Willie Nelson is rarely, if ever, onstage or in the studio without his faithful Martin guitar named Trigger. His son, Lukas, doesn’t find himself limited to just one instrument, though. Instead, he switches between instruments depending on the situation in which he finds himself. Sometimes, he plays electric, and other times he plays acoustic. However, he doesn’t have a collection of guitars that don’t get played. He only has what he needs.
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In a recent social media post, Nelson talked about his guitar collection and revealed his favorite instruments to play during acoustic sets. In another departure from his dad’s style, he doesn’t reach for a Martin. Instead, the Promise of the Real frontman chooses a bespoke custom Rockbridge guitar when it’s time to play an acoustic set.
There’s nothing like a @RockbridgeGTR! pic.twitter.com/pp7IYw0hU5
— Lukas Nelson (@lukasnelson) August 19, 2024
Lukas Nelson on His Guitar Arsenal
“I have quite a few guitars that actually use,” Lukas Nelson said. “I don’t collect them because I don’t really have a lot of space and I don’t want them to just sit somewhere. So, usually, the guitars I have are the guitars that I use,” he explained.
“I love my Rockbridge guitars. Brian Calhoun makes these Rockbridge guitars,” he said, flashing a photo of a dreadnaught with a sepia-tone burst onscreen. “They’re acoustic guitars and they sound amazing. So, I use those on my acoustic sets a lot of times. They’ve got real nice pickups in them and sound beautiful. I love the sound of those. I used that on the DelFest with the Travelin’ McCourys. That was real special, too,” he added.
Those who want to follow Nelson’s lead and pick up a Rockbridge acoustic guitar may have to wait a while. They aren’t the kind of instrument one can pick up at the local music store. Nor are they available on the company’s website. Instead, those who want to own one of these boutique guitars need to travel to their Charlottesville, Virginia shop and have one handmade. However, the four-man operation only makes around 60 instruments per year, that’s an average of five per month. As a result, there’s likely a waiting list.
Featured Image by Suzanne Cordeiro/Shutterstock
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