#1038- Western Red Cedar and Dogwood Alto Ukulele

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. ”

#1036- Bearclaw Spruce and Curly Myrtle Tenor Guitar

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!

#1034- Cherry and Teas Ebony Short Scale Banjo

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!

#1037- Curly Walnut and Pistachio Mini Five String Banjo

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!

#1031- Spruce and Pistachio Baritone Ukulele

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!

#1035- Walnut and Pistachio Tenor Banjo Ukulele

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. ”

— - J. M.

#1032- Port Orford Cedar and Curly Maple Scout Ukulele

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!

#1033- Maple and Koa Concert Banjo Ukulele

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. ”

#1029- Cedar and Ohia Kingdom Era Tenor Ukulele

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!

#1028- Walnut and Pistachio Short Scale Five String Banjo

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!

#1030- Curly Oak and Walnut Four String Banjo

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!

#996- Cedar and Grafted Walnut Alto Ukulele

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.

#1027- Walnut and Pistachio Five String Banjo

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!

#1026- Curly Walnut and Pistachio Five String Banjo

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!

#1025- Spruce and Maple Soprano Ukulele

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!

#1023- Yellow Cedar and Spalted Maple Tenor Ukulele

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!

#1015- Spruce and Walnut Tenor Guitar

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.

#1020- Cedar and Curly Koa Kingdom Era Ukulele

The Kingdom Era series of instruments pays tribute to the first generation of Maderian luthiers in Hawaii, based off my historical research I did through a grant from Mortise & Tenon Magazine. The larger of the two instruments they made, called a Rajao, is roughly tenor ukulele size, but had five strings tuned dgcea. My four string version is based off of instruments I studied at the Bishop Museum and with Shawn at ukulelefriend.com. I use many of the same tools, techniques and materials that they used in the 1890’s to produce these instruments, with a few modern updates. The back, sides, fretboard and headplate are Koa from the Kahuku Ranch section of island of Hawaii, provided to me by sawyer/forester Bart Potter. It features some great curl, color and black flecks that give it a unique character. The neck is some Cypress, salvaged from a boat shop and the top is Western Red Cedar, from woodfromthewest.com. I wrapped it up in some shop made rope binding from Maple, Walnut and Myrtle. This customer asked for a a handmade wooden case, similar to the old instruments, which I made from Cedar scraps from a cabinet shop. I wrote about this case and the history behind them over on my SubStack, I hope you can join me there. This ukulele has a 17” scale, with fluorocarbon strings, geared tuners, bone nut and saddle and wooden strap buttons. Thanks for the order and your long term support, Tom!!!

#1024- Cherry and Dogwood Mini Five String Banjo

I had a long banjo gig this last weekend, so I am in a banjo frame of mind. Once my hands adjust to the smaller size, I am always pleased and surprised by the tone and volume that these little banjos produce. I like that Cherry has a dusty sweetness to it, compared to Walnut or Maple. This one has the open G tuning with non steel strings and an arm rest added for comfort. The Cherry neck/rim and the Dogwood fretboard/headplate all come from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland. Thanks for the order, Jim!

#1021- Curly Cherry and Dogwood Tenor Banjo Ukulele

Normally, all of my banjo ukulele family instruments have an 8” rim, but I have made a few tenor banjo ukes with a 10” rim instead. The extra mass, larger head, longer string length and different bridge placement produce a different sound and feeling. It is deeper, richer and louder and somewhat differs from the sparkling, chiming, charm of the smaller banjo ukes.

All the wood for this instrument comes from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland, courtesy of our friend Lizann. The Cherry has a nice, dark color and some big curls in it, as well as some dark streaks, which I really like. The board was likely a reject from a cabinet making project, as it would have been too unique looking for a 1990’s kitchen. The fretboard and headplate is Dogwood, which was milled from a tree at Lizann’s house. It is dense and hard, perfect for fretboards, with a subtle, red color that will darken with time. Thanks for the repeat order, Peter!