Margo Price is revealing a deeply personal piece of her world to her fans—one that stands out as one of her most intimate yet.
The 41-year-old “Hurtin’ (On the Bottle)” singer recently debuted a beautiful new collaboration with Gibson, reimagining their legendary J-45 model to incorporate unique, personal details. However, for Price, her connection to the iconic instrument maker goes back long before Gibson approached her for a signature guitar.
“I’ve been playing Gibson for decades,” she shares with PEOPLE during an interview at Nashville’s Gibson Garage. “The first Gibson I ever owned was one I found in my grandmother’s closet. I begged her to let me have it, and it truly feels like a dream come true. I’m so fortunate to work with such incredible women, and they’ve brought my everyday guitar to life.”
Although she didn’t start with a J-45, Price’s main guitar, which has accompanied her through everything from recording emotionally raw moments on her 2023 album Strays to performing at Willie Nelson’s Luck Ranch, has become a defining part of her sound.
“It’s a vintage 1965 J-45,” she says, referencing the guitar that inspired her signature model. “I loved how the neck fit in my hands. It was easy to play, yet it really stood out in a loud honky-tonk band.”
Margo’s production-ready J-45 signature model, while based on the original, features a slightly thinner mahogany body with a red spruce top, traditional hand-scalloped advanced X-bracing, a rounded neck profile, a double ’50s-style pickguard, and L.R. Baggs VTC electronics. The guitar is completed with a rich Heritage Cherry Sunburst finish.
Adorning the top of the J-45’s double pickguard is artwork that reflects Margo herself: four red-tailed hawks surrounded by floral motifs. For Price, the red-tailed hawk represents “resilience and strength,” qualities she says she has always tried to embody.
“Red-tail hawks have been a good omen for me. I see them often when I’m traveling home or on the interstate,” she explains.
Price also humorously adds that the guitar represents her personally: “It’s like my voice and me in general… good things come in small packages!”
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