I am always hunting around for other west coast woods to use in my instruments. Not only is the use of a local wood more sustainable, but my customers seem to appreciate the sense of place that comes with them. Yew is a tree that I actually don’t see very much in the Hood River valley, but it is abundant in the North West as an understory tree. I heard from Kevin at woodfromthewest.com that he was providing Yew to boyers for archery equipment and it thought it might be good for a uke. Even though it's a “softwood” it is harder and more durable than Spruce, Cedar or Fir. We imagined it would work as top, back and sides and I believe we were right! It is very light and sounds crisp and bright. To match the sapwood in this set, I chose Cherry for fretboard/headplate/binding from a local orchard. The neck is salvaged Cypress from a water tank and the bridge is Maple. I think the color palette is perfect and I am really proud of this instrument over all.

“933 has arrived safe and sound. Wow, wow, wow! She is a stunner all around, and she feels like coming back to a cozy, warm house after a long day out. I haven’t put her down since I pulled her out of the case except to write this note.

The tone is reminiscent of cypress flamenco guitars, clean and crisp. The cherry accents pair wonderfully with the striking yew, and using salvaged wood is such a great way to honor and preserve nature. All of these traits combined sparked a creative fire in me that I haven’t felt in a long time.

I have followed along on social media since The Beansprout relaunched in 2018. Your work is simply beautiful and lets the woods speak for themselves. Thank you for building such a beautiful instrument!
- R. L.
”