Who is KNYS Instruments?

From the KNYS Instruments Website:

“A small hurdy-gurdy manufactory located in Gorlice, southeast Poland, founded by Radoslaw Malisz, who is the brain behind the design and the final execution of the instruments. We strive to create highest-quality products at affordable prices. From carefully selected materials, our small group is creating hurdy-gurdies with great attention to detail and to the sound the instruments will produce, constantly improving our creations and working on finding even better solutions.“

Radoslaw Malisz is the son of Jan Malisz, a long-time hurdy-gurdy maker from Poland. Radoslaw began making guitars and and other instruments as far back as 2015, when he founded KNYS instruments. Several years later, Radoslaw Malisz started building hurdy-gurdies in early 2020. His first instrument he described as a “large, electro-acoustic, cello-like” instrument. It had a scale length of 600mm (standard gurdies are usually around 300-400mm), 3 pickups, and a 2-octave range.

This same year, Radoslaw built another, similarly styled gurdy, but a smaller alto instrument. Both of these instruments got a lot of community feedback for its beautiful design, but these models did not find their way into the hands of advanced players to give proper reviews. See sound samples of each model below:

*Note that these instruments are currently NOT a style that are for sale

The Catnip B – a new model made for beginners

In late 2020, Radoslaw unveiled his new budget friendly model – the Catnip B. Radoslaw had completely resigned his instruments to be cost-effective for beginners looking to get their start.

The Catnip is a 6 string model (2/2/2) with 1 chien, a 2 octave range, and a 400mm scale length. The long scale length keeps the keyboard from being cramped at the upper range of the instrument. It is made out of plywood but sounds as good or better than the majority of hardwood instruments.

Since the initial unveiling of the Catnip B, Radoslaw has continuously improved the design, mechanics, sound, and features on the instrument. While some early models had some small issues, such as a poor quality knob or a missing bridge tie, all these issues vanished as Radoslaw collected feedback.

In late 2022, Radoslaw did a complete resign of the internals of the instrument, dubbing it the Catnip B v2. This instrument had vastly superior sound quality while still maintaining the solid mechanics of previous integrations.

The Catnip P – a more advance model

In early 2022, Radoslaw unveiled a new, higher end model – the Catnip P. The Catnip P is the same design as the Catnip B, with some upgrades.

These upgrades include:

• Higher quality solid woods.
• Nicer finish.
• Capo on each drone/melody string.
• Key lock capo on the first key on the bottom row.
• Chien on 2nd trompette (G3 trompette, no mouche).
• Built in 3 channel electronics – more on this below

Otherwise this instrument has the same scale length, shape, and design.

The electronics

The 3 channel electronics on the Catnip P are amazing. Each set of strings have a separate piezo pickup, so you can control the volume of the trompettes, drones, and melody strings separately on the external pre-amp (see image). You can also adjust the Treble, Mids, and Bass for each string to your liking.

We found this pre-amp extremely easy to use. It sounded very good coming through multiple amps, and never had any real issues. On top of the pre-amp controls, Radoslaw built in controls to the player-side of the instrument. The newer design than the above picture has 3 knobs, each colored just like on the pre-amp for easy remembering. Radoslaw also colored the end of the chien green and the rubber on the drone bridge red. That way you can easily tell which knob color goes to which set of strings.

The external pre-amp has become very common on modern hurdy-gurdies with electronics. It gives you much more control over everything, while keeping the electronics from weighing down the instrument. It is a great design and would work great on stage.

Should you buy these instruments?

One of our favorite additions to both of Radoslaw’s instrument is the CASE. The case is one of, if not the best gig bag we have seen for a hurdy-gurdy. It perfectly fits the instrument, has a raised section to keep the crank elevated, and the padding is very secure without the case being bulky. It also has a little pocket on the outside for accessories!

Catnip B

The Catnip B is currently the best bang for your buck instrument under $2000 USD. The sound quality is fantastic, you get a full 6 string model, and the instrument is easy to maintain for beginners. Radoslaw is extremely helpful and always responds quickly to inquires. The only downside is that because of his quality of work, his waitlist has risen to over 1 year (as of writing this February 2025). The wait is well worth it over similarly priced models, we cannot recommend it enough.

You can compare this model to similar priced models on our Hurdy-Gurdies on a Budget article.

Radoslaw has been known to attach a capo to each trompette/drone for an additional cost. This is a simple way to expand the repertoire of your instrument without constantly re-tuning strings, and potentially breaking them if they get too tense!

Catnip P

The Catnip P is $1200 USD more expensive than the Catnip B. Is the additional cost worth the upgrade?

A big chunk of this cost is going to come from the electronics. With 3 piezo pickups and a fully custom pre-amp that lets you control the volume of each string, as well as adjust the highs, mids, and lows of the sound, this model is ideal for those who plan to use these features heavily. Especially on stage.

We typically do not recommend using electronics for recording the natural sound of the instrument, as microphones are much better suited for this. If you plan to use pedals and effects or play amplified on stage – electronics are a no-brainer. Especially with separate pick-ups for each type of string, these electronics will give you a lot of control over the sound you produce through an amp and through pedals.

The 2nd chien, nicer finish, and capos are very nice to have too. If it is worth the extra money by itself is up to you!

Where to buy

Check out the KNYS Instruments Website to order. You can also contact Radoslaw directly on Facebook.

Why is it called the Catnip?

Obviously there is only 1 reason:

But there is actually a 2nd, more important reason. While Radoslaw was designing the Catnip, he met his soon-to-be wife. She truly inspired him during the creation of the Catnip project, and he dedicated it to her. After all, she made him feel like a cat on catnip 🙂

Like this article? Read more at GurdyWorld GurdyBlogs.