About us

Stanislav Petko Marinov

“To be honest, I started playing guitar mainly because I found that girls liked it.”

“I’ve always been interested in how things work. I’ve been playing the violin since I was six and nobody was very happy with me when I took one apart to see what was inside. For years, the violin remained my passion. That’s why I worked for free with the best violin maker in the area while I was studying at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at STU, learning the craft. Later, while doing a Ph.D. I had the opportunity to spend time in an acoustic laboratory, where I tested my theoretical knowledge of the properties and qualities of wood and put them into practice. I believe that the basis of a good instrument is good material. That’s why I often travel to Spain, Italy, and Switzerland and choose the best acoustic plates for our guitars.”

“If you find the initials *SPM* inside your guitar, I tuned the top plate myself. I draw inspiration mainly from the old violin masters who knew how to find the balance between stiffness and flexibility, sustain and clarity of sound.”

Erika Maťo Marinová

“I probably shouldn’t say this publicly, but we have super much fun at work. I envy myself this job.”

With a diploma in Biomedical Physics, it seemed a far cry to be drawn back to the world of guitars. And yet, perhaps not. My childhood was surrounded by music and musical instruments, so it was a small step to return to them. My father was and is a fine role model, never allowing himself to be discouraged and being true to his instincts. Additionally, I am full of admiration for the creative team here – their craftsmanship and attention to detail is awe-inspiring.

“I get passionate about wood and whenever I can, I go with my father to help in the painstaking work of selection. However, these days, a lot of my time is taken up by production management, but my favourite distraction has always been custom guitars.”

Peter Kičák

“Unfortunately, I have such an obsession that I like to take apart and put things back together”….and also write there that I played in a band…

“I graduated from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences at the Technical University in Zvolen. During my PhD. studies at the department of Physical and Musical Acoustics of DF TU, I researched the properties of wood in the laboratory of acoustics of musical instruments, while I was fundamentally influenced by my internship in Finland, where I could test my theoretical knowledge in practice. Since childhood, my hobby has been electrical engineering and music, which I combined, and maybe that’s why it led me to a career as a sound engineer and shortly after that to Dowina, where I’ve been since 2011, and I can realize my ideas. “

“Recently, I have been focusing mainly on our unique Aura concept, on which I invented a unique joint between the body and the neck, the so-called false cutout.’

Ján Sárkány

“I believe in guitars.”

“I’ve been playing the guitar since I was fourteen, it was love at first sight. From the beginning, I was fascinated by its sound, expressiveness, but also its design. Along with playing, I started to modify instruments and to build them later. A happy accident brought me to Dowina, where I can work with geeks and enthusiasts like myself.”

“Right now I’m mostly doing final setup of the guitars, but I like to spend time anywhere in production.”

Every Dowina guitar has passed through the hands of all of us. We are a small team of luthiers, musicians, artistic carvers, technical engineers, designers… and the list goes on. However, we are united by our enthusiasm for working with wood and the joy of music. Our guitars are special in the truest sense of the word, because behind every detail you can find a person who devoted himself to it. In the Blog section, we will try to introduce us gradually, so that you have the opportunity to look at Dowina and see us, the people who make guitars.