Peter Mach

Peter Mach is a Canadian luthier who lives in Aylmer (Gatineau), Quebec. Mach makes violins, violas, cellos, and double basses, and bows, and repairs string instruments and bows.

Career

Training

Peter Mach was initially trained as a pattern maker in his native Czechoslovakia. Before Mach immigrated to Canada in 1969, he studied the art of violin-making under Joseph Kun, a fellow Czech and a luthier and bow maker. In 1976, Mach enrolled in the international school of violin-making in Cremona, Italy. After graduating in 1980, Mach opened his own luthier's shop in Aylmer, Quebec, where he makes violins, violas, cellos, and double basses, and bows, and repairs string instruments and bows. Έ

Products

In 1997, Mach developed a shoulder rest, which he called the "Mach One Shoulder Rest". This rest is available for violin and viola. This is first wooden rest on the market to be hand-crafted out of maple. The rest has an ergonomic “S” shape that hugs the shoulder and a simple design that allows width and height adjustments. The attaching feet of the rest are molded out of a single piece of rubber. This means that the rest has minimal direct contact with the instrument, which prevents scratches on the instrument. Musicians such as André Rieu (a Holland-based musician who conducts and owns the Strauss orchestra) have praised the natural look of the rest's wood, which matches the back of the instrument. Some players, especially violists, have noticed that the rest actually improves the sound of their instruments.