#513- Port Orford Cedar and Walnut Alto Ukulele

I seem to get lots of attention for Mastergrade and curly woods, but I often prefer straight grain and more humble wood sets. They all sound good, after all, and sometimes I appreciate the subtle character of the straight grain woods. This ukulele is for a player with arthritis and small hands, so I paid a little extra attention to that when carving the neck and setting up the strings. The Oregon walnut back and sides for this uke is a veneer scrap from a very old walnut log. My friend Ben Bonham built some guitars from it and gave me the rest for ukuleles. By the way, if you aren’t following Ben on Instagram you are missing out on some beautiful instruments. I paired it with a tight grained Port Orford Cedar top from the Oregon coast, old growth Douglas fir neck and spalted pistachio fretboard and headplate.

“My ukulele just arrived! It is everything I hoped it would be and more! Thank you both for your talents!
- D. J. ”

#519- Curly Port Orford Cedar and Grafted Walnut Tenor Ukulele

Another of my favorite wood combos! Whether it is the Mastergrade/grafted/curly stuff like this, or more straight grain wood, POC and walnut always sounds good. Plenty loud, but rich and detailed; it makes me want to keep playing! Billy asked for a neck with nail holes and I had a great time working on this one for him. I plugged all the holes with walnut dowels, turning the flaws into features. All the wood for this except the neck is from woodfromthewest.com, with the POC from the Oregon coast and the walnut and pistachio from California orchards.

“Thank you from the very bottom of my heart for my beautiful uke. As you know I have waited a very long time to be able to commission one and the anticipation has been at times overwhelming. I am such a fan of your work Aaron. We have a shared passion for wood as you know and the way you take your passion to such heights is truly awe-inspiring. I love the wabi sabi vibe – the nail holes in my neck are just amazing. Such beauty. But it is not just the wood, of course, but the way you craft it.
I am in complete awe of how you can make an instrument sound so good. I am fascinated by the different tones the different woods create and I love learning to distinguish these from what you explain in your videos. My tenor is so clear and warm and the sustain is fabulous.
Lots of love from us both. Take care
All good things
- B. P. ”

#516- Mastergrade Myrtle Alto Ukulele

As soon as I strung this one up I realized what I had been missing: an all Myrtle ukulele! It seems like it’s been a while since I made one. It has a classic look and sound to me, as the all Myrtle uke has been a staple of my building for almost 10 years. The grain on this one is particularly interesting and the rope binding wraps it up nicely. The pistachio fretboard and headplate come from California Orchards, the Myrtle is from the Oregon coast and the fir neck is salvaged from a barn in The Dalles, OR.

“Everything is great. It plays and looks amazing. It’s next to my bed and I’ve been playing it almost every day.
- D. K. ”

#517- Spruce and Maple Alto Ukulele

Buckle up folks, because we have four alto ukuleles in a row this month! The first is spruce and maple, one of my favorite combinations. Yes, they can be loud and bright, but I like the big dynamic range and clear tone that this combination offers. The wide grain, Oregon spruce top is from Camp Westwind on the coast. The amazing quilted maple is from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland. The old growth Douglas Fir neck is from a Portland floor joist, with a single nail hole. The grafted pistachio for the fretboard and headplate is from California orchards.

“The ukulele arrived today. I haven’t much time to play it yet, but I just wanted to let you know it was here, safe and sound, and it’s beautiful. My daughter is in love with it, too, and I promised I’d share. My first impression is that it has a lovely clarity and sustain, but a mellow voice. In the video you made, you highlighted the difference between how it looked at a distance, and all the beautiful details you see when you look closer. I think that’s a really great description of the uke, but I also wanted to mention that, although I’m pretty sure I never quite said that as we corresponded about building it, it’s a perfect description of the aesthetic I had been hoping for - something beautiful and well-crafted that wouldn’t attract attention from across the room, but something still worth admiring up close. That’s a kind of humble beauty the world can always use.

Update: I’m gradually getting more time to play and it’s been really rewarding. The intonation is great. I’m learning how much or how little force I can use. My hands are used to concert scale and now that I’m not overshooting my reaches so much it’s really making beautiful sounds!

- M. T. ”

#514- Curly Maple Concert Banjo Ukulele

The more time you spend with nice musical instruments, the more you start to notice their personality. After all, tone, durability, volume and playability should be a given, so what is left? What is left are the little details of sound, texture and design that give it a personality. After playing this little banjo, I can only describe its personality as “sweet.” It just is. Sweet to look at, sweet to hold and sweet on the ears. The curly maple is from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland and the pistachio is from California Orchards.

#512- Hemlock and Walnut Scout Ukulele- For Camp Westwind

Camp Westwind is one of our favorite places in the world. We have spent many weeks there as part of the Tunes in the Dunes music event, sharing nature, music and community. For much of the year, Camp Westwind is focused on outdoor education for youth, a vital role in the modern world. This uke will be auctioned off to support Camp Westwind, please click here to bid.

The neck and body of this uke are made from a hemlock tree from camp and include some spalting and some little bug holes. The rest of the ukulele is Oregon walnut, offering a visual contrast to the hemlock and an important structural role as a harder wood. It is a soprano scale ukulele with fluorocarbon strings, bone nut and saddle, geared Gotoh tuners and brass fret markers. Includes soft case.

I documented the building of this ukulele in a YouTube playlist. It is available here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoP7YNiiu7XRwECW7q175zIbi4AVk5LPN

“Hi Nicole and Aaron,

I absolutely love the scout ukulele. Thank you so much for your generous donation and all the time and effort put into this beautiful instrument to benefit Westwind!

Westwind has such a special place in my heart. Its stunning beauty, wonderful friendships, amazing food, magical campfires, exciting adventures to the sea cave, awe-inspiring hikes, lovely poetry, powerful yet peaceful ocean, and music flowing through every nook and cranny fill me with joy!

I am so excited to have another beautiful memory of Westwind. How cool is it to have a ukulele made from Westwind wood and you, Aaron! I will treasure it!
- G. R.
”

#515- Curly Walnut Tenor Banjo Ukulele

When I was in Port Townsend last year for the ukulele festival, my friends Jere and Greg took me to a lumber store called Edensaw. We had fun looking at all the crazy woods and tools and before we left I grabbed a couple of boards of this colorful curly walnut. Paired with some subtle pistachio it makes for a great looking and sounding banjo. Also, I send a shoutout to whatever goat gave us this skin, it certainly is beautiful!

#502- Mahogany, Cherry and Maple Tenor Ukulele

I love the classic mainlaind ukes of the early-mid 20th century. Many of them used Honduras mahogany as the main tone wood instead of the rarer Hawaiian Koa. This uke is a no frills tenor, with cherry and maple for the neck, headplate, fretboard and bridge. Geared tuners, bone nut and saddle, fluorocarbon strings, radiused fretboard and hard shell case. All the wood is from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland. Yours for $1550 plus shipping. Click here to buy, happy strumming.

“I received #502 this afternoon. What a beauty; although you already know that. I love the beautiful simplicity of this uke and it sounds great right out of the box. I’ll write you again in a few weeks with a little more detailed feedback. Anyway, thanks again. I’m so happy!!

Update: ....Six weeks later I’m even more in love with #502 than ever. That simple stark beauty just bowls me over every single time I look at it. And it sounds and plays amazing. This is my go-to uke. Thanks again and hoping all is well with the Keim family. Best wishes always!
- C. P. ”

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

At first I thought that a baritone ukulele tuned gcea would be a bad idea. But, I’ve proved myself wrong enough times that I can admit that it sounds and feels great. This one is no exception, with a loud and rich voice and easy playability. The woods are top notch too, with curly Port Orford Cedar from the Oregon coast and grafted walnut and grafted pistachio from California orchards. I couldn’t be more pleased with it! I am also quite proud of the natural beauty mark on the cedar top. It is that little bit of wabi-sabi that brightens my day and reminds me that none of us are perfect.

“Hi Aaron & Nicole - This baritone uke is the most beautiful instrument I have ever owned in my 71 years!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m in uke love!!
🎶💛🎶💛🎶
- R. P. ”

#511- Curly Port Orford Cedar and Walnut Scout Ukulele

One of the key ways that Nicole and I have stayed afloat over the years is that we have several different businesses/crafts/projects going at once. We then follow the opportunities that come in and balance how we spend time accordingly. Since all of our music events have been cancelled this year, we were pretty worried how we would make ends meet, but it’s meant more time in the shop, which has led to more Scout ukuleles! This one has a curly Port Orford Cedar top from the Oregon coast, walnut back, sides, fretboard and headplate from the scrap bin at Goby Walnut and a salvaged Cyprus mustard tank neck. I think it has a sweet and charming sound, which I had a great time playing today.

“I just wanted to let you know that the Beansprout Scout #511 arrived safe and sound today.

It is even more beautiful in person!

Thank you for all you do. Your talents help bring music to the world and I am eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to buy not one but two of your amazing instruments.

Have a great weekend, and happy strumming!
- A. L. ”

#503 Koa Scout Ukulele

One of my Scout ukuleles with a few simple upgrades: a three piece fir and walnut neck, a nice pistachio fretboard and headplate from California orchards and some lightly curly Clockmaker’s Koa from the Carpenter Ant stash. A humble, portable, playable and sweet musical companion.

“Dear Aaron and Nicole,
I love my koa Scout ukulele. It has perfect balance - delicate yet sturdy. The sound is bright and clear. The notes ring true even with my sloppy chords up the neck. I have never played a more beautiful instrument.

I am honored to own a Beansprout creation. Thank you. What a treasure.

Best always,
- B. M. ”

#505- Western Red Cedar and Curly Walnut Alto Ukulele

Yes, another cedar and walnut alto uke this month! It was fun to have two similar models next to each other in line, they really turned out nice in their own ways. I only recently started to using Western Red Cedar again, I was waiting to find dependable old, strong stuff. This cedar is salvaged from some old water tanks and even has some interesting Bearclaw figure, which I’ve never seen in cedar before. I really love how red cedar sounds. It is warmer sounding that Port Orford cedar but still plenty loud. The curly walnut is cut from a Claro walnut gunstock blank, which ended up looking great. The fretboard, headplate, bridge and pickguard are all made from pistachio from California orchards. The neck is some old growth Douglas Fir salvaged from floor joists. Overall, the instrument is light weight but feels solid, with a rich and sweet tone.

“I am thrilled with my new Beansprout ukulele! It is stunning and perfect in every regard, but one of the things I love the most is knowing that it is made from woods that have a history, a unique origin story, or are local and sustainable. Too much in our world is cheaply made and disposable, and I feel like this piece of functional art, handmade especially for me by a skilled craftsman and artist, is the exact opposite. We need more things like that in life, and holding a Beansprout ukulele always reminds me of the beauty of striving for that goal in all aspects of life. I also love the respect for imperfection that is intrinsic to the Beansprout brand in their celebration of bug holes, knots, and other elements many builders would avoid. It just feels right to honor and even celebrate these things as features, and reminds me to do the same in my life when plans go awry or something bad happens. Strengthen that nail hole with some filler and be proud of it for making you a bigger person for having survived whatever it is! I am so honored to have this ukulele and my other Beansprouts (#368 and #436) that Aaron made for me and will treasure them forever. Thanks to Aaron and Nicole for creating such an honest brand, staying true to your aesthetic and values, and blessing the world with such fine instruments! You definitely have a lifelong customer in me.

Thanks!
- J. L.
”

#508- Western Red Cedar and Curly Walnut Alto Ukulele

As a maker of “luxury items,” I really value every order we get. After all, your hard earned money has many worthy outlets. When it’s a repeat customer, I feel even luckier! This one is for Libby, who has a couple of instruments from me already, both of which are quite fancy. For this one, we were chasing a simpler design, but it still ended up being fancy in an understated way. The curly walnut back and sides came from our friend Ben Bonham, who passed on some ukulele sized scraps from a guitar project. The cedar top is from my friend Nick, whose dad salvaged it from an old water tank. It is super tight grained old growth wood, with some unique Bearclaw figuring. The spruce neck is from Camp Westwind on the Oregon coast and the walnut fretboard, headplate and bridge make for a simple look. She asked for wooden tuner buttons, which I made from scraps of walnut, maple and mahogany. It’s a lot of work, but makes for a unique feature. The maple binding offers a nice contrast and wraps it up well.

“Aaron,
I love my new cedar walnut uke. It’s so elegant to look at and the sustain is remarkable for such a small instrument. The sound is beautiful and it’s so easy to play. Now the new uke is the favorite in the house. I also like that Camp Westwind spruce is the neck. I was so looking forward to playing in the tenth annual tunes in the dunes. This helps make up for it.

I am so glad i stayed with my order and left most of it up to my luthier. Your skills leave me in awe. Hard work and more than a little artistry in your eye and ear produce remarkable, beautiful, delightful instruments. They call me out to play even when i only feel a little musical. Chalmers Doane says “One Minute a day” and my minute always stretches out, many times to hours. Learning to play music with a nice uke is like learning to paint with good brushes and paint. It’s the pathway to joy and success. Thank you so much. I feel so lucky to have met you!

Thanks for the care and skill you put in your work. It speaks for you. Stay healthy and live one day at a time.
With admiration,
- L. M. ”

#504- Curly White Oak and Pistachio Concert Banjo Ukulele

A lot of the boards I get from the Carpenter Ant stash were cut for Lizann’s grandfather, who made clocks. That means they are usually surfaced on four sides and just under an inch thick, intended for clock cases. This piece was labeled “tiger oak” on the end of the board and that label was right. Truly some of the most beautiful oak I’ve ever worked with. I also went bold on the pistachio fretboard and headplate, it just seemed right. The goat skin head and the brass arm rest add to the charm. This thing is sweet.

“Aaron & Nicole
My Uke turned up today, thank you so much for all you’ve done.
To say the Ukulele is stunning is an understatement, as I expected, it sounds as good as it looks.
I cannot thank you enough for this, the Oak is superb.... I could sit and look at it for hours.
It’s been a great pleasure dealing with you from start to a happy finish. Thank you again.

- K.M.”

#510- Spruce and Curly Walnut Tenor Ukulele

I don’t use customer wood very often, but when Claro walnut like this comes in the mail, it’s hard to say no. This was originally cut for gunstocks, but we were able to get 3 ukes and a banjo out of it. I like that math. The spruce top is from the old dulcimer builder’s stash and can’t be beat. The pistachio is from California orchards. The special bird’s foot purfling is made by Gurian in Seattle.

“Aaron
Just a note of thanks. Took a bit of playing to get used to the small differences from my {other ukulele}. Sounds great, nice action, quickly becoming an old friend. Now if I can play up to the quality of the instrument.
Best regards
- D. S. ”

#506- Curly Walnut and Pistachio Four String Banjo

This is a relatively new model for me and seems to useful for folks who play baritone ukulele. This one is setup with non steel strings tuned dgbe and is super fun to play. It would be good for a strummer in a band or for single note picking on the couch. The curly walnut is from a Claro gunstock blank, the extra dark pistachio is from California orchards.

“Wonderful instrument: easy to play, happy sound, good looks. Your choice of the dark fretboard was brilliant. Thanks for everything.
- C. E. ”

#509- Spruce and Curly Walnut Tenor Ukulele

I really think that spruce and walnut has become one of my favorite wood combinations. It is a nice balance of loud, resonant, sweet and rich. These woods are also from my region, easy to work with and quite beautiful. I inherited this spruce from a dulcimer builder, the curly Claro walnut is from Central California, the spruce neck is from Camp Westwind in Otis, OR and the pistachio is from California orchards.

#500- Redwood and Walnut Tenor Ukulele

My 500th instrument!!! Thanks to Heidi and Rob Litke for getting me started back in 2007, Gordon and Char Mayer for their love and guidance at Mya-Moe from 2011-2018, Nicole for being the best partner and all of you for your support!

This number includes the instruments I made under the Beansprout name in Colorado, the banjo ukes I made while working at Mya-Moe (but not the 2000 ukes I had a hand in there) and the instruments I have completed since we re-launched Beansprout.

The wood for this uke is all salvaged wood from my friends at Tyde Music near Lake Tahoe. The redwood top is from a cabin beam, the Claro walnut back and sides is from kitchen project, the mahogany neck is from a salvaged dock and the Jatoba fretboard is a scrap from a furniture project. I made a mosaic for the headplate, heel cap and pickguard with cutoffs from the neck. I also hand carved tuner knobs from layers of maple, mahogany and walnut. The uke was already pretty busy looking, so I wrapped it all up with simple maple binding and bridge.

I haven’t used redwood for the top in many years, but this redwood is very strong and stable. It sounds and feels very vibrant and I’m quite pleased with it. Redwood has sort of a crisp sound, but is still dark and rich. Sort of like chili pepper and dark chocolate. I added the pickguard to protect the top from scratches, but I wouldn’t recommend it for an aggressive strummer.

We’re so excited that our friend Matt in the United Kingdom is the proud owner of this important piece of Beansprout history!

#501- Walnut and Pistachio Five String Banjo

This instrument is a close copy of an instrument I built for Steve Varney (Kid Reverie, Gregory Alan Isakov) about 18 months ago. It has a few special features that met Steve’s needs and building a second one reminded me of its usefulness as a design.

-12” walnut block rim with brass tone ring

-Walnut and Pistachio neck

-24 hooks and nuts, Brooks Masten tension hoop, Hawktail tailpiece

-Fiberskyn head

-Magnetic Pickup and steel strings

-Frailing scoop and two fifth string hooks

It sounds loud but sweet, sits solid in my lap and is super easy to play. The walnut is from The Carpenter Ant Stash and the pistachio is from California Orchards. It’s off to the UK!

#497- Spruce and Pistachio Tenor Ukulele

When I see a piece of folk/functional art that excites me, it usually makes me want to look closer. From far away, the basic shape and design grabs me. With a closer look, I see some interesting details. When I take it in my hand I can feel the texture and see more subtle parts of the design. Lastly, I get to use it and test its functionality, finally completing the circuit between art, design and function. As a builder, it is easy to take all this for granted, but I am about to ship this instrument to a customer who trusted enough to order a thing that didn’t exist yet! Yes, she helped pick out some of the wood and has seen some pictures along the way, but nothing will compare to the first time she opens the case and takes it in hand.

The spruce top for this was cut for dulcimers in the 1960’s, the fir neck comes from a Portland floor joist and the pistachio comes from California orchards. Spruce and pistachio really shines as a wood combination that provides wide dynamic range and a sparkling tone. Easy playability and a comfortable neck seal the deal. Ready for music.

“Aaron and Nicole,

My new uke arrived today. I love everything about this instrument. In a previous write-up on another instrument you described your shop work in musical terms, feeling sometimes like a composer, jazz musician, conductor or copyist. With this uke I think you must have been feeling ragtime and jazz musician.

The fretboard is everything I was looking for. It’s a “standout” and it will show everyone that I’m playing a Beansprout. The Douglas fir neck with subtle cherry stripe has a beautiful grain. I really like the two-toned headplate and bridge and along with the fretboard they present that wonderful spruce top with brown streaks. I love the way the sides look with the lighter wood towards the back. And the back, what can I say, it’s gorgeous!

And on top of all the beautiful features, this uke sounds incredible. It’s bright, it’s lively and has good sustain. This uke and I are going to make great music together.

Thank you for sharing your talent and craftsmanship with me.

- L. H. ”