#944- Cherry, Dogwood and Pistachio Concert Banjo Ukulele

This humble little friend packs a big punch! Cherry banjos have been a staple for the last few years around here, and this little version holds up against the big ones. The sound is loud and sweet, with none of the harshness that some hear in Maple. This Cherry came from our friend Spencer’s shop, with a good medium density and nice color. The fretboard and headplate are Dogwood, from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland. The rim cap has a little Pistachio from California orchards. It has a low g for the fourth string, a goat skin head and a comfortable brass arm rest. Thanks for the order, Martha!

#930- Cedar and Ash Scout Ukulele

It’s been several months since I had the time to put together a Scout ukulele, but I hope it was worth the wait for a lucky customer on our Scout waiting list. This one is made from an interesting pile of shop scraps that I had fun putting together in a harmonious way. The back and sides are Ash from the firewood pile at Menucha in Corbett, OR. I haven’t really had the chance to use Ash before and I look forward to trying it on a tenor ukulele this winter. The top is Western Red Cedar from some wall paneling. The neck is Mahogany scrap from a guitar neck. The fretboard is Oak with Walnut binding, headplate and bridge. I had fun mixing and matching the different color tones till I had what I wanted. If you would like to join the Scout list, email us at info@thebeansprout.com.

#945- Walnut and Pistachio Tenor Banjo Ukulele

An all time popular Beansprout order: walnut tenor banjo ukulele! Simple walnut from a Hood River tree and fancy Pistachio from California Orchards combine to make a beautiful and useful musical tool. This customer asked for a goat skin head, which has a vibrant, earthy tone and a brass arm rest, which feels very comfortable. I am thankful and proud to get to still make stuff like this, happy strumming!

“Dear Aaron and Nicole,

My banjo uke arrived safely yesterday evening. It is an utterly beautiful and well-built instrument. I love the folksy quality of your instruments, and mine doesn’t disappoint. It is plenty loud, while being mellow and sweet at the same time. It’s exactly what I had in mind. It will provide years of enjoyment, and I will cherish it along with my other instruments.
Thank you! May God bless your family.
Sincerely,
- M. B. ”

#939- Alaskan Yellow Cedar and Curly Walnut Baritone Ukulele

This is the third baritone ukulele I have made this year with a yellow Cedar top and they all have sounded amazing. Crisp, detailed and colorful sounding, with a dry sustain. This wood was harvested by me off the beach at Camp Westwind in 2020 and I have treasured it as a top wood since. The blue streaks are likely mineral staining, probably from soil chemistry of where it sat on the beach after washing up in a big storm. The curly Walnut back and sides are from a local tree, milled by Chris at Yodel Boy Woodworks. We chose a Teak fretboard for this instrument, which was scrap wood from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland. I wouldn’t buy a tropical wood like this, but I don’t mind salvaging a few pieces. The neck is Spanish Cedar from a retired builder. The headplate and pick guard are scraps from the project, laid out in a random mosaic. I think this instrument has a pleasing unity to it that I enjoy, leaving me with a peaceful heart.

#940- Myrtle Alto Ukulele

I love the simple design of this one, with local materials, lack of ornamentation and a muted color palette. The wood grain of the Myrtle is the star of the show on this uke, with the rest of the woods supporting. Like all Beansprouts, it sounds and plays great, which makes it an ideal musical tool that I am proud of. The Myrtle is from the Carpenter Ant Stash in Portland, the Fir neck is made from scraps from a cabinet shop and the Pistachio fretboard/headplate come from California orchards. The customer requested a custom tuning, beg#c#, which I made a fluorocarbon string set for. It really turned out well, with a chiming upper range that was a surprise to me.

#943- Mesquite and Pistachio Mini Five String Banjo

Mesquite is a native North American wood that looks a bit like Mahogany, but is harder. Sort of like Mahogany mixed with Ebony. This little banjo is tuned to open g, like a big banjo, despite the small 8” pot and 17” scale length. The Mesquite has a vibrant, dusty and compressed tone, which is really fun to experience in your lap. The Pistachio for the fretboard, headplate and rim cap come from California orchards and the Mesquite comes from a retired banjo builder.

#927- Cherry Baritone Ukulele

In the ukulele world, it is common to pick a medium density wood that is suitable for top back and sides. This makes an instrument with a classic tone that is vibrant in the lap. Traditionally, this would have been Mahogany or Koa, but we have added Mango, Myrtle and others to the list over the years. This local orchard Cherry was my most recent experiment and I am quite pleased with it. In the Hood River valley, I am surrounded by Cherry, Pear and Apple orchards. The trees rarely get big enough for woodworking because they are heavily pruned yearly and removed and burned when they stop fruiting. Larry and I pulled these out of a local orchard last year and it proved to be tremendous work considering the amount of lumber we got from the small trunks. Chainsawing, hauling, loading, splitting, milling, stacking, drying, milling again, etc… But, we saved some wood from the burn pile and will make some beautiful things from it. The last picture shows a bowl by a local woodturner, Lacey Spray, who I gave some pieces of this Cherry to. It is really cool to see two different objects from the same tree! The rest of this ukulele is Hemlock and Walnut, also harvested from local trees.

#937- Mastergrade Myrtle Tenor Ukulele

We have become well known for using woods from the west coast over the years and this one is a great example. The body is made of some wispy, feather figured Myrtle that I got from luthier Jayson Bowerman. Myrtle only grows in a small part of Oregon and California. It even has some filled tracks from some insects that were in the tree, which adds to its organic charm. The Pistachio for the fretboard/headplate is from California orchards. The neck is Port Orford Cedar and Walnut, both local woods for us. This ukulele is lightweight, resonant and easy to play. It is a good example of why I call Myrtle “Oregon’s Koa!”

#938- Redwood and Maple Tenor Guitar

This instrument was a fun study in contrasts for me, both in the visual and sonic sense. Redwood has a deep, resonant tone with a bit of a dusty edge, while a Maple back and sides is vibrant and sweet. The combo is a little of all that, with either quality coming through depending on how hard you pick the string. The color palette also features a lot of contrast between the deep red of Redwood and the amber of the Maple. I played with that by using a crazy Pistachio fretboard and headplate which draws from both ends of the color spectrum. The curly Maple binding with black decorative veneers made a nice border around everything. The Redwood was salvaged from a Tacoma boat shop. The Maple was a local tree, milled by Chris at Yodel Boy Woodworks. The Pistachio is from California orchards. The Fir neck is salvaged from a floor joist.

#936- Port Orford Cedar and Walnut Alto Ukulele

Port Orford Cedar and Walnut is a classic combo for us. Bright and cheerful, but nice sustain and warmth. I also appreciate the wide dynamic range. The POC top and the Pistachio fretboard/headplate come from Kevin at woodfromthewest.com. The Walnut back and sides are from a Hood River tree we milled. The Cypress neck is salvaged from a factory tank. This ukulele is light, easy to play and very charming!

#935- Curly Port Orford Cedar and Cherry Tenor Ukulele

Port Orford Cedar is such a good top wood: clean, crisp, loud and rich. It’s even better when it has this extremely curly figuring. The back and sides are some Cherry I salvaged from a cabinet shop with tiny little flecks in it. My friend called it hummingbird’s eye cherry. I paired it with a POC neck and grafted Pistachio fretboard/headplate/bridge and simple Walnut binding. The Pistachio and POC is from Kevin at woodfromthewest.com. Thanks for the order Tom, happy playing!

#934- Curly Koa Kingdom Era Tenor Ukulele

Here’s a tenor ukulele with a body based on old rajao from the Bishop Museum and the collection of Shawn Yacavone. The rajao was a Portuguese instrument that came to Hawaii and served as an ancestor to the ukulele. Most were five strings, which I have built in the past, but I felt it would also be a good size for a four string tenor uke. In this case, it is strung gcea with a low g. The body is Koa, as is the fretboard, headplate and bridge. The neck is salvaged Cypress from a factory and the rest is shop made rope binding of Maple and Walnut. Even though it looks antique, it has geared tuners, bone nut and saddle, radiused fretboard and modern strings. I am really pleased with the sound, which has a vintage sparkle but plenty of warmth and sustain. Cheers Dave!

#926 Myrtle Tenor Ukulele

All Myrtle tenor ukes are a standard item around here and have been for a long time. Using one wood for top, back and sides gives a classic ukulele sound, but the Myrtle helps us stand out from all the Koa and Mahogany out there. This one is rich, deep and vibrant with plenty of volume. The 1.5” nut width gives extra room for the fingers. The Myrtle is from the Carpenter Ant Stash in Portland, the Walnut is from a Hood River tree that I milled and the Port Orford Cedar in the neck was from my neighbor, a retired flute maker.

#924- Port Orford Cedar and Myrtle Baritone Ukulele

This is the perfect instrument to end summer with and get ready for autumn. It sounds, looks, feels and smells green and vibrant to me, in the best possible way. Fine grain Port Orford Cedar top and striped Myrtle back and sides, both from the Oregon coast. The Pistachio fretboard and headplate match the color palette and come from California orchards. All of these are from Kevin over at woodfromthewest.com. The neck is Alder and Walnut from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland. It feels great to make an instrument from local woods with a loud, bright sound. This one really sings.

“Hi Aaron and Nicole,
I’ve had 924 for a week now and it’s great! Such a crisp and woody sound. Gorgeous to look at too. It inspired me to learn Caravan - halfway there!

Thanks for everything,
- C.H.”

Chris plays part of “Caravan” on his new Beansprout!

#925-Curly Walnut Tenor Banjo Ukulele

I’ve made a handful of these tenor scale banjo uses with a 10” instead of 8” pot in the last few years. I really like them, even with their larger size and heavier weight. I think they have a richer tone that has a breathy quality, like there is more air behind each note. This one is made all from local curly Walnut with a goat skin head, pickup, arm rest and custom inlay. I am very proud of it and look forward to making more. This banjo ukulele is for a very special gift and we really hope the recipient enjoys it!

#923- Curly Koa Kingdom Era Soprano Ukulele

This is the first customer ordered instrument in my Kingdom Era series, based off my research into ukuleles built in the 1890’s. The whole instrument is Koa, some from my friend Cath and some from sawyer Bart Potter from Oahu. The binding is shop made rope in a random pattern of Maple, Walnut, Cherry and Oak. It has Peghed brand geared tuners that look like violin pegs but have gears inside. I made the rest of the fittings out of Ebony to match. The customer requested gut strings, like the originals used. It think they sound rich and charming, though a little quieter than modern strings. As always, I will donate to a non-profit in Hawaii to say thanks for the Koa and the access to this cultural history. This time it will be to the Kealakai Center for Pacific Strings.

#912- Curly Mango and Walnut Alto Ukulele

This is another stock instrument that I started months ago and left to finish for this month during my "resting" time after surgery. It started as a piece of Mango furniture that our friends Dani and Perry gave us. It was dramatically curly but also full of cracks and knots. I think I was able to get some really nice pieces from it, worthy of a second life as a musical instrument. Mango sounds rich, sweet and tropical to me, which is a refreshing departure from other wood combos I've been using lately. The secondary wood is local Walnut that I harvested, which is a nice contrast to the glowing Mango. It has fluorocarbon strings, bone nut/saddle, radiused fretboard and geared Peghed brand tuners. The finish is thin and natural, allowing the textures of the different woods to be felt. It comes with a hardshell case and is available for $1600 plus shipping.

***** If you are an international customer (outside of the US), please note we may need to charge you additional shipping fees depending on your location. You will also be responsible for any customs fees imposed by your country. Thanks! ******

#900- Hemlock and Myrtle Tenor Ukulele

This project started when my friend Hunter dropped off some scraps from a trim carpentry shop he was working at. It was old growth, quarter sawn Hemlock, but it had been torrefied to make it resistant to moisture and bugs. Torrefied wood is cooked in a special kiln, which dries it out and changes its cell structure. I don’t fully understand the science, but I know several luthiers using torrefied spruce and maple with good results. I sawed one of the boards into tops and decided to try it out. I paired it with some very curly Myrtle from the Oregon coast, some local Walnut and a salvaged Fir neck. I like how the Hemlock is darker than normal, almost the color of Cedar. It sounds warm and rich with full sustain, but a nice bright edge to it. I look forward to working with it again. This Uke is off to our friend Billy in the UK.

“Hi Aaron and Nicole.
I just wanted to thank you properly for the beautiful ukulele. I have had a chance to play her a bit now and I think she is the nicest so far! I love the rich tone but the torrified hemlock also has a crispness which you said it would have. Truly beautiful instrument again!
The Ver Players had our Beatles gig last Saturday and I played the new uke for two numbers.
Thanks again and keep up the good work. Love from us both.
- B.P. ”

#893- Yellow Cedar and Japanese Elm Soprano Ukulele

This stock instrument has been in the works for several months, inching its way to completion like a seedling reaching for the sun. I started with some Japanese Elm/Zelkova that Chris Riedl harvested from the Japanese Gardens in Portland for the back and sides. I chose the design of the rest of the instrument based on the Japanese aesthetic concepts of Shibui (subtle, simple, playful) and Wabi-Sabi (imperfect, natural, rustic). I chose yellow Cedar for the top and neck, as it is closely related to the Japanese yellow Cedar that temples are often built from. The rest is Pistachio from California orchards, offering a wild, natural look and color palette. It is loud and sweet, with good sustain for a soprano. The finish is thin and natural, allowing the textures of the different woods to be felt.

#921- Curly Cherry and Pistachio Five String Banjo

This is the last instrument before my hand surgery break and it feels good to end on a high note. This banjo is lightweight but solid, loud but sweet and easy to play. No tone ring, just a wooden rim with goat skin head and non steel strings. A really great combo that I have really enjoyed playing lately. The Cherry comes from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland, originally milled for grandfather clocks. The dark, grafted Pistachio is from California Orchards. Cheers Ben- it was great to meet you in England!

I’ll resume building in September- see you folks then!