Willie Nelson Reveals The One Thing That Will Make Him Quit Music

Austin City Limits

When “Trigger” is done, Willie Nelson is done.

There may not be a more famous guitar in the music world than Willie Nelson’s trusty Trigger. The living country music legend has played the same Martin six-string since 1969. And the story of how he originally got it – and how much he paid for it – only adds to the lore that surrounds Willie Nelson.

While Willie was still cutting his teeth in the industry in the late 1960s, his go-to guitar was ruined by a drunk and disorderly fan. Willie was playing gig at the John T. Floore’s Country Store in Helotes, Texas, and suddenly was in need of an instrument to go up on stage with. Nelson without a guitar is like peanut butter without jelly… they’re fine separately, but there’s some real magic that happens when they’re together.

As the story goes, Nelson caught wind of a beautiful Martin guitar nearby that was for sale for $750. That might not seem like a lot for a guitar in the modern day, but back in 1969, that was equivalent to over $5,500. Safe to say that it was a steep price for Willie to pull the trigger on (pun intended), but he did it, and boy oh boy what an investment it turned out to be.

If you spread out the investment over all these years later, his trusted, reliable guitar comes out to be about a $13 a year investment. And that’s not even figuring in the countless songs that Nelson has penned and played with trigger, undoubtedly bringing in a much larger return on investment.

The fateful day that Willie Nelson bought the guitar, he named it after Roy Roger’s horse “Trigger,” and from that moment on, the country singer made sure the instrument wasn’t ever too far out of reach. Nelson even saved it from a house fire that destroyed every one of his belongings… except for Trigger and a pound or so of weed that the “Red Headed Stranger” had stashed away.

Now, Nelson and his guitar are almost synonymous. It’s one of the most famous guitars in all of music (if not the most famous one), and other artists recognize how special the six-string is. Billy Strings recently talked about how special it was to play a song on the guitar. Though “Trigger” is undoubtedly important to Willie’s career, Bill Frisell (and other musicians) told The New Yorker it’s Willie’s touch with the instrument that makes the difference:

“You can hear the sound of his voice in what he’s playing. If I gave him one of my guitars, it would sound like Willie Nelson. It wouldn’t sound like me.”

So there’s evidently some synergy with Willie Nelson and the old, battered-but-beautiful guitar.

In case you didn’t know, guitars can last for decades. Higher end guitars have a lifespan of 20 to 30 years with regular play and proper maintenance. The best of the best have been known to last half a century. Willie’s beloved “Trigger” is now 56 years old. If you’ve seen a picture or video of the instrument as of late, it’s beat up… and it’s looked like that for quite some time. But there’s no doubt that Willie takes good care of it, and the 92-year-old artist says that the day his guitar gives out, he’ll likely walk away from music altogether:

“When Trigger goes, I’ll quit.”

It’d certainly be sad to see “Trigger” retire, but it’d be even harder to accept Willie Nelson hanging it up… even as he enters into his mid-90s. Then again, guitars can usually be repaired… maybe that’s Willie’s way of saying he’ll tour until he dies. Regardless, it’s clear that he has so much love for his guitar, one that’s been in his life across six decades, that it would be hard for him to imagine a music career without it. Willie’s connection with Trigger (they’ve known each other for 56 years) is indisputable, and Trigger’s significance in the fabric of country music history is hard to put into words.

Willie and Trigger have been together for a long, long time… and here’s to hoping that their relationship continues to flourish for years to come.