Jacek Śliwa

Jacek is a Polish luthier based in Gdańsk making exceptional guitars. Here is what he says about humself:

“It is never too late to start over. And so, at the age of almost fifty, I became a luthier. For about forty years, I’ve been in love with music. I admired the beauty of the instruments and tried to fix the ones that were broken or out of tune. I developed a sense of humility and a willingness to simply learn and serve.

For some, it is possible to know, even from a young age, which path they will follow. A young entrepreneur can start by selling stickers or Lego bricks. This was not my story. For many years I tried different things, always pursuing something creative to discover my passion. I wrote and played music, wrote lyrics, and ran an interior renovation business, until finally these various elements came together to create instruments.

Sometimes you can see the future even in a small child. The small businessman will do business with the lego stickers. But it’s not me. After many years of working in different fields, I was able to discover that creating is something I want to do.

I am not a pioneer. But I’m not a “copy and paste” man either. I find myself in the middle. I’m always looking to bring something new to the art of making guitars. I’m not afraid of new challenges, but when it makes the most sense, I’m also not afraid to use proven and effective solutions.

I probably never would have had the courage to build custom (especially acoustic) guitars without Lukas Brunner (http://www.brunner-guitars.com/), my mentor and a friend now. Lukas has had a great impact on my education. His great experience and his continued support give me a great sense of security in fields that I do not know yet.”