Knaggs SS2 Steve Stevens Limited Edition 2016 Red Sparkle

Like New. Looks as if it really hasn't been played at all. Great action and great tone. This is number 71 of a 100 piece limited run from 2016. Here is the info that i have on this unique piece.
 Steve Stevens is one of the more enduring and relevant guitar heroes of our time. And when he chose a builder for his signature guitar, he chose the talented craftsmen at Knaggs. Not just a dressed up standard model, the Knaggs Steve Stevens model is its own unique design, with the Knaggs touch. This is a limited run of only 100 guitars.

The Knagg's Steve Stevens Signature Guitar features:

• Serial #71 of 100
• Mahogany body with carved maple top, 9lb 3oz
• Red Sparkle Nitrocellulose lacquer finish
• Mahogany neck with Steve Stevens profile
• Tortoiseshell binding and bound neck
• Rosewood fingerboard
• Block inlays
• 24.75" scale, 12" radius, 22 frets
• Grover tuners
• Pear inlay headstock veneer
• Nickel plated hardware
• Tone Pros bridge and tailpiece
• Steve Stevens signature Bare Knuckles pickups
• Built-in tuner on bridge pickup mounting ring
• 3-way pickup selector
• Two volume and two tone controls (CTS pots and orange drop caps)
• Dunlop strap locks
• Deluxe padded form-fit hardshell case
• Builders certificate signed by Steve Stevens and the Knaggs Team
• List price: $6250

Oftentimes when an artist gets a signature guitar made, it's a variation on an existing model. Some signature models may be nothing more than a couple tweaks and a special color, but from a marketing viewpoint it makes sense.

With the Knaggs Steve Stevens SS2 model, it's the exact opposite: The SS2 shares very little with any other Knaggs model other than the neck joint design, control layout, and headstock shape. If Knaggs had only done the special Steve Stevens headstock, the guitar would special. Clearly this signature guitar is not just a paint job and a certificate.

In general, the SS2 is a reasonably straightforward interpretation of the classic mahogany single cut design, right down to the Tone Pros bridge. The top carve and cutaway has the typical Knaggs flair, the rear has some gentle contouring, but overall the body thickness and shape are fairly conventional. This also means that it's not a particularly light guitar, but we found the balance to be very good, and it "hangs well" making its 8-plus pound weight a non-issue. The Steve Stevens neck carve feels a lot like a late 50's Gibson profile, which means a little more generously proportioned than the Knaggs '59 neck shape. But the notion that big = difficult just does not hold water, and the SS2 is comfortable, has a very subtle taper up the neck, and of course is expertly finished. Big necks also sound good, and combined with the Knaggs neck joint and Tone Pros bridge the SS2 has great sustain that slowly decays into lingering upper harmonics.

Also a departure from other Knaggs guitars are the Bare Knuckles signature pickups with "Ray Gun" engraving. Bare Knuckles is best known for making some very aggressive uber-output pickups, but they in fact offer several good moderate output designs. The Steve Stevens models are Alnico 5 pickups with a moderate 8K neck resistance with a more stout 14K bridge resistance. But that's still actually less than a Duncan JB, which is not considered hot by today's standards.

If we compare the SS2 to its closest Knaggs cousin -- the Kenai -- the SS2 is fatter sounding, with a little more warmth and roundness. This is probably a number of factors including the bridge, pickups and the body. The neck tones are thick, but not so much dark as they are smooth. The wound strings have good attack qualities, and none of the flubby, woody nature that some humbuckers have. There is good definition and balance on the plain strings too, and the SS2 maintains note-to-note definition even with good amounts of gain. The overall tone of the pickup may not cut enough for lead work, but it's tight and articulate enough to dish out serious chunk.

The Bare Knuckles bridge pickup does a great job of sounding clean and balanced, while having enough output for higher gain and progressive styles of playing. At moderate volumes we could get some tasty natural crunch out of our Dr. Z Remedy, but it would also clean up easily by rolling back the volume. In higher gain modes the SS2 bridge pickup kicks out tightly packed crunch that is very linear in terms of response. No spiky treble notes, nasal midrange, or booming bass. Tighter sounding than a PAF, but not scooped or snarly, the Bare Knuckles bridge pickup sounds both "new and old" depending on how you set up your amp and effects.

We always advise players of this type of guitar to delve into all of the available tones when using both pickups. The Knaggs SS2 is no exception, and these pickups work very well together; creating a range of sounds that will surprise you with their sensitivity and detail. Like other Knaggs guitars, the Steve Stevens Signature has a sonic vocabulary that goes beyond the expected, and you'll find yourself reaching for other guitars far less often.

Kudos to Knaggs for designing a guitar that truly appears to be designed for Steve Stevens, and not just an assemblage of standard parts with a new name. If you already own a Knaggs, the SS2 is really not like their other guitars. For everyone else, the Knaggs Steve Stevens SS2 is a best-in-class rendition of the classic single cut design combined with stellar tone, unique design details, and the exclusivity of limited numbers.