#648- Fir, Cherry and Maple Short Scale Five String Banjo

Old Douglas Fir is a favorite of mine. In this case, I cut up an old door and a piece of scrap wood and put it back to work as a banjo. A few pieces of Cherry and Maple had some strength, mass and a subtle color contrast. Over all, I’m really pleased with it and may try it again. All the wood for this project was salvaged from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland.

“Hi Nicole & Aaron,

....I am very happy with the short scale banjo, just like everything else you have built for me these last few years. Aarons description of it as a “couch banjo” is spot on. The shorter neck length makes it very comfortable to play, its really light but still feels solid, and has that low, plunky old timey sound that is perfect for clawhammer and finger picking.
Thanks for all you do!
- J. P. ”

#649- Curly Walnut and Pistachio Five String Banjo

It’s hard to describe the difference in sound between an 11” and 12” rim. The 12” just sounds…more? Because this one is walnut, has a goat skin head and non steel strings, I recommended adding the brass tone ring, which added a little growl and sparkle. The customer asked for rope binding, so we put it pretty much everywhere. Why not! The curly walnut is from here in Hood River, milled by the folks at The Dee Mill. The pistachio is from California Orchards.

“Hello Aaron and Nicole,

I just wanted to send a short note to say that the banjo arrived safe and sound last Saturday. I am so exceedingly happy with this instrument. It’s gorgeous. It sounds amazing and exactly how I wanted. And when I opened it up with my 6yo son his first comment was “it smells good!” That wood scent is indeed rare in the big city.
Also, I’m so impressed with the playability. I’ve mostly played ukulele that past few years, having only recently picked up the banjo my only one is a travel sized one. I really expected for there to be level of adjustment and even discomfort in picking up a much larger, longer instrument. But this banjo is just so smooth and easy to play! It just has a great feel!

....Thanks for being the artists y’all are. Happy holidays!
- B. T.”

#644- Spruce and Dogwood Baritone Ukulele

Dogwood is proving to be a really nice tonewood. Almost as bright as Maple, with a cheerful sound and a unique look. This Dogwood is from the Carpenter Ant stash, felled and milled by Ken on-site and stored for many years. The Englemann Spruce is from a retired guitar builder, the Pistachio is from California orchards and the Douglas Fir neck is salvaged from a floor joist.

“Hi, Aaron, Nicole, and Henry.
The uke has arrived in superb condition. It is absolutely beautiful to the eyes as well as the ears. I love it with the unwound fourth string. Won’t be able to take my hands off of it for quite a while. Thank you so much. What a stunner.
Have a great Thanksgiving,
- F. P.
”

#646- Walnut and Pistachio Concert Banjo Ukulele

It’s fun to think of these things I build as mixed media art works. In this case, walnut, pistachio, brass and goat skin. Familiar materials to me by now, but always a treat to work with. Walnut from the scrap bin at Goby in Portland, Pistachio from California Orchards, brass hardware by Brooks Masten and the tension hoop by me.

#642- Koa Soprano Ukulele

My soprano ukulele model is based off of a 1920’s Lyon and Healy ukulele, but includes my own modern ideas. This is a hard balance to get, but I really enjoy the process. The goal is an instrument with the chiming sparkle of an old one, but modern playability and a bit more tone and sustain. The precious Koa for this instrument comes from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland, originally imported and cut for clock making. I will be donating to https://savinghawaiisforests.org for this build and I encourage all of you to support their cause if you are able. The Oregon Walnut is from the scrap bin at Goby in Portland and the Douglas Fir neck is salvaged from a floor board.

#638- Spruce and Walnut Scout Ukulele

Spruce top, Walnut back and sides, mustard tank Cypress neck and Cherry everything else. A soprano ukulele made from the scrap bin. It’s off to the Scout wait list.

#637- Douglas Fir and Curly Maple Baritone Ukulele

This really shows the balance of what I do and what matters to me. Huge sound, easy playability, salvaged/sustainable timbers, and neat craftsmanship with a rustic texture. This baritone is tuned gcea and I love the sound, it was a real joy for me to play it today. The fir is salvaged from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland, the curly Maple is from woodfromthewest.com and the curly Walnut is urban salvage from Goby Walnut.

#641- Maple, Mahogany and Jatoba Short Scale Five String Banjo

This banjo is for our friend Dennis, who has been playing Clawhammer ukulele for many years and is ready to try it on banjo. It is an 11” rim with a 20” scale neck, our short scale five string banjo. Maple rim and Mahogany neck stained to match with a Jatoba/Brazilian Cherry fretboard. The brass is aged and the head is stained with walnut ink from our yard, foraged and processed by Henry and his friends. All the wood is from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland.

#639- Curly Walnut and Pistachio Five String Banjo

When I build a banjo like this, I keep it for a little while so the neck, head and rim can settle in. I adjust it a bit every day until it’s ready to ship. Sometimes, they are pretty hard to let go, especially this one. Local curly Walnut from The Dee Mill and Pistachio from California Orchards. A wooden tone ring with non steel strings. 11” rim and 25.5” scale length. Check out the shoes, hooks and nuts from Brooks Masten. So sweet.

#633- Builder’s Choice- Alaskan Yellow Cedar and Curly Maple Alto Ukulele

If you have been following us for a while, you probably know how special Camp Westwind is to us. On the Salmon River estuary, with Spruce forest, tide pool beaches and rocky cliffs, it is a favorite retreat for our family. This top is made from Alaskan Yellow Cedar, harvested from a log that our friend Duncan found on the beach at Westwind. He cut a slice off it to use in his printing projects, which allowed him to count over 250 annual rings. We cut two sections of the trunk and have been splitting, milling and drying ever since. This is the first ukulele with this special wood! The back and sides are curly, spalted Maple, harvested by our friend Ben Bonham. The combination looks rustic and sounds sweet, I’ll certainly use it again. The neck is Hemlock and the fretboard, headplate, bridge and binding are Pistachio from California orchards.

#635- Douglas Fir and Curly Red Oak Tenor Ukulele

An all domestic wood tenor ukulele with a big, bold sound. Fir and oak for the win!!! The oak and fir are from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland and the walnut is urban salvage from Goby Walnut. The small silver keepsake inlayed in the headstock is a family heirloom given to our customer from her late mother. Thanks Maja for entrusting us with something so special.

“Dear Aaron, Nicole and Henry,

Please know that #635 is incredibly special to me.
It’s built so honestly and the sound is a delight - l find l never stop smiling when l play it and it brings me so much joy. The heart inlay is perfect. You did such a good job of it Aaron - l can’t thank you enough. Before l play it, l look at it, hold it and appreciate what a fine instrument it is.
Take care and enjoy the snow!

Cheers,
- M. Z.

(The trees (logs) in the pictures are Eucalyptus obliqua - Stringybark or Messmate.)”

— Quote Source

#634- Curly Port Orford Cedar and Mastergrade Myrtle Tenor Ukulele

I got the chance to talk to this customer on face time, and it was a pleasure. He said he wanted “wavy, wabi-sabi and binding optional”! He also wanted to be surprised with how it looked when opened the case, so I didn’t send any progress pictures. I chose an asymmetrical and curly Myrtle back and sides, with a slice of sapwood in it. It made sense to pair it with a multi colored pistachio fretboard and headplate that includes some tractor blight markings and sapwood. After all that, I chose a Port Orford Cedar top that was a little wavy, but not too much. The neck is salvaged Cypress from a mustard tank with some hard maple stripes. I like it with no binding, as it softens the look of the edges and borders, emphasizing the muted earth tones.

“I wanted to let you know that I received the uke and it is wonderful! I’m overjoyed with the selections you made - the asymmetric myrtle, mustard cypress neck, wild pistachio fretboard, clean look without binding...
You really captured what I hoped for in a custom uke and the craftsmanship is superb.

I’m especially glad that I had zero input into its design - it turned out so well, likely as a result - so light, resonant and looks/smells great! Thank you for the hard work you put into its construction - it really is a delight to play such a high-quality handcrafted instrument.

All the best,
M.F .”

#636- Maple and Pistachio Concert Banjo Ukulele

A classic design with some small unique touches from Mother Nature! The first Beansprout model I ever built was a maple concert banjo ukulele and they always sound “right” to me. The maple rim has some spalting and bark inclusions that give it some nice color variations. The pistachio has some beautiful stripes as well. The customer asked for a low fourth string, which is a great sound. The maple is all leftover from our kitchen cabinets and the pistachio comes from California Orchards, www.woodfromthewest.com.

#632- Fir and Curly Koa Scout Ukulele

Koa is precious. Any scrap I’ve salvaged over the years deserves to be used for something useful. I don’t support the Colonial takeover of the islands or the depletion of the forests. But I do support modern reforestation efforts and indigenous rights. Part of the profits from this build will go to https://savinghawaiisforests.org to plant new Koa trees. Consider pitching in yourself.

The Douglas Fir for this ukulele is from the Carpenter Ant stash, the Pistachio comes from California Orchards and the Koa is scrap left from my time at Mya-Moe.

“So, my special box of musical air arrived today— huzzah!
What an extraordinarily pretty little hoot, this Scout.
An exquisite surprise, in the mix:
Bird’s foot!
(I mean, just look at all that beauty, in the wood and grain and how you’ve brought everything together.)

Thank you so much.
- S. S.
”

#629- Bearclaw Spruce and Grafted Walnut Baritone Ukulele

This is a really special ukulele, made from some really special pieces of wood. All of these pieces needed a bit of persuasion to do their part in the process, as they all were grafted, marked, scarred or otherwise special. Salvaged Bearclaw Sitka Spruce from Alaska, grafted Walnut and grafted Pistachio from California Orchards and Douglas Fir salvaged from a floor joist.

“Aaron,
...I am in LOVE with #629. It sounds a great as it looks. The sound your instruments produce is exactly what I want. Thank you for creating such a special piece for me.

Thanks so much!
- D. C. ”

#628- Curly Myrtle Baritone Ukulele

This instrument is for our friend and collaborator, Ryan Kolberg. He wanted a second baritone ukulele with a different look and sound, so we chose this curly Myrtle and he let me loose to design the rest. I have been interested lately in the colors and shades blending together a bit by removing the black veneers and purfling that often separate layers on my instruments. Here the Cedar, Walnut and Myrtle flowing together in a Wabi-Sabi reverie. I also took a risk and broke up the book matched panels so that the grain flows around the instrument instead of with a more common rising match. I like it. The Myrtle is from the Oregon Coast via woodfromthewest.com, the Cedar neck is barn salvage by me and the Walnut is from Goby in Portland.

#627- Myrtle Scout Ukulele

I am trying to work through the Scout waiting list. Really, I am. Thanks for your patience, but I also need to sleep. 😜 This one is made from some Myrtle scraps for top/back/sides, Douglas Fir neck and Maple everything else, all from the Carpenter Ant stash in Portland. It has a pickup and is strung low g, which I think is a first for a Scout. It is rustic, beautiful, easy to play and feather light. Happy trails, little Scout.

#626- Western Red Cedar and Quilted Koa Alto Ukulele

It has been fun lately to build these smaller sizes, known for sparkly brightness, and choose woods that sound rich and dark. It makes for a nice balance and a nice playing experience, certainly worth exploring. The Cedar for this build comes from a burned out snag in Washington, the quilted Koa is from Char when she retired from Mya-Moe, the mahogany neck is a scrap from a furniture maker and the Texas Ebony is from a retired banjo builder.

“Thanks for making such a beautiful ukulele. The craftsmanship is incredible and the combination of woods, shades of color, grain patterns, and timbre makes for a truly unique instrument that is even more amazing than what I imagined. I’ve played it almost every day since I received it and the sound just keeps getting better. It is a joy to play. Bravo!

Best Regards,
M. H. ”

— Quote Source

#631- Curly Red Oak and Walnut Tenor Banjo Ukulele

As much as I like the fancy ones, my taste often runs to the simple. In this case, the combo of curly red oak, walnut and brass. It was a treat to build and a treat to play! The oak and walnut are from The Carpenter Ant stash and are the scraps left from building a book shelf for my son. The elegant hardware is from Brooks Masten.

#630- Curly Maple and Texas Ebony Five String Banjo

I am a slow, heavy ship, which naturally turns slowly. I say “no” to many of the ideas and requests my customers have, because I take a long time to learn new skills and longer still to find a way to incorporate them seamlessly into my process. I also have a sharp urge to keep the ordering process and the aesthetics of the instruments simple, so I really don’t want too many options. In this case, Brian really wanted to bind the fretboard and headstock with rope binding. I finally said yes. It’s not perfect, but it’s honest and it looks cool. Let me do it 100 more times and I’ll be closer to getting it totally right.

Curly maple from the closing sale at Wildwood Banjos, Texas Ebony from Brown Banjos upon his retirement. Tasty darkened brass hardware from Brooks Masten and stained goat skin.