#800- Kingdom Era Koa Soprano Ukulele

This is the second instrument I’ve made as part of my Kingdom Era Ukulele project, where I have been researching the original instruments made in Hawaii in the 1890’s. I used the same hand tools, techniques and most of the same materials as the instruments I examined in the Bishop Museum and in Shawn’s collection from ukulelefriend.com. The body, neck and fretboard are made from Koa from our friend’s sawmill on Oahu. I made the rope binding from Maple, Cherry, Walnut and Mahogany. It is soprano scale, with a flat fretboard and white side dots. In order to be more comfortable for modern players, I’ve used geared Peghed tuners, fluorocarbon strings and small fret wire. The ukulele is finished with shellac and wax. It comes with a handmade case made in the old style from Mahogany scraps with rope binding and Kapa style cloth.

The sale of this instrument will fund a future research trip to Hawaii, and a portion of the proceeds will go to the non profit Saving Hawaii’s Forests. The sale will be done by auction and you can place your bid here. Thank you!

#803- Walnut and Pistachio Concert Banjo Ukulele

A standard model around here, made with local Walnut and Pistachio from California orchards. It’s just a little guy, but is stout, robust and carefully made. The sound is plenty loud, but also rich and pleasing. You keep asking for them and I’ll keep making them.

Hi Nicole and Aaron,
I love my Beansprout banjo uke! The walnut and pistachio are beautiful, and it just feels so good to play. I’ve been working on some Clawhammer tunes from Aaron’s book, and also some fingerstyle Ragtime arrangements that sound really great on it. So fun! This is definitely the all-rounder, “great for anything I throw at it” instrument I hoped it would be, and I know I’ll get a lot of joy out of it for a long time. It’s also a privilege to play a handmade instrument of this quality at all, but especially one that was made for me.

It made me smile to find the little feather that was in the gallery photos in the case — it’ll stay there as a reminder of where and who this fine instrument came from!

Thank you so much,
- V. M.

#804- Myrtle Alto Ukulele

This simple ukulele is a great example of the aesthetic I strive for. It looks simple and clean, but closer looks and handling reveal small beautiful details. In Japanese culture, this is called “shibui,” which is something I strive for but will never achieve. The lightly Curly Myrtle is from a tree in Portland. The Port Orford Cedar neck was salvaged from a retired flute builder’s shop. The grafted Pistachio is from California orchards. It is light, vibrant, cheerful and subtly rich in tone.

#799- Parkdale Cedar and Walnut Alto Ukulele

This stock alto ukulele was built mainly to test a Cedar stump I milled. I got it from The Dee Mill and it comes from Parkdale, just up the road from here. It is a more contemporary tree than I usually use, with wider grain. But I knew that if I split the log and sawed off the split, I could get well quartersawn tops for stability and tone. I really love the look and sound of it, maybe a bit brighter than closer grain tops. The back and sides are some local Walnut and the neck is Redwood, also from The Dee Mill. The fretboard, headplate, bridge and top binding are some Myrtle from a Portland tree. This one is rustic and wabi-sabi, with a couple of small aesthetic flaws and light scratches in the top which is reflected in the price.

#795- Mastergrade Myrtle Soprano Ukulele

Look at this little friend! What a charmer! The body is some crazy Myrtle from a Portland suburb. It has some dark staining that creeps through the more normal light green. The neck is some Spanish Cedar from a luthier’s estate. The rest is local Walnut. It is loud, light and vibrant. I have more Myrtle like this, if someone is interested.

#798- Oak and Pistachio Tenor Banjo Ukulele

For this project, I started with a board of buggy White Oak from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland. I stained it to look like Arts and Crafts and Mission style furniture before I applied the finish coats. Billy also wanted the brass darkened and the goat skin head stained, which make for a cohesive look that I really enjoy. It has an arm rest, a low g and a pickup as well. It is loud and rich, with a dusty edge to the tone, which I expect from oak.

I have had the chance to play the banjo uke a bit more now and I just want to say that I love it as much as I thought I would. I love the tone and the action. It has been greatly admired by the St Albans uke community! Another work of art by Aaron. Thank you.
- B. P.

#793- Cedar and Walnut Tenor Ukulele

Wow, we really like how this one sounds. Nicole commented while doing the final quality checks that she just wanted to keep playing it and I fully agree. Cedar and Walnut is a tried and true combo for us and this one doesn’t disappoint. The Cedar top is from a driftwood chunk that Chris from The Dee Mill backpacked off a beach in Washington state. It has lots of beauty marks and character, but so would you if you had been through the same experience. The Walnut back and sides is from a local tree that I harvested myself, I really like the color and curl. The Mahogany neck is scrap from a furniture maker. The rest is Pistachio from California orchards.

Hi Aaron and Nicole,

My uke arrived yesterday morning and I just wanted to let know I couldn’t be happier - It sounds, feels, and looks so great. It’s so beautiful and has a life of its own. Also, as a born and raised West Coast boy of seventy-four years, I love all the places where the materials come from. My father worked out of Hood River in the 1930’s, I worked summers as a college kid in the San Joaquin Valley (pistachios), and have lived in Washington since the late 60’s. So, this uke feels like it’s a part of me. I started playing the ukulele to sing with kids, when my wife and I opened up our own preschool in 2005. We’re both retired now but I’m still interested in keeping up with playing and learning more.

Thanks for bringing so much integrity and beauty to what you do.

With much appreciation,
C. H.
— Quote Source

#792- Port Orford Cedar and Sycamore Alto Ukulele

This was a very fun build for me: a simple design, domestic materials and some freedom from the customer to make some decisions on my own. The Port Orford Cedar top is some very old fine grained wood from the Oregon coast. The Sycamore is from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland, with some beautiful grain that is not too flashy. I used fir and maple shop scraps for the neck and some Pistachio from California Orchards for the fretboard/headplate/bridge. I chose some rope binding for the body and some amber stain under the finish. I think it looks classy and sounds crisp and defined. I have more nice Sycamore like this, let’s do a tenor next!

Aaron & Nicole,
Many thanks for the Sycamore and Port Orford alto uke #792. I play it daily and someday hope that my playing catches up with its beautiful crisp tone and distinctive style. It has sung at my younger son’s wedding in May and a few other outdoor venues where it blends well with guitar and better voices that mine.
Best regards,
D. H.

#797- Curly Walnut Banjo Ukulele

This curly Walnut is so dreamy! It’s from a tree in southern Oregon that Kevin from woodfromthewest.com milled for me. It just looks and sounds so nice. It’s so nice that I also used it for the fretboard and headplate. Curly Walnut all around!!! The low g and wider fretboard ideas requested by the customer looks sounds and feels really nice as well.

#796- Curly Oak and Pistachio Short Scale Five String Banjo

This banjo has given me an interesting challenge: it’s a lefty! I had to flip my brain back and forth to get the five string neck and fingerboard set properly.

But, I love this customer’s wood choices and ideas so much that the extra challenge became fun for me! This is the second Oak short scale five string this year and for the second time it’s blown me away. Such a big, rich but sound with a unique tonal edge to it. Very different than maple and walnut. The Oak is from the Carpenter Ant stash and the Pistachio is from California Orchards.

#794- Yellow Cedar and Curly Walnut Tenor Ukulele

I made this tenor to sell at Port Townsend Ukulele Festival and it sold before I could take a video, sorry. The Yellow Cedar top is from the log we harvested off the beach at Camp Westwind. The curly Walnut is really special, from a tree near Ashland, OR. The neck is some salvaged Mahogany from a furniture maker. I chose some simple Myrtle for the binding to wrap the Cedar top up.

#791- Redwood and Myrtle Scout Ukulele

This one is for someone who appreciates the natural flaws and the visible history of salvaged wood. The Redwood top is scrap from a guitar maker, the Myrtle back and sides are from the scrap bin at Mya-Moe when I still worked there, the Fir neck is salvaged from a floor joist and the Oak is leftover from furniture projects. The sides have a big knot in them, which I choose to celebrate (of course!) and the neck has several filled knot holes. (Still very structurally sound). It has a sweet and dusty voice that responds to a soft touch. It’s just waiting to go to the perfect owner who will appreciate it and love to play it.

Hello Aaron, Nicole and Henry,

The Beansprout Scout ukulele #791 arrived safely yesterday. It is light and responsive, a real joy to play. Your work is amazing - scrap wood gets a new life and makes music.

I took the little Scout outdoors right away, to show it its new home in southern Finland. (A couple of photos attached.)

Thank you so much!
- Y. K.

#787- Yellow Cedar and Myrtle Scout Ukulele

We’ve got some shop renovations to pay for, so you can expect a few extra Scout ukuleles to pop up this spring. A soprano scale uke made from shop scraps, humble and charming. Nicole doles them out to a waiting list, send us an email to get a spot. This one is made from Alaskan Yellow Cedar from Camp Westwind, Myrtle from the Oregon coast and local Walnut.

#785- Western Red Cedar and Japanese Elm Tenor Ukulele

I have so much wood that I really don’t need to look out for anything new- but when Chris from The Dee Mill drops off a board, I pay attention. In this case, it was one small board of Japanese Elm or Selkova from the Portland Japanese Garden. I sawed it up for back, sides, fretboard and headplate and I’m very pleased. Paired with a Cedar top, it’s bright but rich, with a nice sparkle to the tone.

#790- Walnut Tenor Banjo Ukulele

This banjo uke is a little different than normal in that I used a 10” rim instead of 8”. It’s got a big, rich tone that will cut through any mix, but is also warm and detailed. All the Walnut is scrap wood from other projects. The goatskin head is amber stained for a unique look. Geared tuners, arm rest, fluorocarbon strings tuned gcea, bone nut, walnut bridge and a hard shell case.

#788- Fir and Oak Mini Five String Banjo

This was a really fun project with several unique features that really came together in the end. The main wood is salvaged Douglas Fir, complete with knots, checks and nail holes. The secondary wood is White Oak from wine barrels from our neighbors at Hiyu Wine Farm. We also stained the goatskin head to match the oak and I inlaid a little purple heart on the headstock. Open C tuning on a 17” scale, 8” rim banjo.

#789- Spruce and Mahogany Tenor Guitar

I’ve made a handful of these now and really feel like I am getting the design and process nailed down. This model is based on an old Regal tenor guitar, a favorite vintage instrument of many collectors. It has a 21.5” scale, steel strings and a bridge and tailpiece setup. It really feels like a nice merger of guitar, ukulele and banjo. The Spruce is from my 1960’s dulcimer maker pile, the Walnut is from a local tree I harvested and the Mahogany is salvaged from a theater in Portland.

#784- Redwood and Pistachio Baritone Ukulele

This Uke is for Jon, who worked at a Redwood furniture factory as a teenager. (If I could could go back in time for the scraps!) I used Redwood from a boat building shop for the top and salvaged beach Redwood from The Dee Mill in the neck. For the rest, I chose Pistachio from California orchards, including some nice sapwood, grafts and a knot. Simple maple trim and bridge ties it all together.

Aaron, Nicole, and Henry,

This beautiful March day was made absolutely perfect by the safe arrival of my new “Gator Eyed” uke (I call it that because my son thinks the knot on the back looks like a gator eye). Ever since you relaunched the Beansprout brand I’ve wanted one of your creations. I love your design aesthetic, craftsmanship and wood sourcing philosophy. Having a Beansprout of my own is a dream come true.

I absolutely love the woods you chose for this baritone. The pistachio is spectacular and the redwood compliments it perfectly. I especially love the way the fretboard and pickguard match. And the sound is just what I was looking for, warm and woody but still clear at every note.

I can’t begin to say how please and thankful I am, so I’ll just simply say thank you.

- J. C.

#777- Curly Maple and Pistachio Concert Banjo Ukulele

Even though I like to keep things simple, I also like to select special materials when the project calls for it. When we picked out this Curly maple from mandolin builder John Sullivan’s estate, everything else just fell into place to create a special instrument. I picked some multi colored Pistachio from California orchards and wrapped it all up in rope binding. The Santos style headstock and a nice goatskin head completed the look. It is loud and proud, but not piercing, I really like the sound and the general vibes of this banjo.

#782- Myrtle Alto Ukulele

Sometimes I just want to keep it simple. Myrtle body with no binding, scrap wood Fir and Maple neck and curly Walnut everything else. This one is just classic.