Man, this one is pretty! I really love the sapwood in the Cedar top, the wavy Pistachio head plate and the bird’s foot purfling. This combo is always sweet sounding, with a rich sustain but chiming sparkle too. The Cedar is from luthier Jayson Bowerman near Bend, OR. The Walnut is from Goby in Portland. The Pistachio is from California orchards and the Cypress neck is salvaged from an old tank.
This ukulele is for our friend Melany, who has run the Tunes in the Dunes event at Camp Westwind for the last 10 years. I wanted to make an instrument rooted in the beautiful place she lives, right on the Salmon River, across from Westwind.
The top, headate, endgraft and healcap are all Western Red Cedar from a fence post salvaged from her property. The top was planed and sanded while the rest retains the rough texture, moss and lichen from the post. The walnut back, sides and fretboard are from Hood River, from a standing dead tree likely planted over 100 years ago. I love all the swirling colors of it. I used Alder for the neck, as it is another Oregon wood vital to the forests and waterways. The binding is greenish Myrtle from the coast, tying it all together in a muted way. For the strap buttons, I used rusty fence staples from her post, I love their rough texture compared to the smooth wood.
If you peek in the sound hole, you will see a little collection of moss, shells and sand from Westwind. To help protect the vital Salmon River watersheds, go here to learn more and donate.
This AYC top came from neighbor’s shop, left over from when he made flutes. It inspired me to make an all domestic wood instrument with the muted color palette I like. The White Oak is from the Carpenter Ant stash and the AYC neck is from Camp Westwind. A mix of Myrtle and Walnut was used for binding and bridge, which complements the amber tones but fits in the palette. And the sound! I always love Oak for back and sides, but this piece of AYC warms it up a bit.
This beautiful stock instrument went to music camp with me and did not come home. It is made entirely of salvaged wood. The Port Orford Cedar top comes from cleaning out my flute making neighbors shop, the Jatoba fretboard/head plate/bridge comes from the Carpenter Ant Stash, the African Mahogany comes from an estate sale in Colorado and the Spanish cedar neck is from a retired banjo builder.
This is a stock tenor I made to take to two music camps this month. If it makes it through those without finiding a home, it will be available on our website. Myrtle tenor ukes have been our bread and butter all the way back to the Mya-Moe days. Bright but rich, beautiful and local, Myrtle is always a classic choice. This Myrtle is from the Carpenter Ant stash, the Walnut is from a Hood River walnut tree and the the Fir is salvaged from a floor joist.
This instrument is our second for musician/actress Zooey Deschanel. She wanted a baritone uke that looked fancy and had a deep rich sound. No problem. I drew some inspiration from the singing cowboys of Hollywood’s golden age for the inlay and rope binding. Looks fancy to me! The top is salvaged Western Red Cedar from wall boards. The Claro Walnut back and sides and the Spanish Cedar neck are from retired luthiers. The Pistachio is from California Orchards.
Built for the auction at Tunes in the Dunes in September, to benefit Camp Westwind. Spruce and Maple from Westwind, Fir and Cherry scraps from the Carpenter Ant Stash in Portland and shop made rope binding.
I’m not sure what to call this “model,” but it’s proved popular. It’s a basic five string banjo based off my personal instrument, built from whatever woods are on hand and then stained to match. I usually use a maple rim, in this case also a maple neck and Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry) everything else. The head is stained with walnut shells from our yard, the hardware is darkened and it has a K&K pickup, ready for the stage. It has a bright tone, but a lot of depth and richness as well, its on its way to Norway!
I have been thinking about making some banjos with the same philosophy as my Scout ukuleles: lighter weight, humble designs, cheerful tone and made from whatever scraps are floating through the shop. The main thing that has been holding me back is producing thin, lightweight, laminated rims. These are made much differently than my normal block rims, they are steamed, bent and glued together from two oak layers. I was going for an old timey, chipper tone and it worked. I also learned a lot about steam bending rims and look forward to producing more.
I paired this rim with a Myrtle neck, oak fretboard and some walnut trim. It has less brass hardware than normal, a flat fretboard, a skin head, geared tuners, fluorocarbon strings and comes in a gig bag.
“Hallo again, Keims. :-)
Pictures and your video were great, but still didn’t quite capture the overall golden hue of this one, and how well the oak and myrtle go together (as is typical, more muted/blended in person than in images which tend to highlight grain and contrast that the eye doesn’t typically see.)
Plus, your finish combo + these woods = smells like brewed black tea. :-)
And, what a perfect instrument *for me*. Meaning, my instincts from afar are more than confirmed now that I have this in hand, strumming and plinking and plucking, which is a great feeling in and of itself.
The size, weight, balance and minimal appointments (with those great brass fittings still an abundance, relative to any other instrument I own!) suit me so very well, and boy howdy what great tone. I don’t know if I can get away with calling it (or any banjo!) mellifluous— hah — but it’s just so... smooth— plenty of twing and the twang and some spank when wanted, but without the harshness(?) I’ve encountered in others.
I’m going to have a *lot* of fun with this one. :-)
It’s different and it’s great and I love that you made it, and that it’s mine.
Thanks again!
- S. S.
”
Cherry is a great banjo wood. It’s loud but not too bright, has a sweet voice to the high end and a little growl on the bottom end. It is readily available, easy to work and darkens over time to a rich glow. In this case it is paired with some Texas Ebony I got from a retired banjo builder, including some nice sap wood pieces for contrast. Non steel strings, hawktail tailpiece, wire armrest and a skin head make it unique. I’m really pleased with it, especially the headstock inspired by an 1880’s Hawaiian Rajao.
Some wood sets show off how crazy wood grain can be, but this one just seems calm to me. Visual calm can be a good thing, especially for an active mind like mine. I love the tone of this spruce top, it sounds precise all the way up the neck. The Spruce is from luthier Craig Wilson, cut many years ago on Vancouver Island. The Myrtle is from the same board as Nicole’s ukulele, from a roadside stand near Manzanita. The neck and fretboard are made from salvaged Fir from a floor joist and local Oregon walnut.
This Myrtle set offered up a bit of a paradox to me. It used to be a living tree, but now it is dead, but it looks like it’s still growing! I chose the Pistachio fretboard/head plate to continue this idea and it turned out great. The Pistachio and Myrtle are from woodfromthewest.com, the Fir neck is salvaged from an old beam.
“Hi Aaron and Nicole, I’m in love!!! My uke is so special. Can’t wait to show it to my buddies. Everything about it is exactly what I wanted. Sure glad no one wanted the myrtle; it was waiting for me. Unless it’s my imagination, the wood has a sweet smell to it. THANK YOU!
-K. T. ”
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!
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!
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.
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. ”
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.
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!
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. ”
