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Minarik Super Custom Guitars
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In a few short years, Marc Minarik has gone from a
career as a guitarist in Top 40 bands featuring female singers to designing globally renowned custom
axes for Christina Aguilera and Pink’s guitarist. Not to mention a new bass for Motorhead’s Lenny
Kilmister, one of Minarik’s signature Black Infernos for James Valentine of Maroon 5 — and thousands
of very satisfied musician customers on every continent but Africa.
Endorsing more unsigned artists than any other guitar maker, Minarik is very excited about his
exclusive endorsement deal with up-and-coming female artist Alexa Vetere. In line with Minarik Super
Custom Guitars’ incredible exponential growth since its founding in 2002, a deal to distribute the
Glendale-based company’s lines in South Africa is currently in the works.
Minarik discovered his natural affinity for guitar design during his days as a performing musician,
when he received an endorsement deal from veteran guitar manufacturer BC Rich. He went into the
company’s custom shop one day to design his own guitar, and BC Rich president Bernie Rico, Sr. —
long a legend in the manufacturing world — told Minarik he had an ability that few designers in the
business had. After designing professionally for BC Rich for a few years, Minarik took the risk of
starting his own company with his first design, the controversial Diablo, which featured a unique
“cut up” shape.
“Everyone in the industry told me I was crazy, that there was no way to mass produce this design,”
he says, “but I had a theory on how it could be done. Then I came up with the Inferno, and got the
same response from many people. Fortunately, Bernie was helping me by working the backchannels to
hook me up with parts for companies like Seymour Duncan and Tone Pros Bridge. They in turn
introduced me to some mass production manufacturers. I knew the only way these guitars could happen
was to do them myself.”
In addition to launching his Korea manufactured Studio Extreme import series, Minarik received a
great boost from surf guitar legend Dick Dale, who began performing live using handmade American
versions of Minarik’s shapes. The first market tests for the imported Inferno prototypes were going
through the roof, and the guitarist’s company — which he proudly says will always be an “indie
underdog organization” — was off and running. While he handles handmade custom guitars and artist
relations, Minarik’s staff includes his father Bill, who deals with import series distribution.
Minarik received an early boost via promotion by the mail order company Musician’s Friend, whose
catalog reaches over 2.5 million people.
“The unique shape of my guitars is always what polarizes prospective customers,” says Minarik.
“Some see them and have to have them. Others hate the shape initially, but are won over when someone
at retail demonstrates their superior tone quality. The whole frequency range of the Inferno is
bigger and wider than that of any other guitar.”
The success of the Inferno led to numerous other signature designs with equally provocative names
—Goddess, Manta, Pandora, Halo. “I start with a shape I enjoy, then engage in a six-step process on
engineering the body for tone chambers,” he says. “These are specialized pockets in the body which
increase sound and balance frequencies in the right directions. I spent several years developing
this unique method of body engineering. Before you plug in an electric guitar, you should be able to
strum the string and generate a good volume unplugged with total frequency balance from low to high
string. The high strings on most other guitars completely obliterate the sound of the low strings,
and that’s wrong. When people come to us, they know the sound will be better.
“On a more personal level, nothing compares to the look a kid gives his parents at a trade show or
a store when he sees an Inferno for the first time,” Minarik adds. “I know that what I’ve created
has turned that kid’s life around, and I can almost bet that someday he’ll own a few of them!”
Contact Minarik Guitars
818-243-3733
©2005 Music Connection Inc.
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