Joe has built a number of Kenai’s since the founding of Knaggs Guitars. This Kenai, one of the first hand made Kenai guitars, Serial #3, is finished in “Faded Winter Solstice”.
It is a “Private Stock” grade Tier 1 guitar with a carved Curly Maple top with exceptional flame, with a mahogany back. This guitar has a number of features no longer attainable. It can’t be compared with those being made today, because these features are not being built any longer.
The Body / headstock / fingerboard have an exceptional curly maple purfling with green ripple B/W/B binding that enhance the beauty and elegance of this instrument. This Kenai was one of the very first to have a Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard. It is inlayed with shell fingerbard inlays. The phenomenal bookmatched Brazilian Rosewood headstock has a seahorse inlaid. This guitar has 2 Fralin Pure PAF pickups, which besides Bare Knuckle, are my favorite humbuckers in Joe’s guitars. They give this guitar a very robust and special sound. This guitar also has a single coil mode to give the neck pickup a nice clear classic tone.
The neck feel is solid and plentiful, like a nice ‘59, but the 12” radiused board with a slightly wider nut make this a really great player.
While this one has been around since the beginning, it remains one of the best that I have taken in, one of my favorites in inventory, and is a truly special Kenai.