McKnight Mini Mac...

[Idaho John]

I am getting ready to commit the the 3 to 4 year process of getting a McKnight Mini Mac. I have already talked to Tim and found him to be an honest and warm human being. Now I would like to talk to some of you who have McKnights and get your impression of your guitar. How is it? What makes the difference for you (besides the fact that it is a custom guitar) over previous guitars.

I posted earlier asking for photos and got zero response. I hope this time I get some feedback.

Thanks.

[Compurocker]

I personally cannot speak for owning a McKnight. I will say I have heard various recordings of McKnight Guitars and those that own them love them and keep them forever! I have never heard a negative comment made about a McKnight Guitar. They are very honest people who have your happiness and pleasure at heart. How I envy you! They will work with you personally and I believe the Guitar you end up will be as important to you as one of your limbs. What great people to know. They are truly what they represent.

Truly Artwork capable of producing beautiful Tone allowing your Guitar playing to grow and you will be amazed at the beautiful melodies that will flow from your heart and soul out of the Guitar. Time flies. A pile of the highest quality wood and hardware carefully chosen to create flawless Masterpieces which are each created to fit you. One Luthier Handbuilt Guitars are a dream that many wish they could afford.
There are a number of McKnight Guitar owners here. Please speak up and tell
Idaho John how your McKnight changed your life!

[nohandles]

http://www.neonlightsimaging.com/McK...redwood_Build/
This was posted on a Ukulele sight I frequent. Very interesting process he uses for building his guitars.

I can't speak with personal experience but I have been at a festival with a guy playing one in a jam. It was excellent sounding and a real looker. He claims this is his last guitar. LOL I know him to well to believe that.

[riorider]

I'm not a McKnight owner - but I am close, and did have the privilege of attending the McJam in Ohio this past June - as well as playing some of Tim's guitars at Healdsburg. At the McJam (highly recommended, by the way, if you are considering - not only for trying some finished guitars but also for visiting the wood room and enjoying the famous McKnight hospitality!) I was able to play 5 or 6 finished guitars of various shapes and woods.

I also played a Cougar at Artisan in Franklin, TN, last year, and in all cases the workmanship, technology, and musical execution have been of the highest caliber.

You have lots of choices with a McKnight, and I cannot recommend Tim and Mary more highly. Best of luck with your build.

rr

[Neil Gardiner]

I don't own a McKnight, but I played a couple a few years ago at the Montreal guitar show. And also had the chance to talk to Mary and Tim.

Wonderful guitars and truly warm nice people.

I don't think you can go wrong ordering a guitar from them.

For what it's worth.

N

[bk314159]

Hi John,

I was where you're at a couple of months ago. One of the main reasons I went to the Healdsburg Guitar Festival was to see if Tim's guitars were as good as everyone in the forum said they were. After playing the Orange Osage Mini Mac that Tim and Mary had brought (thanks John), I was convinced and ordered my Mini Mac on the spot. The guitar just sang. It was very light and incredibly responsive. It was loud and the sustain was amazing.

As everyone has said, I don't think you could meet two nicer, more accommodating people than the McKnights. So I wish you good luck. I'll be a few spots ahead of you in your wait.

BK

[ductape]

I own a McKnight mini mac. Best guitar I've ever owned or played, and I've played a boatload in my time. I keep getting compliments form people everywhere I play, and I get around. I could write a book right here on Tim and Mary about how wonderful they are to work with, and the fact that they are some of the sweetest, most knowledgeable people I know. They are both true Christians. I've spent time in their home and their shop. I cannot post pics with my computer, but you will see a pic of my wife and I with our guitar on their website. We are standing in the shop at the time of the pic. As for the guitar, if Tim is building one for you, it will be perfect. My wife said the first thing she noticed was how I held this brand new guitar like on old friend. It plays like one too. It knows my desires when I'm playing to give the effect I want. It's hard to explain. I am building a guitar in a local shop class, and I've seen what goes into making one. Time goes beyond "building" one. He creates a guitar. Tim says, "God makes the wood, we just bend it into shape". Believe me, it goes much farther than that. The neck is just right for my hand, the feel of the strings the same, and the sound is unreal. I have people that have seen and heard the guitar a dozen times already and still they say "Man! That's an awesome guitar! The sound is unreal! And it's so light!". It's a part of me now. I use it in music ministry full time. It goes EVERYWHERE I do. With Mary's "beauty" tips, and Tim's know how, you can't miss.

[Quickstep192]

I have a McKnight MiniMac and I flat out love it. I opted for the double top and double back and the side port. The sustain on this guitar is just incredible. It just seems to ring and ring and ring. One of the things I told Tim I wanted was really crisp bass notes and he has accomplished that. I think part of that is the double top, but I also think Tim spends a lot of time voicing the top.

I absolutely had a blast with the process. Tim would frequently call me to ask about a detail and I enjoyed this because it was important to me that it turn out "just so". Many builders might call me a "problem customer", but it didn't seem to matter to Tim. Also, Mary kept me supplied with countless pictures as things progressed. I would do this over and over if I could afford to.

I guess after this much gushing, I should be sure to indicate that other than owning a McKnight guitar, I have no personal or financial interest in their business, I just happen to love their product. I don't think you'll be dissapointed.

[mdwamp]

John,

I am the owner of a McKnight Highlander. I've only had it for several days. I have to say that it is the finest sounding guitar I've played in my short time playing guitar. In that time, I've had several "big name" production guitars. None compare. I've done multiple blind A/B tests and the mini mac is undefeated. My instructor, who has been playing for nearly 50 years and has played for some big name acts, said it is quite possibly the best sounding guitar he has ever played. I know this is subjective, but you asked for opinions and experiences.

I hope I have the opportunity to own a second McKnight someday. I wouldn't hesitate.

Check your PM...

[jameshughd]

John: I missed the first posting, sorry about that. I have a Jumbo 12-string, Tim's first one. Not only is it a beautifully crafted instrument, it plays like a dream, great action, and booms. Double top and hollow back make for an incredible sound.

I have a Martin custom as well, nine month wait and a good guitar at the end. But the build process with Martin was nothing like the joy of the build with Tim and Mary. Pictures, emails, wonderful conversations about what I needed and wanted in an instrument, how I played, etc., (mostly in church as a worship leader -- needed a big sound since sometimes I am the only musician there) and most of all -- a genuine understanding of how much the future owner of a McKnight has invested in the instrument, apart from the money.

I waited two years and when I held and strummed my hummingbird for the first time all my expectations were blown right out the window - surpassed in other words.

If you love guitars and making music and want to make good music on an amazing instrument, then Tim is one of the luthiers you want making yours.

[Big Bad Bill]

I own a McKnight 12 fret slope in Adirondack/Brazilian, which I ordered in February 08 and received pretty much exactly 12 months later.

I specifically wanted a guitar that was responsive enough for soft fingerpicking with bare fingers, and at the same time can take heavy strumming. Tim built me a 12 fret dread with a double top, hollow back and a sound port, and the result is a MONSTER of a guitar with an extremely wide dynamic range. You can go from James Taylor to Pete Townshend in an instant and it always sounds like you're hitting its sweet spot. It's pretty incredible. Loooong and shimmering sustain too.

I couldn't be happier with my McKnight experience, and both Tim and Mary are especially good at keeping customers up to date on what's happening with the build at any given time. With Mary's frequent emails and pictorials from the workshop you really feel like you're part of the building process - and part of the McKnight family too.

Tim builds superb instruments, and him and Mary are warm and honest people who take the concept of customer service to the next level. They will go out of their way to ensure you're a happy customer.

I warmly recommend the McKnights.

[Betz]

Hello John,

Have you seen that full-page ToneRite ad making the rounds in the guitar magazines? That sunburst MiniMac featured in the ad is mine, and if you think she photographs well you should hear her sing. You may look at the picture and see that incredible birds-eye flamed maple and think you know how she will sound but you would be wrong. Because that McKnight Hollow-Back allows for rosewood inside (where it counts, sonically speaking). I will be posting some tracks on my website (www.acousticsaver.com / now an AGF sponsor) so you will be able to hear her.

Did I mention playability? I am primarily a finger-style player. The neck is just right, the body nestles against you, and the Hollow-Back allows for that secure contact feeling without dampening the sound. And, I don't know exactly how to describe it (much less how you design or build it) but the resistance and release of the strings on the right hand can make or break a finger-picking guitar. The moment I picked it up in Healdsburg I felt it; it was there. I sat in a chair and Tim was explaining the Hollow-Back to me. He could have stopped at any time, though, because I could feel the guitar vibrating in my hands in response to his voice. I was so sold.

Finally, you have Mary overseeing every step of the build process as well as visual presentation of the instrument. Elegant and appropriate without a trace of overdone or gaudy. At the risk of sounding redundant; just right.

So, if you are looking at a 3+ year wait I have some definite suggestions. Eat right, get plenty of sleep, and exercise. You are going to want to be in shape when she shows up.

Betz

[cpabolting]

Just checked out Tim's web page...how cool is that? He looks like he builds some sweet ones!

[Kurt]

I'm a McKnight Mini Mac owner, and you could cut and paste everything Ductape said and it would fit for me, too (well, except for the wife -- I'm not married, but the guitar did feel "natural" to me the first time I held it).

I spent nearly two years visiting luthiers around the Midwest -- some twenty in all -- before settling on Tim. Before I left his shop, I had cut a check for a build and hand-selected the woods myself -- cocobolo back and sides, LS redwood top. If you go to guitarbench.com and check out the interview there with Tim, you'll see the headstock of my guitar: a Petoskey stone cut in the shape of an oak leaf embedded in the wood. I've had the guitar well over a year now, and it's just as beautiful and marvelous today as it was when I opened the case the first time.

But let's get back to the luthier selection process: first, Tim is meticulous, a perfectionist, and a true engineer when it comes to the science of building, and his deflection testing in particular sets him apart from many luthiers; second, his shop is one of the best, if not the best, I've ever visited, in terms of space, equipment, and materials; third, Tim keeps all of his wood in a specially-sealed, precisely-humidified room (and you'd be surprised at how many luthiers don't come close to this step); fourth, Tim and Mary, as you'll find repeated all over this forum, are spectacular, genuine people.

You know what especially made the difference to me? Many luthiers build a guitar that has "their sound," and nothing but "their sound" -- and sometimes I'm not sure even the wood choices make much difference. But when you visit Tim (if you have this luxury), you will be able to play a dozen to a score of his guitars -- and you will find each one distinctive in tone, yet equally gorgeous one to the next. If you're looking for a specific sound, tone, resonance, sustain, complexity, depth, what have you, in this guitar you are planning to have built, Tim is the one luthier I would trust to get you there.

I've made a deposit to have Tim build a second guitar for me. And if I have my way, he'll build a third one down the road. There are other top luthiers who could build me a guitar, but I trust the process and the quality of working with Tim.

[edman]

I'm not a McKnight owner (I do own several McKnight t-shirts -) but I am a huge McKnight fan.

I attended the annual McKnight Jam in June. Tim and Mary had more than a dozen different McKnight guitars on hand. I played every one of them. The attention to detail and craftsmanship is second to none. His guitars are gorgeous and they sound even better.

My advice is to make the trip to Ohio and see them in person. You will leave a believer without a single doubt that you are buying the right guitar.

I would buy one in a second if I had money.