Joe Knaggs Talks About Growing His Own at Knaggs Guitars

By: Rick Landers

Joe Knaggs at his shop in Maryland - Photo credit: Rick Landers

Starting up a guitar business in this economic downturn takes a lot of confidence in one’s abilities to design, build, market and sell, in fact, in nearly any economic climate you’ve just got to have the talent and the guts to live that kind of dream.

So, hats off to Joe Knaggs who made a tough decision to leave his secure position as the top designer at Paul Reed Smith Guitars to head out on his own and establish Knaggs Guitars.  Coupling his guitar design talents with a small team of experienced guitar building craftsmen and one international marketing expert, Knaggs has been able to set up a fully operational and profitable shop in the town of Greensboro, Maryland, within two years of his departure from PRS.

While Joe and his crew churn out some finely crafted guitars with model names that are influenced by their Chesapeake Bay area locale, orders for Knaggs guitars are beginning to pile up from both the U.S. and overseas.  By working diligently and tracking a thoughtful business plan, Knaggs Guitars is gaining some traction in the highly competitive guitar market.  It doesn’t hurt that his axes are also very easy on the eye and have excellent sonic qualities, all at reasonable prices.

Dealers, distributors and guitar enthusiasts can look forward to checking out the full line up of Knaggs Guitar models while roaming the aisles at NAMM, this January in Anaheim, California.

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Rick Landers: How did you first get into designing and building guitars?

Joe Knaggs: I would say that it really started with my love for art and music combined. As a kid I would draw and paint all the time. My art teachers are the ones I remember most, and I would often draw during geometry and chemistry classes.

I started building guitars at PRS. I began building prototypes, and artist guitars. Then I went into building  the “Guitars of the month”, and then the Private Stock guitars.  The first guitar I designed was the original E.G., then the Hollowbody and Archtop, then the Single Cut, Mira, Starla, Gary Grainger bass etcetera.  I also was designing inlays such as the Private Stock 10th anniversary, and one off designs for Private Stock customers like the Tiger and Cobra, Elk, Cherry Blossoms, etc…

Rick: When you joined PRS Guitars, was it more of a start-up business?

Joe: Yes, it was just getting started. There were about 8 to 12 people working there. They had started around May of 1985 and I came in October 1985.

Rick: Having watched PRS grow to an international brand, how did that experience help you gain a strong understanding of the challenges of running a business, as opposed to focusing only on designing guitars?

A Severn model in faded onyx with a maple fretboard - Photo credit: Rick Landers

Joe: I started with designing the guitars, but also understand the marketing side of things and how important that is to a business. Peter Wolf is the marketing expert, and he and I talked and planned a direction from the beginning. In particular we wanted to have an international, global business. My name was known in the international markets such as Japan, England, Germany, France etcetera, so it made sense to go that route. It was very important for us to get some distributors for many reasons. One reason is that the American market was and still is a bit soft. Peter had a great relationship with Jochen Stock (Sound Service)  in Germany from his days of owning a retail store, so he discussed the brand with Jochen, and they took us on. It has been a very critical move, and they are great. Jordanis and the rest of their team are wonderful and Sound Service is handling 16 European countries for us. Since then we have Zoom in the U.K and Ishibashi in Japan, as well as Guitar Avenue in Thailand.

Rick: Was it tough to leave PRS and start from the ground up with Knaggs Guitars?

Joe: It was extremely tough to leave PRS ! I have great relationships with the people there. There are some that are extremely close friends. Plus, I worked with everyone for 25 years and the memories after that long are countless.  I still have a great relationship with Paul , and many others.

The start up business has been tougher than I ever imagined. That is the reality. I have said to people, “It is like having kids. You just don’t know what it is like until you have them yourself.” A business is like having a second family. You need all the same stuff; insurance, a building, toilet paper, phones, heat and air conditioning, machinery, cash, cash, cash.

Rick: Within two years, Knaggs Guitars has gotten some traction it seems, not only in the domestic market, but maybe more so in the international arena. Did you begin with a strategic or business plan?

Joe: Yes, Peter and I worked very hard on a business plan. Of course it doesn’t always go the way you planned, as it takes on a life of its own. But, we definately had a direction in mind. We have all worked intensely hard at all facets to make the thing work. Peter has been doing a great job getting us out in the public, and we have been busting it hard to get the guitars built. We went in with many models which has been a good thing, but also put a huge strain on getting the production going. Danny Dedo has written over 10,000 programs since we started. We’re also lucky to have a crew that understands guitar making. That has been super critical. Dean Nitsch, Will Shuyler, Scott Shirley, Steve Baumgardner, John Ingram are all guys that know their shit.

Rick: Few companies live up to their plan’s expectations, that tend to set the bar pretty high. Are you pleased with the way your “actuals” compare to your plan?

Joe: When the dust settles, we are very proud of what we have accomplished. Actuals are not exactly as planned, but the reality is that we could not have gotten it done any faster. It takes time to get a business going. Plus, we did not have a lot of start up cash. The county helped us quite a bit – Jok Walsh and ESEC, but the banks were ridiculously tight ! It is a shame in America right now that the banks are not helping start up businesses.  It is a crime after the American public bailed them out !  That is what I heard from many people.

You can’t just grab a part off the shelf . You have to build the shelf, and order the part to put on the shelf first. We have  gotten the Kenai, Keya, Chena, Choptank, and Severn on line in all their different tiers in less than 18 months as well as building some acoustics, Sheyennes and basses. On top of that Peter has been getting us out in the public, with little to no marketing money.  These are not easy accomplishments, so we are very proud of that.

Rick: You’ve got a solid line-up of Knaggs guitar models and you’ve received some excellent reviews on their designs and their build quality.  What kinds of responses have you heard from your customers?

Joe: We have been getting great feedback from our customers. Guys like Steve Pfenninger, Mark Aul, Chris Losacco are people that own many, many guitars. They have told us that the guitars are some of the best , if not the best,  instruments they have played. Artists like Pablo Olivares are playing the guitars and loving them, so I think it’s going very well.

The guitars really ring, have great sustain, and have a great mix of the different harmonic levels. Plus they play like an old vintage guitar. That’s my take anyway.

A Knaggs Guitar, Chena model, with a Winter Solstice finish - Photo Credit: Willcutt Guitars

Rick: Have you reached a point where you think having official endorsees will help market the brand?

Joe: Absolutely!  We will get some really great artists. We are convinced that when some of these artists play the guitars they will really love them. We are a very young brand, so it will take some time, but we believe it will go well on that end.

Rick: As critical as it is to have high quality, many business people would give marketing a strong secondary emphasis in a tough competitive market. How do you handle getting the word out on Knaggs Guitars, especially when must be yanked around on a daily basis just to keep production schedules up and running?

Joe:   This is Peter Wolf’s territory. He is doing a great job! He knows what he is doing from years and years of experience. I am sure he will chime in on that question, and will answer that better than I can.

Rick: I was especially impressed with your original Knaggs bridge design. Is there anything special about it other than its beauty?

Joe: There are three different bridges – The influence bridge, the hardtail Chesapeake bridge, and the Tremolo Chesapeake bridge.

The influence bridge plate combines the string holder with the “tune ‘o’ matic” bridge, making them all one piece. This one piece design drives the sound into the body because the vibration that is created at the string ball is driven onto the main part of the bridge where the down pressure is on the saddle. It seems to work very well.

The hardtail Chesapeake bridge design is a spin off of a normal hardtail bridge. I designed it so the plate is screwed down in the front, and it is a nice sized plate. This bridge really drives the sound into the middle of the guitar in front of the treble pickup. My buddy Eric Johnson made one of these bridges and I put this bridge on my original Choptank. It made the guitar sustain like I had never heard before.

The Tremolo Chesapeake bridge design uses a hinge type setup on the pivot point, and has a plate like the hardtail to capture the treble pickup. I like this because there is a lot of strength where the bridge is held down on the body. I have seen tremolos that have a knife edge and six screws that become very loose in softer woods like swamp ash, light alder, quilt maple or even softer mahogany.  This bridge gets rid of that situation. They are costly to produce, but create a great amount of sustain and harmonics.

Kenai model with an aged Scotch finish - Photo credit: Larry Melton

Rick: You seem to have pulled together a great crew. And as important as them having the right skill sets, how much emphasis would you place on them having good constructive attitudes?

Joe: It is extremely critical. Their input is everything. These guys that I mentioned earlier know what they are doing and in a start up business their input is huge on a daily basis. They are a great group of people !

Rick: Looking out five years from now, what would you like Knaggs Guitars to be in terms of size, market reach and keeping the business thriving, while keeping your home life balanced?

Joe: We don’t want to get too big with guitars made in our shop. I would like to see the business make around 2,400 guitars a year; a small to medium sized business. We want to make really high-end, quality guitars that people love to play, and respect. That is what all of us have always done and we wish to continue that.

We are building some really, really nice musical instruments. The sustain, harmonics and feel are some of the best that I have ever played. When I finally get a chance to really sit down and play them, that is what I hear and feel. This makes me really proud!

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