Martin Guitar strums right into its 175th year

Published 8:39 pm Monday, June 2, 2008

Associated Press

NAZARETH, Pa. — C.F. Martin IV sure knows how to build guitars. Just don’t ask him to play one in public.

“I’m an abysmal guitar player,” confesses Martin, sixth-generation CEO of legendary guitar maker C.F. Martin &Co.

It might seem scandalous that the proprietor of the world’s oldest and most famous producer of acoustic guitars can’t play a lick. But it is Martin’s business acumen and deep knowledge of the guitar maker’s art, not his picking and strumming, that have helped the family-owned company solidify its hold on the market.

Martin celebrates its 175th anniversary this year as the guitar of choice for many of the biggest names in music, from Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan and Neil Young to Dave Matthews, Jimmy Buffett and Willie Nelson — whose famous guitar “Trigger” is so worn there’s a hole in the soundboard.

The company has tripled the size of its Pennsylvania factory in recent years to accommodate surging demand from nostalgic and well-heeled baby boomers (among others). Martin now sells 90,000 guitars per year, more than any other U.S. manufacturer. The troubled economy hasn’t seemed to affect business, though Martin acknowledges he is worried that “something may snap in the not-too-distant future.”

His company’s guitars have long been coveted by the famous and not-so-famous alike for their warm tones and durability. Jimmie Rodgers, one of the first country stars, played one in the 1920s. Gene Autry followed in the ’30s. Then came Woody Guthrie in the ’40s, Elvis Presley in the ’50s, the Beatles and Crosby, Stills &Nash in the ’60s.

Among the current crop of Martin devotees is Grammy-winning singer-songwriter John Mayer, who says his trusty guitar helped him craft a unique sound on hit singles like “Daughters” and “Your Body Is a Wonderland.”

“The sound of the Martin acoustic, that’s my voice,” says Mayer, who has lent his name to two Martin signature editions. “When you talk about fame, fame is basically the recognition of something. There’s nothing more famous than the sound of a song starting off, and I’ve got so many that exist on a Martin acoustic guitar.”

Craig Thatcher, a blues guitarist whose band performs around the world, has been playing Martins since he was a kid. He says the sound of a Martin guitar is unmistakable.

“There’s just a specific brilliance, and a sweetness,” he says. “Players that are used to hearing this sound can pick it out on a record or on the radio, can tell, ‘Oh, that’s a Martin.’

“In my estimation and many, many others, it’s still ‘the’ acoustic guitar,” he says. “Not because of any hype or any name. It’s just a well-made guitar.”

Each Martin comes to life in this small town 60 miles north of Philadelphia. Hundreds of workers, many of them artisans with decades of experience, have a hand in a process with up to 300 individual steps: from bending the rosewood, koa or mahogany into the familiar hourglass shape to hand-fitting the neck, applying 11 coats of lacquer, winding the strings and test-playing the finished guitar.

Such attention to detail doesn’t run cheap. Martins typically cost a few thousand dollars but can run into the tens of thousands for high-end custom models made from rare woods.

Then again, Martin guitars have proven themselves to be good investments, known almost as much for their resale value as their sound.

Guiding a reporter through the factory recently, Dick Boak, Martin’s longtime director of artist relations and an accomplished musician and guitar maker in his own right, points to a ’40s-era Martin D-28 constructed of prized Brazilian rosewood. The guitar’s in relatively poor shape — but still worth $25,000 to $30,000.

Chris Martin, now 52, took the reins after his grandfather’s death in 1986. He says he was “scared to death” about assuming responsibility for the company at such a young age — and at a precarious time in the company’s history — but was determined not to let the Martin legacy fade away.

At his direction, the company introduced a line of midpriced guitars that put a Martin within reach of more potential customers. Martins also became physically easier to play after the company reduced the “action” or the distance between the strings and the neck.