Fender 'Mark Knopfler' Signature Series Stratocaster (0117800-815) - Owners list

[foma]

Hey Knopflerfan, what's about MK's interview on MK Start you mentioned earlier?

[Knopflerfan]

Send me your Email address and I will gladly send it to you! Plan to scan it during the next few days and distribute out. The first part is on the first page as a jpg... 

[Jarle]

With regard the 'finite' number of MK Strat's - well that's good news for those of us who own them and would suggest anyone who wants one to get one whilc they can as with all collectibles these guitars will certainly gain value....

Your 'MK' has been added to the list Jarle

Thanks

Sure! Get one if you can. I have just had some e-mail contact with the guitar shop in Kentucky were I bought my guitar, and they said that these guitars are very hard to come by now, and that they are very popular. You should all take a run for it

[Knopflerfan]

Apparently I've heard and also read that the 'MK' Strat was Fender's most popular and longest running Signature Strat!!

[Jarle]

By the way: To all of you who uses your MK Strat, was the setup playable and "perfect" for you when you got it? I showed mine to a luthier (a guitar builder) the other day, and he identified several issues with the guitar that he recommended me to do something with in order the optimize the instrument:

1. First of all I had to adjust the neck's position a little by loosening the four screws that connects the neck to the body and adjust the neck into position. It has probably shifted a bit during transport across the globe. The lightest E-string was actually nearly outside of the fretboard on the side of the neck closest to the body.

2. Further the fret wires (the metal pieces between the frets) seems to be a bit wide compared to the fretboard. The luthier clamied that this was due to the climatic differences between US and Norway, and that the wood in the fretboard has shrinked a bit, while the fret wires, being made of metal, still is intact. You can actually feel the fret wires on the outside of the neck.

3. Due to string tension the neck is a bit to curved according to the luthier. Not much, I think, and it is nothing I have noticed, but it seems to be an easy adjustment.

4. Some of the frets are a bit noisy. When you push down a string on some of the frets and play the string, there is an additional noise to the tone. Probably a combination of wrong string height, a curved neck and uneven fret wires (as he called it). He suggested to even out the fret wires and adjust the string height in order to make each tone clean.

So, as you can see, although the instrument is wonderful, there are some issues with mine, for different reasons, that I am planing to let the luthier take care of. I was a bit surprised since the guitar is brand new, but he claimed that this wasn't unusual issues - even on new instruments. I am handing it in on Monday for a week or so in order to get it up on its best potential. The luthier said it would be like a different guitar after his adjustments. I hope he knows what he is talking about, and I feel quite sure that he does. He is an educated luthier, and has been working for a guitar manufacturer in Canada. I'll let you know how it turns out

[Knopflerfan]

No problems with any of mine from the word go.

As soon as I bought them I had them all properly set-up by the Fender dealer shop where I have been for years, subsequently they are all perfect!
One of mine had a curved neck but this was soon remedied and is fact my fave of the three!!
Sorry to hear you had issues with yours, but begs the question did you not get yours 'set-up' after you recieved it. If you had bought it new it should of been set-up before they sold it...

[foma]

By the way, many sourses including MK himself states that MK Strat is (was) the most sucsesfull signature Strat that Fender ever produced. Where I can find any relativetely official information on this? Some facts, statistics or something like that. And what about monsters like Eric Clapton signature or the Malmsteen one?

[Knopflerfan]

And what about monsters like Eric Clapton signature or the Malmsteen one?

Eric Clapton signature - PPPPLLease!!

[dustyvalentino]

I always thought that (strat) stat was dodgy, maybe the MK strat was the fastest selking, but biggest selling?

This thread appears to indicate that around 12,000 were made over 10 years. Does anyone really belive that a lesser number of Clapton's were made over 25?

[JF]

well, I don't want to be misunderstood, nor to launch another debate, but at least, the Clapton sig model has something "special" that a standard strat doesn't have : the push-pull poti for middle/trebble boost.
you can like it or not (I don't like it) but you must admit that only this model has this feature.

same for other sig models (SRV, Malmsteen, Gilmour, gallagher etc...) which have all at least one "spec" which you can't have if you buy a standard model.

But the MK model doesn't have any "special" thing :
the look is standard, the texas special PU are very common, etc...

a "true" signature MK model would have been to "clone" one of his early strat, with at least the black knob for example, just to make it recognisable and "unique" compared with a "standard" stratocaster

just my opinion, and no offence intended 

[vgonis]

Now that was something I didn't know! Thanks JF!

[foma]

Yeah, or SRV strat have lefty tremolo system on right-handed guitars, not to mention SRV initials on it, rare fingerboard wood, etc.

Im must admit that MK Strat 'uique thing'

[dustyvalentino]

The MK strat is or at least was the only way to get a 57 body with a 62 neck.

Likewise when it came out it was the only non custom shop model with a nitro finish,  may be different now.

To me, it doesn't need to have any gimmicks like a boost or a scalloped fingerboard.  It's just a very, very good Stratocaster.

[Knopflerfan]

The MK strat is or at least was the only way to get a 57 body with a 62 neck.

Likewise when it came out it was the only non custom shop model with a nitro finish,  may be different now.

To me, it doesn't need to have any gimmicks like a boost or a scalloped fingerboard.  It's just a very, very good Stratocaster.

Quite happy having a bloody good strat (or 3) with no gimmicks too! MK doesn't need any gimmicks to produce what he does from his Strat - well thats fine for me too!

[Knopflerfan]

JF,
Appreciate your comments but just to say I think the Fender MK is very special in that MK helped 'piece it together' also I and a lot of fellow guitarists have played many Strats and the grand majority including myself (obviously) love the MK very much!
Now you want to see peoples faces when I take one of my beauties out its case - they are a head turner. Then when I start playing one of then in a club or simular again heads turn!! So yes it may be a standard strat to you but not to me! My guitar shop techs incidentally love their 6 monthly visits from my MK's too!!
You can play a Strat but there is certainly something special about playing an MK sig.... Fellow owners join in this debate and explain how you like me just cannot put the MK sig Strat down!!