#461- Curly Koa Scout Ukulele

This instrument was slated to be sold as a stock instrument at a festival this spring, but all of our festivals were cancelled, of course. We were able to sell it by auction on ebay and thankfully it offset some of our lost income. We are so grateful.

The curly Koa are cutoffs from the old Mya-Moe shop that I saved. The walnut fretboard, headplate and bridge are made from 1960’s wall paneling and the mahogany comes from a pallet. The rope binding ties it all together and gives it a nice old timey look. It is a soprano scale with a flat fretboard and 8” round body based on the old Lyon and Healy camp uke. It has a bone nut and saddle, fluorocarbon strings, brass fret markers, geared tuners, strap buttons and a soft case.

“Thank you for building such a lovely work of art! I keep missing the regular scouts that you’ve built, and I wasn’t about to let this special one escape. It’s here and it’s **wonderful**, as you know! The size is absolutely perfect. I’m playing things with ease that have been a bit of a struggle - a struggle to play cleanly, anyway.

Thanks again so much for everything; I hope you all stay well. “

- K. V.”

#440- Western Red Cedar and Walnut Tenor Ukulele

I put this together as a stock instrument and to try a few things out. This is the first red cedar top I have done since relaunching Beansprout. Cedar can get torn up by hard strummers and cracks more easily than some other soft woods. But, if braced well and with a clear plastic pick guard, I was ready to use it again. It just sounds so dang good! I also wanted to try out some vintage style purfling and some curly maple binding to wrap it up. Over all, I am so pleased with the look and the sound of this uke. It’s a real winner! The curly walnut back and sides come from woodfromthewest.com, the cedar top is salvaged from wall siding, the walnut fretboard, headplate and bridge come from Goby in Portland and the Oregon spruce neck is from Camp Westwind.

#463- Maple and Mahogany Five String Banjo

I needed a banjo for myself that was: 1) lightweight 2) loud and sweet 3) made quickly from available/thrifty woods.

To achieve this, I tried curly maple for the rim without a pistachio tone ring. I turned the block rim a little thinner than normal. For the neck, I used some mahogany and added maple for the fretboard, stripe and headplate. The maple rim turned out loud and sweet, with a growl to the low strings that I like. The mahogany neck made it a bit lighter than a maple neck. I also used a smaller headstock and tuners to make it balanced in my lap. I stained everything with the same stain, which gives it a bit of a folk art look. The thin, hand rubbed stain and finish will show a nice patina over time. Overall? A success. It was really just a series of small tweaks to my usually design, but it added up to something with a slightly different personality.

#460- Port Orford Cedar and Koa Scout Ukulele

My homage to the vintage Camp ukuleles made by Lyon and Healy, these Scout ukes pack a lot of music into a small package. Made from shop scraps and little pieces I couldn’t bear to put in the wood stove, they each have their own personality. You can’t order one, I just make them when I have the extra time. This one sounds really good, probably because of the choice Port Orford Cedar top. It is paired with a Koa back and sides, mahogany neck and walnut everything else.

Completed Work Demo #453- Walnut and Pistachio Mini Five String Banjo

We just finished reading “Farmer Boy” by Laura Ingalls Wilder, which our son Henry loved. He noticed how hard they worked and how little they had, even though they were prosperous farmers and landowners. He noticed how many things the family made and did by hand, even though they had money to spend in town. I noticed that the characters leaned on honesty and hard work to fix the problem. No excuses, no lies and no backing out of duty and responsibility. I admit that I made a mistake when working on this banjo and found myself thinking “what would the dad in Farmer Boy do?” I messaged the customer, admitted the problem and fixed it so that we are both happy. I’m proud of my work, happy to support my family this way and grateful for the business. We don’t do everything in the old ways, but Farmer Boy really got me thinking. Maybe we should get a few pigs…or build a sleigh…or make some watermelon pickles…or weave our own straw hats…we are gonna need more than 1/2 acre though….

The walnut for this banjo is urban salvage from Goby in Portland. The pistachio is from California orchards. The hands that built it are mine, the hands that play it are yours, the music is for everybody.

“Hi Nicole and Aaron,
I love my mini banjo! It’s fun and easy to play and a work of art. The craftsmanship is beautiful.

- C. M. ”

#456- Curly Myrtle Tenor Ukulele

Asking me if there should be more rope binding is like asking if I would like another glass of wine. The answer is often yes and I only rarely regret it. I even bound the fretboard in rope on this one. The curly Oregon Myrtle set is so well quartersawn that the book matched parts are truly stunning. The pistachio fretboard is also a unique one, the reddish brown color turning the corner right at the end. The fir neck is salvaged from a pig barn in The Dalles, OR, the pistachio is from California orchards and the Myrtle is from the Oregon coast. It’s easy to play and loud, with great note clarity and sustain. A real winner!

“Hi Aaron, Nicole & Henry,
Thank you so much for the WONDERFUL ukulele! I absolutely love it!!! It sounds amazing, and plays beautifully! I really appreciate the craftsmanship in all of the details, and I also appreciate the re-purposing of the wood from the pig barn for the neck! The swish pattern of the neck at the soundhole is really a nice, artistic touch. I can only hope that I can raise my ukulele skills up enough to be worthy of the instrument!
Sincerely,
- B. K.”

#458- Mastergrade Myrtle Alto Ukulele

This instrument was ordered by one of my woodworking friends for his wife Robin. When we were planning the build, I found out that he had scored some old floor joists from the dumpster across the street from his house in Portland. Of course I came to check them out and took them back to my shop in partial trade. They turned out to be very nice Fir, with good color and tight straight grain. I can’t believe people throw this stuff away! We chose a nice Mastergrade Oregon Myrtle set for this alto that has very nice color, grain patterns and curl. We finished it off with walnut binding and pistachio (from California orchards) fretboard, bridge and headplate. Robin is an ukulele beginner, I wish I would have started with a uke like this!!!

#454- Oak and Persimmon Mini Five String Banjo

This customer said that they liked the brown/tan spectrum of colors and appreciated knots and wormholes. The rest they left up to me. I like getting a little but of info like this but also the freedom to follow my muse when selecting wood. I am trying out a Persimmon fretboard here, which is an American wood that is in the ebony family. Even though it is lighter in color, it is very hard and sense, suitable for fretboards. The Oregon white oak rim and neck are from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland and was likely originally milled for grandfather clocks. Some other customer requests include an arm rest, a flat fretboard and open A tuning. I like the loud but dusty sound of oak. It’s different than maple and walnut but is still a little hard for me to describe. I’ll wait and see how the customer describes it and add it to our vocabulary!

“This banjo has been such a wonderful delight! Before it arrived, I probably watched almost all the demo videos of mini five strings and looked at all the pictures, but when I opened the case I was still totally blown away by how beautifully adorable this instrument is. And, I was equally impressed by how well setup and easy to play this banjo arrived. This is probably the first instrument I’ve gotten directly from a maker that I felt didn’t need any additional setup at all. Each note rings clear, and the 8” head was plenty of room for my clumsy hands. There is plenty of volume from this banjo and the sound is a nice old time howl. The banjo has a really nice weight to it, probably because of the beautiful selected Oak wood. One of the biggest factors in choosing this banjo was the option to use Oak. My littlest child has a middle name “Oak”, and my last name is Portuguese for Oak. I felt the oak would make a nice addition to an heirloom family instrument.

Here’s my littlest one, getting a feel for the banjo!
- K. C. ”

#444- Mastergrade Myrtle Tenor Ukulele- Nicole’s New Ukulele!

This instrument has been many months in the making and I am happy to finally get pictures and video out to the world. The build and its story are also documented in a two part article in Ukulele Magazine, so check that out to learn more. Nicole is not only my wife, but my artistic and business partner. Everything I make goes through her hands before it reaches the world, so I put a lot of pressure on myself to get this one right. It is made from Mastergrade Myrtle with an asymmetrical one piece top and back. (I have more from this board if you would like one!) It has a curly walnut fretboard and headplate with wood fretboard markers. The tuners also have hand carved walnut knobs instead of plastic. It is bound in curly maple, with a decorative marquetry purfling that we got from Gurian Instruments in Seattle. The neck is old growth Douglas Fir salvaged from a floor joist. It felt good to add some extra decorative touches to the build and to stretch myself to try new things. I can tell she likes it it because I have been hearing her practice late at night. She’s my most important customer and I’m glad I got it right!

#459- Curly Myrtle Baritone Ukulele

When I got this Myrtle from a supplier, it had the knots on the back circled as if it was a problem and he needed to apologize for the “flaws.” Well, you know how I feel about that, I made sure to feature them as a reminder of our own flawed beauty. The all Myrtle baritone is a standard for me to build and play, one of my all around favorite ukes. This one does not disappoint as it feels and sounds great in my hands. The Myrtle is from the Oregon coast, the pistachio is from California orchards and the spruce neck is from Camp Westwind.

#455- Mastergrade Myrtle Tenor Ukulele

Sometimes grading wood sets can be difficult, especially when sawing your own from rough stock. Sometimes a set is borderline Mastergrade and it is hard to decide what to charge for it. But sometimes, like this ukulele, it is Mastergrade and everyone can agree. Its well quartersawn and the flamed book matched plates are obviously special. I chose a multi colored and interesting pistachio fretboard and a simple mahogany neck and wrapped it all up in rope binding. The Myrtle is from the Oregon coast and the pistachio is from California orchards. The mahogany is from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland.

“ I absolutely love my Beansprout. (#455) The first thing I immediately noticed upon unboxing the uke was that it was even more beautiful than the photos you had been sharing on email and Instagram. And the photos had been gorgeous, so there was that. Amazingly, it just got better from there. I’ll be brief since you’ve heard this before and written more descriptively. But I love everything about this uke - the shape and size, the weight, the texture, even the smell, and most importantly, of course, the sound. It’s the best sounding uke I’ve ever played - by far. It’s sounds even better than it looks which is saying a lot! I am so happy with the decision to go with Beansprout. You were great to work with throughout the process. It was so much fun watching the uke evolve through the various building stages. Thanks very much for everything.
- C. P.
”

#457- Spruce and Walnut Alto Ukulele

This instrument is for Karen, who I have built several instruments for. She likes the alto size because it is small enough to feel comfortable but has better tone and volume than her soprano ukuleles. We used walnut for the back and sides in order to give a richer tone as this one is string with a low fourth string. I enjoyed playing with symmetry in this one, with some parts book matched almost perfectly and some parts purposely asymmetrical. For instance, I even book matched the headplate, but it blends so well together that you can’t tell unless you look closely. The knotty Oregon spruce top and neck come from Camp Westwind on the coast. All the walnut is urban salvage from Goby in Portland.

#451- Spruce and Pistachio Tenor Ukulele

Wow. Check out that pistachio back and sides. Pistachio keeps surprising me, with grafts, sap wood and tractor blight adding to the amazing colors it produces. I worked hard to get a good book match on this, but honestly, the tree did the real hard work. Its visual boldness is balanced with the wide straight grain of the spruce top and neck, with some straight grain pistachio for the fretboard. Some customers might ask “is rope binding a little too much for this uke?” I always say “No. Go for it.” The spruce is from Camp Westwind on the Oregon coast and the pistachio is from California orchards.

#442- Walnut and Pistachio Tenor Banjo Ukulele

It is easy for me to get angry. Whether it is frustration with my 5 year old’s morning routine or rage at current events, I have found my work to be my best release. This morning, I felt angry. I went to the shop, turned on Neil Young (loud) and did the last steps on Matthew’s banjo uke. By the time I was back around to “Cinnamon Girl,” I felt better and was proud of the hours of work I put into this little piece of musical folk art. That rage was channeled into craft/love and now I get to put it in a box and send it across the world to make music/love. I am so lucky. The walnut is from The Ozark mountains and was milled by customer’s family on family land. It was lovingly saved all these years and sent to me to make banjo ukes. The pistachio is from California orchards, carefully saved from its fate in the chipper or the burn pile by woodfromthewest.com. All of us doing our best to change the things we can and leave the rest alone. I challenge Matthew to take this little banjo and do the same.

#443- Curly Walnut and Pistachio Concert Banjo Ukulele

We met Errol in Canada at a music camp we were teaching at. During one of my workshops, another customer of ours let him try out her banjo uke, which peaked his interest. He picked out a nice combination of features to produce a unique instrument. He asked for curly walnut, so I went back to my Goby stash to grab this multi colored Oregon walnut with red streaks. He added on the low g string, a pickup and an armrest as well. I picked pretty simple pistachio from California orchards for the fretboard, headplate and trim so that it wouldn’t overshadow the walnut. I’m really pleased with it, I hope he is too!

#447- Spruce and Curly Cherry Tenor Ukulele

I’ve had this curly cherry set for at least 7 years. It’s a strange mix of feelings to see it finished and out the door. I am happy someone finally believed me that it would look and sound great, but I also feel the loss of a special wood set! I paired it with a straight grain spruce top, muted pistachio, a fir neck and curly maple binding. It looks like a butterscotch sundae and sounds sweet too. The spruce was cut for a dulcimer maker in the 1960’s, the fir is a salvaged floor joist, the pistachio is from California orchards and the cherry is from Cath on Vashon Island.

#448- Figured Walnut and Pistachio Five String Banjo

It’s a rare treat to get to make a five string banjo two months in a row! This one is made from some very unique figured walnut from Goby in Portland. It has beautiful color variation, some nice curl and an amazing burl structure in the neck. The simple pistachio fretboard, headplate, rim cap and tone ring balance out the softer walnut and come from California orchards. It also features a calf skin head and my fluorocarbon string set for a polite banjo sound that still has plenty of volume.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! My beautiful new babe arrived safe and sound. And the sound is awesome! We have spent some time bonding and I know I will just love playing this gorgeous instrument! The smooth texture and amazing wood is captivating!
I am so pleased! Happy Holidays.

- M. R. ”

#450- Bearclaw Spruce and Mahogany Alto Ukulele

Spruce and mahogany is a classic combination with proven results in the guitar world. It’s great for a uke too, with nice volume and sustain but not too bright. I wrapped it up in curly maple binding and a streaky pistachio fretboard. It’s a simple look but has lots of small figures in the grain that are fun to discover. The spruce top is from Alaskan old growth salvage, the mahogany is from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland and the pistachio comes from California orchards.

“Thank you so much for the craftsmanship, the attention to detail is amazing. I just received it and WOW! The character and voice is stunning. Love the art inside too :-). Has been a dream to own such an heirloom quality instrument since we met up in Reno a couple of years ago. Truly humbled by the skill you posses and put into each of your masterpieces. The tactile quality of the material and finishes is simply fantastic. The pick up is sublime and such a great voice both plugged in and natural.
- G. I.

Update May, 2020
Hi Aaron & Nicole,
#450 is wonderful. The finish and feel is sublime. The character in voice and sustain is dreamy. The wabi-sabi nail hole is beautiful and really speaks to your craft and attention to detail. The feel and playability of this ukulele is fantastic, the radius finger board and set up is perfect. Playing it feels like a vintage instrument that has been dialed in over the years. The choice in woods and voice is wonderful and unique. Bright but warm with a lovely gentle tone that is subtle but not without punch when needed.
Nicole’s drawing inside makes me smile when I take it out of the case to play it.
Thank you for working with my love (C) in helping her choose and craft this as a surprise for me. I was shocked and instantly in love with the instrument and its beauty in silence and motion. It will be played and cherished for many years to come. Inspires me to keep learning and playing and enjoying the peace of mind it gives when in the flow of creating music.

Appreciate you both and the work that goes into your product. Thank you so much and hope this finds you well and safe.
Much love and light,
- G.I.”

#452- Mahogany Tenor Ukulele

Stretching all the way back to the 1940’s, the mahogany tenor ukulele is a classic. Martin, Gibson, Lyon and Healy and Harmony all explored similar models. I like to add the rope binding for an even more old fashioned look. The Oregon walnut fretboard is a great substitute for tropical woods and is quite sustainable as an urban forestry product. The African mahogany for the body is from a stash of guitar sides we bought in Colorado when I first got started. We bought so much of it that I probably have a lifetime of mahogany ukuleles ahead of me!

#449- Spruce and Spalted Maple Alto Ukulele

For this ukulele, I let the natural color variations of the spalted maple lead in selecting the rest of the parts. I wanted to highlight the the range of colors without having everything “match” too much. I chose a spruce top with an off center brown line to introduce a little asymmetry to an other wise “perfect” front. I also mixed walnut and maple binding, stripy hemlock for the neck and chocolate brown walnut into the equation to complete the look. The maple is from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland, the spruce is from a retired dulcimer maker, the walnut is from Goby in Portland and the hemlock is from Camp Westwind on the Oregon coast.