McKnight LowLander
 

Hi all,

Excited to share that my first-ever custom build will be commencing shortly! I couldn't possibly ask for a better luthier/company to work with than the McKnights (Tim and Mary). So thorough in communication and extremely generous with their time -- all overlaid with exceptional kindness and patience. Today, they even took me on an amazing virtual tour of their shop, where we explored in detail all the various materials, woods, tools, etc... and then focused on finalizing the particulars/specs for my build. Honestly, felt like I was in the shop with them!

Here are the general specs:
- McKnight LowLander OOO
- 12-fret w/ venetian cutaway
- German Spruce top
- Amazon RW back/sides
- Honduran Mahogany neck
- Ebony bridge, fretboard
- ABW binding
- ABW rosette
- Luckenbooth sound port
- 25.25" scale
- 1 3/4" nut width
- 2 3/16" string spacing
- Gotoh 510 tuners


Looking for nice and rich volume/resonance/overtones in a comfortable smaller-body, and I think I'm going to get that and then some. Very excited to start this journey!

Big thank you to the McKnights!

Photos of the build process will be forthcoming....

"Looking for nice and rich volume/resonance/overtones in a comfortable smaller-body, and I think I'm going to get that and then some. Very excited to start this journey!"

You should be VERY pleased with this!!!

As always, I suggest bevels, soundport, and a Manzer Wedge. You will be floored by the comfort and the tone.

Tim and Mary are a real font of knowledge and very generous in sharing it !

Enjoy the process and have FUN

Paul

Thanks, Paul. Couldn't agree more concerning their wealth of knowledge (and willingness to share it). And yes, I will be going with a sound port! Just don't know exactly what style/shape to do yet. Will be fun though just thinking about the possibilities.

- John

You're in very good hands with Tim & Mary!

Congrats on your build. My most recent McKnight (Slim) has become a favorite of mine. Tim knows how to squeeze every ounce of tone possible. I truly believe you will be astounded. Couldn't agree with you more about Tim and Mary. Good people! Get ready for the most fun ride of your life! :)

John, how exciting! You made a great choice of luthier, will be fun to follow along. It's an awesome advance in your guitar journey. Congrats, and best of everything in 2021! :up:

Glad it's going to work out for you. I'm pretty sure you will be a very happy picker upon receiving your Lowlander.

Two of the finest folks you'll ever meet - you're journey will be an extremely pleasant one!

Congratulations! I'm jealous. I'm in need of a new McKnight. I put mine in the dryer: ;)

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ab4a7b_w_d.jpg

LOL Neil. Just add water daily. It will grow. :D

Nice people making great guitars, great people making nice guitars. Either way you say it, it's true. I've always enjoyed talking to the McKnights at the shows, and the guitars always sound wonderful. I will enjoy seeing this guitar come to life.

Thanks everyone, for the well wishes and kind comments. Decided to change my binding to something dark which I think will serve to accent the elegance of the woods. And also decided to go for a medallion luckenbooth, as I have heard a lot of positives about sound ports.

Tim and Mary are the best! I have 4 McKnights (full disclosure - my wife owns one of them), so I'm fully qualified to make that assessment.

Be sure to post pics of the build progress. Mary will send you a couple almost every day.

Here is preliminary pic of the back (Amazon RW). Love the dark straight grain! :)

Nice! Nothing like straight grained Rosewood.

Rodger,
Look close and you may remember the set pictured above? It was in your top two B&S picks for the Dominator. However, you opted to go with the BRW set instead. We have very high expectations for this set.

I have sent a few pictures as the process is coming along. I'm under the impression adding pictures is become more of a challenge. CigarFan .... you might get a call because you might need to teach several of us on the sharing picture process.

Yes, Mary, you're right -- lots of updates/pics! Really excited at how this is coming along already!

Hopefully, I'm doing this right in terms of adding the photos. Not an expert at posting pics here.

More pics!

I don't know ... it sure looks like JJ has things under control!

Lookin' good!

Yes, Sir. He sure does! I am impressed. I'm so pleased for his talent, too.

Looking good--love the blue!

Double sides! Standard with all McKnight builds. Really love this design/feature.

Latest updates!

Coming along so beautifully. I was/am going for a relatively simple, elegant look, and am so pleased with what I'm seeing so far. Love the dark, straight-grain Amazon RW and the blue center seam...which is going to match the purfling.

And more.....

Wow - moving right along! Going to be beautiful!

I'm late to the game here but wish to chime in. I have a few McKnights with varying sound ports. While the Luckenbooth port looks cool, and I do have it on one of my McKnights, I'm partial to the dual sound ports myself (on two of my McKnights; see my 'Black Limba' on page five of the gallery). Maybe it's all in my head, but it feels more like stereo than what I gain from the Luckenbooth or what I've heard from the 'Todd port.'

Congrats on the build, though; Tim will have to correct me if I'm mistaken, but the Lowlander model isn't built as frequently as it should be. That wider lower bout at the tail does something special. Regardless of the model, I feel confident you will be more than fully satisfied by the guitar you eventually receive. And enjoy the process: That's almost as good as the actual guitar! Thanks for sharing the images with all of us.

A virtual tour of the wood room: I still think I'd be salivating and ready to pass out even via Zoom, but you're missing the aroma of all those marvelous woods! Hope you have a chance to truly visit Greater Metropolitan Morral at some point and enjoy the company of the McKnights in person. Great people. Great guitars.

Looking GREAT
 

Nice one coming!!! Thanks for sharing this...

Enjoy it in fine health and high spirits

Salud

Paul

Wow, the construction of this beauty is well documented, this is one serious luthierie paprazzi (first time in my life I ever used two French words in a sentence, I must be getting smarter). I like the look of the blue bordered backstrip.

Looking really good! RW is phenomenal. Nice pick on the backstrip.