“I never wanted to make someone else’s
instrument any more than I wanted to
copy someone else’s painting,” says artist and
luthier Peter Malinoski. “I make one-of-a-kind
guitars one at a time.” This philosophy
pushed Malinoski—a bassist who learned
guitar—into building guitars in 1986 because
he wasn’t satisfied with what was available in
stores. “I’ve never understood the idea that
companies still believe solidbody electric
guitars should be built as they were 60 years
ago,” says Malinoski. “From that first instrument,
I was hooked on the idea of making
wildly different electric guitars. I see one-piece,
bolt-on necks, and bodies with formless,
flat backs that lack acknowledgement of
the third dimension as a compromise.”
For the past 25 years, Malinoski has
applied his Master of Fine Art degrees in
Woodworking and Functional Design with
his creative vision to construct instruments
that are aesthetically influenced by 21stcentury
design. “I developed a system to
mount the electronic components onto a
single wooden plate that attaches to the
front of the guitar body,” says Malinoski.
“There is virtually no neck pocket—the
three-piece neck is glued and screwed to the
top of the body and the pickup plate rises
up to meet the height of the neck.”
This approach allows Malinoski to sculpt
and contour both the front and the back
of the guitar to accentuate its form and
eliminate the need for cover plates. He says
the combination of woods and mounting
the pickups directly to the wooden plate
produces a truer overall tone that’s enhanced
by sensing vibrations transferred through the
body, as well as the strings. As for the reasoning
behind the three-piece neck, he believes
it “creates a stronger, more stable structure
and prevents the neck from dead spots
because it is unlikely all three pieces have the
same resonant frequency alignment.”
While not everyone might find his guitar
designs visually appealing, Malinoski is
more than okay with that. “My guitars and
basses are not meant to be the do-all, end-all
instrument for every utilitarian player,” says
Malinoski. “They aren’t built the same, they
don’t look the same, and they don’t sound the
same as any other instrument. My intention
is to create unique and beautiful instruments
for making unique and beautiful music.”
Fez #65
This semi-hollow model has an oiled Spanish cedar body with a white ash pickup plate. Its oiled zebrano neck has a 24.75"-scale bird’s-eye maple fretboard and a walnut headstock. The guitar is loaded with a Malinoski Type 2 humbucker that he describes as “being a Fender-style pickup, but with more midrange and a darker sound because I use larger magnets.” In addition, the #65—like all other Malinoski models—comes with a passive piezo transducer under the bridge “to add an acoustic brightness while maintaining the low end of the magnetic pickups.”
Toro #48
One of Malinoski’s more adventurous creations, the Toro #48 looks like a rounded cross between B.C. Rich’s Mockingbird and Virgin models. This particular Toro has a white ash body, a handpainted acrylic green finish, and a pickup plate carved from quilted maple. Made from mahogany and white ash, the neck sports a 24.75"- scale olive fretboard and 24 large frets. The Toro comes with two Malinoski Type 2 humbuckers and a passive piezo bridge transducer.
Rodeo #66
Featuring an oiled Spanish cedar body with an oiled ambrosia maple pickup plate, the curvaceous, 25.5"-scale singe-cutaway shown here is a Rodeo #66. In addition to its passive piezo bridge transducer, the guitar sports a Malinoski Type 2 humbucker in the neck position and Type 3 humbucker at the bridge.
Rodeo Bass #71
This 26-fret Rodeo bass has an oiled hardrock and figured maple neck with a 32"- scale padauk fretboard. The beast’s poplar body has a handpainted acrylic-blue finish and its ambrosia maple pickup plate houses Malinoski Type 2 bass humbuckers. Like its guitar siblings, the bass comes with a passive piezo bridge transducer. Other appointments include Wilkinson tuners and a Hipshot SS bridge.
Raja #72
The Raja #72 has an oiled Spanish cedar body, an oiled flame-birch pickup plate with white ash controls, Malinoski Type 2 and Type 3 humbuckers in the neck and bridge positions, respectively, a passive piezo bridge transducer, Sperzel Trim-Lok tuners, and a Skyway Vibrato bridge. The maple neck is topped with a 24-fret, 24.75"-scale padauk fretboard and boasts a cherry headstock.
Pricing and Availability
Pricing for each guitar varies, but the base price for the Rodeo models are $2000, the Fez and Toro start at $3200, and the custom Raja begins at $4500. And when it comes to customer input, Malinoski welcomes new ideas—to an extent. “I’m willing to accommodate wishes regarding scale length, materials, finishes, and other things,” he says. “But the line is drawn at the point where ideas diverge from my basic design integrity or philosophy.” Malinoski’s workshop is a one-man operation, and his current wait time is four to six weeks.
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