His Art and His Craft

Benjamin Shearer was studying to be a classical guitarist when he heard some recordings of flamenco music. The emotional songs changed his career plans. “I heard them and I knew that was it, that was what I wanted to play,” he says. “Flamenco is the human condition set to music. It has all the pain, the pathos, the passion--it’s the human spirit.”

Thirty years later, he has stayed with flamenco music. He currently performs with the Carla Luna Flamenco Dance Ensemble in Los Angeles.

But his passion for guitars does not stop with playing. Shearer is also a master guitar maker. He taught himself how to build them, picking up some fine points from friends. Now, he owns and operates the Shearer Musical Instrument Co. in Thousand Oaks. “My playing affects how I build guitars,” he says. “I build from a player’s perspective. Most people who build guitars don’t play.”

Shearer builds the whole spectrum of guitars from classical to steel string to acoustic and electric. And customers such as David Becker of the David Becker Tribune, Harry Anderson of Strawberry Alarm Clock and jazz guitarist Phil Upchurch have all enjoyed Shearer creations.