Travis Posted January 17 Posted January 17 Technically, the NGD was yesterday. However, it’s cold in Chicagoland in January. So, I waited the obligatory 18-24 hours after delivery to slowly bring it up to temp. 2026 Knaggs Kenai spec’d out by me. Build/completion date 1/9/26 so I got it exactly a week after it was done. 1-piece solid mahogany body, 1-piece unbound mahogany neck (cuz I prefer an unbound neck), tier-1 maple top in Blue green burst. 24.75” scale, Indian rosewood fretboard with Morning Star inlays, ebony headstock overlay, Bare Knuckle Mules and the Knaggs Influence bridge. So far I’ve only been able to plug it in to the Spark with headphones for 5 minutes to make sure all the electronics work (darn sleeping baby…) First impression is that the pickups are warm and articulate, very clear. “Bell-like” is an accurate description. Sustains like crazy… The neck is a little smaller than I expected. They say it’s a V into C carve. I would personally describe it as a chunky-medium asymmetrical C. If there’s a V to it then it’s the softest V I’ve ever felt. Flatter on the bass side of the neck and rounder on the treble side. Very, very comfortable. Can’t wait to plug it in to a real amp and get some time pushing air… 8 Quote
django49 Posted January 17 Posted January 17 I only have the one Knaggs. Pretty much all you would expect from a PRS Private Stock at a more reasonable price. What else might one expect from a guy who was a big time Private Stock builder before taking off on his own? 5 Quote
Travis Posted January 17 Author Posted January 17 16 minutes ago, django49 said: I only have the one Knaggs. Pretty much all you would expect from a PRS Private Stock at a more reasonable price. What else might one expect from a guy who was a big time Private Stock builder before taking off on his own? Yeah, I’ve played a few PRS over the years and I just never bonded with them. My Hamers always felt better. Granted, I haven’t played any private stock or the newer 594’s, just the run of the mill customs and CE’s, etc… I’m also a fan of smaller builders that don’t have the widespread name recognition of the likes of PRS/Fender/Gibson. Everybody knows those brands, even if they don’t know guitars. But players who know, know…. 1 Quote
specialk Posted January 18 Posted January 18 A beauty! Love the model name and the Bare Knuckle is the icing. Congrats. 2 Quote
django49 Posted January 18 Posted January 18 20 hours ago, Travis said: Yeah, I’ve played a few PRS over the years and I just never bonded with them. My Hamers always felt better. Granted, I haven’t played any private stock or the newer 594’s, just the run of the mill customs and CE’s, etc… I’m also a fan of smaller builders that don’t have the widespread name recognition of the likes of PRS/Fender/Gibson. Everybody knows those brands, even if they don’t know guitars. But players who know, know…. I had a similar issue with PRS guitars, at least in the earlier days. Lovely, but "sterile". Roundabout 2008 they made some changes that made their guitars much better, at least in IMHO. Pickups, finish and such were improved. More vintage sound and feel, if you will. Not a secret but I like the smaller builders. Turner, Walker, Myka, Grez. Shishkov, of course. Then there are those two from Germany, one of which has now gone far beyond the "one man luthier" stage. But at least 4 of the 7 are either not booking new orders or have prices that shut me out. FWIW, Rebel Guitars (down south) deals in a lot of Knaggs guitars. Very often has what I would consider very good prices on "slightly preowned ones". Never been sorry about anything I bought from him. BTW, for those that would like a Hamer Talladega Pro but cannot find one, Wes has a Dantzig (yeah, I know!) Tulsa that seems to be virtually the same thing as Jol introduced in the latter days at Hamer. But with a few upgrades that would seem to make it a "custom shop" version of the Tally Pro. Just sayin..... https://rebel-guitars.com/preowned-jol-dantzig-guitars-tulsa-in-blood-red/ 3 Quote
cmatthes Posted January 19 Posted January 19 Being a longline Maryland resident, I’d probably call that “Blue Crab Burst”, but… That kicks @$$, Travis! 2 1 Quote
ArnieZ Posted January 19 Posted January 19 Almost pulled the trigger on an Eric Stecckel Kenai same color sold while I was mulling over the purchase. Ended up with my 594 SC but would love to try a Kenai. Beautiful guitar Travis Enjoy!!! arniez 1 Quote
django49 Posted January 19 Posted January 19 Some of his builds can be a bit over the top, but the workmanship and attention to detail is undeniable. 3 Quote
Travis Posted January 19 Author Posted January 19 13 hours ago, django49 said: Some of his builds can be a bit over the top, but the workmanship and attention to detail is undeniable. The Severn is on my radar if I ever decide to go “strat” style again. So may different options available, including a headless version that looks REALLY cool to me. Which I found interesting because I’ve never been fond of the headless designs in the past… 🤷🏻♂️ Quote
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