#527- Port Orford Cedar and Mastergrade Myrtle Alto Ukulele

I admit it. I’ve had a hard couple of months. Malfunctioning shop equipment, a few uncooperative instruments on the bench and some imperfect customer communications have taken a mental toll on me. (Oh yeah. Wildfires, COVID 19 and the election too.)

I found myself wishing that I didn’t have these distractions so I could just focus on the task at hand. But then I remembered this: doing the job, even when you feel bad and things are not ideal, IS THE JOB. There is no ideal moment except this one.

So today I got up, chopped wood and carried water. I strung this uke up and gave my best for its final day in the shop. And today at least, I won.

The top is blue stained Port Orford Cedar from the Oregon coast, which has a crisp and cheery sound. The back and sides are Mastergrade Myrtle from the same board as my wife Nicole’s ukulele, which we found in Manzanita on her birthday last year. The Pistachio fretboard, headplate and bridge are from California orchards. The old growth fir neck is salvaged from a floor joist in Portland, complete with nail holes plugged with walnut. It has the muted color palette, the wild grain and the tiny natural flaws that embody the wabi-sabi ideal. It is a useful object that is also beautiful, hopefully destined to take someone else’s mind off of whatever is bothering them.

“The novice says to the master, ‘What does one do before enlightenment?’
‘Chop wood. Carry water,’ replies the master.
The novice asks, ‘What, then, does one do after enlightenment?’
‘Chop wood. Carry water.'”

“I got to see and play my Uke yesterday, and it is gorgeous both aesthetically and in sound. Thank you so much!
- C. C. ”

#525- Mastergrade Myrtle Alto Ukulele

This uke is about as fancy as I get, with Mastergrade wood and the special “bird’s foot” purfling. But, it still feels natural and organic to me, like I didn’t need to work too hard to make it look fancy, I just needed to let each piece of wood speak for itself. The Myrtle is from a furniture maker who traded this wood in when they ordered an ukulele. The pistachio fretboard, headplate and bridge come from California orchards. The old growth hemlock neck comes from a barn in The Dalles, OR. It plays easy and has a classic ukulele sound, with a good mix of volume and sustain.

“All I can say is, what a gem! Seriously so much more than I could have imagined and will certainly be treasured. Thank you for the work you do adding beautiful instruments and music to this world.
- R. W. ”

#524- Douglas Fir and Curly White Oak Alto Ukulele

When I restarted Beansprout, I drew a pretty hard line in the sand about sustainability and wood sourcing. Some people told me that I was crazy to limit myself by not using some of the typical rare, tropical woods that luthiers traditionally use. But, I have found the opposite to be true. The available number of domestic, sustainable woods open to me are far greater than the handful of choices a luthier is usually presented with. Today’s uke is a good example. The curly white oak is rather common in Oregon and I have almost a lifetime of it available, salvaged from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland. In instruments, it sounds loud and lively, with a rustic, dusty vibe to it. This amazing old growth Douglas Fir top is likely an off cut or scrap from a long forgotten project, also from the Carpenter Ant stash. The mahogany neck is a leftover from the scrap pile when I worked at Mya-Moe. The pistachio fretboard, bridge and headplate are harvested as a by product of California orchards. It takes a curious nature, an antique picker’s persistence and hard work to source wood this way, but for me it’s the right thing to do. Also, it makes for instruments that have a slightly unique look, texture and sound to them, as woods are combined in new ways.

“Aaron, it looks incredible. Honestly, its workmanship is such a testament to your talents and love of your craft. And I’ve never seen rope binding look this good. Mean. it. My instrument sings with a beautiful strength and clarity. The love of the luthier remains in the wood.
Best to you and Nicole and much gratitude!
- L.O.”

#522- Curly Port Orford Cedar and Clockmaker’s Koa Scout Ukulele

These Scout ukuleles are my only soprano scale instrument, based on the Lyon and Healy Camp ukulele from the 1920’s. I use shop scraps for these and only make them when I have the extra time. This one has curly Port Orford Cedar from the Oregon coast courtesy of woodfromthewest.com, Clockmaker’s Koa from the Carpenter ant stash, a hemlock neck from Camp Westwind and walnut headstock, fretboard and bridge. A humble musical companion is ready for the world!

“This is one fun instrument. I love playing it every day. Great sound for such a little instrument!! Thank you so much.
Thanks again,
- E. F.
”

#518- Blue Stained Port Orford Cedar and Mastergrade Myrtle Alto Ukulele

The fourth alto ukulele in a row this month! This one has some really unique features and I’m excited to get it to its final home. First up is the blue stained Port Orford Cedar. It occurs naturally in this log, I don’t do anything to it to get those blue streaks. Next, the Mastergrade Myrtle back and sides are also unique, as the back is one wide piece of Myrtle with an asymmetrical look. I chose a grafted pistachio fretboard, an old growth fir neck and curly maple binding to wrap it up. It is lightweight, resonant and easy to play, I’m really pleased with it! The Myrtle and Port Orford Cedar are from the Oregon coast, the pistachio is from California orchards (all from www.woodfromthewest.com) and the fir is salvaged from an old floor joist.

“Just wanted to drop a line saying that the uke arrived yesterday and it’s really exceeded my expectations. It’s so easy to play and the tone is amazing. I’ve had a number of nice sopranos and concerts but this one really captures what I like about both sizes.
- A. S. ”

#513- Port Orford Cedar and Walnut Alto Ukulele

I seem to get lots of attention for Mastergrade and curly woods, but I often prefer straight grain and more humble wood sets. They all sound good, after all, and sometimes I appreciate the subtle character of the straight grain woods. This ukulele is for a player with arthritis and small hands, so I paid a little extra attention to that when carving the neck and setting up the strings. The Oregon walnut back and sides for this uke is a veneer scrap from a very old walnut log. My friend Ben Bonham built some guitars from it and gave me the rest for ukuleles. By the way, if you aren’t following Ben on Instagram you are missing out on some beautiful instruments. I paired it with a tight grained Port Orford Cedar top from the Oregon coast, old growth Douglas fir neck and spalted pistachio fretboard and headplate.

“My ukulele just arrived! It is everything I hoped it would be and more! Thank you both for your talents!
- D. J. ”

#519- Curly Port Orford Cedar and Grafted Walnut Tenor Ukulele

Another of my favorite wood combos! Whether it is the Mastergrade/grafted/curly stuff like this, or more straight grain wood, POC and walnut always sounds good. Plenty loud, but rich and detailed; it makes me want to keep playing! Billy asked for a neck with nail holes and I had a great time working on this one for him. I plugged all the holes with walnut dowels, turning the flaws into features. All the wood for this except the neck is from woodfromthewest.com, with the POC from the Oregon coast and the walnut and pistachio from California orchards.

“Thank you from the very bottom of my heart for my beautiful uke. As you know I have waited a very long time to be able to commission one and the anticipation has been at times overwhelming. I am such a fan of your work Aaron. We have a shared passion for wood as you know and the way you take your passion to such heights is truly awe-inspiring. I love the wabi sabi vibe – the nail holes in my neck are just amazing. Such beauty. But it is not just the wood, of course, but the way you craft it.
I am in complete awe of how you can make an instrument sound so good. I am fascinated by the different tones the different woods create and I love learning to distinguish these from what you explain in your videos. My tenor is so clear and warm and the sustain is fabulous.
Lots of love from us both. Take care
All good things
- B. P. ”

#516- Mastergrade Myrtle Alto Ukulele

As soon as I strung this one up I realized what I had been missing: an all Myrtle ukulele! It seems like it’s been a while since I made one. It has a classic look and sound to me, as the all Myrtle uke has been a staple of my building for almost 10 years. The grain on this one is particularly interesting and the rope binding wraps it up nicely. The pistachio fretboard and headplate come from California Orchards, the Myrtle is from the Oregon coast and the fir neck is salvaged from a barn in The Dalles, OR.

“Everything is great. It plays and looks amazing. It’s next to my bed and I’ve been playing it almost every day.
- D. K. ”

#517- Spruce and Maple Alto Ukulele

Buckle up folks, because we have four alto ukuleles in a row this month! The first is spruce and maple, one of my favorite combinations. Yes, they can be loud and bright, but I like the big dynamic range and clear tone that this combination offers. The wide grain, Oregon spruce top is from Camp Westwind on the coast. The amazing quilted maple is from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland. The old growth Douglas Fir neck is from a Portland floor joist, with a single nail hole. The grafted pistachio for the fretboard and headplate is from California orchards.

“The ukulele arrived today. I haven’t much time to play it yet, but I just wanted to let you know it was here, safe and sound, and it’s beautiful. My daughter is in love with it, too, and I promised I’d share. My first impression is that it has a lovely clarity and sustain, but a mellow voice. In the video you made, you highlighted the difference between how it looked at a distance, and all the beautiful details you see when you look closer. I think that’s a really great description of the uke, but I also wanted to mention that, although I’m pretty sure I never quite said that as we corresponded about building it, it’s a perfect description of the aesthetic I had been hoping for - something beautiful and well-crafted that wouldn’t attract attention from across the room, but something still worth admiring up close. That’s a kind of humble beauty the world can always use.

Update: I’m gradually getting more time to play and it’s been really rewarding. The intonation is great. I’m learning how much or how little force I can use. My hands are used to concert scale and now that I’m not overshooting my reaches so much it’s really making beautiful sounds!

- M. T. ”

#514- Curly Maple Concert Banjo Ukulele

The more time you spend with nice musical instruments, the more you start to notice their personality. After all, tone, durability, volume and playability should be a given, so what is left? What is left are the little details of sound, texture and design that give it a personality. After playing this little banjo, I can only describe its personality as “sweet.” It just is. Sweet to look at, sweet to hold and sweet on the ears. The curly maple is from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland and the pistachio is from California Orchards.

#512- Hemlock and Walnut Scout Ukulele- For Camp Westwind

Camp Westwind is one of our favorite places in the world. We have spent many weeks there as part of the Tunes in the Dunes music event, sharing nature, music and community. For much of the year, Camp Westwind is focused on outdoor education for youth, a vital role in the modern world. This uke will be auctioned off to support Camp Westwind, please click here to bid.

The neck and body of this uke are made from a hemlock tree from camp and include some spalting and some little bug holes. The rest of the ukulele is Oregon walnut, offering a visual contrast to the hemlock and an important structural role as a harder wood. It is a soprano scale ukulele with fluorocarbon strings, bone nut and saddle, geared Gotoh tuners and brass fret markers. Includes soft case.

I documented the building of this ukulele in a YouTube playlist. It is available here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoP7YNiiu7XRwECW7q175zIbi4AVk5LPN

“Hi Nicole and Aaron,

I absolutely love the scout ukulele. Thank you so much for your generous donation and all the time and effort put into this beautiful instrument to benefit Westwind!

Westwind has such a special place in my heart. Its stunning beauty, wonderful friendships, amazing food, magical campfires, exciting adventures to the sea cave, awe-inspiring hikes, lovely poetry, powerful yet peaceful ocean, and music flowing through every nook and cranny fill me with joy!

I am so excited to have another beautiful memory of Westwind. How cool is it to have a ukulele made from Westwind wood and you, Aaron! I will treasure it!
- G. R.
”

#515- Curly Walnut Tenor Banjo Ukulele

When I was in Port Townsend last year for the ukulele festival, my friends Jere and Greg took me to a lumber store called Edensaw. We had fun looking at all the crazy woods and tools and before we left I grabbed a couple of boards of this colorful curly walnut. Paired with some subtle pistachio it makes for a great looking and sounding banjo. Also, I send a shoutout to whatever goat gave us this skin, it certainly is beautiful!

#502- Mahogany, Cherry and Maple Tenor Ukulele

I love the classic mainlaind ukes of the early-mid 20th century. Many of them used Honduras mahogany as the main tone wood instead of the rarer Hawaiian Koa. This uke is a no frills tenor, with cherry and maple for the neck, headplate, fretboard and bridge. Geared tuners, bone nut and saddle, fluorocarbon strings, radiused fretboard and hard shell case. All the wood is from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland. Yours for $1550 plus shipping. Click here to buy, happy strumming.

“I received #502 this afternoon. What a beauty; although you already know that. I love the beautiful simplicity of this uke and it sounds great right out of the box. I’ll write you again in a few weeks with a little more detailed feedback. Anyway, thanks again. I’m so happy!!

Update: ....Six weeks later I’m even more in love with #502 than ever. That simple stark beauty just bowls me over every single time I look at it. And it sounds and plays amazing. This is my go-to uke. Thanks again and hoping all is well with the Keim family. Best wishes always!
- C. P. ”

#507- Curly Port Orford Cedar and Grafted Walnut Baritone Ukulele

At first I thought that a baritone ukulele tuned gcea would be a bad idea. But, I’ve proved myself wrong enough times that I can admit that it sounds and feels great. This one is no exception, with a loud and rich voice and easy playability. The woods are top notch too, with curly Port Orford Cedar from the Oregon coast and grafted walnut and grafted pistachio from California orchards. I couldn’t be more pleased with it! I am also quite proud of the natural beauty mark on the cedar top. It is that little bit of wabi-sabi that brightens my day and reminds me that none of us are perfect.

“Hi Aaron & Nicole - This baritone uke is the most beautiful instrument I have ever owned in my 71 years!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m in uke love!!
🎶💛🎶💛🎶
- R. P. ”

#511- Curly Port Orford Cedar and Walnut Scout Ukulele

One of the key ways that Nicole and I have stayed afloat over the years is that we have several different businesses/crafts/projects going at once. We then follow the opportunities that come in and balance how we spend time accordingly. Since all of our music events have been cancelled this year, we were pretty worried how we would make ends meet, but it’s meant more time in the shop, which has led to more Scout ukuleles! This one has a curly Port Orford Cedar top from the Oregon coast, walnut back, sides, fretboard and headplate from the scrap bin at Goby Walnut and a salvaged Cyprus mustard tank neck. I think it has a sweet and charming sound, which I had a great time playing today.

“I just wanted to let you know that the Beansprout Scout #511 arrived safe and sound today.

It is even more beautiful in person!

Thank you for all you do. Your talents help bring music to the world and I am eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to buy not one but two of your amazing instruments.

Have a great weekend, and happy strumming!
- A. L. ”

#503 Koa Scout Ukulele

One of my Scout ukuleles with a few simple upgrades: a three piece fir and walnut neck, a nice pistachio fretboard and headplate from California orchards and some lightly curly Clockmaker’s Koa from the Carpenter Ant stash. A humble, portable, playable and sweet musical companion.

“Dear Aaron and Nicole,
I love my koa Scout ukulele. It has perfect balance - delicate yet sturdy. The sound is bright and clear. The notes ring true even with my sloppy chords up the neck. I have never played a more beautiful instrument.

I am honored to own a Beansprout creation. Thank you. What a treasure.

Best always,
- B. M. ”

#505- Western Red Cedar and Curly Walnut Alto Ukulele

Yes, another cedar and walnut alto uke this month! It was fun to have two similar models next to each other in line, they really turned out nice in their own ways. I only recently started to using Western Red Cedar again, I was waiting to find dependable old, strong stuff. This cedar is salvaged from some old water tanks and even has some interesting Bearclaw figure, which I’ve never seen in cedar before. I really love how red cedar sounds. It is warmer sounding that Port Orford cedar but still plenty loud. The curly walnut is cut from a Claro walnut gunstock blank, which ended up looking great. The fretboard, headplate, bridge and pickguard are all made from pistachio from California orchards. The neck is some old growth Douglas Fir salvaged from floor joists. Overall, the instrument is light weight but feels solid, with a rich and sweet tone.

“I am thrilled with my new Beansprout ukulele! It is stunning and perfect in every regard, but one of the things I love the most is knowing that it is made from woods that have a history, a unique origin story, or are local and sustainable. Too much in our world is cheaply made and disposable, and I feel like this piece of functional art, handmade especially for me by a skilled craftsman and artist, is the exact opposite. We need more things like that in life, and holding a Beansprout ukulele always reminds me of the beauty of striving for that goal in all aspects of life. I also love the respect for imperfection that is intrinsic to the Beansprout brand in their celebration of bug holes, knots, and other elements many builders would avoid. It just feels right to honor and even celebrate these things as features, and reminds me to do the same in my life when plans go awry or something bad happens. Strengthen that nail hole with some filler and be proud of it for making you a bigger person for having survived whatever it is! I am so honored to have this ukulele and my other Beansprouts (#368 and #436) that Aaron made for me and will treasure them forever. Thanks to Aaron and Nicole for creating such an honest brand, staying true to your aesthetic and values, and blessing the world with such fine instruments! You definitely have a lifelong customer in me.

Thanks!
- J. L.
”

#508- Western Red Cedar and Curly Walnut Alto Ukulele

As a maker of “luxury items,” I really value every order we get. After all, your hard earned money has many worthy outlets. When it’s a repeat customer, I feel even luckier! This one is for Libby, who has a couple of instruments from me already, both of which are quite fancy. For this one, we were chasing a simpler design, but it still ended up being fancy in an understated way. The curly walnut back and sides came from our friend Ben Bonham, who passed on some ukulele sized scraps from a guitar project. The cedar top is from my friend Nick, whose dad salvaged it from an old water tank. It is super tight grained old growth wood, with some unique Bearclaw figuring. The spruce neck is from Camp Westwind on the Oregon coast and the walnut fretboard, headplate and bridge make for a simple look. She asked for wooden tuner buttons, which I made from scraps of walnut, maple and mahogany. It’s a lot of work, but makes for a unique feature. The maple binding offers a nice contrast and wraps it up well.

“Aaron,
I love my new cedar walnut uke. It’s so elegant to look at and the sustain is remarkable for such a small instrument. The sound is beautiful and it’s so easy to play. Now the new uke is the favorite in the house. I also like that Camp Westwind spruce is the neck. I was so looking forward to playing in the tenth annual tunes in the dunes. This helps make up for it.

I am so glad i stayed with my order and left most of it up to my luthier. Your skills leave me in awe. Hard work and more than a little artistry in your eye and ear produce remarkable, beautiful, delightful instruments. They call me out to play even when i only feel a little musical. Chalmers Doane says “One Minute a day” and my minute always stretches out, many times to hours. Learning to play music with a nice uke is like learning to paint with good brushes and paint. It’s the pathway to joy and success. Thank you so much. I feel so lucky to have met you!

Thanks for the care and skill you put in your work. It speaks for you. Stay healthy and live one day at a time.
With admiration,
- L. M. ”

#504- Curly White Oak and Pistachio Concert Banjo Ukulele

A lot of the boards I get from the Carpenter Ant stash were cut for Lizann’s grandfather, who made clocks. That means they are usually surfaced on four sides and just under an inch thick, intended for clock cases. This piece was labeled “tiger oak” on the end of the board and that label was right. Truly some of the most beautiful oak I’ve ever worked with. I also went bold on the pistachio fretboard and headplate, it just seemed right. The goat skin head and the brass arm rest add to the charm. This thing is sweet.

“Aaron & Nicole
My Uke turned up today, thank you so much for all you’ve done.
To say the Ukulele is stunning is an understatement, as I expected, it sounds as good as it looks.
I cannot thank you enough for this, the Oak is superb.... I could sit and look at it for hours.
It’s been a great pleasure dealing with you from start to a happy finish. Thank you again.

- K.M.”

#510- Spruce and Curly Walnut Tenor Ukulele

I don’t use customer wood very often, but when Claro walnut like this comes in the mail, it’s hard to say no. This was originally cut for gunstocks, but we were able to get 3 ukes and a banjo out of it. I like that math. The spruce top is from the old dulcimer builder’s stash and can’t be beat. The pistachio is from California orchards. The special bird’s foot purfling is made by Gurian in Seattle.

“Aaron
Just a note of thanks. Took a bit of playing to get used to the small differences from my {other ukulele}. Sounds great, nice action, quickly becoming an old friend. Now if I can play up to the quality of the instrument.
Best regards
- D. S. ”