Mark Knopfler and his guitars

The guitar was used during Golden heart tour in 1996 on Father and son, Golden heart, Last exit to Brooklyn.

Around 1996, Crate had an advertisement in a guitar magazine in which Mark can be seen with this Pensa guitar.

The model is based on the MK2 Signature model. On 10th June 2005, the guitar was presented to Mark in Milan by Rudy Pensa.

The guitar was used during the Shangri-La tour in 2005 on Telegraph road and it was also used on the All the roadrunning tour 2006, but it looks like that Mark prefers to use his oldest 1996 Pensa MK2 as he took that one out on the road in 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2015.

Information taken from Rudy Pensa's site:

Pensa MK D model in an awesome Frost Blue top and Pelham Blue back and sides, with natural masked binding. The maple neck features a East Indian Rosewood fingerboard and a matching Frost Blue headstock face. The playability is incredible and the attention to detail, second to none.

Click here for two more pictures from Rudy's site. As you can see, it's a similar guitar, only the pickups from Mark's guitar are different. Mark's Pensa MK D features two P90 pickups.

The guitar was used for the promo picture session for the Privateering album and Mark used it during the US & Canadian 2012 tour and the Privateering tour 2013 for Kingdom of gold. On the Tracker tour, the guitar was used to play Kingdom of gold and Laughs and jokes and drinks and smokes. On the Down the road wherever tour, Mark used this guitar on the song My bacon roll.

According to a seller on Ebay, it was made in a limited edition of just 30 guitars.

Click here and here for other great pictures of Mark and this Pensa.

Guy Fletcher posted a photo in his Tracker Tour Diary from Cologne, 21st June 2015. On that picture, you can see a second blue guitar and in July 2015, Guy confirmed on his forum that it is indeed a new blue Pensa. Click here to see the original picture.

I found this picture on Facebook. Pensa Custom Guitars posted about this guitar aswell on 29th April 2017 on Instagram, so most likely the guitar is from 2017. MK News also posted a picture of Mark's new guitar. And here is another picture of Rudy Pensa, Mark Knopfler and a person who is unknown to me, holding the same guitars.

Mark received this guitar from Rudy Pensa in New York (most likely on 20th or 21st August 2019). The picture on the left was taken during Piper to the end in Boston, 23rd August 2019. Click here for another picture (taken by Guy Fletcher). Mark used the guitar also for My bacon roll and the outro solo of Romeo and Juliet.

	Brand	Pensa
	Type	Pensa Custom
	Year	1993
	Serial number	Unknown
	Additional info	The guitar was used during Golden heart tour in 1996 on Father and son, Golden heart, Last exit to Brooklyn. Around 1996, Crate had an advertisement in a guitar magazine in which Mark can be seen with this Pensa guitar.

	Brand	Pensa
	Type	MK2 (precursor model)
	Year	1996
	Serial number	MK 052096
	Additional info	This guitar was made by Rudy Pensa for Mark in 1996. Nowadays the guitar is called Pensa MK2. Perhaps this guitar was a basis for the Pensa MK2 Signature model announced in 2002. The guitars was used in the Chet Atkins Musician Days in Nashville in 1998, Sailing to Philadelphia tour 2001, Mark Knopfler & Friends concerts 2002, All the roadrunning tour 2006, Kill to get crimson tour 2008, Get lucky tour 2010, Privateering tour 2013 and Tracker tour 2015. The Japanese magazine The guitar featured a great article in 2001 listing all of Mark Knopfler's guitars which he used on the Sailing to Philadelphia tour 2001. The article featured seperate photos of each of these guitars. Click here for a photo of this Pensa MK2.

	Brand	Pensa
	Type	MK80
	Year	2004
	Serial number	0001
	Additional info	In January 2004, Mark Knopfler got a new Pensa Custom guitar, a Daphne Blue MK80 presented to him by his good friend Rudy Pensa. The model's name, MK80, refers to the fact this model of guitar is based on Mark Knopfler's early Schecter he used in the eighties. The guitar's order number was #0188 but it has also been especially numbered #0001 and will be the only MK80 with a triple zero serial number. All other MK80s will have their order number as serial number. It has been engraved with "To Mark with love, R. Pensa." Click here for a picture which shows the front and back of a similar guitar.

	Brand	Pensa
	Type	MK2 Plus
	Year	2005
	Serial number	0260
	Additional info	The model is based on the MK2 Signature model. On 10th June 2005, the guitar was presented to Mark in Milan by Rudy Pensa. The guitar was used during the Shangri-La tour in 2005 on Telegraph road and it was also used on the All the roadrunning tour 2006, but it looks like that Mark prefers to use his oldest 1996 Pensa MK2 as he took that one out on the road in 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2015.

	Brand	Pensa
	Type	MK D
	Year	14 December 2011
	Serial number	Unknown
	Additional info	Information taken from Rudy Pensa's site: Pensa MK D model in an awesome Frost Blue top and Pelham Blue back and sides, with natural masked binding. The maple neck features a East Indian Rosewood fingerboard and a matching Frost Blue headstock face. The playability is incredible and the attention to detail, second to none. Click here for two more pictures from Rudy's site. As you can see, it's a similar guitar, only the pickups from Mark's guitar are different. Mark's Pensa MK D features two P90 pickups. The guitar was used for the promo picture session for the Privateering album and Mark used it during the US & Canadian 2012 tour and the Privateering tour 2013 for Kingdom of gold. On the Tracker tour, the guitar was used to play Kingdom of gold and Laughs and jokes and drinks and smokes. On the Down the road wherever tour, Mark used this guitar on the song My bacon roll. According to a seller on Ebay, it was made in a limited edition of just 30 guitars. Click here and here for other great pictures of Mark and this Pensa.