Archive for February 23, 2009
There’s Nothing Like A Martin
by John Weckerle
As we return from last week’s hiatus in New Jersey, one last experience worthy of note remains: a trip to the C.F. Martin guitar factory in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. We won’t go into extensive detail, here, as there is a substantial amount of information on the Martin Guitar site. However, we did grab a few photos and learn a few interesting things about guitar making that might be worth passing on. Visiting the factory, and taking the tour, was a great experience and highly recommended to those who want to know how these great instruments are made.
The factory includes a museum that traces the history of Martin guitars from the youth of Christian Frederick Martin (the first, of course; C.F. Martin IV currently runs the company), his emigration to the United States, early years in business in New York, and the move to Pennsylvania. This is separate from the factory tour, which lasts about an hour. Because of the noise in the factory, the tour guide speaks through radio headsets, which was very helpful. Each stage of creating a guitar, from selecting materials to the finishing touches, is covered, although not exactly in a step-by-step manner. »» There’s Nothing Like A Martin