Knaggs Guitars - Legacy and Innovation

Who makes Knaggs Guitars, and what makes them different?

Knaggs Guitars was founded in 2009 by Joe Knaggs, one of PRS’s earliest employees, who ran PRS’s factory and later headed its Private Stock department before starting his own company with marketing veteran Peter Wolf in Greensboro, Maryland. Every model is named after a Native American river as a tribute, and the brand’s defining trait is what players call the “Knaggs ring” — exceptional sustain and harmonic richness, even unplugged. Technical innovations back that up: the proprietary Chesapeake tremolo and Influence 2-in-1 hardtail bridge, paired with Bareknuckle or Lindy Fralin pickups for a crunchy, dynamic midrange. The two flagship lines are Chesapeake (25.5” scale, led by the strat-style Severn) and Influence (24.75” scale, led by the Les Paul-inspired Kenai). Artists including Steve Stevens, Billy Morrison, and Slipknot’s Mick Thompson play Knaggs guitars, and the brand also builds baritones, seven-strings, and headless models on request.

Knaggs guitars are handcrafted in Greensboro, Maryland, on the East Coast of the USA. The company started when Joe Knaggs (one of the first employees of Paul Reed Smith guitars, who later became head of the Private Stock department) teamed up with marketing veteran Peter Wolf to create Knaggs Guitars.

Joe Knaggs story

Joe Knaggs' story starts in Bowie, Maryland, where he grew up living on the same street as Paul Reed Smith. In his free time, Joe worked on finishing guitars, later invited by Paul to join the PRS team in the newly opened factory in Annapolis. He started in the finishing room, helping with the wood shop and final assembly. He was quickly promoted to run the factory, and with time started to work on occasional projects (Guitar of the Month), artist instruments, and one-off builds side by side with Paul Reed Smith, which laid the ground for the Private Stock department.

2009 saw Joe launch his own company - Knaggs Guitars. Backed up by Peter Wolf and some of his colleagues from the PRS team (some of them were among the first PRS employees!), Knaggs opened the workshop in Greensboro, located across the Eastern Bay, a one-hour drive from Annapolis. As a tribute to the native Americans, all Knaggs models take their names from Native Indian rivers of North America.

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Knaggs Guitars beginning

The primary focus when crafting Knaggs' guitars was sustain and harmonic richness - also known as "Knaggs ring". Very few guitar makers can indeed compete with their natural resonance, which makes the guitar sound lively and full, even when unplugged. Their natural compression is second to none, and coupled with clever technical innovations, Knaggs guitars pay tribute to the legacy of boutique builders' perfection, but they look ahead to improve classic designs and make it easier for us, guitarists.

Technical Innovations

Talking about the innovation, the best example would be Knaggs bridges: Knaggs Chesapeake Trem (tremolo), and Knaggs Influence 2-in-1 bridge (hard tail). Rock solid, smooth, and supporting the sustain and the tone, they are working musicians' best friends. One of the best in business, whatever cosmic technology or magic they use to create them, Knaggs does it really well.

Pickup-wise, mostly you'll find Bareknuckle Pickups and Lindy Fralins as Knaggs' go-to choice. Both pickup brands have very distinct, crunchy midrange with a broad range of dynamics, and that's a great match for the resonant, lively character of Knaggs guitars.

Knaggs models

Let's pause here to take a look at the models. There are two main series of models: Chesapeake (25.5" scale guitars) and Influence (24.75" scale instruments). While you can find similarities to known and loved Gibson or Fender instruments, they are very far from classic designs. First off, all of the models are set-neck. Their flagship superstrat, Severn, is a beautiful example of an updated strat-style design. Ultra-comfortable neck, huge headstock, smooth tremolo action, ergonomic body lines, and perfect fretwork. Another great example of an upgraded classic design is Kenai. It's not so much a rendition of Les Paul as it is a condensation of experiences from years of luthier work put into one great single-cut design. Slimmer, more ergonomic, lighter, with great balance and pristine tone that go from bell-like to roaring, and anything in between. The rock machine made for modern applications.

Artists

It's worth mentioning the artists who chose Knaggs guitars as their go-to instruments: Steve Stevens and Billy Morisson (Billy Idol), Eric Steckel, Larry Mitchel, Doug Rappoport, and more. Recently, you can even see Mick Thompson from Slipknot wielding some of Knaggs' creations, including a baritone version of the Severn.

Modern designs

To finish off, we should mention that Knaggs don't stray away from exploring new designs - baritone guitars, seven-strings, headless - they've got it. Joe even builds several acoustic guitars a year. The fact that Knaggs actually listen to their community, and interact with players a lot, is not without importance. Just recently, they released a Kenai with the Severn tremolo bridge - a thing that has been asked for a lot among players. If we add to it amazing finish options (just see the Steve Stevens Severn XF!), we have a very wide variety of custom shop options to choose from, no matter what kind of guitars are appealing to you - long or short scale, hollow-body or PRS-like.

Knaggs are guitars made for players. They look beautiful on stage, cut through the mix, stay in tune, and have tone for years. If you are looking for a PRS-like quality with both legacy and innovations - look no further.