Photo by Murdo Macleod

The 0-14MK/M3S-LTD

Sales slots for the next round of Boswell x MK guitars will open for availability starting July 18, 2025! There are only 12 slots available. Details below.

Photo by Joby Sessions

Details…

Due to popular demand, Boswell Guitars, Mark Knopfler, and Rudy Pensa of Rudy’s Music, are proud to announce a second, very limited run of the Boswell ‘MK’ acoustic guitars.

The ‘0-14MK/M3S-LTD.’ mahogany acoustic guitar - a rare, collaborative release to the exact specifications of the first all mahogany guitar that both Rudy and Mark fell in love with, and a match of the guitar used on Mark’s recent record, ‘One Deep River’.

These instruments will be hand-crafted by Butch Boswell in Bend, Oregon, with superb attention to detail and the highest quality materials synonymous with Boswell Guitars.

In an attempt to keep things fair, build slots will be drawn from a lottery, with availability starting on July 18th. If interested, simply go to the ‘Contact’ section (here) of this website and say so! No more ballots will be accepted after July 31, and spots will be announced to the lucky winners no later than August 3. Winners of the build slots will be notified directly by Boswell Guitars, not through any social media platforms.

There are only 12 build spots to reserve.  PLEASE… only one ballot entry per person. Anyone caught entering multiple times will immediately be disqualified from the selection process. Each guitar will be priced at $24,500 (USD).  If selected, half of the total will be due upon selection, the final half due just prior to delivery. Deposits will only be accepted via wire transfer. Payment details to follow after the selection process.

Construction on these 12 guitars will begin in the Fall of 2025, with the first several guitars slated to be delivered toward the end of the year, and the last few within the first quarter of 2026.

“I love my little mahogany Boswell. It went straight on to my record, and travels everywhere with me now.”

• Mark Knopfler

“When you put the most beautiful woods Mother Nature provides in the hands of Butch Boswell, a masterpiece is created.”

• Rudy Pensa, Rudy’s Music, NYC

Mark interviewed on the Christies stage leading up to his guitar auction in Jan. of 2024…

Mark’s original 0-14M/3S

Inspiration…

I have always had a love for the pre, and early post-war mahogany guitars from Martin.  Back in 2010, I decided to make a run of 11 guitars that followed that design loosely, incorporating my own advances in bracing and construction, but capturing the look and feel of those early mahogany guitars that I loved so much.  My friend Rudy instantly fell in love with this little “0-14M-3S’ model, and decided to share the joy with his longtime friend.  Mark got his and it ended up being the acoustic of choice on the album ‘One Deep River’.

Where the first run of MK acoustic guitars were meant to build on the idea of Mark’s first Boswell, with additions of a Tunnel redwood top and Tyne Bridge inlay, this current run of builds will be nearly exact replicas of the first mahogany guitars that brought Boswell, Knopfler and Pensa together; an all mahogany acoustic guitar with the Three Sisters inlay at the 12th fret, an homage to Boswell’s home in Oregon.

Each one of these little guitars will be constructed with absolutely premium materials, handed down from one generation of builders to the next.  I started out as a guitar repair person in San Luis Obispo, CA, working at a small shop called Blue Note Music.  It was there that I developed my love of all things guitar, and even more so, the materials they were made from.  Several long-time builders in the area were always a source for both inspiration and advice.  Peter Yelda, Steve Triplett, and Don Young were not only friends, but guides as I progressed along the road to becoming a luthier.  It is with wood from their collections that these guitars will be made.  The Honduran mahogany neck blanks are all from Peter Yelda’s collection, as are the Ebony fingerboards, bridges, and peghead overlays.  The back and sides are all from Steve Triplett of Triplett Harps.  The tops of each guitar were cut from a very old Honduran Mahogany board that was long in the collection of Don Young, the former owner of National Resopohonic Guitars.  Each of these three instrument makers influenced my career as a young and aspiring luthier, and it’s an honor for me to be able to use these materials in such a special way, for such a special project.

Honduran Mahogany, long in the collection of Don Young (National Reso) ready to be put to use as sound boards for the MK guitars.

The Three Sisters inlay, an homage to Boswell’s home in Bend, OR.

Early inspiration, 2011. Boswell playing his early all-mahogany guitar to his daughter’s delight.

Specs…

Model:  0-14MK/M3S-LTD

*Each guitar will include a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Mark Knopfler, Rudy Pensa, and Butch Boswell, a signed 12” Art Card, and a copy of ‘One Deep River’ in CD format.

Soundboard:  Honduran Mahogany

Back/Sides: Honduran Mahogany

Neck wood: Honduran Mahogany, (with a dual action adjustable truss rod),

Fingerboard: Gaboon Ebony, 14 frets to body, 20 frets total, 1-23/32” width at bone nut, 2-3/16” at 12th fret,

Bridge:  Gaboon Ebony, rectangular design, drop-in intonated bone saddle, Ivoroid bridge pins, 2-3/16” E to e spacing,

Peg head overlay: Gaboon Ebony with pearl ‘Boswell’ inlay,

Top Bracing: Italian Alpine spruce top bracing with forward shifted and scalloped X pattern, all top braces 1/4” width,

Back Bracing: Italian Alpine, ladder style pattern,

Kerfing: Bass wood, triangle pattern,

Tuners:  Waverly, 3 on a plate, engraved with ivoroid oval button,

Binding/Purfling: Tortoise celluloid body binding, black/white top purfling,

Rosette: Simple black/white/black line work,

Inlay: Three Sisters Mountain, 12th fret,

Finish: All nitrocellulose lacquer, satin back/sides/neck barrel, high gloss peg head overlay and soundboard, dark red/brown color work throughout,

Case: Harptone hard shell case with commemorative badge.