InstrumentThe cream electric
01A 1956-inspired build. Cream, maple, and chrome.
Custom inlays · Fretwork · Neck projectsNorth Hollywood · Los Angeles, CA
Independent by hand.
A small shop.
A thousand
small details.
Wood, wire, a good idea. Then the shaping, fitting, testing, and small adjustments that make an instrument your own.
My main showcase: guitar builds, component work, and experiments from the bench.
@moonandpearl.lutherie
M&P / INSTRUMENT STUDYShape. Fit. Adjust. Repeat as needed.
01 / Instruments & studies
Made here.
One detail at a time.
Finished instruments and a closer look at what goes into them. From a familiar body shape to an unexpected bit of color.
02 / A closer look
Small things.
Real differences.
A clean surface. A carefully placed dot. A fingerboard held evenly while the glue sets. The work keeps getting smaller as the instrument comes together.
01 / Wood to surface
A sharp edge. A lighter pass.
A hand plane and a bench full of shavings. Material comes away a little at a time.
03 / Shop notes
There’s probably
a way to do that.
Tools, little fixes, and the occasional questionable idea. Notes from the process, including the parts that take another try.
Watch more on InstagramFeatured video: turquoise inlays
Technique01One less curl
The tool before
“Is it dumb
One less curl
to fight.
Reverse-coiling binding inside a roll of tape to straighten it.
Binding / Shop note Useful scraps02The tool before
the instrument.
Acrylic offcuts become router bases, templates, and jigs.
Fixtures / Shop note Trial & adjustment03“Is it dumb
if it works?”
A fair question from a shop that makes some of its own tools.
Experiments / Shop note
04 / The shop
An instrument shop.
A place to figure
things out.
Moon & Pearl is Justin Benson’s small, veteran-owned lutherie workshop in Los Angeles. Custom inlays, fretwork, neck projects, and plenty of time spent finding a better way to hold a very small thing.
The process is part of the work: making a jig, trying a tool, adjusting the fit, and coming back for another pass.
Justin BensonMoon & Pearl Lutherie
North Hollywood, Los Angeles
North Hollywood, Los Angeles
05 / Bring it to the bench
What are you
working on?
Currently considering inlay, fretwork, and neck projects. Complete guitar commissions are closed. Tell me about your neck or fretboard and what you have in mind.