Sierra Hull becomes the first-ever female artist to get her own signature Gibson mandolin

It’s been a busy year for Sierra Hull, who has spent much of the year touring the country. As 2025 draws to a close, she can finally catch her breath and look back on some of the monumental things that have happened.

“It’s been such a fun year and yeah, I feel like I’ve been here, there and everywhere two or three times,” she says, laughing. “But I’m starting to slow down now and think about some of the great moments that have happened. There have definitely been some ‘pinch me’ things.”

It started in February with the long-awaited release of her first album in five years.

A Tip Toe High wire is a deeply personal body of work that showcases Hull’s unique style, combining traditional and progressive bluegrass. The record, which features her touring band, is the first independent album of her career.

“I’ve been working on it for a while, also touring and doing some other collaborative projects over the last few years, so I was excited when the album finally came out,” she says. “And it’s an exciting chapter for me to do it independently. I signed with Rounder Records when I was 13 years old and all my records were there. It was the label I dreamed of and I’m so grateful for the opportunity, but it’s kind of an empowering moment at this point in my career to take ownership of my music and be in the driver’s seat with a team of people who are as passionate about putting the music out there as I am.”

In September, Hull took home the IBMA Award (International Bluegrass Music Association). Mandolin player of the year. She has won a record six times in the category.

Then, in October, the GRAMMY-winning multi-instrumentalist and mandolin virtuoso became the first-ever female artist to feature her own signature Gibson mandolins.

“Sierra Hull is one of the most talented mandolin players and singer-songwriters of our time,” said Mat Koehler, Vice President of Product at Gibson, at the time of the announcement. “She has redefined what is possible on the mandolin and in the many genres she explores. Her signature models reflect her passion for the instrument and her uncompromising approach to tone and feel.”

It was an honor for Hull to work on the project with luthier David Harvey over the past two years. It was Harvey who signed the Gibson mandolin she has been playing since 2009.

To celebrate the release of the Sierra Hull F-5 Master Model and the Sierra Hull F-5G mandolins, she performed at the Gibson Garage in Nashville. She was joined by her husband, Justin Moses, also an award-winning multi-instrumentalist.

Hull still finds it a bit awe-inspiring to see her name on the new models.

“The F-5 Mandolin as we know it exists because Gibson created it in the 1920s,” she says. “When you think of the bluegrass style mandolin, Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass, played his Lloyd Lorr signed Gibson mandolin from July 9th and that’s what everyone wanted. Aside from the quality of the instrument, there is a legacy that comes with what Gibson represents to all of us mandolin players. It’s the mandolin that my heroes played. So to have my name on one of these instruments is incredible.”

Hull’s bluegrass roots run deep. The Tennessee native grew up in the small town of Byrdstown, which she says happens to be in Pickett (as in choose it) District.

“Oh, the irony,” she says, smiling.

Surrounded by music, she got her first instrument when she was just eight years old.

“I got a violin for Christmas and it was a bit too big for me at the time. I don’t think my family realized you could get such a small child’s violin. Even when I reached all the way out, I still couldn’t reach the end of it. But my dad had just started playing the mandolin. So he put the mandolin in my hands and taught me my first tune. I fell in love with it and have never looked back.”

With a passion for learning and an obvious musical gift, Hull soon acquired her own mandolin and became a passionate and dedicated student. In just a year, she was already known for her ability to play. Around that time, she not only met one of her greatest mandolin heroes, but even got the chance to “jam.”

“I got invited to the IBMA for the Kids at Bluegrass and got in line to meet Sam Bush. It’s funny because we were talking about Gibson because it was at the Gibson Showcase. Sam signed and I even still have the picture of it. While I was there someone said, ‘Hey Sam, we heard this girl can play. You should pick a tune with her.'”

Sam Bush did just that.

“He sat there jamming with me for an hour,” Hull says. “Who does that? I was nine years old!”

It’s one of the things Hull loves most about bluegrass: the warm, welcoming sense of community among those who cherish the music.

“That’s the kind of world you step into with the bluegrass circle,” she says. “It doesn’t matter if you’re nine or ninety, you can sit together and share your love for the music, the melodies and the catalog.”

Her love of traditional bluegrass is where it all started for Hull and remains an integral part of who she is as a musician. But she also likes to color outside the lines.

“I have learned so much from traditional music and that language as a musician, it is part of my musical DNA,” she says. “I couldn’t avoid it if I tried. But I do love all kinds of music. And I’ve had many heroes who have stepped outside the boundaries of bluegrass and shown me that it’s possible, whether it’s someone like Alison Krauss, Bela Fleck, Chris Thile or Sam Bush, Mr. Newgrass himself!”

Hull’s latest album highlights her many talents, from singing to songwriting to musicianship, as well as her ability to master the old and explore the new. The title of the album A Tip Toe High wire comes from a song called “Spitfire” that she wrote about her grandmother. But it’s clear she and Hull are kindred spirits.

“There’s a line in there that says, ‘Queen of a High Wire.’ And it’s about that daring type of person who isn’t afraid to just come out and be themselves.”

And yet, even though she enjoys exploring other genres, Hull says she is never far from her traditional roots.

“I live a very different life than Bill Monroe would have lived, but I come from the part of the world where I know those people,” Hull says. ‘Those are ‘my people.’ I grew up on the border between Tennessee and Kentucky, so it’s not only my connection to the music, but also as a person.

She believes there is room for all variations in music. This is evident in the diverse ages of those who come to her shows and lineup for meet-and-greets.

While signing autographs at the Gibson store in October, Hull, who remembers what it was like to meet her own hero, Sam Bush, not so long ago, found herself across the table, talking to a young, aspiring mandolin player. Hull took time to watch a video of the 11-year-old playing mandolin and offering words of encouragement.

She says it’s rewarding to see things come full circle. It’s also impressive to see the next generation deep in preparation and ready to carry on the bluegrass torch – when the time comes.

“I meet so many kids here who are just as excited about the music as I am. It’s wonderful to see all these young kids getting excited about playing mandolins, banjos and fiddle. Yeah, it’s pretty awesome.”

For more information about Sierra Hull, her latest album, or check out her tour schedule, visit sierrahull.com.