Passenger Reveals the Guitar Behind His Monster Hit “Let Her Go”
Before “Let Her Go” took over the world, Passenger fell for a guitar. The singer-songwriter says a Gibson J-45 shaped the sound of the album that carried his breakout hit, and he has played the model ever since.
Passenger is the artist name of Brighton-born singer-songwriter Michael David Rosenberg. He shared the story in a video for Gibson Europe’s 100 Years of Gibson Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars series, which celebrates a century of Gibson flat-top acoustics.
Passenger’s First Gibson J-45 Shaped the “Let Her Go” Album
Passenger says he bought his first J-45 in Australia after plenty of busking and before recording All the Little Lights, the album that includes “Let Her Go.” He played several guitars at the shop, and the J-45 stood out.
“As soon as I played the J-45, it just felt right,” Passenger says. “I feel like without that guitar, that album wouldn’t have sounded anywhere like it does.”
“I haven’t looked back, and I’ve been playing J-45s ever since,” he adds. Gibson says the J-45, introduced in 1942 and known as “The Workhorse,” is among the most recognizable and widely used acoustic guitars in music.
Passenger Plays “Ghosts” in Gibson Flat-Top Series
In the video, Passenger performs “Ghosts” at Black Crow, his recording studio. The studio is a converted agricultural barn in the South Downs in the English countryside.
“Ghosts” is the third single and closing track from his album Wild Love, out Nov. 6, 2026. The song explores releasing the past to create space for new experiences and relationships.
“The older you get, the more baggage you have and the harder it can be to move on,” Passenger says. He relies on modern J-45 Standard models for touring, and the video also features a 1957 Southern Jumbo that has appeared on many of his recordings.
