Rafal Turkowiak

Innovative and unconventional, Rafal Turkowiak redefines classical guitar making through patented soundboard, neck, and bridge designs. His instruments merge artistic intuition with scientific precision, offering players enhanced projection and tonal complexity. Each model is crafted to push sonic boundaries and embodies nearly four decades of experimental luthiery shaped by heritage, invention, and relentless curiosity.

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Rafal Turkowiak – Guitar Maker

Early Life and Musical Roots

Rafal Turkowiak was born on January 9, 1966, in Golanice near Leszno, Poland. His father, a carpenter, and his grandfather, a wheelwright, had a significant influence on the young boy in the field of carpentry and woodworking.

First Contact with Guitar and Self-Initiated Craftsmanship

At the age of 15, he completed his music elementary school education after successfully completing a three-year course in classical guitar in less than six months. Two years later, inspired by dismantling an old guitar, he built his first classical instrument with a soundhole and a unique top construction with suspended bracing, which was innovative at that time (see image).

Recognition and Early Success

His passion for the guitar made him even more eager to play these amazing instruments. In 1983, he qualified with his own guitar among 5000 other participants for the semi-finals of the National Young Talent Show in Poznan, Poland. The jury, including Aleksander Maliszewski, a renowned composer and conductor, and Urszula Sipinska, a popular singer at the time, referred to him as the Polish Paul McCartney.

Innovations and Achievements in Guitar Making

His nearly forty years of experience and experimentation in guitar making have led to a successful innovation in the soundboard: the WAVE type resonator is used in all of his instruments. He has also invented the world’s first guitar in which the sound comes not only from the body but also from the neck. The globally patented innovation (European Patent Office EP 3340231 (B1)) of acoustic tubes inside the guitar neck is his greatest achievement. He is also the inventor of the (patented) world’s first bridge with drilled holes and of back and sides made in high-tech press. All of these innovations make Rafal Turkowiak one of the finest guitar makers.