#715- Spruce and Myrtle Scout Ukulele

This one is crisp and vibrant, a really good summer vibes instrument. Soprano scale, geared tuners, fluorocarbon strings, bone nut and saddle. Made from scraps and cutoffs from other projects. Spruce top, curly Myrtle back and sides, Fir neck, Oak fretboard/head plate, Walnut binding and bridge.

John brought his scout with him to Croatia!

#717- Curly Cherry, Pistachio and Texas Ebony Five String Banjo

Powerful, sweet and clear, with a little grit in the tone to make it interesting. This one is awesome. It vibrates so much while I play that it seems to want to leap out of my lap! 11” rim, 24 hooks, brass tone ring, Hawktail tailpiece, Renaissance head and steel strings. The curly Cherry and Texas Ebony are from a retired banjo builder and the Pistachio is from California orchards. I am really happy with this one, it feels good to get it sorted out as the last instrument before our vacation!

#716- Walnut and Pistachio Short Scale Five String Banjo

Simple, elegant, fun and functional. Old Walnut from Vashon Island and Pistachio from California orchards. I love this short scale design, because it is lighter and easier to play than my normal banjo, but provides enough sound for almost all situations.

#720- Myrtle and Walnut Concert Banjo Ukulele

Inspired by an 1890’s ukulele built by Santo, I used a similar headstock shape, neck shape and rope binding as inlay on the fretboard. The Myrtle is from an urban tree in Portland, harvested by Epilogue. The Walnut is from The Dee Mill. I also darkened the brass hardware, added an armrest and used a walnut stained goat skin head to complete the look. It feels light, cheerful, easy to play and plenty loud.

“Aaron and Nicole,

My banjo ukulele #720 arrived safely yesterday evening. When I opened the case I was very pleased to see another absolutely beautiful Beansprout instrument. I have wanted to get a banjo ukulele for some time now but have not been able to find one I liked. (Until now) The look, touch and feel of this instrument is awesome. I really like the style and feel of the neck. It is smooth, easy to play and just right for my hand. The rope binding up the neck, around the head plate and the design down the fretboard gives it a unique and classy look. The rope binding around the bottom of the rim is also good looking. I really like the look of the head plate. I always look forward to seeing Aaron’s builders choice instruments. It shows how creative he is.

Thanks again for making awesome high quality instruments.
- H. H. ”

#718- Oak and Pistachio Short Scale Five String Banjo

I love the sound of Oak for banjos. It’s sort of crispy, dry and old sounding, right off the bench. The brass tone ring gives a little bell like quality to it, which helps round out the sound. The Oregon White Oak is from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland, stained like Arts and Crafts furniture. The Pistachio is from California Orchards.

#712- Redwood and English Walnut Tenor Ukulele

I am so lucky to use such awesome pieces of wood, especially when other folks consider them “scraps”! It helps me produce one of a kind instruments like this one and I love the process. The Redwood top for this uke is from luthier Jayson Bowerman and is my favorite in the shop. The English Walnut back and sides is from the Dee Mill, right down the road from me. The Pistachio is from California orchards. The Mahogany neck is a scrap from a retired furniture maker.

I think it might be the perfect combination of crisp sound and long sustain, I hope Ryan loves it!

#708- Cedar and Koa Scout Ukulele

So sweet! Salvaged Cedar from a hot tub and Koa scraps from the Carpenter Ant stash make for a rich sound, even on this small body. The contrast between Texas Ebony and Maple for the trim really tie together everything.

“Nicole and Aaron,
Scout Ukulele No. 708 arrived safely. It sounds wonderful. I do need to get used to the fret spacing since I play almost exclusively tenors. But, it is already getting a good workout with the picking patterns of the BootCamp section of your 10 Etudes book. Thank you very much for such a fantastic instrument.
- G.O. ”

#709- Western Red Cedar and Jatoba Alto Ukulele

Inspired by Indigenous woodworkers of the Pacific coast, this ukulele uses Western Red Cedar, Jatoba and a little bit of Ebony. My mission was to create a musical instrument in my style that pays tribute to their traditional color palette. It is lightweight, rustic and vibrant, with a dry and percussive sound that I really enjoy. The Cedar is salvaged from fence posts near Cascade Head and the Jatoba is from flooring scraps from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland.

#714- Maple and Pistachio Concert Scale Banjo Ukulele

This is an older curly maple rim of mine that I made a new neck for. It’s a five piece maple neck, concert scale, with a funky pistachio fretboard. Fluorocarbon strings, geared Gotoh tuners, Renaissance head and brass wire arm rest.

“Hi Aaron & Nicole,

I absolutely love my Beansprout #714 Banjolele! I also enjoy the clawhammer book and leather strap. Thank you!

My favorite and the only instrument I currently play is the Beansprout. I practice at least one hour a day and usually close to six hours on the weekends. The quality of the Beansprout is top notch and I love the playability and sound!

Wishing you all the best and very thankful for you!
- D. P. ”

#711- Curly Walnut and Texas Ebony Short Scale Five String Banjo

I love this design and I’m glad customers are responding well to it. 11” rim with a 20” scale five string neck. Small enough to be comfortable and light, big enough to have a nice sound. For this one, we used Curly Walnut from Goby in Portland and Texas Ebony from a retired banjo builder. The brass tone ring adds a little zing to the sound, the brass arm rest adds some comfort and the non steel strings warm it up.

#701- Spruce and Mahogany Baritone Ukulele

Simple materials often make for the best sound and the most dependable instruments. This stock baritone ukulele is a great example. The Engleman Spruce top and African Mahogany back/sides were salvaged from guitar builder’s shops. The neck is a five piece neck from old growth Fir and Walnut. The Pistachio fretboard, head plate and bridge are from California Orchards. A shorter fretboard with 14 frets and some rope binding around the spruce keep it classic and simple. Available here for $1800 plus shipping. If you are overseas, contact us before buying please.

#707- Spruce and Pistachio Alto Ukulele

Pistachio is probably the hardest/densest wood I would choose for a back and sides. It is a great sound reflector, but it’s easy for it to be too heavy. In this case, it just feels/sounds solid! Sitka Spruce from Camp Westwind, Pistachio from California Orchards and a little Spanish Cedar salvaged from a cabinet maker.

#706- Curly Cherry and Texas Ebony Four String Banjo

This Curly Cherry never disappoints me. Rich and sweet, but with a little growl. Plenty of volume but not brash. I love it! This one has a goat skin head, brass tone ring, arm rest and K&K pickup. Ready for the stage or your back porch. The Cherry and Texas Ebony are from a retired banjo builder.

“Aaron & Nicole,

My banjo (#706) arrived on Friday about an hour before I left for a long weekend in the Appalachian Mountains.

It was the perfect introduction to the instrument. I sat on a cabin deck overlooking the deep woods as I explored it. I love how it looks, and I love the sound. I’ve named it Rosie, after my grandmother.

While I know that you’re the woodworker, Aaron, it seems like the two of you work closely together on the overall operation. You’re both very talented!

Thank you!
- R.F.”

#710- Wine Barrel Oak and Pistachio Five String Banjo

White Oak is one of my favorite woods for musical instruments. It looks nice, works easily, is readily available and I love the tone. I think it’s sound has more texture than maple does, a bit gritty or dusty. It is well suited to banjos and ukuleles. This Oak is originally French, salvaged from wine barrels from my neighbors at Hiyu Wine Farm. The Pistachio is from California orchards, harvested when the trees no longer bear fruit. This combo makes for a very sustainable instrument which is closely connected to the food/wine/agriculture industries and makes us feel closer to the region we live in. The Oak pieces show some signs of their last lives as barrel staves, including pieces of oak dowels and some staining from the wine.

#704- Yellow Cedar and Curly Walnut Alto Ukulele

This was a really fun ukulele to put together. A standard model for me, but with lots of tiny details and natural flaws to keep me interested. The Alaskan Yellow Cedar top is from the log we harvested from Camp Westwind, as is the Cedar of Lebanon neck. How that species of cedar made it to Camp Westwind is a mystery to me. The Walnut back and sides is from up the road at The Dee Mill and is the same board as the ukes I’ve built for Dave Matthews recently. Some curly walnut serves as fretboard, headplate and bridge. I bound it with greenish Myrtle and added some bird’s foot purfling to seal the deal. It has a rich but breathy sound and is really fun to play!

#703- Desert Vibes: Juniper and Myrtle Tenor Ukulele

This tenor is a shout-out to three West Coast wood dealers/sawyers with similar values to us: woodfromthewest.com, thedeemill.com and epiloguelumber.com. All three salvage trees that other folks would give up on and turn them into beautiful and useful lumber. Even the scraps are handy to someone like me and these folks keep me well stocked. The Juniper top has a breathy but rich tone, from The Dee Mill. The Myrtle back and sides is from a Portland tree, harvested by Epilogue. The Pistachio fretboard/headplate/bridge is from California orchards from Kevin at woodfromthewest.com.

#694- Port Orford Cedar and Quilted Mahogany Tenor Ukulele

I really appreciate all of the customers, following me on this journey of tradition and innovation. My own mix of old and new is what keeps me excited and this instrument really hits the sweet spot. The back and sides are quilted Mahogany from a classical guitar builder’s estate sale, so is the multi colored “ombré” purfling. The one piece Port Orford Cedar top is from the Oregon coast, via woodfromthewest.com. The Alaskan Yellow Cedar neck was harvested off the beach at Camp Westwind. Everything else is Texas Ebony from a retired banjo builder. I finished it all in amber shellac for an old timey look. But the tone! So rich and smooth, I’m really into it!

“Thank you so much for the wonderful ukulele!

The finish is great. I like the matte look very much. The construction is excellent. The back and sides are excellent and the top grain is perfect. The purfling was a great choice as you said!

String to string very nice and balanced. The pickup sounds great. The tone is excellent. Warm like I would expect with this wood combination. It has a soft warm tone from the cedar.

I am looking forward to it opening up with time. Beautiful instrument I will enjoy for a long time!
- C. G. ”

#705- Port Orford Cedar and Walnut Tenor Ukulele

Another ukulele for Dave Matthews, to match the three I made last year. Port Orford Cedar top from the Oregon coast, local Walnut from The Dee Mill, a salvaged Fir neck and grafted Pistachio California Orchards. The top is stained with tinted shellac and there are big brass fret dots for stage visibility.

#702- Mastergrade Myrtle Soprano Ukulele

Most of my Myrtle comes from Southern Oregon, near the coast. But this tree is from Portland, probably planted as a decorative tree mid 20th century. I got a few boards from the sawyer, https://www.epiloguelumber.com, who specializes in milling urban trees. The grain is wide, but it’s still stiff. The dark markings, curl and figure is fantastic. I have more of it, so just ask and I’ll use it on yours. The neck of this uke is also Myrtle from the same tree. Everything else is Pistachio from woodfromthewest.com.

“Dear Aaron and Nicole-

I love sopranos, and Aaron has knocked it out of the park with this beansprout! The tonality, playability and aesthetics are all superbly executed. It’s truly a wonderful instrument, and I haven’t put it down since it arrived. Thank you for every attention to detail, exemplary customer service, and for bringing joy to so many lives through your crafts. Looking forward to the release of the new clawhammer book as well.

With admiration-
J.K.”

#697- Englemann Spruce and Curly Walnut Alto Ukulele

Louise needed an alto ukulele with a low g, a vibrant sound and easy playability. She has a few specific accommodations for her physical needs, including low action, flat fretboard, low tension strings, thin neck and big white fret markers. Done. The spruce is from a retired guitar maker and the walnut is from Goby in Portland. The Texas ebony is from a retired banjo builder and the spruce for the neck is from my friend Craig. It really sings, I hope it fits her needs!

“#697 is here and I love it. Of course it’s gorgeous, that goes without saying. The headstock is on fire, an amazing surprise for me!

The tone is exactly what I was dreaming of. It’s rich, warm, and at the same time crisp and distinct. Perfect for classical fingerstyle, perfect campanella chimes with great sustain. And I’m getting very noticeable changes of tone depending on where on the fretboard I’m picking. Could not be happier.

It’s a wonderful low-g companion to my beloved high-g Beansprout alto #599. Thank you Aaron for accommodating my flaws and producing these instruments that sing for me.

Love you Keims,
-L. B. ”