“Paul Reed Smith and I grew up on the same street. He knew I was finishing guitars and one day asked for help. Eventually we needed somebody to head up the factory. He said, 'You’re it’”: How Joe Knaggs became one of America’s most respected guitar makers

It was pure chance that led to Joe Knaggs becoming a guitar builder. He started his career working at a finishing plant, overseeing the final touches for everything from cars and hospital ductwork to furniture for the White House.

Then one day he got the call that changed his life – an offer from Paul Reed Smith to join the finishing team at his boutique workshop. It was an opportunity too good to refuse. Knaggs’ responsibilities exponentially grew within the company, until one day he decided to part ways and start his own brand.

Since launching in 2009, Knaggs Guitars has become one of the most respected independent luthiers in America, highly lauded for their ability to create bespoke instruments that look every bit as good as they sound.

Have a quick look through photos of Steve Stevens over the last 15 years and you’ll struggle to find a shot of him holding an electric guitar made by anyone else. And then there are the other signature artists, such as rising blues hotshot Eric Steckel and Grammy winner Larry Mitchell, proudly bringing what is referred to as “the Knaggs ring” to stages around the world.

As the founder explains to Guitar World, the only way to succeed as a guitar manufacturer is to build something that artists want to play more than whatever else they have lying around.

How did you get into guitar building?

“Like most people in this industry, I started out as a player. Paul Reed Smith and I grew up on the same street in Bowie, Maryland. He was six years older than me, but we would hang out together. As we grew up, we had a mutual respect for each other as musicians. He knew I was finishing guitars in my spare time and one day asked for help.

“Soon I started working for him, starting in the finishing room and then running it. Eventually I felt like we needed somebody to head up the factory, and Paul basically said, ‘You’re it.’

“For a few years, I was running the finishing room, the wood shop and the final-assembly area. Then I wanted to focus on building. Paul gave me a new job looking after the artist models – with all the extra attention to the neck shapes and things like that. Then we started Guitar of the Month.

“Paul wanted to get back into building because the business side was taking over, so we were doing that together. We’d come up with a guitar out of the blue and build it, which led to the Private Stock department.”

So what was it that made you want to start your own company?

“In the Private Stock years, I designed new inlay patterns and all kinds of models. Then I was running the R&D department and designing things like the Mira, the Starla, the Gary Grainger bass and the Singlecut.

“I would draw and build a prototype, then bring it to the new product meetings to decide whether we wanted to make more with engineers involved for full-on factory production. Around 2000, our contracts changed and many of us didn’t like it. I stayed on for a while, coming up with more designs, but I eventually left to start my own business.”

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What sets Knaggs apart from all the other guitar companies?

“I want to make guitars with the highest amount of sustain and harmonic information. We call it ‘the Knaggs ring’ – it’s a guitar with as much energy coming out of it as humanly possible. It all comes down to the little elements: the bridge, the assembly, the cut of the nut. It’s those tiny nuances to get all the extra vibration.

“The very first Knaggs guitar was like our Severn model but a little different, like a thick Stratocaster but hollowed out. I made it in my garage by hand but ended up trading it to a friend for a set of golf clubs.”

Which models are you most proud of?

“The three we make the most are the Kenai, the Steve Stevens SSC – which is like a Kenai but with Steve’s customizations – and the Severn. The Severn has a 25.5” scale and was originally made with three single-coils. The treble pickup is usually not on a plate in a Stratocaster-style guitar but I chose to do that, which almost gives it a Tele sound; it’s a cross between the two.

“I took my Chesapeake bridge and cut it in half for the tremolo version, so that the bridge works on a hinge and produces more sound while also being more dependable for tuning. It’s stable and screwed down to the body, while most tremolos are a knife-edge design, like Strats or PRS guitars.

“My main goal was to make the sound travel through the body. What gets created at the break of the saddles gets transferred into the middle of the guitar. You make the most of that high-end coming from the bridge, because that’s where a lot of the upper harmonics come from, as well as beyond the nut.”

Steve Stevens is the biggest name on your roster. What does he look for in a guitar?

“If you make Steve Stevens a guitar, you will need to create something he wants to play over his other guitars. That’s the only way he will do it. He is not interested at all in endorsing something he doesn’t love, whether it’s a pedal, amp or guitar. Our co-founder, Peter Wolf, knew him from the Hamer days. And it was as simple as a Facebook message from Peter where he suggested trying out our models and Steve was open to it.

“We built him a couple of things and went back and forth a lot. He liked what we made and chose to work with us as a signature artist. There have been a few versions of his model, from the SS1 to the SS2 and then the SSC.

“We also had the SSXF, which is a guitar he wanted for Billy Idol songs like Eyes Without a Face, where he needed a Floyd Rose. But honestly, he wouldn’t play our guitars if he didn’t love them. He wasn’t interested in any kind of overseas knock-off brand. It had to be U.S.-made… as good as it gets.”

What’s next for Knaggs?

“It’s our 15th anniversary, so we’ve just launched a Navajo Sun inlay for our Kenais and Chenas. We recently finished the Chena A, which is a completely hollow archtop version of that guitar.

“There are different versions of every model coming, with new things added – like the baritone version of the Severn X. We might even do a seven-string. I also build up to 15 acoustics every year; maybe we’ll start producing more. I guess my dream is to get one of my guitars into the hands of Pat Metheny or George Benson.

“Whenever people ask me why they should play a Knaggs, I tell them the differences in tones and harmonics will inspire them in new ways. For example, I love my 1961 Strat. But I also love the Severn, because it has what I like about the ’61 and also gives me something different. It’s its own animal.

“We’re not different for the sake of being different. I don’t want to do weird shapes to stand out. A good design, whether it’s a guitar or a car or whatever, will last forever. Our goal is for you to look at the guitar, fall in love, then you play it and fall in love some more.”

• For more info, head to Knaggs Guitars.