Boswell 0-14MK/TR-LTD Mark Knopfler Limited Edition 2024

"Tunnel 13" Redwood Top, Old-growth Honduran Mahogany Back & Sides

Mint Condition

The Boswell “0-14MK/TR-Limited Edition” is a rare, collaborative release from Butch Boswell of Boswell Guitars, Mark Knopfler, and Rudy Pensa of Rudy’s Music, NYC.  There were only 20 available build slots to reserve, and the instruments were finally produced in 2024.

Only 24 (20 available build slots at the time in addition to 4 guitars reserved for Mark Knopfler) were ever built and this guitar includes a certificate with Mark Knopfler's original signature in addition to Butch Boswell of Boswell Guitars and Rudy Pensa of Rudy's Music, NYC.

Please note, this guitar is also one of only a few out of the 24 produced that has the actual "Tunnel 13" redwood top mentioned in Mark Knopfler's amazing song "Tunnel 13" from his new album "One Deep River".

Rudy introduced his friend Mark to Butch’s work late in 2020, after Butch had built a run of 11 all-mahogany “0” size guitars. Rudy couldn’t help but keep one for himself and he knew Mark needed one too.  As a builder and player, Butch has been a long-time fan of the small body mahogany guitars from the 1940’s, and this small run was an homage to those historical instruments.  When Rudy sent one of these guitars to Mark, he instantly fell for it, and it quickly became a go-to instrument for a number of songs for the album he was recording.  Mark ordered another guitar shortly after receiving his first, but this time an OM model with a Tunnel redwood top.

Mark, Butch, and Rudy continued to inspire one another, and in 2023, the idea of a collaboration was suggested.  Why not make a model that combines all the things that Mark loves so much from each of his two Boswell Guitars?  Take the little “0” size mahogany guitar, but this time use Tunnel redwood for the “top”. Both Mark and Rudy were excited at the potential, and off they went.

This is a light and airy little guitar, ideal for fingerstyle and light strumming, and perfectly balanced when using a microphone out front. The back and sides are beautiful old-growth Honduran mahogany, while the top is the Tunnel redwood that used to line the train tunnels high in the Siskiyou Mountains.  The guitar is braced with one of Butch’s proprietary bracing patterns, using old growth Adirondack spruce from a tree that was felled naturally during Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

The fingerboard, bridge, and peg head overlay are all Brazilian Rosewood. Along with all these incredible materials, Mark suggested the Tyne Bridge motif as an inlay on the 12th fret, which tied the entire project together.

Specifications

Model: 0-14MK/TR Limited Edition

Serial Numbers:  MK-1 up to MK-22 

Soundboard (top):  Tunnel Redwood,

Back/Sides:  Honduran Mahogany,

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

Fingerboard:  Brazilian Rosewood (*), 14 frets to body, 20 frets total, 1-23/32” width at bone nut, 2-3/16” at 12th fret,

Bridge:  Brazilian Rosewood (*), rectangular design, drop-in intonated bone saddle, Ivoroid bridge pins, 2-3/16” E to e spacing,

Peg head overlay:  Brazilian Rosewood (*) with pearl ‘Boswell’ inlay,

Top Bracing:  Adirondack spruce top bracing with forward shifted and scalloped X pattern, single tone bar also scalloped, all top braces 1/4” width,

Back Bracing:  Old growth Sitka spruce, ladder style pattern,

Kerfing:  Bass wood, triangle pattern,

Tuners:  Waverly, polished nickel with Ivoroid buttons,

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

Rosette:  Simple black/white/black line work,

Inlay:  Tyne bridge in abalone and pearl,

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.