Willie’s a great guitar player. His improvisations are incredibly melodic, and he plays with unmatched feel.
I’d love to find an original Martin N-20 (Willie’s “Trigger”), but they’re very rare. Martin made an exact copy of “Trigger” (with Brazilian rosewood back and sides and all) about 10 years ago for a short run, but it was a bit too pricey — around $7000, IIRC.
Compared to...? Sorry, but we'll never agree on this one...I like acoustic guitar music too much to consider Nelson a "great" picker. Every time he embarks on his signature break on "Whiskey River" I run howling from the room.