Prescott Niles' The Knack! 80s, Power Pop, Rock! Prescott Niles' The Knack: Prescott Niles is the founding bassist whose unmistakable playing helped define The Knack's signature sound--lean, melodic, and relentlessly propulsive. Long before the band's meteoric rise, Niles built a deep musical foundation, recording with Hendrix associate Velvert Turner and later spending formative time in London, where he hobnobbed with the likes of George Harrison.