Ben Pleasant on SoundBetter

I've played guitar and/or written on songs totaling several million streams. Whether you want me to nail a reference song or experiment, we'll find a sound that you love.

I'm a producer, guitarist, and songwriter with a wide range of influences and credits. Along with Kris Bergsnes (Wynonna, Tim McGraw), I co-wrote Texas country artist Jake Ward’s single “Restless” which went on to go #1 on Texas Red Dirt Radio. While working under producer/engineer Greg Bieck (Little Big Town, Levi Hummon), I worked on tracks for Grammy nominated songwriter Marcus Hummon (Dixie Chicks, Rascal Flatts) and Greg Barnhill (Amy Grant, Vince Gill) as well as numerous TV/News/Film sync tracks for Stephen Arnold Music.

I've produced tracks for Theo Kandel including several alongside producer/engineer Justin Johnson (Priscilla Block). I've also produced and co-produced many tracks for up-and-coming rapper Lackhoney, several of which have been featured on NPR, Lyrical Lemonade, Ones To Watch, and Spotify editorial playlists.

Additionally, I've worked with artists such as Luh Kel, Marzz, IshDarr, Polow da Don, Arlie, Ben Kessler, and Charlie Brennan as well as producers such as Ducko Mcfli (Drake, 2chainz, lil yachty, Khalid), Supah Mario (Drake, Young Thug), Dirty Rice (Lecrae), and Ric and Thad (Bad Bunny, Tierra Whack)

Send me an email through 'Contact' button above and I'll get back to you asap.

Credits

13 Reviews - 2 Repeat Clients

Endorse Ben Pleasant

by Andre A.
Verified
Ben was a pleasure to work with from start to finish. He took the time to give me exactly what I needed and gave me everything I was looking for in a timely manner. Looking forward to the next one!
by femi I.
Verified
First time working with Ben and he delivered for sure. Highly recommended!!!
by Mike Gomes
Verified
Ben crushed it. He did exactly what I wanted and in a timely manner. Would definitely use his services time and time again!
by Daniel M.
Verified
Ben never dissapoints, highly recommended!
by Daniel T.
Verified
It was a pleasure working with Ben! He’s an amazing guitarist, communicates really well, professional, and easy to work with. He provided services really quick! I look forward to working with him again.
by Daniel M.
Verified
Ben exceeded my expectations, top 3 guitarist on soundbetter for sure!
by Tano M.
Verified
Ben was great, took the time to give us exactly what we needed. Will definitely be using his services again
by Aly Lakhani
Verified (Client)
I loved working with Ben on this project, he had a great idea and a solid vision for how to get there. If everyone in the creative world had the same mindset I believe things would get done a lot quicker! Can't say enough positive things about Ben, looking forward to working on more music in the near future!
by Aly Lakhani
Verified
Ben is an incredible guitar player that saw to my project promptly and professionally. His taste is incredible and I can't wait to work with him again!
by Aly Lakhani
Verified (Client)
Loved working with Ben as a client, super easy to work with. Responded promptly, and was involved in the process!
by Emmet Haden
Ben is a versatile and talented guitarist. I've played with him in a bunch of settings, from pop to rock to jazz to hip hop, and he excels in all of them. Also he is a master of TONE... he consistently produces unique and fitting guitar sounds. Ben is dedicated and excellent at time management, so you can expect quick super quick turnarounds on all your songs. Can't recommend him enough.
by Theo Kandel
Ben is actually the best guitarist I know. He's insanely versatile, skilled, and really knows his stuff. He knows far more about music theory than I do, and I've often had him explain to me some of the musical things that I'm doing that I don't quite understand. That being said, he's never patronizing, and will never make you feel like your work isn't worth his time. Hit him up for anything you need, and I absolutely 100% guarantee you'll be satisfied with the result. He's in it for the music, baby!
by Aly Lakhani
Ben is the best producer/guitarist I’ve ever worked with. His technical proficiency is rivaled only by his creativity and willingness to work tirelessly on an idea until it’s perfect. One instance was when he sent me over 4 ideas for one guitar part until it was right. There’s no ego with Ben, and knowing/working with him has been one of the great privileges of my time making music.

Interview with Ben Pleasant

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: R&B, Hip-Hop, Pop
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Versatility. I work on a song by song basis and can cover a wide variety of guitar styles. R&B/Hip-Hop/Pop can go a lot of different directions, and I approach every song just wanting my work to make it better no matter what kind of part that requires.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: For remote work, I will sometimes start the track and sometimes add on to an existing track. When there is an existing track, artists sometimes have an idea about what kind of guitar part they want and sometimes they don't. I'll send my initial ideas and then we'll revise from there, if needed. When I'm starting the track, the artist will usually send me some reference songs or ideas about where they want the song to go. Then, I'll build a track or send an idea snippet, and we will go back and forth with revisions from there. Some artists that I work with prefer to take over the production once an idea gets rolling and some prefer me to control that aspect.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My audio interface is a UAD apollo x6. My computer is a 2018 Mac mini 3.2 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7. I usually work in Logic Pro X. My most used mics are a Shure KSM32 and a SM57. For electric guitar projects, I either mic one of my amps (Fender Deluxe Reverb 1974, Fender Princeton Reverb, Egnator Tweaker-88) or I record DI and use amp modeling software (go-to is Archetype). My go to electric guitars include a Fender Stratocaster and a Gibson 339, and my go to acoustic is my Martin Custom Shop HD-28. My most used plugins come from the Soundtoys Suite, Eventide Anthology, Waves, and UAD. I also have a bass, a mandolin, and a ukulele that I often play on tracks as well. I use an AKAI midi controller for drum programming and keys.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Dreamville/J. Cole, Bon Iver, Tame Impala, Frank Ocean, Kenny Beats, 40, Terrace Martin, Rick Rubin
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Most commonly, artists that I work with will either have me play guitar/bass on one of their existing tracks or will ask me to provide a new idea for them to base a song off of. The new idea might be just a guitar part or an entire track/beat depending on the artist and situation.