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D-28 model guitar by Benjamin Pearce, Musical instrument maker, 2018
Cambridge, Massachusetts
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Benjamin Pearce builds mandolins, guitars, and violins with strong ties to the revered historic instruments of the past. In 2004, he apprenticed with luthier Karl Dennis of Dennis, Rhode Island where he acquired a solid working knowledge of instrument making. Pearce continued building mandolins and guitars full-time in Karl's shop until early 2010 when he established his own shop.
Guitar making is a pursuit best learned by the process of doing. Yet the economics of hand building guitars make it very difficult to make time for proper instruction of future makers. For most luthiers, the majority of working hours must be dedicated to one's own work, which is one of the reasons funded apprenticeships are so valuable.
Dietrich Strause is a musician, wood worker, and aspiring luthier. In an apprenticeship with Pearce, Strause will gain greater familiarity with the methods of bending, bracing, fretting, neck carving, joinery, in lay, and finishing techniques. He will also learn to use tools specific for instrument building such as finger planes, tiny scrapers, and special adhesives. By the end of the apprenticeship, the two will have built a C. F. Martin Model O guitar from start to finish. Pearce is grateful for the apprenticeship as it allows him to allocate time to transfer the skills taught to him by his own mentor, Karl Dennis.
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