Knopfler
Model

Mark first got his hands on one of my guitars in October of 2020.  It was of course thanks to my friend and supporter, Rudy Pensa.  The year before, I had built a small run of all mahogany guitars based on a pre-war Martin 0-17 design.  I called them my 0-14M/3S, the M designating all mahogany, and the 3S for the Three Sisters mountain inlay on the 12th fret.  This was a project I had hoped would generate some work as we all moved into a scary time with Covid-19.  Not only did it get my family and I through that very scary time, but it also cemented a very special and lasting relationship between myself, Mark, and Rudy.

When I first told Rudy about the 0-14M/3S project, he immediately asked for 2 of the 10 available. The old Martin 0-17’s have always held a special place in my heart. Considered “student”, or a “low-end” model at the time of production, the 17’s were simple and effective, and had a tone that my ear just gravitated toward.  Making a run of guitars in this style was something that I had wanted to do for a good while, and with everything up in the air with Covid, I figured it would be a good time to offer up a rather affordable and fun model. I finished out all the builds, Rudy received his two, but he immediately decided he had to keep one for himself.  So, the question arose… do I have any more?  I did have one more.  There were actually 11.  My plan originally was to hold one back for myself, something I have set out to do numerous times, but always ended up having to sell it to “keep the wheels on” so to speak.  It was a shaky time though, and money to support my family was more important to me than keeping a guitar, so off it went.  One very early morning, Rudy started sending photographs of a text conversation he was having with someone.  They were talking about how much Rudy loved his 0-14, and how much they loved the look, the idea, everything.  Both Rudy and the other person were clearly enthused.  Rudy finally asked me: “Butch!  Do you know who this is?!? It’s Mark Knopfler!!!”  I didn’t react much at all at first.  It just didn’t seem real I guess.  I didn’t understand at the time what this could mean.  Some days it still doesn’t feel real.  What it meant was I was now about to get my work into the hands of someone who could have a profound effect on my future as a luthier.  It was exciting, and a little scary.

The guitar was done and ready to ship, but Mark had a small request.  He asked Rudy to ask me to make a short video for him.  “Butch, just play the guitar a little for Mark, and tell him your inspiration and ideas behind the project”.  Yeah Rudy, sure, just play some guitar for Mark Knopfler, no biggie. I thought about being funny and playing “Sultans of Swing,” but in the end decided to just play it straight. I ran through some chords and some single note runs, and let the guitar speak. I heard back a few hours later and it was a go.  The guitar left the shop that day.

I didn’t hear too much back, but Rudy reassured me, “Butch, he loves it!”  Both Rudy and I decided that what was best for now was to put it out of my mind and focus on making some great guitars for Rudy’s and other clients.  A few months later, I received an email from Mark.  Apparently his daughter had been stealing his all mahogany Boswell on the regular, and he needed another guitar.  This time he wanted an OM similar to one I had made Rudy a little while back.  Koa back and sides, but with a Tunnel 13 redwood top.  Mark was genuinely interested in the story behind the Tunnel redwood, but more specifically Tunnel 13. To keep it relatively short, the north end of Tunnel 13 was the site of one of the last great train robberies, which in turn led to the single largest manhunt in US history.  The DeAutremont brothers botched the robbery and killed four people in the process.  It took four years to catch the three brothers.  Little did I know that while making this guitar for Mark, he had already started down the road of creating the song “Tunnel 13” which would be released in 2024 with his new record, One Deep River.

Now Mark had two of my guitars, and I was starting to get pretty curious as to what he really thought about them both.  I had been careful not to discuss much of any of this with other clients, and certainly kept it quiet on social media and my website, but it had been almost a year now since he got his hands on the first guitar, and I had questions.  I wanted people to know that I had made guitars for Mark, but I would only let the world know under two conditions.  First, that Mark was ok with me doing so and second, that he genuinely was enjoying the guitars. Mark, being the true gentleman that he is, responded with kindness and support.  He said he really loved the guitars, and had used the 0-14M/3S all over the new record he was working on at the time. “That little guitar ended up on just about every song on the record!”, he told me. He also said that he was always happy to help in any way.  Anything I need, just reach out anytime.  It was around that time that I was starting to entertain the idea of pitching the idea of a “MK” project to both Rudy and Mark, so I did what he told me to do. I reached out.

I thought that a model, combining the things that Mark liked best from his two Boswell’s, would be a fun little guitar for Knopfler admirers to get their hands on, and Mark and Rudy agreed.  This first run of MK guitars would be in the same size as the all mahogany 0-14.  In place of the Three Sisters inlay, they would showcase a beautifully done Tyne Bridge inlay at the 12th fret in abalone and pearl, and each guitar would have a Tunnel redwood top instead of the mahogany.  Now, if I had known at that moment that Mark was writing a song titled “Tunnel 13”, obviously I would have made sure to use all Tunnel 13 tops.  I was using the best of what I had, and each top was selected for its sonic qualities, not because of what tunnel it came from.  Some got Tunnel 13 tops, some got Tunnel 14 tops, and some got my own brand of Tunnel redwood known as Lost Tunnel Redwood (my personal favorite).  Each of the 25 available slots sold quickly, with one going to Mark, one to Rudy, and one being held back as a charitable donation through Mark.  The donation guitar was auctioned off with all proceeds going to Nordoff and Robbins, the UK’s largest organization dedicated to musical therapy.

After that first run of 25 MK guitars, I was more than ready to get back to custom orders.  On average, I make around 10 guitars per year.  So, 25 of the same guitars in under 10 months was a push.  Fortunately, I had the help of a great friend and builder, Adam Mendel of Joyner Instruments.  Without his help, I’m not sure I ever would have finished. In 2025 though, I decided that another run of MK’s might be necessary.  This time, I would be back to handling the production on my own, so the number needed to be smaller.  I figured 12 was a good target, with one more for Mark.  I spoke to Rudy and Mark, discussing some options, and we all agreed that this time going back to the original all mahogany, Three Sisters design was the way to go.  The first run of MK’s was more about Mark and the blending together of his two Boswell guitars.  This second run was getting back to what I was originally trying to do with that first run of 11 0-14’s back in 2020.  Those guitars were more about me, and represented my love for both those old funky pre-war 0-17’s and my home here in Bend, OR.  These 12 MK guitars are currently in production, with a completion date of June, 2026.

Mark has never asked for a thing from me (except for that one embarrassing video way back in 2020).  Rudy and Mark have both had a truly profound effect on my life, my career, and my ability to care for the people I love. Mark has spoken of my work in magazine articles, reviews, interviews, and even on the Christies stage during the now famous auction of his guitar collection.  I have often referred to Rudy as “The Architect”.  More in reference to the poem by Longfellow, ‘The Builders’.  “All are architects of fate, Working in these walls of Time.”  And the truth is, without Rudy, there would be no MK model guitar.  When ‘One Deep River’ was released, I received a text message from a friend saying “OH MY GOD!!!  Have you listened to “Tunnel 13” yet?!?!?”.  I didn’t even know the record was available yet.  I listened, and you can guess my reaction.  I listened to the whole album several times over, but kept coming back to “Tunnel 13”.  It’s haunting.  I played it for my kids, tears in my eyes, relaying to them how it felt to work as hard as I had for so long, and to now hear my guitar being played in such a way and by such a player.  It was surreal.  It still is.  Listening to that record, and hearing my little guitar singing in the background still gets me emotional every single time.  I can’t help but feel a profound sense of gratitude, and perhaps relief that the hardest days of trying to be a professional luthier were, for the most part, behind me.