A Note From Dan ’soybean’ Sawyer
Jun 9th, 2008 |
Dated February 27, 2008
Hello Heidi and Aaron,
I played the Bean Sprout happily over the last few days. Thank you so much for sending it. Here are my thoughts.
First of all, it’s quite an accomplishment to build a modern ukulele banjo** in this day and age. Your little sprout has an authentic sound with plenty of bark and tone. You can be proud of what you’ve built. It’s an American-made beauty.
Appearance: The uke banjo looks great. It’s elegant in it’s simplicity. I like the natural woods used throughout and the beautiful chrome plated pieces. the fingerboard inlays are just the right size and placement. The signed label inside is a nice touch and nicely designed. I was surprised to see the darker (pear?) wood on the face of the peg-head and on the heel. This looks exactly like the wood used on banjos back in the 1920’s and 30’s. I haven’t seen that done on banjos in many years and it’s a nice touch. The skin head is gorgeous color and top quality.
Construction: I couldn’t find many flaws here; generally very well built. There were a few signs that it’s hand-made which are to be expected. i also know this is one of the first made, so things aren’t perfect. I like the shell design a lot. The metal tension hoop and hardware are superb! The neck angle could have been a bit lower for easier action, but that’s an easy fix. The screw that goes in the neck brace was sitting on the wood of the shell. There is usually a thin piece of metal there so the screw won’t dig in to the wood. I found a thin piece of metal to use temporarily in that spot. When I re-tightened the screw, the sound of the Bean Sprout got better! I’m assuming the missing metal part was just an oversight, or maybe it fell off? Anyway, it’s not a big deal.
Using the longer concert scale was a smart move and another thing that makes this better than others.
The tuning pegs are excellent… much better than typical ukulele pegs. Perhaps they make the uke a little bit neck-heavy, but when using the shoulder strap, this is not a problem. Since some people do not like to use straps, you might consider making the headstock a bit shorter. That would offset a little bit of weight. Or, you could use the new “Peghed” tuners. They are extremely light. Aquila strings are the best available. Your bridge placement was perfect, by the way. Right in tune!
The neck is thin from front to back (which I like) and feels good with the thin finish. This thin lacquer (or whatever it really is) is used throughout the uke on the wood and feels really nice… almost as if there is no finish at all. The fretwork is also well-done with a bit of radius which makes chording easier. The fret ends are nicely polished too. The frets might be a bit on the high side. My main criticism of the neck; it’s too wide for me and probably for most players. (This is better than being too narrow!) Aaron, is this your standard fingerboard width, or is it just this particular bean sprout?
Sound: I pulled out three classic uke banjos; some of my favorites. The Bean Sprout held it’s own. It was as loud or louder than the Ludwig Wendell Hall and had about as much sustain as the Weymann 225. Of course, it doesn’t have a resonator, so the sound is different, but great! Did I mention it’s loud!? I wouldn’t hesitate to use this for performing. (The only reservation would be the width of the fingerboard.)
Extras: the gig-bag is simply great! A much needed accessory. The embroidered logo is a real attention getter. These Colorado bags are new to me. They are much better than others which were larger and did not protect my UB4 from cracks when it was dropped from one foot. And by the way, the Bean Sprout seems extremely rugged. It looks as if it would stand up to camping, backpacking, beach, etc. This can’t be said for other brands, which have heavier, larger and has ’weak’ resonator. Tension key included was a nice touch. The shoulder strap is another valuable thing that you are including. It works well and is easy to attach. My only comment is it seems a bit large (strap width) for such a cute instrument. I have seen slimmer straps, perhaps 1 or 1.5 inches thick.
Congratulations once again on the Bean Sprout. It’s a lot of fun to play. The size and weight of this thing make it really easy to put on and just jam for hours.
best regards,
Dan ’soybean’ Sawyer