Willie Nelson's Guitar man | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Would trust this man with your wife? Do not answer that question, but there is one musician that trust this man with something way more important than his wife. Meet Willie Nelson's go to man when his famous guitar needs a rework: Mark Erlewine.

    Mark, the luthier, is the man that Willie Nelson trust to keep his lifelong partner, 'TRIGGER' in top notch condition. Willie Nelson has married four times and fathered seven children. (Wiki)  He has been broke and the IRS took most of his prized possessions once. But through all the wives, financial troubles, and an occasional joint or two, he has kept possession of his Martin Guitar N20, which he named after Roy Rogers' horse, 'TRIGGER.' To paraphrase Larry the Cable guy, 'I don't care what you say, Folks that is loyalty.'
   This is from his website. He is a bit older now than the picture above when he shows what 'Trigger' looked like about a 1000 concerts ago.
   Here is Mark with 'TRIGGER' ~ 2016.
   Here are a few quotes from various sites about Mark and his Guitar business in Austin, Texas.

    A handful of musical instruments are so closely associated with certain artists that the instruments themselves are known by their first names.

    Maybe you've heard of Lucille, B.B. King's favorite guitar, or Eric Clapton's Blackie, the famous Stratocaster you see photos from the 1970s.

    But in the rarefied world of musical instruments known by their first names, none are quite as elite or historically significant as that beat up old warhorse Trigger. It's an acoustic guitar that's as much a part of the iconography of Willie Nelson as his braids or bandanna an instrument so cherished by its owner and considered so irreplaceable that it travels with its very own 24/7 bodyguard.

    A few days before Christmas, I got a call that Nelson would be spending a little time in Hawaii, a recharge of sorts before the next tour. Trigger wouldn't be traveling with him, instead he would be returning to Texas for some repair work. Would I like to come and see? Would I ever. (Texas Standard)

   Here is some history about Mark from his website.

    Mark Erlewine began playing music when he was 6 years old and continues to play pedal steel guitar today. He first started working on guitars in 1969 when he apprenticed as a luthier to his cousin, Dan Erlewine, owner of a guitar shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After completing his apprenticeship, Mark and Dan became partners, and Mark bought the business outright in 1972 when Dan decided to take a full-time position with Herb David Guitar Studio. Dan now works at Stewart-MacDonald and is world-renowned for his many how-to books and videos on guitar repair.

    In early 1974, Mark got a call from his good friend and former bandmate, James Machin, urging Mark to come to Austin and check out the amazing music scene that was happening there. Mark visited and immediately knew it was the right place for him. He moved the shop in 1974 from Ann Arbor to Austin and has been an integral part of the music scene ever since. (Erlewine Guitars)

    If you grew up in the 1980s, chances are you instantly recognized the guitar pictured above. It is the so-ironically-small-it's-cool humbucking monster Marty McFly plugs into an enormous amp at the start of Back To The Future. (String Box Anthropology)

   For just a short instant, I thought about sending my Yamaha C40 ($140.00) guitar to Mark for refurbish. Once I ran the numbers, I realized that the cost of freight alone was more than I paid for the guitar. I am sure he could work wonders with the guitar but I think the best way to fix it is like I had to do with a couple of cars. (Take off the radiator cap and drive another car under it). I'm still buying lottery tickets so I can get that Martin D28 that I once owned and sold as result of the stress and strain of my first marriage.
   Here is Willie and Trigger in all their aged glory. Do you think that maybe the weed stains add a bit to the luster of Trigger?
   Click on the picture to see a 11 minute video of Willie talking about Trigger.