Piotr Aleksander Nowak
New generation
Monika Sobolewska / Piotr Aleksander Nowak
Piotr Aleksander Nowak – chief luthier and constructor, founder of PAN Instruments. For 15 years specialises in classical and modern guitar constructions, building also string and experimental instruments.
The story of PAN Instruments starts in 2017. Our workshop is developing dynamically, a lot of things has changed since then – our current work can be followed on facebook and instagram.
We limit the use of artificial materials
It is a huge inconvenience today, when kevlar and epoxy resins are commonly used in guitar construction. Although the new materials can give extraordinary resuts, I belive that everything must be used rationally. I try to strike a good balans between tradition and the new technologies – trying to respect what has been developed so far, but not to fear the innovations. Such an approach forces me to develop extrelmy efficient yet elegant constructions. Many luthiers, instead of perfecting their instruments, just reach for the easier materials, obtaining quite fair results. In PAN instrumenty, for crucial bonding we use only a hide/bone glue, all the varnishes are the blend of natural rosins like shellac, mastic or sandarac.
Tuning machines made by Piotr
I am inspired by violin
A violin construction attained excellence about 300 years ago. Its construction, chic and sound efficiency still make a great impression! It is a perfect guide for seeking an approach to string instrument “formula” in general. Guitar development since Torres times is getting more and more intense – I truly believe that this century will bring the guitars of completely new possibilities.
Inspiration comes from everything!
I try to include the whole world I know in the guitar. All beauty, order, chaos, everything I know, seen, felt, understood. When one looks at the surrounding reality properly, it is easy to realize how the entire universe is contained in objects. And guitars are unique ones! They allow us to create and play music and transport us in time and space when we use them skillfully. Life has taught me that inspiration can come from any source.
In the service of Music
Beside being the luthier, I am also a guitarist. It leads me to better understanding of player needs and I have a straight opinion on how the sound shoud be shaped. Sometimes I may impose on guitarists my concept of sound, but it is only because I am sure about the accuracy of my approach. After a deep analysis of the history of guitar and guitar compositions, I came to the conclusion that until an instrument is not loud enough (that the musician does not have to force the sound to play with others and be heard), it will not take place desired by so many of us guitarists. Please don’t get me wrong, volume is not the most important thing! But, unfortunately, without volume, even the most beautiful sound simply won’t be heard. I often mention dynamic possibilities because it is a measurable quantity – the decibel level doesn’t lie.
