I really like white oak for banjos lately. It’s loud and crisp with a dusty edge to it, like it’s already old. This oak is from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland and was likely cut for furniture or clock cases originally. It also uses an oak bridge made from a wine barrel from the winery up the road. The pistachio fretboard and headplate is from California orchards.
For many years, my personal instrument was a Myrtle baritone and the sound and feel is quite comfortable to me. I appreciate that this instrument has such a simple design, really showing off the wood grain as the star of the show. The curly Myrtle is from the Carpenter ant stash, the pistachio fretboard, headplate and bridge are from California orchards and the mahogany neck is salvaged from a construction beam.
“The new addition arrived a day earlier than predicted! So light and wonderful to play!! My own little Beansprout heaven. Thank you for your skill, craftsmanship; I can feel the love in these two and I know we will be together forever.
- M. R. ”
Normally this model has an 11” rim, but we chose a 12” rim to try to get a deeper sound. The rich walnut block rim is balanced with a rolled brass tone ring, making a complex but lively sound. The goat skin head also adds to the funkiness of the sound, in my opinion. It is strung with baritone ukulele strings and tuned DGBE. The customer added a scoop at the end of the fretboard for easy strumming and a K&K pickup for easy amplification. The Oregon walnut is urban salvage from the Willamette Valley and the pistachio is from California orchards.
This instrument is for our friend Lori, who has a cedar and mahogany guitar that she really likes the sound of. I grabbed a figured cedar top that was salvaged from a on old water tank, some mahogany I reclaimed from the rebuild it center and some bird’s eye maple from the Carpenter Ant stash. I wanted to keep it simple, so I bound just the top with some maple to protect the cedar and left it alone. This cedar has an AMAZING sound and it just keeps going, no matter how hard I play.
For many of us, our hands touch almost exclusively machine made items. Modern design generally celebrates the sleek and smooth, with little variation of texture. But handmade items allow the owner to experience many textures, which I think add to their beauty. Our bodies and eyes may sense these small variations, triggering a connection to the handmade item that is different than your smooth iPhone or the plastic fork from the takeout place. This uke only uses a handful of woods, but it does offer the textural experience, for both the the hand and eye, that I love.
The top is Sitka spruce from my dulcimer maker’s stash. The curly maple back and sides were given to me by a retiring violin maker. The maple fretboard, headplate and bridge are from some maple salvaged by Ken from the Carpenter Ant stash from a piece of oat processing equipment. It is over 100 years old, very hard and is the wood I chose to make my workbench from. The neck is made from some hemlock and oak from the Carpenter Ant stash as well.
This uke sounds vibrant and rich, with a depth of sound that I really love. In my opinion, it already looks and sounds old, a fitting instrument to close out 2020!
“What a lovely instrument! It has all sorts of volume, individual notes ring forever (I almost want to say they “chime”) and it has a lot of bass for a baritone (as we might’ve said in choir). About your sense that it seems “old” already, I chose this combination of woods, after watching your wood selection video several times, in which you recommend maple & spruce. Since that’s also what Stradivarius used, I thought, “Well, you can’t beat the old masters”. It’s sweet-sounding, gorgeous to look at, and a classic already. You did well and seem to have a sixth sense about what your customers want. Thank you.
- C. E. ”
The last few days that a banjo is on my bench are fussy ones. Lots of small details to dial in and little touch ups to make as I try to remain focused and sane. But then, something magical happens: it’s ready to make music and I get to play it! Not only is this a fun part of the job, but it also adds another layer to the data in my head about how the instruments sound and feel. This one has been great and I’m happy/sad to see it go. Made from some beautiful black walnut from Port Townsend, WA and pistachio from California orchards. Brass hooks and nuts from Brooks Masten.
This one is bread and butter for me: simple domestic woods, easy playability, rich resonant tone and light weight construction. I’ve had a great time playing it around the holidays and I’ll be sad to see it go! Port Orford Cedar from the Oregon coast, curly walnut from Goby Walnut in Portland, pistachio from California orchards and mahogany salvaged from a local renovation project.
“The Baritone arrived safely two days ago here in Switzerland. First impression: lighter than expected! Feels very good, looks beautiful and the sound volume is impressive for such a small instrument. I’m really glad that I went for this size and I’m sure it will make me - and hopefully some others - happy for a long time. Thanks so much for this beautiful work!
- R. B. ”
Spruce and walnut has become a standard around here lately for its big sound and classic look. My favorite thing about a good spruce top is that I can play pretty hard and it doesn’t give up. This Sitka spruce top has a Bearclaw figure that combines with the bird’s foot purfling to look nice and fancy. The Oregon walnut back and sides is from Goby in Portland, the spruce is old growth salvage from Alaska, the pistachio is from California orchards and the mahogany neck is salvaged from a construction project.
This is a new configuration for me: an 11” inch rim with a 20” scale, five string neck. It makes for a smaller and lighter five string banjo, but not as small as my mini five string design. It is made from walnut from Vashon island and Pistachio from California orchards. The hooks and nuts are from Brooks Masten in Portland. The non steel strings, goat skin head and all wood block rim make for an earthy sound that goes well with the smaller design. It is super comfortable and would be the ideal couch banjo! Drop me a line if you want one like it.
“Hello,
My banjo arrived today and I am as pleased
with it as I can be!
Thank you for working so closely with me during the process and for producing this instrument that I love.
It even smells so good – it’s aroma therapy!
- B. B. ”
This ukulele uses a lot of grafted pistachio wood. Grafting is common in orchards, as one species is often good for the root stock and another for the fruit stock. I like to use it because it adds a visual line in unexpected places on the ukulele, making it look unique. The spruce top is from my 1960’s dulcimer maker’s stash, the cherry neck is from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland and Pistachio is from California orchards.
“Hallelujah❣️More Beautiful than I imagined! and it sounds perfect❣️
Aaron and family, I cannot thank you enough. This will bless many for generations to come❣️
God Bless you,
- N. F. ”
This is certainly one of the loudest and sweetest Scout ukuleles I have ever made and I’m quite proud of it. Oregon spruce top from my friend Chic, old growth hemlock neck salvaged from a barn and oak everything else. The oak pieces are all scraps from the Carpenter ant stash and I’m not sure of the species, but it does the trick, pairing with the spruce to make a vibrant sound with a little “dust” in it.
“First of all, it looks fantastic. The lines of color all throughout. The beauty marks. Even the nail holes. It is just a gorgeous piece of art. You can really see how much care was put into fashioning this Uke.
Then there is the sound. Y’all can probably do a much better job of describing the uniqueness of the sound. It’s got so much boom to it for such a little thing. It sings real pretty.
Then there are all the little things. I love how this round body seems to throw the sound right back in my face. I love how when I play it, the small body really centers the vibration on my chest.
I hope this doesn’t sound too silly, but there is certainly a feeling that this oak scout just wants to be played. It just comes across as a friendly, approachable thing. For the past month it has become the most played Uke I own, which surprised me because it is also the only soprano sized ukulele that has managed to hold my attention.
There is no doubt that Aaron is a true craftsman, but I also think there is something more than skill at work here. I think the positive nature of how y’all view the wood and run things, and the handwritten notes and sheets added to the shipment go a long way to making this Uke not just a fine instrument, but a thing of joy.
Cheers,
- B. T. ”
This instrument is for a special long term customer who really wanted her ukulele to have a good story behind the wood. Unfortunately, no single piece here is more interesting than usual, but the instrument does a good job of illuminating what I do: the daily process of collecting, storing, drying, selecting, processing and transforming this precious wood. Without this careful labor, it would just be a pile of rough boards and THAT is the best story of all. The western red cedar cedar top is salvaged from siding from the rebuilding center. The walnut back and sides is from the shorts bin at Goby in Portland. The African mahogany neck is salvaged from a local building project. The pistachio is from California orchards. It has remarkable warmth and sustain, but still sounds punchy enough to sound like a uke! Now these boards are ready to tell a musical story in Cinda’s hands!
This uke is for Jayson Bowerman, a fellow luthier who lives a few hours away. He was interested in trading a special stash of ukulele sized tonewood and I was all in. I’m glad he picked a tried and true design for me, the Myrtle tenor has been paying my bills since 2010. The back of this uke has a special “angel wings” figure in it, which looks great wrapped up in walnut binding. I paired it with a pistachio fretboard and headplate and an old growth hemlock neck. It rings like a bell, is easy to play and is very lightweight. I hope it is part of many future family memories! The Myrtle is from the Oregon coast, the pistachio is from California orchards and the hemlock is salvaged from a barn in The Dalles, OR.
Spruce and walnut is what I have on my personal baritone ukulele and I love the combo. Bright enough to sparkle but still lots of warmth and sustain. I tried something new on this one: a walnut and maple neck. It flows nicely into the walnut sides with maple binding and it’s not as heavy as I expected. The pistachio fretboard, headplate and bridge are from California orchards. The spruce is from my 1960’s dulcimer maker stash. The walnut is from the shorts bin at Goby in Portland.
“Your workmanship is superb, the feel of the instrument is very comfortable and I’m happy with the result.
- B. S. ”
This banjo is a close copy of the instrument I built for Steve Varney. His specs have proved popular with customers and I’m grateful for the attention he has brought to us! It’s made of all walnut and pistachio, with an 11” rim and 25.5” scale. He chose a Fiberskyn head, brass tone ring, Hawktail tailpiece and a magnetic pickup. In my hands it feels rich and vibrant and has a nice voice without being too loud. The walnut is from Vashon Island from my friend Cath, the pistachio is from California orchards and the hooks and nuts are from Brooks Masten in Portland.
“Got the banjo today, its a joy to play! Feels so small and light without a resonator which I love. It also has the softer sweeter tone I was looking for.
- M. J. ”
Not every picture needs a frame. Without binding and rosette, the tonewood is really the focus on this ukulele. Curly Port Orford Cedar for the top from the Oregon coast. Grafted walnut back and sides and grafted pistachio fretboard from California orchards. I finished it off with a mahogany and maple neck, salvaged from the scrap pile at the Carpenter Ant stash. It has a rich sound but still has volume and sparkle, a true pleasure to play.
“Hello Keim family, I love #537! I love the sound, the look, and even the feel of it. I see it as a metaphor for retirement. Rather than being discarded after it’s original useful life it has been repurposed into something that simply gives joy. How cool is that? Thanks again and have a healthy, happy holiday.
- D. C.”
This ukulele is for Ian, who picked wood from my most loyal supplier, woodfromthewest.com. The curly port Orford Cedar top is from the Oregon coast and the pistachio back, sides, fretboard, headplate and bridge are from California orchards. I paired it with a fir neck made from a Portland floor joist that my fried Chris saved from a dumpster. It has a single nail hole in the end of the headstock. The bird’s foot purfling from Gurian adds a dark streak that contrasts well with the curly maple binding. It sounds big, looks unique and is lively to play.
Over many years of building instruments I’ve learned that it can be hard for a customer to decide what kind of wood they want on their ukulele. I really like it when they just tell me what sound they want, if they have any specific concerns and then just let me pick. It’s like sitting at the chef’s table and letting the dishes come as they are. For this uke we went with a tried and true combination of spruce and walnut. It always sounds good, is light weight and easy to work with. In this case, the back and sides are upgraded to a beautiful California Claro walnut set I’ve been wanting to use for a long time. The top is my favorite dulcimer spruce with a tiny knot included as a beauty mark. The neck is salvaged hemlock from a barn in The Dalles and the fretboard, headplate and bridge are pistachio from California orchards.
“..I received the ukulele today in excellent condition.
The woods are lovely. Nice and loud and easy action. The side fret markers are very easy to see. Just what I wanted. Thank you!
-C.B.
Update: I am enjoying my new Beansprout #535 very much. It is beautiful and fun to play. It is lovely for fingerpicking too!”
Based off of my own banjo, a simple design with minimal brass hardware, using humble woods that are on hand, featuring stiff but lightweight construction. It leads to a vibrant sound and an understated folk art look and is one of my favorite models to build. The 11” rim is a maple block rim made from Henry’s dance floor maple. The neck is salvaged mahogany from a furniture maker. The fretboard is cherry from the Carpenter Ant stash. Everything is stained and polished with five coats of finish that will show a patina with use and wear. Brass hardware from Balsam Banjo works.
“I would like to thank you for building me such a wonderful instrument.
It’s really fun to play and I try to improve my Clawhammer technique every day.
Merry Christmas and all the best for 2021,
- M. W. ”
A couple of years ago my friend Cath sold me some wood from her stash on Vashon island. She had saved it to build furniture and I am blessed to have it for instruments. The black walnut she has stashed away is simple, straight grained, easy to work and sounds great. This one also includes a shop made brass tension hoop in a historic style that I saw on one of Pete Ross’ banjos. It uses a lap joint and two brass pins and is very strong. Check out that amazing goat skin head and give thanks for the animal who used to wear it! The organic tone it produces is a great match for the rich sound of the walnut. The pistachio is from California orchards.
