5th to 20th Sept from 5pm
Bar Nancy
61 High St, Northcote
FREE

The Opening is on this Saturday at 6pm. Hope to see you there.

Statewide Music Education Conference 09

2009-07-17T12:07:00.001+10:00

Statewide Music Education Conference 09
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Australian Catholic University, Fitzroy! We are exhibiting in the Main Building at this weekend's conference, so do pop in if you're up Victoria Parade.

Courses, Conferences and Construction!

2009-07-04T15:33:00.003+10:00

The next travel guitar course will begin in early August. There are some places still available if you are interested! Check out the courses page for details. The first mandolin course run by Wildwood has just been completed with four happy students taking home their handmade instruments.

Wildwood Instruments will be appearing at the "Sounds Great" music educators conference on the 16th to 18th July. The shop will be closed for that weekend. See you there if you are attending.

A batch of Dulcimers has just been completed, so they are now back in stock. Purchase at will!
I will be starting on some travel guitars and Deluxe mandolins next, so hopefully it won't be too much more of a wait till you can get your hands on one of those.

More books, tools and parts for instrument making have arrived so feel free to drop into the shop any Friday or Saturday 10-5pm and check out what's new.

Oh and Happy New Financial Year!

Back to work!

2009-06-08T14:21:00.004+10:00

Wildwood Instruments is back in the workshop now that the festival season is well and truly over and have had some time to take a breather!

An all new Bottle Top Rattler is now available. It is lighter, louder, more compact and can do less damage to your nether regions in the hands of a small child! Thus, more child and parent friendly! Their improved loudness now makes them more suitable for stage and jam sessions too!

Xylophones are back in stock now as well, with the added feature of all the bars being labeled (stamped) with their corresponding note. This makes it easier to play tunes on and see what key you are in.
Some dulcimers are under construction at the moment and will be followed by a batch of Deluxe Mandolins and Travel Guitars. Work, work, work! Oh well, someone has gotta do it :)

Launched!

2009-05-11T21:55:00.004+10:00

The 10th Anniversary party was a blast! Thanks to all the people that turned up and the great musicians that performed on the night. The Weissenbabies have well and truly been launched with most of the special 10th anniversary editions being sold. This new and very unique instrument is proving to be a real hit. There are still a few available if you are after an affordable, portable, wee little lap slide guitar!

National Folk Festival 2009

2009-04-12T14:51:00.001+10:00

National Folk Festival 2009
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Happy Easter from the National Folk Festival, Canberra! This is Wildwood Instruments' 5th year at the National, and it's been a fantastic weekend. We've also moved our stall to the main street, so come along and say hello if you're in the area. This is also your last chance to preview the Weissenbaby at a music festival this season, just 2 weeks before its official launch!

Hamish & Andy play Panpipes

2009-04-06T21:58:00.002+10:00

On the Hamish & Andy radio show Hamish attempts to "relax the Jack" with a set of Wildwood panpipes. Hugh Jackman will be the recipent of some soothing tunes blown by Hamish on tomorrow's (Tuesday, 7th April) show. *Disclaimer - Wildwood Instruments takes no responsibility as to the quality of sound produced by a DJ.

Yackandandah Folk Festival 2009

2009-03-22T19:30:00.001+11:00

Yackandandah Folk Festival 2009
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Our Sunday at Yackandandah turned out to be a fantastic one! The overcast sky kept the heat away in the morning, but there was welcome showers and sunshine in between. We also met some very happy people with their new Wildwood Instruments! Crowds were out in droves quite early, as pictured above. We hope to see you again next year at Yackandandah!

While & Matthews using Wildwood instruments

2009-03-12T15:05:00.003+11:00

The UK duo While and Matthews, voted best folk duo by the BBC, are touring Australia at the moment. Chris While will be using a Wildwood Bodhran and Dulcimer whilst on tour. Check out http://www.whileandmatthews.co.uk/ to see where you can catch them.

Port Fairy Folk Festival 2009

2009-03-08T14:14:00.001+11:00

Port Fairy Folk Festival 2009
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Port Fairy Folk Festival 2009! We hope you're enjoying the Labour Day long weekend. Come visit us at the Glaxo Green if you're in the area!

Sydney Road Street Party 2009

2009-03-01T13:00:00.001+11:00

Sydney Road Street Party 2009
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from the Brunswick Music Festival! Come on down to the friendliest party in town, where we're set up between Phoenix and Albert Street until 7p.m.

Festivals, Festivals, Festivals.

2009-02-16T22:48:00.003+11:00

We will be at the Sydney Road Street Party on the 1st March, and Port Fairy Folk Festival 6th to 9th March. We will also be attending the National Folk Festival on the 9th to 13th April. Please note that the Wildwood shop will be closed on the 6th and 7th March and 10th and 11th April. We will be open every other Friday and Saturday, so drop in sometime and say hi!

Woodford Folk Festival 2008/2009

2008-12-31T13:02:00.001+11:00

Woodford Folk Festival 2008/2009
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments

Greetings from Woodford Folk Festival, Queensland! We've been having a great holiday season here, with people out and about for lots of music. We have also unveiled the new addition to Wildwood Instruments: the WesseinBaby. This little slide guitar is now on display during the festival season, and will be released in April 2009 as part of Wildwood Instruments' 10th Anniversary. We would like to wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year, and look forward to meeting you at a festival in 2009!

Instrument Making Courses Announced

2008-12-19T10:44:00.003+11:00

The travel guitar, mandolin, dulcimer and xylophone courses for the first half of 2009 have been annonced. Check out the details on our courses page. Be quick if you are interested as there are only 4 places per course.
Please note the I will be uncontactable from 21st Dec to 3rd Jan as phone reception at Woodford Folk Festival is not good with my carrier.

Merry Xmas!

Calendar of Events

2008-12-19T10:32:00.003+11:00

We have added a calendar to our What's New page so you are able to keep track of all the courses, festivals and events that Wildwood Instruments is involved in. Also dates that our shop will be closed for Xmas, etc.

It's Festival Season Again!

2008-11-04T10:28:00.002+11:00

You will be able to find the Wildwood stall at Queenscliff Music Festival Nov 28-30th and at Woodford Folk Festival Dec 26th to Jan 2nd, with more festivals to be announced in the new year. Please note the shop at 307 Albert St. Brunswick will be closed at these times.
The Wildwood workshop is undergoing renovations at the moment so the making of instruments is temporarily on hold. However, the shop will remain open each Friday and Saturday.

First Course Complete

2008-10-19T17:58:00.003+11:00

The first instrument making course has just been completed. Three happy students finished their travel guitars last week. They each left with a fine instrument under their arms, a mountain of luthiery skills and the satisfaction of creating a beautiful guitar, built with their own two hands. Some of their feedback and photos will be posted on the Courses page shortly.
The next course will be set to commence in February 09, after some restructuring of the workshop.

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!

End of Tour, Beginning of Residency

2007-05-03T21:34:00.000+10:00

Well we have finally finished our festival run. We attended nine festivals across 3 states this year with record breaking (highest and lowest) individual festival sales. We battled storms, heat waves, fog and gale force winds. We attended drought stricken and fire ravaged areas and somehow Wildwood Instrument's travelling shope' survived it all. We have sold out of quite a few products and with the post festival orders coming in, stocks may not last much longer! Some more friends have been made and plenty more people have acquired a beautiful new bundle of joy (an instrument). Thank you to all those of you.
After relocating to Melbourne 3 months ago Wildwood Instruments has finally found a new home. A lovely factory in Albert Street in the heart of Brunswick. It will be some months before we open as some major renovations are required, but we will keep you up to date on what's going on.
Ohh and yes, you will be invited to the opening!

Mount Beauty Music Festival 2007

2007-04-29T10:27:00.001+10:00

Mount Beauty Music Festival 2007
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments.

Greetings from High Country Victoria! We're having a rather wet but enjoyable weekend at the foot of Mount Bogong, the state's highest mountain. We're all set up for the day, and despite the rain, we're quite grateful it's not windy. Fingers crossed!

The NFF Rocks!

2007-04-13T13:13:00.000+10:00

Wow! What an amazing festival the National Folk Festival was. We broke all records selling 98 instruments over the long weekend. Some new owners include Steve and Ros Barnes, Loaded Dog and Transylvaniacs, to name a few. Unfortunately we have sold out of a number of products, including deluxe mandolin, fiddle, large xylophone, bodhrans, etc. It will be awhile before any more are made as we are still in negotiations with the real estate agent over a factory in Brunswick. We will keep you posted as to how the shop and workshop plans are going.
With one more festival to go, the Mount Beauty Music Muster should be a nice end to the season. We will be there on Sunday 29th April. Hope to see you there.

National Folk Festival 2007

2007-04-10T11:34:00.001+10:00

National Folk Festival 2007
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments.

Greetings from Canberra! As always, it's great to be at the National, where everyone's got a silly hat on, and having a wonderful time. "What a great way spend Easter" indeed! We have you're having a fantastic weekend!

The Basin Music Festival 2007

2007-03-24T12:42:00.001+11:00

The Basin Music Festival 2007
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments.

Greetings from the Dandenongs, Victoria! It took us about an hour to get here this morning, and well what can we say, the rain follows us wherever we go! Hopefully the clouds will gently blow over and make way for a better day tomorrow.

Blue Mountains Music Festival 2007

2007-03-17T11:22:00.001+11:00

Blue Mountains Music Festival 2007
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments.

Greetings from Katoomba, New South Wales! We arrived yesterday, and have set up for the weekend. It's been a rather windy morning, but the crowds are out, so come up to the Blue Mountains if you're close by!

Port Fairy Folk Festival 2007

2007-03-10T11:05:00.001+11:00

Port Fairy Folk Festival 2007
Originally uploaded by wildwood instruments.

Greetings from Port Fairy, Victoria! It's great to be back after we missed last year's folk festival because of the road crash. The sun's out, people are about, so we're set for a wonderful weekend!

2007-03-06T20:34:00.000+11:00

The Sydney Road Street Party, part of the Brunswick Music Festival, was an unbelieveable hive of activity. Our stall was packed for the whole 7 hours of the festival, with people lining up to get in.
It was also the launch of our market research survey. We are proud to announce that Wildwood Instruments will be teaming up with The DIY Wood Workspace and offering classes in woodworking and instrument building and also offering workshop space for hire. We are looking to set up in the Brunswick area of Melbourne and are seeking input from anyone interested in our new venture. We have an online survey that you can fill out, and tell us exactly what you would like to gain from it.
Wildwood Instruments will be at the Port Fairy Folk Festival over the coming Labour Day long weekend. You will be able to find us on the Galaxo Green in the main part of town (not inside the festival arena). Oh and yes, we will have The Best of While and Matthews CD for sale at our stall. Why are we selling it, I hear you ask? Well, it just so happens that Chris While is playing her Wildwood Travel Guitar on the front (and back) cover of the album. It's a fantastic album and well worth a look (and listen!).

2007-03-01T16:41:00.000+11:00

The Cobargo Folk Festival was a fantastic weekend of musical delights. Here is a pic of Judy Small cranking out a tune on a Wildwood travel guitar for the Cobargo fans, after giving us a rather nice plug. Good on ya Judy! The Beez (Germany), another headlining act from the festival, are now the proud owners of a travel guitar too. All in all it was a great, well-organised and friendly festival. Hope to see you all there again next year.
This coming weekend is The Sydney Road Street Party, a part of the Brunswick Music Festival. You can find the Wildwood stall between Phoenix St and Albert St on the west side of Sydney Rd, just look for our marquee with the big guitar on it. See you there on Sunday 4th March between 12 noon and 7pm.

Bruthen Blues Festival

2007-02-20T22:22:00.000+11:00

Bruthen Blues Festival was hit with a heat wave on the weekend! Saturday and Sunday was well over 40 degrees, so they say that only about half the crowd turned up for the festival. Oh well, at least the fires that had been threatening the town previously had been taken care of.
From thunder storms at Goulburn to heat waves at Bruthen, I wonder how next weekend will go at Cobargo Folk Festival.

Australian Blues Festival

2007-02-13T10:29:00.000+11:00

We attended the Australian Blues Festival in Goulburn, NSW on the weekend. After five years of drought it happened to rain while we were there. Saturday was a nice day but Sunday was a wash out! Our marquee was about to sail away. Thanks to 8 Ball Aitken and his manager Bird for helping us pack up when the storm hit! Well I guess the locals were happy about the change in weather.
We will be off to Bruthen Blues Festival in South East Victoria next. I hope the recent bush fires there haven't caused them to sing the Blues... well maybe just a bit!

Wildwood in a change of State!

2007-01-23T02:05:00.000+11:00

Wildwood Instruments is now no longer based in Western Australia. We have packed up and will be leaving Perth at the end of the week. We are moving to Melbourne but the business will have no fixed address for some time while we find a suitable premises and set it up for operation. While we may not have a home, you will certainly still be able to find us at one of the many festivals we are planning on attending over the next few months. These include;
-Australian Blues Festival (Goulburn NSW) 8-11th Feb
-Bruthen Blues Festival (Vic) 16-18th Feb
-Cobargo Festival (NSW) 23-25th Feb
-Brunswick Festival Street Party (Vic) 4th Mar
-Port Fairy Folk Festival (Vic) 9-12th Mar
-Blue Mountains Music Festival (NSW) 16-18th Mar
-Basin Music Festival (Vic) 23-25th Mar
-National Folk Festival (Canberra ACT) 5-9th Apr
-Apollo Bay Festival (Vic) 20-22nd April
-Mt Beauty Music Muster (Vic) 27-29th Apr
-and more to be announced.
We hope to catch you at one (or more) of these festivals. If not, the website is still here at the same old address www.wildwoodinstruments.com.au
And we wish you will all come and visit us when we open our shop/workshop in Melbourne later in the year. We will keep you posted.
Remember to come back here regularly over the next few months as we tend to keep this page fairly well updated over the festival season.
Cheers

2006-12-30T00:00:00.000+11:00

We have been so busy here at Wildwood Instruments that we haven't had time to update you with all the latest going on's! A whole swag of festivals have been lined up for the summer season. These include: Australian Blues Music Festival (Goulburn NSW), Bruthen Blues Festival (Bruthen, Vic), Corbargo Festival (NSW), Brunswick Festival (Vic), Port Fairy Festival (Vic), Blue Mountains Festival (NSW), National Folk Festival (ACT), Apollo Bay Festival (Vic) with more still to be confirmed.
We are just finishing off the massive stack of instruments ready for the festival season. Once complete the workshop will be packed up and shipped off to Melbourne at the end of January. Wildwood Instruments will have no fixed address for a number of months while we locate and set up a new factory somewhere in Melbourne. But don't worry! Online orders will still be taken during this time.
Have a Happy New Year and hope to catch you at one of the festivals soon!

Moving to Melbourne

2006-11-21T21:58:00.000+11:00

Wildwood Instruments is moving to Melbourne. We are relocating to the eastern states in February to be closer to the myriad of festivals and greater music playing population this country has to offer! We will be able to attend festivals in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria all through out the year. You will be seeing a lot more of us on the east coast very soon with a whole bunch of music festivals already lined up.
Blues at Bridgetown was a great weekend, but unfortunately that would be Wildwood Instruments' last WA gig for a while. Don't worry, it doesn't matter where you (or we) are, you can always order online and we can post the instruments out to you, anywhere in Australia.