While Peter Mach has always been fascinated by the luthier's art, he was initially trained as a pattern maker in his native Czechoslovakia before turning to instrument making. After immigrating to Canada in 1969, he studied the art under Joseph Kun, a fellow Czech and a luthier and bow maker. In 1976, he enrolled in the international school of violin-making in Cremona, Italy. After graduating in 1980, he opened his own shop in Aylmer, Quebec, where he continues making and repairing string instruments and bows.

In 1997, Peter Mach developed the Mach One Shoulder Rest for violin and viola. The first wooden rest on the market hand-crafted out of maple, the rest features an ergonomic “S” shape that hugs the shoulder. The Mach One features a simple but fully adjustable design for width and height. The attaching feet are molded out of a single piece of nylon with minimal contact with the instrument. Musicians like the natural look of the wood, which matches the back of the instrument. Some players have noticed that the rest actually improves the sound of their instruments.