This is a tried and true wood combo for us that I am always happy to use. It has the warmth and sustain of the Walnut, but some sweet brightness from the POC. I really think it is a nice balance. All of the wood for this comes from the West Coast, with the POC, Walnut and Pistachio all from Kevin at woodfromthewest.com. The Fir neck is salvaged from an old beam from a Portland house. Thanks Jeff!
Here is another humble Scout, made from shop scraps and available only via an email list. The top is Western Red Cedar, the back and sides are Cherry, the neck is Cypress and everything else is Walnut. I like these little Grover tuners for the Scout ukes, very lightweight and accurate. It has a soprano scale. fluorocarbon strings, bone nut and saddle, strap button and a gig bag.
Here is the next entry in my Kingdom Era series, where I build instruments inspired by the ukuleles made in Hawaii in the 1880’s. This one is the tenor size, made of curly Koa for the top, back and sides, with straight grain Koa for the rest. All of this Koa I got from a retiring builder. The neck is some local Hemlock, with a carbon fiber rod inside for stability and stiffness. It has a radiused fretboard, fluorocarbon strings, wooden strap buttons and a bone nut and saddle. Thanks Allen!
This ukulele is for Mike, who is a hobby luthier and appreciates domestic woods. We chose Dogwood for the back and sides to line up with his preferences and experiences as a woodworker. The Dogwood comes from the Carpenter Ant Stash in Portland, where Ken milled the family dogwood tree many years ago. It is well suited to backs, sides and fretboards in my opinion. We paired it with a salvaged Cedar top (from old wall boards) for a loud sound with good sustain. The neck is some Fir salvaged from old floorboards, which has a nice texture in the hand. The fretboard and headplate are also Dogwood. It is light, easy to play and expressive. Thanks Mike!
“1) Aesthetics: absolutely gorgeous. I love the way the woods complement each other. I don’t think I’m ever going to get tired of looking at the dogwood back. The finer details— like end stripe, binding, soundhole rosette, and sandwiched neck—are wonderfully executed and so tasteful.
2) Handling: amazingly light and balanced. It’s just a pleasure to hold and touch.
3) Tone: rings like a bell. It is articulate, with a uniquely airy, chimy character. The notes resonate for a long time. The overtones are so intriguing that I’ve actually lost track of what I was playing, because I was listening to the overtones building on top of each other.
Thanks from a very happy customer.
- M. B. ”
I am really enjoying building tenor guitars this year, I hope we get more orders for them in the future. They have a unique sound: a little bit guitar, a little bit banjo and a little bit ukulele. They have a long enough scale length that it feels different from a baritone ukulele, but still small enough to feel comfortable. The back and sides are some curly Oregon Myrtle I got from luthier Jayson Bowerman. The top is a piece of salvaged Bearclaw spruce from Alaska. The fretboard/headplate/bridge are a salvaged tropical wood called Wenge, which I got from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland. It is dark, stiff and hard, great for fretboards when folks want a traditional look. Thanks for the order, Rich!
This model, with an 11” rim and a 20” scale length, has been growing in popularity amongst my customers. The smaller size, lighter weight and easier reach makes it comfortable to play, while the attention to tone wood and careful construction make for a big sound. I really like it and would like to find the time to make one for myself. The Cherry for this comes from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland and has a nice, dusty but sweet tone. The contrasting wood is some Texas Ebony that I got from a retiring banjo builder. It is the last of it in my stash, I believe. The customer asked for a curved headstock shape, inspired by old ukuleles as well as a brass arm rest upgrade. Thanks Eric!
This mini five string banjo has a 17” scale and an 8” head, which makes for a compact and comfortable way to play your “big” banjo music. I designed a string set that can be tuned to standard banjo pitch, which gives a warm tone and a surprising amount of volume. This customer asked for the brass hardware to be darkened first, which looks awesome with their wood choices. The curly Walnut is form a local tree and the Pistachio is from California orchards. Thanks Sandy!
Pistachio for back and sides is one of the first wood sets that Beansprout offered, due to the connection we have with Kevin from woodfromthewest.com. This is an orchard wood, that is culled after the tree stops fruiting. It is hard, dense and glassy, which makes it great for fretboards as well as back and sides. We paired it with a Spruce top from SW Canada, harvested and milled by luthier Craig Wilson and his father. The neck is an old piece of local Douglas Fir. It has a robust and present voice, with sweet details to the notes. Thanks Henry!
This banjo ukulele is a good example of a simple, solid, musical Beansprout! Straight grain Walnut from Vashon Island, dark Pistachio from California orchards with a low G tuning make for a dark, rich sound that still has the punchy sound of a banjo. Thanks Jeff!
“I absolutely love it. I will say it is such a wonderful piece of art to get to interact with. The sound is exactly where I want it to be, not too loud and not too quiet. It is really an honor to get to pick up a masterfully hand crafted instrument and I thank you for making that accessible to everyone. Y’all have done a great job from start to finish. ”
It has been a busy year, so I haven’t made as many of these as I want, but here we are. Made from shop scraps, these little soprano scale ukuleles are available only on our scout email list. This is one has stained curly Maple back and sides, Port Orford cedar top, Hemlock neck and Wenge fretboard and head plate. Bone nut and saddle, fluorocarbon strings, geared tuners a flat fretboard and strap buttons. Ready for service!
This banjo ukulele is for our old friend Rob, who plays in theater productions and other musical events around Sacramento. It is closely based off the instrument I play, which is slightly different than my normal banjo ukes. First, it has a thinner laminated rim with a Koa veneer, more like old style banjo ukes. Second, it has the headstock shape and decoration of a Kingdom Era ukulele. Lastly, it is finished in shellac and wax, an older style of finish that has a nice glossy sheen to it. He added a 1.5” nut width and a K&K pickup. The maple is from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland and the Koa was gifted to me by a retiring luthier. Thanks Rob!
“Dear Aaron and Nicole,
No. 1033 arrived today, safe and sound. Got the bridge oriented and placed and tuned it up. What a wonderful sound! And the whole instrument is beyond gorgeous. Plays wonderfully.
Finally: The Kala case. A very nice addition to the package.
Now back to some George Formby tunes …
All the best,
-R. S. ”
This instrument is part of my Kingdom Era series, inspired by my research into ukuleles made by the first generation of luthiers in Hawaii. This one is tenor size, so it is based on the Portuguese Rajao, which came to Hawaii along with the soprano sized Machete. The goal of this project is to get the unique sound and look of these old instruments, but make sure it is playable and useable by modern standards. The fretboard, headplate, back and sides are some Ohia from woodfromthewest.com, which is a Hawaiian hardwood that works like an Ebony. The top is Western Red Cedar, harvested by luthier Jayson Bowerman near Bend, OR. the neck is Cypress, salvaged from a boat yard. It is all wrapped up in shop made rope binding. It has a radiused fretboard, low g, wooden strap buttons and geared tuners. The sound is vibrant, punchy and a little smoky sounding, I am really pleased with it. It comes with a handmade Hemlock case, lined with Kapa cloth inspired fabric. Thanks Carlos!
This banjo is for Nancy, a repeat ukulele customer who is now learning the banjo. She chose a short scale instrument with non-steel strings, which I think is a good choice for a ukulele player. The main wood is simple Walnut from Vashon Island, which gives a warm and round sound. The other wood is Pistachio from California Orchards, with a windmill inlay on the headstock. It has no tone ring and a brass arm rest for comfort. Thanks Nancy!
One of the most common way folks play tenor banjo today is in Irish music. It is a melody instrument, doubling the melody of the fiddle, pipes or whistle an octave lower. They do play chords, but it is uncommon. This banjo is for a repeat customer who is interested in the style and is going to banjo camp later this month! It has an 11” curly Oak rim with a brass tone ring and renaissance head. The neck is Oak and Walnut, with an Irish coin in the headstock, tuned GDAE with a special set of steel strings. The scale length is 20”, which is a on the short size for this style, making it easier to reach the complex fingerings. It also has a K&K pickup and a brass armrest. The Oak is from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland and has a dark stain on it. The Walnut is local to me and is a great color contrast. Oak makes a loud banjo, but with a little grit to the sound, which I like. Thanks David!
This is a stock instrument that has been in the works for many months. It is a simple instrument with all Oregon woods, little decoration, easy playability and great sound. I find it crisp and loud, but with a dark sustain. The top is Western Red Cedar, salvaged from some wall boards. The back and sides are grafted Walnut from an old orchard at Zena Forest Products. The neck is some local Hemlock and the fingerboard is local Walnut. It is available here for $1900 with a hardshell case. I can add a pickup or low g string for additional cost.
This one feels good to me, a solid, simple example of my work. I am very proud of it. The neck and rim are straight grain Walnut from Vashon Island, with a few bug holes. They offer no problems with the quality of the wood, I just fill with with dust and glue and keep working. They add a nice change to the texture of the piece and a little reminder that this used to be a tree. The rest of the instrument is Pistachio from California Orchards, including a nice graft on the fretboard. It has an 11” rim, brass tone ring, steel strings and Renaissance head. Loud, rich and full, I would play this in a band myself. Thanks Jack!
This banjo is similar to the one I built for old friend Steve Varney, who is known as a sideman for Gregory Alan Isakov and as a solo artist. The main wood is curly Walnut from a local tree, picked up from The Dee Mill. The rest is Pistachio from California Orchards. It has a few features that contribute to Steve’s signature sound. First is a magnetic pickup. This is a slim humbucker, usually used for a clean sound on archtop guitars, but it also sounds good for banjos, even at high volume. Next, the rim is a 12” Walnut rim with brass tone ring, Fiberskyn banjo head and steel strings, which makes for a mellow sound that is rich and detailed. Lastly, it has no scoop at the end of the fretboard, but includes a few extra frets to find the important notes. Thanks for the order, Aaron!
This instrument is for a customer who wanted a soprano that is light and loud, with a different sound than a typical Mahogany or Koa Martin. I chose Spruce and Maple for the tone woods, with a goal of adding some sustain and depth to the old style sound. He also asked for Peghed brand geared tuners and to leave off the strap button and end pin. I am happy with the sound on day one and I am sure it will continue to develop as it opens up. The Spruce is from a drift log Vancouver Island, the Maple is from our friend Ben’s farm and the Walnut is from a tree in Parkdale that I milled. Thanks Vincent!
Local wood for a local friend! We have known Lauren and her family since we teamed up for a nanny share when the boys were about 18 months old. She has been taking Nicole’s ukulele classes for a while and was ready for a nice uke. This was a gift from her husband Nick and their two sons.
Lauren called a couple of years ago when they were taking down a big leaf Maple tree on their property. It was partially rotten, so it produced some wood for me that had some nice spalting lines in it. Spalting is the evidence of a fungus that is eating the wood. If you catch it at the right time, the boards are still useable and look awesome too. We matched it with some yellow Cedar from the beach at Camp Westwind, which also has some blue streaks in it. The rest is Walnut from a local tree. The sound is rich, vibrant and organic, a tribute to the trees that made it! Thanks Lauren, Nick, Perry and Callan!
This tenor guitar design started as a lark, but has become an important part of our instrument lineup. It has a sound that is a combo of a banjo, guitar, dulcimer and ukulele. It sounds and feels old, which I like. The top is salvaged old growth Sitka Spruce and the back and sides are Walnut from Vashon Island. The neck is a bit of salvaged African Mahogany and the rest is Pistachio from California Orchards. It has a 21.5” scale length, steel strings tuned dgbe, Gotoh tuners and brass hardware.
