Willie Nelson’s Longtime Luthier Talks About Repairing His Iconic Guitar ‘Trigger’ Over the Years

Soft-spoken luthier Mark Erlewine shared his experience tuning up and repairing Trigger, the iconic Martin nylon string guitar belonging to Willie Nelson.

Erlewine, who has been caring for Trigger for a long time, explained the guitar’s origins as a Baldwin guitar/amp combo and how the Baldwin pickup was installed on the Martin when the original guitar was destroyed. He also gently showcased the second hole that Nelson made by picking the guitar. Erlewine talked about how does not repair the hole, but instead reinforces it so that it plays the way Nelson prefers.

Willie Nelson’s guitar, “Trigger,” is in for guitar repair at Erlewine Guitars in Austin, Texas. Mark Erlewine shares a closeup look at the famous hole in the top. Mark’s been Trigger’s caretaker for ages, and he gives us the inside scoop on Trigger’s history.

Part Two of the Repair

In the second video, Erlewine provided further care to Trigger, cleaning up cracks and fixing seams. He also tested Trigger out on the old Baldwin amp that came with Nelson’s original guitar.

Mark Erlewine finishes guitar repair on Willie Nelson’s Trigger. He glues a loose seam between the side and the top of the guitar using Titebond and blowing the glue into the crack. …When Mark’s done, he tests Trigger out on Willie’s original Baldwin amp.