#1047- Curly Maple and Pistachio Mini Five string Banjo

I need to stop being surprised that this tiny banjo sounds so good at the low (gdgbd) tuning. It has been many years and many banjos, but it is still a delight for me to play. The main wood is some curly Maple from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland and the rest is Pistachio from California orchards. It has an 8” block rim, a 17” scale and is strung with our custom non-steel strings. It is loud, sweet and surprisingly deep sounding.

“Aaron- I love the banjo. It’s beautiful and sounds amazing! Thank you SO MUCH! I love it!

The scoop is so nice to have. That’s where I play and Aaron has done a fantastic job adding it in. Makes a big difference and I like the sound of playing up there (at the scoop) rather than lower on the drum head. Personal preference but sound is more old timey.

Thank you for the time and effort to make such a fun little guy to play. Sounds so good! I love it!

Thank you!
- D. P. ”

#1048- Curly Cherry and Pistachio Tenor Banjo Ukulele

I love Cherry for banjos, as it cuts the brightness of maple a bit, but is more present than Walnut. It is a nice middle ground for a balanced sound. The rim and neck are made from curly Cherry from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland. The rest is Pistachio from California orchards. It has a goat skin head, arm rest and K&K pickup. Thanks Mari!

“I received the Banjo uke on Friday.
It’s beautiful and sounds so sweet.
Thank you!!!
- M. C. ”

#1041- Builder’s Choice Pacific Yew and Curly Koa Baritone Ukulele

Here is a Builder’s choice instrument I made to take to a couple of festivals this fall. It’s now available for purchase on our store page here. The top is Yew, a local wood prized by bow makers, which I got from Kevin at woodfromthewest.com. The back and sides are curly Koa from Hawaii, from forester Bart Potter. I love all the little black marks, or “lava hits” that it has, as well as the curl and color. The neck is salvaged Mahogany and the rest is local curly Walnut, including a book matched fretboard, headplate and heel cap. It has a dark and rich sound, with a crisp attack that feels good to pick or strum.

As with all our instruments that are built with Koa, we will be donating a portion of this sale to Saving Hawai’i’s Forests.

#1045- Bearclaw Spruce and Grafted Walnut Tenor Ukulele

This instrument was inspired by Beansprout #1000, which included some elements I developed for my Kingdom Era series, but on my standard tenor shape. The top is Spruce with some beautiful Bearclaw figure and the back and sides are grafted Walnut from Zena Forest Products. The neck is Alder, from woodfromthewest.com. Everything else is local Walnut. It is decorated with some Ombre marquetry, a rounded headstock and Walnut binding. The customer also requested a handmade Walnut case, which is always fun to make. Thanks Joshua!

“Hey Aaron!
Just wanted to let you know the ukulele arrived in perfect condition! And wow… what a gorgeous instrument. It’s exactly how I imagined and hoped it would be. I honestly can’t keep my eyes off it!

I really appreciate all the care, dedication, and hard work you put into making both the ukulele and its wooden case. They complement each other perfectly.

The sound is everything I could’ve hoped for, and it’s been such a joy to play these past couple of days. Thank you so much for bringing this instrument to life!
- J. G. ”

#1043- Curly Maple and Pistachio Tenor Banjo Ukulele

We brought this banjo uke to the Reno Ukulele Festival last week and were so happy to put it in the hands of a lovely customer. The neck and rim are curly Maple from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland. It has a beautiful curl and depth of color. The rest of the instrument is Pistachio from California orchards, including a bold graft line on the fretboard. It is bright, cheerful and sweet, ready to add a different sound to your ukulele world. Thanks so much Caroline!

#1042- Clockmaker's Koa and Pistachio Five String Banjo

Most of the Koa I can get is only big enough to make Ukuleles, but I do have some longer boards from the Carpenter Ant stash that were originally cut to make grandfather clocks. I like Koa as a banjo wood, with long sustain, loud but sweet sound and a bit of cheerfulness. The secondary wood is Pistachio from California Orchards, with a rich glow that shares a color palette with the Koa. This banjo has a 12” rim with a K&K pickup and synthetic head. Thanks Jemmy!

#1044- Curly Port Orford Cedar and Curly Walnut Tenor Ukulele

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!

#1040- Cedar and Cherry Scout Ukulele

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.

#1039- Curly Koa Kingdom Era Tenor Ukulele

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!

“Hi Aaron and Nicole,

I just wanted to let you know that I have been playing my new Beansprout Kingdom Ukulele non stop since I got it, and it’s amazing, and so much fun!

I love everything about it. The playability is awesome, the sound is beautiful, and it resonates like no other ukulele I’ve seen, heard, or played.

Thank you for your talent and experience in making my wonderful ukulele. I love it.

-A.M. ”

#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!

“I’m thrilled with this tenor guitar! The body design is elegant and very comfortable to play. The craftsmanship is flawless with beautiful woods. And the sound is light and sweet. It’s a delight to look at, hear, and play. Thanks for a treasure!  
-R. P. ”

#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!