Trigger (guitar) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Trigger |
|
|---|---|
Willie Nelson performing with Trigger in 2007
|
|
| Manufacturer | C. F. Martin & Company |
| Period | 1969 |
| Construction | |
| Body type | Classical Acoustic, Martin N-20 |
| Scale | 25.4 inches (650 mm) |
| Woods | |
| Body | Brazilian rosewood |
| Neck | Mahogany |
| Fretboard | Ebony |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Tied |
| Pickup(s) | Prismatone stereo |
Trigger is a very special classical acoustic guitar played by the famous country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. It's a Martin N-20 model with nylon strings. Early in his career, Willie Nelson tried out many different guitars. In 1969, after one of his guitars was damaged, he bought this Martin guitar. He kept some important electronic parts from his old guitar and put them into Trigger. This allowed him to make his acoustic guitar sound louder, which helped create his unique musical style.
Willie Nelson's Famous Guitar: Trigger
How Trigger Became Willie's Guitar
The Baldwin Guitar Incident
Willie Nelson often received guitars from different companies to try out. He played guitars from brands like Fender and Gibson. In 1969, before a show in Texas, the Baldwin Company gave him a special acoustic-electric guitar to test. This guitar had a unique pickup, which is a device that turns string vibrations into electrical signals, allowing the sound to be amplified.
Later that year, after a concert, Willie Nelson's Baldwin guitar was unfortunately damaged in an accident. His band members took the guitar to Shot Jackson, a skilled guitar maker (called a luthier) in Nashville, Tennessee. Shot Jackson thought the damage was too severe to fix.
Finding the Martin N-20
Instead of fixing the Baldwin, Shot Jackson offered Willie Nelson a different guitar: a Martin N-20 classical guitar. This guitar was made from beautiful Brazilian rosewood with a Sitka spruce top. Willie Nelson asked Jackson to take the special pickup from his damaged Baldwin guitar and install it into the new Martin. This was a key step because the pickup allowed Willie to play his classical acoustic guitar in big concert halls and still be heard clearly.
Willie Nelson bought this modified Martin N-20 without even seeing it, for $750. Many years later, he named it "Trigger" after Roy Rogers' famous horse. When people ask him why, Willie often says, "Roy Rogers had a horse named Trigger. I figured, this is my horse!" Willie wanted to play music in a style similar to the jazz musician Django Reinhardt.
Willie Nelson first used Trigger when recording his album My Own Peculiar Way in 1969. The next year, he even saved Trigger from a fire at his ranch in Texas. As Willie Nelson's music became more popular, Trigger's sound became a big part of his famous albums like Shotgun Willie, Red Headed Stranger, and Stardust.
Trigger's Unique Look and Sound
The Worn-Out Body and Fretboard
Over many years of playing, Trigger has developed a large hole above its bridge, almost reaching the sound hole. Classical guitars are usually played by plucking the strings with fingers. However, Willie Nelson uses a flatpick and strums his guitar constantly. This constant strumming slowly scrapes away at the wood, creating the unique hole.
Trigger's metal frets, which are the thin strips on the neck of the guitar, have also worn down. They have changed from smooth ridges to wavy lines. This wear comes from the nylon strings being pressed against them during more than 10,000 performances.
Signatures from Friends
Trigger's soundboard, which is the top part of the guitar's body, has been signed by over a hundred of Willie Nelson's friends, fellow musicians, and other important people in his life. The very first signature was from musician Leon Russell. Russell asked Willie to sign his guitar, but instead of using a marker, he asked Willie to scratch his name into the wood. Russell explained that this would make the guitar more valuable in the future. Willie liked this idea and then asked Russell to sign Trigger in the same way.
Keeping Trigger in Top Shape
A skilled guitar maker named Mark Erlewine has been taking care of Trigger since 1977. He meets Willie Nelson once a year in Austin, Texas, for Trigger's annual "check-up." For 40 years, Trigger was prepared for each show by Willie's guitar technician, "Tunin' Tom" Hawkins, who passed away in February 2026.
Trigger's Lasting Impact
A Special Bond with His Guitar
Willie Nelson has a very strong connection to Trigger. In the early 1990s, when he faced financial challenges, he was very worried about Trigger. He said, "When Trigger goes, I'll quit." He made sure his daughter kept the guitar safe until his financial matters were resolved.
In his book, The Tao of Willie: A Guide to Happiness in Your Heart, Willie Nelson explained how important Trigger is to his music. He wrote that Trigger has the "greatest tone" he has ever heard. He believes that playing an instrument that is "now a part of me" allows him to always be original in his music.
Trigger's Story in Film and Music
In 2015, a documentary film called Mastering the Craft: Trigger was released. It tells the story of this famous guitar. The film was narrated by Woody Harrelson and included interviews with Willie Nelson and other musicians.
Because Trigger has had such a big impact on music, Martin Guitars even created a special limited edition guitar in 1998, called the Willie Nelson Limited Edition N-20WN.
See also
- List of guitars
