For Sierra Hull, an innocuous 2023 phone call with the creative geniuses at Gibson ultimately led to the culmination of a dream decades in the making.

Immediately upon receiving her first Gibson mandolin at the age of twelve, Hull became enamored with the craftsmanship and pristine sound quality that sets Gibson instruments apart. In 2009, Hull began playing the highly revered F-5 Master Model which continues to be her primary weapon of choice when performing live or entering the studio.

Generally considered to be the gold standard when it comes to mandolins, the Gibson F-5 Master Model is a spec-perfect recreation of iconic instrument designer Lloyd Loar's original 1922 model that Bill Monroe made infamous (and comes with a $20,000 price tag). As the legend goes, Lloyd had a habit of signing his name and the production date on every mandolin he finished. Monroe received a model dated "July 9, 1923", used it to essentially create bluegrass music and the rest is history.

More than a century later, Gibson and Hull are honoring Loar's legacy with the debut of the Sierra Hull F-5 Master Model and F-5G mandolins. As the first-ever female artist to have a signature mandolin bestowed in her honor, Hull joins a legendary list of other female artists Gibson has similarly celebrated, including Joan Jett (electric guitar), Sheryl Crow (acoustic guitar), Lizzy Hale (electric guitar) and Rosanne Cash (acoustic guitar).

A virtuoso in the truest sense of the word, Hull is one of those rare artists whose talents carry weight enough to transform how the instrument they play is perceived. Her generational genre-defying instrumental chops, combined with songwriting abilities that belie her young age of only 34, have catapulted Hull through a career littered with milestones. From multiple Grammy nominations and an unprecedented six I.B.M.A. "Mandolin Player of the Year" awards to performances at the White House, Carnegie Hall and the Grand Ole Opry, Hull has rightfully earned her spot on the Mount Rushmore of modern progressive bluegrass artists.

In a conversation from this past September, which has been edited for clarity and length, Glide's Dave Goodwich spoke to Sierra about a litany of topics, including her collaboration with Gibson, her most recent studio album, performing with Willie Nelson and why Del McCoury is the kindest man on earth.

When did you first start playing Gibson instruments and how did this relationship develop to where we are today with the announcement of your own signature line?

I was lucky enough to be given my first Gibson mandolin when I was twelve years old. It was an Adam Steffey Signature Series Gibson mandolin. Adam Steffey being one of my big mandolin heroes who played with Alison Krauss on a lot of those records that I was kind of obsessing over as a young kid. I played that mandolin for a number of years and then in 2009, I received a Gibson F-5 Master Model mandolin and started playing that mandolin full time. That's really been my main instrument since that time. I've played it on all my live performances and recordings since then.

As far as the relationship with Gibson, it's been about two years since we first started talking about this idea of maybe doing a signature line. It was around the time that in 2023, Gibson released the Lloyd Loar July 9 replica model to help celebrate 100 years of the Llyod Loar F-5 mandolin, which is kind of a prized mandolin date for mandolin lovers. It's the first time Gibson had been building mandolins in a while, so they released that and also released the F-5G revamped model.

When they called me to talk about how excited they were about those two models coming out, there was also some talk about if I would be interested in maybe doing a signature line. It's hard to believe. Here we are nearly two years later and it's happening!

The Gibson F-5 is essentially the gold standard when it comes to mandolins. What makes it stand out from other variations or models?

Well, I'm no expert on some of the history stuff, but it's my understanding that Lloyd Loar was the master luthier back in the early 1920s and was kind of this genius engineer who helped design what we now think of as the F-5 mandolin. You see the F-holes, much like a violin, and the general aesthetic that hadn't really been done prior to that. It was my understanding that part of the goal was to get an instrument that could project with more volume and compete with a lot of the other instrumentation of the time. We used to have these mandolin orchestras in the early 20th century with people playing mandolins and mandocellos and mandolas. (laughs) Gibson made all of these beautiful instruments back then but they were all with O-holes. You'd have an oval, much like a guitar.

So, the F-5 mandolin was really innovative in that they made a longer neck scale so that you could have the bridge sitting in a different place as well. There's probably more technical things than I could explain to you (laughs) but basically it was this desire to have an instrument that could kind of revitalize the mandolin scene, which was dying a little bit at the time.

Lloyd Loar signed 270 or so mandolins that are still kind of floating around out there. Those particular mandolins eventually became the gold standard because around 20 years or after they were created, Bill Monroe started what we now think of as bluegrass music and he played a "July 9" Lloyd Loar-signed F-5 mandolin by Gibson. So everybody was like, 'I gotta have me one of those!' (laughs)

Not only was there the legitimacy of having an F-5, let alone a Gibson, like Bill himself, but there was also a particular pointedness and sound quality and projection when you step up to a microphone that these instruments have that are different than, say, an O-hole sound instrument like you had prior to those early 1920s mandolins.

Have you brought your new signature model mandolin out on the road with you yet?

Yeah, I've had it out live for a little bit but there's no replacement for my 2009 Master Model that has logged all the many miles that it has. You know, with instruments its the more you play them, the more they open up. But these new mandolins that I have were essentially modeled exactly after my 2009 F-5 mandolin so it is essentially like a new version of the mandolin that I've played for many years. I've been bringing it out, especially when using some alternate tunings or things like that, so its been really fun and exciting to have this mandolin out there in action.

The mandolin that I've played since 2009 has the signature of David Harvey, who's been the master luthier at Gibson for so many years now, and his signature is on all of these new mandolins that we're about to release as well. He and his team are here in Nashville, and I live in Nashville, so there's a lot to feel proud of since these instruments being built by such a wonderful crew of people right here in the town that I call home!

You've already managed to cultivate a staggering list of career milestones, including multiple Grammy nominations, six IMBA Mandolin Player of the Year awards, and feature performances at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall and the White House. Where do you think this collaboration with Gibson ranks among that list?

Oh my gosh! It's definitely at the top of the list. I remember as a young kid getting my first F-style mandolin, which was an Epiphone, and of course Epiphone and Gibson are intertwined. It was a complete starter model, but it had "Gibson" written kind of vertically on the truss rod cover. And I remember even then as a kid thinking, 'Wow. Cool. I got an F-style mandolin and it's got Gibson's name on it.' (laughs)

I was probably eight years old with that in mind. So now to fast forward all these years later and and to see these mandolins with my name on them is a real full circle moment.

In terms of goals, what else would you like to accomplish as a mandolin player?

Much like the Gibson signature line, it's the things that maybe in the back of my mind somewhere I dreamed this would come true, but at the same time surely not. So, you just keep working and you just keep trying to be the best you can be on the instrument. I think a lot of my life is spent that way. I definitely want to accomplish all that I can on the instrument, though I don't always know what that next big goal mark is.

I've spent a lot of time with the instrument in my hands and I love it. I try to stay inspired by all the great artists and music I get to come into contact with. For me, that's the main thing. Just trying to stay inspired and knowing that as long as I can do that, then I'll continue to grow on my instrument.

One thing that really stood out to me when listening to your most recent studio album, A Tip Toe High Wire, was the the songwriting. A lot of it seems rather personal and introspective. Do you feel that's the case and how would you say your songwriting has grown throughout your career?

Songwriting has always been a big part of what I've been drawn to in music. One thing I'll say about being a female in those early bluegrass jams is oftentimes a lot of those traditional songs are sang in keys that didn't really work for my voice. They work for the male voice most of the time. Now, I love being harmony singer and I love nothing more than sitting in a jam and playing all those old songs but there was also a feeling within me from my early teens where I really wanted things that I felt like I could sing and relate to and maybe I need to start writing some songs. So I think, more than just deciding I was going to start writing, it really felt like, 'Oh, it's time for me to sort of discover that part of myself', you know?

A Tip Toe High Wire has a lot of really meaningful personal songs to me. It's also drawing a lot of inspiration from where I come from here in Tennessee. I grew up in a little town called Byrdstown and the title track was inspired by my granny and her life and the resilience and boldness that she carried throughout her life. Walking with a smile on her face even when times were kind of hard. There's also a couple songs that were inspired by my husband and his family and his grandma.

I feel like a big part of what I'm always chasing as an artist is having one foot in tradition, which is meaningful to me being from a part of the world where my family has a lot of strong roots, musically and personally, but also always being interested in being able to step outside that and see the world and explore and hopefully grow and push myself to different places. A Tip Toe High Wire is kind of about stepping out onto that high wire and juggling both of those things. Tradition and innovation.

Even with these mandolins, I feel like that was part of what I wanted to do. I wanted to still honor the tradition of those Master Model mandolins but also be able to bring some progressive elements that we can feel excited about. Breathing some fresh life into the signature line as well.

This was the first independent record you released since your previous contract with Rounder Records expired. Now that we're six months out from the release date, how has that process gone? Do you plan to keep going that route with future releases?

I have been so pleasantly pleased with just how freeing it has felt to put out this music. It takes a village though. I've been really, really fortunate to have a great team around me and people that I trust and have really been passionate about putting out this music. I think at the end of the day that's all you can hope for. That the people that you team up with can be excited and passionate about the work you're doing and what you're trying to put out into the world. I've certainly been lucky to have that.

I think my experience was so different than most artists because I signed a record deal when I was so young. I was 13. I didn't really have a chance to do anything independent. I was so fortunate that I got to have that kind of label support right from the get go. But now, I'm 33 and I kind of looked up and realized I made it through this contract. I put out these records and took my time but I definitely felt like I owed it to myself to have a moment where I could really experience learning and being in the driver's seat. Owning my music and owning my master. Making sure that I can sort of decide how this music made its way into the hands of my fans.

That doesn't mean that I'll always be independent. If the right partnership comes along and something makes sense then I'll be excited to explore that chapter as well. But I'm certainly proud that we've been able to release the music this way and proud of what we've been able to accomplish so far. It's been really exciting to be able to cross off some bucket list kind of things throughout the release of this record.

Speaking of bucket list stuff, who else would you like to collaborate with that you haven't had a chance to yet?

Oh, my gosh! That's such a big list. (laughs) I recorded on a few things now with Dolly, but never in the same room with her. I met her very briefly but would really love the opportunity to get to actually be in the room with Dolly Parton one day and record something with her.

There's so many heroes that I would almost probably be too scared to even record with. Sarah Bareilles is another one. I'm not sure why she always pops into my head. (laughs) Probably because I was such a big fan of hers when I was in high school. Her records Little Voice and Kaleidoscope Heart were big parts of my high school/getting my first car/moving to Boston/going to school experience.

You just wrapped up a run of shows with the Outlaw Festival where you got to share the stage with Willie Nelson. What was that experience like?

Playing with Willie, but also just getting to watch Willie night after night, is amazing. I mean, can you imagine? With the kind of career he's had where he's in his 90's and he's still out there bringing that kind of joy to people. I mean, night after night, he gets up there and it's just such a beautiful show to watch and I'm just so captivated by it. You talk about good songs and songwriting and the delivery of songs; he certainly has all that. It was really inspiring just to be in the presence of that.

As a Maryland resident, I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you about DelFest. It truly is a special experience, and one you've been a part of nearly every year since your debut appearance in 2011. Any thoughts or memories about the festival or Del himself?

I love the McCoury family, first and foremost. What a great bunch of people. I mean, if you don't love Del McCoury then I don't know what to say. (laughs) He's one of the nicest men on the planet as is the whole family. What they bring to that festival is so special. I think because so many people love them, everybody that comes to play DelFest is excited to be at their best. They're excited to get to play the festival because they're going to be around such a good, loving community of people. Anytime I've been there, I definitely say it's one of my favorite festivals.

It's the same thing with the audience. It's people who carve time out of their schedule every year to get to be there. It really becomes a special community when you have that same kind of family energy year after year, where people come together and get to enjoy a weekend like that.