#1004- Sinker Redwood and Curly Koa Soprano Ukulele

I love the challenge of building a soprano uke, I actually find it harder than building the big ones! At the smaller size, every tiny difference matters even more, and it’s easy to under or over build them. I want the bark and bite of a vintage soprano, but I want more modern sustain a playability too. It’s a hard line to walk. The top for this is some sinker Redwood from woodfromthewest.com, a scrap from a guitar build. The curly Koa back and sides came from a retiring luthier. The neck is a piece of growth Fir, salvaged from a beam. The rest is Jatoba/Brazillian Cherry, a wood I salvaged from floor board material, almost as hard as Rosewood and perfect for fingerboards. It is a stock instrument, available for $1900 with a hardshell case, plus shipping. Click here to purchase.

#1016- Walnut, Pistachio and Curly Maple Tenor Banjo Uke

I have been making these tenor scale banjo ukes with a larger 10” rim under the radar for a couple of years now. I could see in the future moving all tenor scale banjo ukes to this rim size and just leaving the concert scale on the 8” rim, because I think these look, sound and feel really nice. The rim is some local curly maple that I got from my friend Ben Bonham’s property. It was standing dead, so it has ant holes in it, which I really like the look of. The neck is a scrap I got from Kevin at www.woodfromthewest.com. I knew the color would match the rim, but it is so curly that it really makes the rim look modest in comparison! The fretboard and headplate are some local Walnut, with an engraved beansprout inlay. It has a low G, K&K pickup, goatskin head and brass armrest. Thanks to Diana for picking out some great specs, I love this thing!

#1014- Curly Myrtle Baritone Ukulele

This baritone is for John, a repeat customer from the UK. We went for some beautiful curly Myrtle for the body, I believe this set was extra from luthier Jayson Bowerman’s shop. The neck is a chunk of salvaged Mahogany that was supposed to be a beam in a local house. I added a little carving on the back of the headstock per John’s request. The rest is Pistachio from California orchards with a pinkish hue. The sustain is incredible and the texture of the attack on each note is very detailed. I am pleased with it, thanks John!

#1013- Yellow Cedar and Walnut Tenor Ukulele

The most common “Cedar” for instrument making is Western Red Cedar. On the west coast, we also have various other “Cedars” that are also good, including Port Orford Cedar, Monterey Cypress and Alaskan Yellow Cedar. All three of the related yellow woods sound about the same: bright, vibrant and detailed. I like this top because of the blue streaks that are in it. It’s from a stump my friend Ben dropped off, milled from a tree on the Washington side of the Columbia river. The Walnut is some rich, colorful stuff that I milled from a Hood River tree. I topped it off with some Pistachio from California orchards and shop made rope binding. Thanks Pat!

#1010- Redwood and Walnut Tenor Guitar

Not every flame needs to be a bonfire, sometimes all you need is a candle. This guitar, like a perfectly placed candle, is subtle but effective. The Redwood top gives a present but dusty voice and the Walnut back and sides diffuse the sound to the room. I love the simple Fir neck and Pistachio fretboard to complete the color pallet. It has steel strings, K&K pickup and Gotoh banjo tuners. The Redwood was salvaged from a driftwood log, the Walnut is from our friend Cath on Vashon Island, the Fir is a scrap from a cabinet maker and the Pistachio is from California orchards. Shine on friends, at whatever brightness you can manage.

#1012- Port Orford Cedar and Walnut Tenor Ukulele

The tenor ukulele seems to be the most popular size in the last ten years or so. It is small enough to still have the sparkle and charm of the little ukulele, but big enough to produce good volume and a deeper tone. I particularly like when we make them with a soft wood top and a hardwood back and sides. In this case, the top is some wavy Port Orford Cedar that comes from the Oregon coast. I salvaged it from the estate of my neighbor, who was a flute maker. The back and sides are some beautiful Walnut from Parkdale, OR. The fretboard/headplate/bridge is some pinkish Pistachio from California orchards. The neck is a piece of white Mahogany that I salvaged from the rebuild it center. It sounds loud, vibrant and rich, with long sustain. Thanks Sylvia!

“Hi Aaron and Nicole!
What a great ukulele has found its way to me in Germany, I’m totally in love with it!
It’s so light and feels so velvety smooth and is flawlessly crafted. The wood is a dream and the pistachio fretboard is a real discovery for me. Everything fits together so beautifully!

And the sound…wow!

It responds incredibly well, can sound loud and confident, but also very delicate. The tone is somehow experienced and a little smoky, but also has a youthful freshness. It’s wonderfully balanced and has sustain for ages! This ukulele has so much character and plays wonderfully!
I also want to mention what a joy it was to unpack all the other beautiful and lovingly crafted items like the cards, packaging, personal notes….

Ordering my Beansprout Ukulele from you has been a wonderful experience!

Thank you so much!

All the best, for you & Henry

- S.P.

”

#1011- Curly Myrtle Tenor Ukulele

The Myrtle tenor uke has always been a standard model for us, in which we get to celebrate a wood from our region that looks beautiful and sounds even better. I like the crisp, bright, articulate sound that Myrtle gives, even with the low G on this instrument. The neck is a piece of salvaged wood, Primavera or “white Mahogany” and the rest is local Walnut, complete with some bug holes. Some homemade rope binding and a K&K pickup seal the deal. Thanks Gail!

#992- Port Orford Cedar and Walnut Scout Ukulele

I love that this humble, scrap wood design has proved popular with our customers. I try to fit them in when I have time and send them out to our email waiting list. (Please email info@thebeansprout.com to join). This one has Walnut back and sides, Port Orford Cedar top, Walnut fretboard/headplate/bridge and Hemlock neck. Happy strumming!

#1009- Walnut and Pistachio Five String Banjo

I am not good at keeping up with good instruments for myself, as I usually sell them to you instead of holding on to them. If this wasn’t for a customer already, I would snatch it up for sure. I love the rich sound and long sustain, but clear and ringing trebles. The main wood is some plain Walnut, salvaged from an old piece of furniture. The secondary wood is Pistachio from California orchards, adding a nice color pop to the darker Walnut. It has a 12” rim with brass tone ring, steel strings and a Fiberskyn head. Thanks Logan!

Beansprout #1000- Curly Port Orford Cedar and Curly Myrtle Tenor Ukulele

Well, this is it. #1000. A big milestone for me and I appreciate all of you who tune in and read these posts. This ukulele is a comfortable hybrid of a classic Beansprout tenor and my Kingdom Era designs. It feels right to look to the past with this, while also acknowledging what I want to do more of in the future. The back and sides are made from curly Oregon Myrtle and the top is curly Port Orford Cedar, both from our friend Kevin at woodfromthewest.com. The neck is Alder, a local wood that I salvaged from a cabinet shop. The fretboard, headplate, bridge and binding is Oregon Walnut. I especially like the bird’s foot purling as a decorative feature, which I also sent down the fretboard and headplate. This is a design element I learned from the ukuleles I studied from the 1890’s, as is the pin bridge, headstock shape and fretboard shape. It has Gotoh tuners, fluorocarbon strings, bone nut and saddle, radiused fretboard and a K&K pickup. Thank you for all of your support, I am very thankful to live this life and you are the reason I get to keep going.

#1007- Walnut and Wenge Tenor Banjo

This is a hybrid instrument that a few customers have asked for recently and I am well pleased with. It is a short scale tenor banjo with non steel strings. The scale length is 20”, the same as a baritone ukulele. The strings are a custom set of two wound classical guitar strings and two plain fluorocarbon, tuned CGDA. I chose some simple Walnut from Vashon Island as the main wood and some Wenge for the rest. Wenge is an imported wood that is very hard and dense, perfect for a fretboard. I only use tropical woods like the when I can salvage them, in this case from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland. To finish it off, this banjo has a brass tone ring, Renaissance head, K&K pickup and wooden arm rest. Thanks, John!

#1008- Redwood and Walnut Tenor Guitar

This tenor guitar is for our friend Shelly, who is bravely stepping into the world of steel strings. It has a Redwood top that is a scrap from a local guitar maker. The back and sides are some Walnut from Vashon Island, WA, given to us by our friend Cath. I thought it would be plain, but it turned out to have some nice color and curl. I also chose Walnut for the neck, which I do on banjos all the time, but haven’t really done with a guitar yet. The fretboard, headplate and bridge are also matching walnut. She sent me a block of Koa that she got as a souvenir, I was able to use it for the moon inlay, engraft, heel cap and two strap buttons I turned on the lathe. The final touch is some Walnut and Maple rope binding. Have fun, Shelly!

“What the heck I said to myself. We had a performance tonight and I just packed up the tenor and gave it a test drive. The sound guy had it pretty dialed in and I loved the guitar like sound quality. I got used to the size of the neck and fret spacing right away. I even felt pretty good about the feel of the strings. It was a brave and bold move for me because I am so much a creature of habit and comfortable with my baritone.

I’m really excited to have it in my hands and can’t wait to work on a little chord melody to start. Thank you!
- S. G. ”

#1006- Cedar and Curly Walnut Alto Ukulele

This is instrument is a close copy of the ukulele I took to the Ukulele Guild of Hawaii meeting a couple of year ago. I wanted to bring something from only local woods to stand out a bit, which was fun. This customer liked the look and sound of that one, but we chose a 1.5” nut width to fit their hand better. The top is Western Red Cedar that I got from the burn pile at The Dee Mill. It was a fence line tree on an orchard in Parkdale, OR and I have never seen a cedar tree with grain like this one. The back, sides, fretboard, headplate and bridge are some curly Walnut that came from an estate sale in The Dalles, OR. I think it is loud, but well balanced, with nice sustain. Thanks Medford!

“Hello Aaron and Nicole,
I am loving #1006. I am so glad that we chose that design with those beautiful woods. I am having a hard time putting it down to perform life’s basic necessities such as eating, sleeping, brushing my teeth, etc. It sounds so sweet all the way up the neck and is such a joy to play.
Now back to practicing so that my playing will one day honor this beautiful instrument.
Thank you so much
- M. C.
”

#1005- Redwood and Koa Kingdom Era Soprano Ukulele

This instrument is part of a long term research project into the first ukuleles made in Hawaii. I researched the three Madeiran builders and the tools, techniques and materials they used to make their instruments. A few years ago I went to Hawaii to study instruments in the Bishop Museum and also met with Shawn from www.ukulelefriend.com. I then created my own models that reflected this work but used some modern features.

This ukulele has Curly Koa back, sides, fretboard and headplate, which I got from a retiring builder. The top is some Redwood, salvaged off the beach by Chris at Yodel Boy Woodworks. The neck is some Western Red Cedar. All the binding and inlay was made by me from scraps of Walnut, Maple, Myrtle and Oak. It has a radiused fretboard, geared tuners, fluorocarbon strings and a bone nut and saddle. I am very honored to get to do this work and intend to pay back the people of Hawaii when possible. Part of my profit from this uke will go to Ho’oulu ‘Aina, a nature preserve, craft school, cultural knowledge and health care non profit.

“Attached is a photo of my Beansprout family relaxing on the couch with the new baby in the middle.

No picture could do this Kingdom Era Ukulele justice; the Redwood and the Koa absolutely glow, and the colors go well together. The rope binding stands out, but the woods chosen for it really help to unify the top and the back and sides. I opted for the wooden case, the craftsmanship is great, and it gives a nice old time feel to the whole setup.

The more I play the Uke, the more I’m drawn to soprano with a High G, and, for a wee little thing, this uke really sings. Nice volume, decent sustain, and, when fingerpicked, a very sweet tone. When strummed it has a nice little island jangle to it. This little beauty really sings. I usually rotate my ukes from day to day, but it’s been hard not to reach for this one.

Thank you Aaron and Nicole, and congratulations on passing 1000.

- R. E.
”

#998- Cherry and Pistachio Tenor Banjo Ukulele

I love it when a standard model suddenly seems new again! This tenor banjo uke is just sounding and playing great. It is super loud, but also sweet and a little dusty, which is thanks to the Cherry. I also think the grafted Pistachio was the right secondary wood, to give a bump to the visual interest. The Cherry is from the Carpenter Ant Stash in Portland and the Pistachio is from California orchards. Thanks Nick!

#1002- Cedar and Walnut Soprano Ukulele

I love the old soprano ukes, with the loud bark, easy portability and light weight. My goal to improve on them is to add some sustain, improve the playability and add a few modern features. In this case, a radiused fretboard, geared tuners and a pickup. The top is some salvaged Cedar from wall paneling, a common building material in the Pacific north west. The back and sides are some beautiful Walnut with light colored sap wood, that I got from Chris at Yodel Boy Woodworks. It was a tree harvested up the road in Parkdale, OR. I also used it for fretboard, headplate and bridge. Lastly, I made the neck from some salvaged Mahogany scraps, also from some wall paneling in a Portland theater. I love the sound of this Cedar top, loud and ringing, with a nice pop to the front edge and long sustain. Thanks for the order, Jason!!!

#1001- Curly Port Orford Cedar and Grafted Walnut Baritone Ukulele

All west coast woods, a unique look and a huge sound. This one is a winner! It starts with a grafted Walnut stump I got from Zena Forest Products several years ago. This was my first time milling, drying, sorting and selecting my own wood from tree to instrument and it was well worth it. I still have more of this Walnut, if someone is interested. The top is curly Port Orford Cedar from the Oregon coast, via woodfromthewest.com. The neck is some salvaged, old growth Fir from a cabinet shop. The fretboard/headplate/bridge is some beautiful Pistachio from California orchards. Thanks for the opportunity to make instruments like this!

#997- Curly Walnut and Pistachio Five String Banjo

It has been a few months since I made a big banjo, but orders seem to be picking up for next year in that world, so stay tuned. This one is made from some lightly curly Walnut and some crazy Pistachio. The Walnut is from a local tree and the Pistachio is from California Orchards. It has an 11” block rim with a brass tone ring, Renaissance head, K&K pickup and wire armrest. It has a present and focused sound, not too loud, with a nice sustain and low over tones. Thanks Tricia!!

“I received my banjo this past Wednesday and I absolutely love it! Not only is it beautiful, it sounds amazing. Please pass along my sincere appreciation to Aaron.
- T. H. ”

#994- Curly Myrtle Tenor Ukulele

This instrument is a retirement gift for Chris, who served 21 years in the Boise fire department. Thank you for all you’ve done for your community!

The all Myrtle tenor is a mainstay for us, ever since I worked at Mya-Moe and we pioneered an all domestic woods instrument. This Myrtle is from Kevin at woodfromthewest.com. It provides a balanced tone, a beautiful look and a nice feel under the hand. The neck is some Western Hemlock that I got from another luthier. The rest is Pistachio from California orchards.

“Howdy Aaron & Nicole & Henry!
Words cannot express how beautiful this uke is! It is truly a work of art and the care and craft that went into it are amazing! I really appreciate the details (like the layered endgraft!) The tone is perfect and it feels like a long-lost new friend. I will be putting in the work to deserve this for sure! I love the finish too!

The pistachio fretboard is a joy to look at (and I love the matching headplate and bridge!) The neck fits my hand so well, perfect size for me. Being a WA State native kid it means a lot to me to have this gem made out of PNW woods (and Calif. pistachio is just so pretty!)

I had bought a Fishman Micro in anticipation of this beauty and Wow! I love the K&K pickup, so clean and clear! The Kala case is so Cool too! I laughed and shouted when I opened the shipping box, “Oh man, it’s a tweed case!”

My good friend who retired from Boise FD just before me is learning guitar; I feel some jams coming on!

- C. N. ”

#991- Koa Tenor Ukulele

In some ways, this Koa ukulele is a very “normal” instrument: Koa body, Mahogany neck and the rich and zingy sound of a Koa tenor. But, some of my design ideas set it apart from the norm. First, I chose pieces for the body that are asymmetrical. Second, I used Pistachio from California orchards for the binding, fretboard, headplate and bridge. Third, the neck is made from Mahogany, which is normal, but this piece was salvaged from a retiring cabinet maker and built in the stacked style like an old classical guitar. Lastly, the rope rosette and endgraft look fresh, but traditional at the same time. I don’t use a lot of tropical woods, but when I do, they are always salvaged woods that I stumble upon. I don’t buy or import any new tropical woods for ecological, economic and human labor reasons. This Koa came to me when a local luthier moved away and literally left these boards on my porch! As always, I will donate to a Hawaiian non profit to give back to the place that grew this amazing wood.

This instrument is now available for purchase: https://www.thebeansprout.com/store/713-59g9b-7dzc3