Welcome
Hello and welcome to the new site of the Outlier Workshop, makers of handmade mandolins, flattop guitars, and violins. Here you can find out more of what we do through images of the work as well as other evidence of our passion for making the best stringed instruments available anywhere.
Feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions about what we do or what we can do for you.
Sincerely,
Ben Pearce
Workshop
For us the shop is where we go to bring meaning to the day, usually every day. It is the biggest reasons for getting out of bed and drinking 2 pots of coffee in the morning.
There are really only 2 things in the shop, people and wood. Fortunately, aside from a few very sharp tools, that is all we need to craft amazing instruments. Here you can find out a little more about the people, the process, and the results produced at the Workshop.
People
Process
Instruments
click on an instrument to view photo gallery.
All instruments that come from the Workshop are made using only ultra premium materials and crafted in a way that can be executed by only the most patient and skilled of workers. Every part of the process, from being assembled with crystal clear chromated hide glue to the brushed on oil varnishes for our mandolin family instruments, reeks of quality, passion, and compulsion.
Each instrument is made one at a time, or in a batch of two to ensure that their unique qualities are built upon and that the continuity of the process is not lost to larger modes of production. This assures the highest quality instrument possible as well as allows input from the specific player for whom the instrument is created.
Virtually all instruments are built to order. Our standard model is custom.
What people are saying...
"Ben Pearce is one of the finest new mandolin builders I've encountered anywhere. As someone who makes his living playing the mandolin, I've played mandolins from hundreds of builders all over the country, and Ben's Outlier Mandolins jump out from the crowd. They are beautifully conceived and meticulously executed instruments, and with regards to tone they speak for themselves. I always look forward to the chance to play his latest creations. "
-Joe Walsh
mandolinst, The Gibson Brothers
"I recently had the pleasure of meeting Ben Pearce and got the chance to play several of his mandolins from the Outlier Shop. Ben's work is clean and tasteful in every detail. The tone of his F5 model was clear and smooth as silk. I played a brand spanking new mahogany A model that had been strung up just that day that had depth beyond belief. I think we have a lot to look forward to from the Outlier Workshop in years to come. Keep an eye on Ben!"
-Mike Compton
Mandolin Legend who has played with Nashville Bluegrass Band, John Hartford, O Brother Where Art Thou, and many others...
"I played a couple of the first mandolins that Ben Pearce made, I was very impressed. Ben's instruments have all the attributes a first rate mandolin should have - Good projection, tone and playability... and I like the Squid!!"
-Kym Warner
mandolinist, The Greencards
"Ben's flatops are build the way good guitars should be, with great materials, hide glue and care. They are loud, clear, balanced, and sound great on a mic. If I wasn't also a builder I would buy one!"
-Matt Arcara
2006 Winfield Flatpicking Guitar Champion
Guitar Maker
Guitar Player for Joy Kills Sorrow,
Here are some of the goods being put through their paces. This video and the recordings on the website feature 2006 Winfield Guitar Champion Matt Arcara on guitar, Grand National Fiddle Champions Tristan and Tashina Clarridge on fiddles, groove master Charlie Rose on bass, and yours truly, Ben Pearce on mandolin.
Thanks and Links
Well, if I had to thank everyone who has helped me try and get this ship-shop sailing then I would never have anytime to make any instruments or even play the ones that I love. But there are some people that have been indispensable to this project I have come to call the Outlier Workshop and a few of them are:
My Parents and Brother Jef, my mentor, Karl Dennis of Karl M Dennis Violins, my fellow instrument makers in RI: Otto D'Ambrosio, Tucker Densley, Zachary Martin, Winnie Lambrect at The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, John Buscarino at Buscarino Guitars, Jim Walton, Tony Watt, Avril Smith, Matthew Arcara and Joy Kills Sorrow, Tristan and Tashina Clarridge, Charlie Rose, Wes Corbett, The Bee Eaters, Cassandra Jenkins and Chris Thile,The Acoustic Artisans in Portland ME, Sam Grisman, Dominick Leslie, Stash Wyslouch, Eric Robertson and the Boston Boys, Scott Tichnor of the Mandolin Cafe, ...
More Coming Soon...
Contact Us
Our guitars and mandolins are unique pieces and are not mass produced. Much emotion, time and patience is put into them.
If you're interested in owning one of these unique instruments, contact us to begin the process of creating your own Outlier.
Thanks,
outlierworkshop_gmail.com
401.484.8236
