The Knaggsters with Stuart Fraser's guitar on January 10, 2012 after it just got completed. From left to right: Lukas Fronzoli, John Ingram, Danny Dedo, Peter & Joe, Scott Shirley and Will Schuyler. Missing in this shot are Dean Nitsch who is running the Knaggs wood shop and Steve Baumgardner who took the picture.

Stuart’s guitar is a beautiful Keya T1 in Ocean Blue with sea shell finger board inlays and a sea horse on the head stock. The instrument features an exceptional quilted maple top on Mahogany back, 2 volume and tone controls with push-pull option to tap the Fralin True PAF humbuckers for single coil sounds. It is stringed with Stuart’s favorite gauge 12 – 56.

Stuart Fraser is one of Australia’s most influential and well known guitar players who has been recording and touring with John Farnham (the voice), Olivia Newton-John and his own Band Noiseworks, featuring one of Australia’s best singers, Jon Stevens. Peter met Stuart in Sydney in 1998 during a series of clinics and they became friends and stayed in touch over the years.

We are excited to have built the first instrument for our friend Stuart as Noiseworks are preparing to record their new album in Sydney in the coming weeks. We will post more pictures and hopefully sound clips as soon as we can. Please check out Stuart’s work on Wikepedia, YouTube and other community pages.

Welcome to the Knaggs family Stuart and Sabina Fraser!

Scott holding the guitar after neck/body assembly (Photo: Pete)

Stuart's Keya T1 waiting for assembly (Photo: Pete)

Stuart Fraser’s Keya, Tier 1 (Photo: Pete)

Stuart Fraser’s Keya, Tier 1 (Photo: Pete)

UPDATE:

Stuart Fraser playing his Keya T1 (Photo: Noiseworks)

Just in from Stuart Fraser in Australia … talking about his Keya T1 in Ocean Blue:

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!
This guitar is absolutely stunning, it feels fantastic (so light), it looks unbelievable and the sound…WOW.
The bridge design is wonderful, it resonates the whole guitar incredibly well.
The pick-ups you suggested have such a unique voice, unlike any other guitar that I have heard. Splitting to single coil they really shimmer. Humbucker mode has a midrange honk that is pure AC/DC…LOVE IT. Having the ability to split pickups individually offers an extremely wide tonal palette.
The overall finish on the guitar, the quality of the wood, frets and fret board, chunky neck, machine heads, logo, Sea Horse and shell inlays is exquisite.
I’m in love.

pigtronix.com

“The Kenai is amazing. Totally blowing my mind here. With your permission, I would like to take this guitar to the NY Amp show next weekend to demonstrate our pedals. It’s just so sweet and creamy that every pedal sounds fantastic. Perfect tone machine.”

David Koltai, Pigtronix

Pablo Olivares

“These are not guitars, these are pure master pieces; a sculpture in the wood. I’m amazed, overwhelmed, speechless… beyond words.
I think I’ll need two more like those, but in different colors. I want to use them on my next tour in 2012. I’m finishing the production of my next album, and I guess I’ll be recording sometime in the next two months.

Don’t forget to write ‘custom built for Pablo Olivares’ on the back of the headstock, signed by you and Joe.

Love you, bro”

Pablo Olivares