Martin Guitar Preserves a Handcrafted Heritage

By Sara George, Photography by Ryan Hulvat

Is it tone, beauty, handcrafting, teamwork, quality control, lifetime guarantee, or the mystique of big-name performers that makes a Martin Guitar—a “Martin?”

Founded in 1833 Germany by Christian Frederick Martin Sr., the C.F. Martin & Company (home of Martin Guitar and Martin Strings) has been located in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, since 1839. The Martin Guitar name enjoys world renown on a mythic scale. In August 2000, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission unveiled a marker at the original North Street factory in Nazareth commemorating the life and legacy of C.F. Martin. The marker reads, in par, “One of the oldest musical instrument manufacturers. Its innovations in acoustic guitar design—including the x-braced flat-top and Dreadnought guitar—went on to exert a formidable influence in the industry.”

Aficionados and novices alike recognize the Martin brand guitar (and the company’s banjo, ukulele, and mandolin). Even those who haven’t heard of a Martin no doubt have heard one played.

“It’s harder to find people who don’t play a Martin, than to list all who do,” says Dick Boak, who manages artist relations and publicity for the company. “The list plays like a ‘Who’s Who’ of American musicians.” Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson, Arlo Guthrie, Dolly Parton, Conway Twitty, Ernest Tubb, Kris Kristofferson, Jimmy Rodgers, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Stephen Stills, The Kingston Trio. The list is seemingly endless—and the artists are neither paid nor given Martin guitars to play.

Elsie Bult, a tour guide at the factory and a 14-year veteran of Martin & Co., confides, “Willie [Nelson] loves the sound of his Martin so much as is, he refuses to send it in to have a hole repaired.” Letters from countless satisfied customers are displayed in the factory and printed in its quarterly newsletter, “The Sounding Board.” One such letter suggests that Martin & Co., doesn’t charge enough for the quality of the instrument.

The old-fashioned way

The buzzing, sawing, and sanding sounds throughout the factory evoke an image of timelessness—a humming workshop of craftspeople making guitars in ways their predecessors of some 170 years ago would recognize. A paddle wheel for gluing backs, for example, has been used on the factory floor for 100 years. Guitar sides are bent by hand using a little water and a heated metal saddle—a craftsman eyes the results and then compares each piece to a form to perfect the gentle curve.

“It’s unusual to see how much is made by hand,” says Boak. “After the pieces are sawn and cut, it’s very handcrafted. I think most other products [made by hand] have died out. Our job is to preserve this heritage.”

Combining some high tech and a maximum of high artistry, Martins are made slowly, lovingly, and one at a time. Only 225 instruments are completed per day. After the pieces undergo a seven-day waiting period in the warehouse, craftspeople perform a final quality check on each. The sign in the quality department reads, “A Martin that isn’t perfect, doesn’t become a Martin.” With the exception of the most intricate of inlay work and fabrication of the Backpacker travel guitar all Martin instruments are made on site from a variety of woods and tortoise and abalone shells.

“It’s tone, tastefulness, beauty, and a high level of craftsmanship that makes us unique in the marketplace,” says Boak. “We’re the oldest surviving maker of guitars in the world and the largest acoustic guitars in the world and the largest acoustic guitar maker in the U.S. We have credibility.”

Hence, says Boak, promotion of the Martin brand relies most heavily on word of mouth.

“Why a Martin?” repeats recent customer Phillip Diehl from upper Bucks county. “When you’ve decided that you want to be serious about playing the guitar, then you want to find quality sound. The Martin has a reputation for handcrafted instruments. Look at all the top performers who play a Martin. I got quality at a good price. This is the last guitar I’ll buy.” Diehl says, adding “I wouldn’t mind playing on ‘Eric Clapton Signature’ though—just once, to hear how it sounds.”

Legendary endorsement

Martin’s limited-edition Signature Model instruments carry the signature of their namesakes, intricate mother-of-pearl insets, and are created using the finest woods. Artists are chosen for the signature series based on their significant contributions to music. At $15,000, a select few will own the ‘Eric Clapton’ model, or a ‘Willie Nelson,’ listed in the online catalog for $9,800—or a ‘Stephen Stills’ 14-fret Dreadnought, prices at $19,000. (Artists royalties are donated to a charity of the artist’s choice.

Martin also produces historically accurate reproductions of mid-1930s guitars with rare Brazilian rosewood, (stockpiles by the company in prior years), V-shaped necks, high x-braces, tortoise-colored pick guards and ivoroid (synthetic ivory) bindings.

Custom work is integral to Martin. In 1934, the company produced a special order left-handed instrument for country-and-western singer, Tex Fletcher. Since 1983, the company has specifically solicited custom work on a regular basis. Martin has nurtured this special niche by saying close to its customers.

“We take a lot of custom orders,” says Rebecca Paff of Nazareth Music Center, which carries Martins exclusively. “I noticed, however, that when we had placed numerous custom order that were similar, Martin came out with a model that met those specs. So they no longer needed to be custom ordered.”

Another example of attention to the customer led to the development of a small travel guitar—called the Backpacker—purported to be the world’s most popular travel model. Similarly, with innovative processes combined with computer-aided manufacturing, the 1 Series model with high-pressure laminate now offers affordable guitars without compromising the tone or craftsmanship that has won admiration the world over.

“We have a tremendous following among the Woodstock generation and those who aspired to play back then and realized their dream of affording a Martin,” says the company’s Boak. “We were typically the cream of the crop and most expensive. But five years ago, we made a concerted effort to introduce more affordable Martin guitars that didn’t sacrifice tone or integrity. We’ve had a tremendous response to that. Younger players really appreciate a quality guitar at a great price.”

Acoustic accoutrements

The Dreadnought (or D-size) guitar, representing about 80 perfect of yearly production, is the company’s bread and butter. Known for its deep base response, the Dreadnought first made its way into the hands of country music performers to back up fiddles, banjos, and vocals rather than a bass instrument. It’s now ubiquitous in every style of acoustic music. The company, led by Christian Frederick Martin IV since 1986, has considered entering the electric guitar market, but continues to focus on acoustic guitars—the hollow-bodied instrument that can be played with or without amplification.

Demand for the Martin grew so sharply through the mid-20th century that customers were waiting as long as three years for a guitar. Having outgrown the original North Street factory in Nazareth, the new factory on Sycamore Street was build in the early ‘60s. It has since expanded several times. The one-floor design of the factory permits more efficient flow and communication—helping to increase production efficiency. Still, by limiting average daily production to 225 instruments, the company retains its commitment to quality.

This company-wide dedication has paid dividends for Martin—not only in the quality of its product, but also in its place in the community and in the music world. Quality Valley USA awarded Martin & Co. its highest honor in 1999 for the manufacturer’s dedication to quality. That same year, the International Bluegrass Music Association recognized Martin’s pioneering accomplishments in fostering bluegrass music’s image and broadened its recognition and accessibility—the first time a company rather than an artist was so recognized. Also in 1999, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation recognized Martin for its commitment to recruiting and hiring employees with disabilities.

Hands-on management that promotes employee involvement and pride is evident during a tour of the factory. The walls display employee posters depicting products and innovative processes. C.F. Martin IV takes a handful of co-workers on an “Outward Bound” retreat every year. Retreat activities such as canoeing, sailing, or hiking are designed to foster teamwork and leadership skills among participants.

The Music Trades magazine, the longest running trade publication in the music business, recently honored C.F. Martin for his contributions to the music business. In accepting the award, he said, “I need to tell you that the award really acknowledges the contribution of everyone who has helped this great company survive and prosper.”

Current CEO Martin started helping out in the family business by boxing strings as a child and then cutting out guitar neck blanks with a broad saw in the early 1970’s. His apprenticeship including working in every operation in the shop, learning the business from every angle. Under his leadership, the company has introduced the limited-edition guitar line to include the Signature Model series.

Martin & Co. enjoys an international following that accounts for more than 20 percent of its market. Customers of Nazareth Music Center, one of Martin’s top five distributors, span six continents (as shown on a world map displayed outside of the merchant’s “Martin Room”). Martin & Co. representatives travel extensively to stay abreast of market trends and hold instructional clinics at dealerships around the world. The biggest overseas following is in Japan, followed by England, Germany, France, and Italy.

The Martin & Co. Web site ( HYPERLINK “http://www.martinguitar.com” www.martinguitar.com) includes a catalog of instruments, strings, and various gifts (from tee shirts to books and videos) and also available at The 1833 Shop, the company’s merchandise outlet located in the Sycamore Street factory. The company also produces Martin brand label strings as well as Darco acoustic and electric strings and Vega banjo strings. Each product is richly described in the on-line catalog, enabling performers to choose the string best suited to their playing style and desired sound (for example, the Martin Phosphor Bronze string is described as providing “deep, rich basses and clear, bright trebles”).

Although the Web site catalog lists the complete line, sales of the instruments are handled through dealers. The company’s 12 U.S. sales representatives seek out the best music stores in their regions to carry Martin guitars, taking pains to ensure that dealers’ territories are preserved.

Handled with care

“My father started carrying Martins exclusively right in the beginning in 1960 with the opening of the store,” says Paff of Nazareth Music Center. “Our niche is the standard and high-end [priced] instrument while others may specialize in the lower end. But they all have a distinctive Martin sound. We have a waiting list for the limited-editions.” All of the instruments are kept in cases until a customer asks to try one—and are carefully wiped off afterwards in order to maintain its pristine condition.”

When guitar-player Phillip Diehl shopped at Nazareth Music Center, he was led to the climate-controlled Martin Room and asked to don an apron to try out the guitars.

“I thought they’d ask me to put on gloves next,” Diehl jokes. “They were so careful. But they encouraged me to play as many as I wished and take all the time I wanted. I only tried tow before making my selection—the sound was just the deep mellowness I wanted.” Two weeks later, Diehl debuted his Martin guitar with Strings N’ Things, a gospel and folk ensemble of St. Paul’s Church in Applebachsville. The deep bass of his new Martin compelled the group to readjust its amplifiers—and the result, says Diehl, was an unmistakable, soulful heartiness.

Helping a customer to select the right instrument is an art in itself. Customers are quizzed about the price range they have in mind, what kind of music they play (country, jazz, bluegrass, rock), whether they are typically the lead player or background, their finger style, the type of tone they seek (bright thin or warm dark) and what other guitars they already have.

“If they have other guitars, then they will want this new one to complement the tones they already have,” explains Paff. “And then there is the size of the instrument to consider relative to the player’s stature. The 00 series is smaller, for example, but still provides that dark, warm tone.” To help customers appreciate what makes a Martin so unique, Nazareth Music Center displays a Martin guitar cross-section—revealing the scalloped x-bracing inside, which were innovative hallmarks of Martin & Co. Martins also have non-scalloped bracing, fan bracing, and lattice bracing—which all contribute to the different tones produce by the instruments.

Instrumental to success

“We like Martin because of the way they stand behind their product,” says Paff. “They have a lifetime guarantee—not many companies do that. They have great customer service, which backs us up.” Although Martin & Co. does train dealers to do some repair work, dealers and customers often prefer to send the instrument directly to the company to take advantage of its renowned workmanship. “We know the people who work there,” smiles Paff. “We’re able to talk with them directly. They are like family.”

Customers, employees, and dealers alike speak lovingly of the instruments.

“You’re dealing with nature: no two are alike,” says Paff.

“It’s like buying a fine piece of furniture,” adds Diehl. (An ironic statement considering that the original C.F. Martin was a member of the Cabinetmakers Guild in Germany before emigrating to the U.S.).

“We take great pains to book-match [consistent grain, tone and texture] the woods,” says tour guide Bult. The forest-managed wood varieties including mahogany, walnut, maple and spruce. Martin & Co. experiments with the tone quality of various woods: If certain woods become scarce in the future, the company will have a cache of quality alternatives. Martin craftsmen also “candle” (view with bright back light) the woods before selecting them for a new guitar, watchful of undesirable sap pockets hidden within the pieces.

With 750 employees, Martin is considered to be a medium-sized company—albeit one producing the biggest name in acoustic guitars. Sounding like the lyrics to a country music ballad, one of Martin’s customers wrote to the company, “with all my other guitars, I was just dating. Now I’m married to my Martin.”

INFO: Call 610.759.2837 or 800.633.2060—or visit the Martin & Co. Web site at martinguitar.com.