Martin & Co. Guitar MakersThe history of Martin & Co. starts
in 19th-century Vienna where Christian Frederick Martin, the son of a furniture
maker, apprenticed under the respected guitar maker Johann Stauffer. But feeling
stifled by the constraints of the European violin guilds—which closely regulated
the production of musical instruments crafted from wood—Martin emigrated from
Austria to the United States in 1833. The Nazareth, Pa., company has been owned
by six generations of the Martin family, and is now run by Christian Frederick
Martin IV. Currently the largest acoustic guitar producer in America, Martin
boasted revenues surpassing $71 million for 2001.
Details from the elaborate inlay on Martin’s one-millionth guitar,
which is valued at $1 million.
(Click images to enlarge)
Martin’s innovations, which
are widely copied around the world, have set standards for the art of acoustic
guitar building and have largely defined the common perception of what a guitar
should be. Musical icons including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Eric
Clapton, and Paul Simon have all used Martin guitars professionally, and Steven
Stills went so far as to call Martin the Stradivarius of acoustic guitars.
Older Martins are indeed Holy Grail material to collectors, and pieces made
during Martin’s golden age from 1930 to 1945 can easily exceed $100,000 in
value. The most prized of the company’s current offerings are limited edition
guitars based on vintage Martins and signature models honoring musicians such as
Beck, Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, and Judy Collins. Martin will make only 100
examples of the $25,000 00-45S, a small-bodied 12-fret model first introduced in
1902, and only 50 of the $45,000 D-50K, crafted from Hawaiian koa.
The $45,000 D-50K
(right) features a Tree of Life inlay cut from paua shell
and bordered in mother-of-pearl. The $25,000 00-45S
(left) is based on
a 1902 design and also features Tree of Life inlay.
(Click images to enlarge)
This year,
the company will unveil a unique Martin: its one-millionth guitar based on the
D-45 (the “D” is for the dreadnought shape, one of the most enduring innovations
of the company). For this extraordinary instrument, the company has turned to
inlay artist Larry Robinson, who created the breathtakingly beautiful and
elaborate inlay on Martin’s 750,000th guitar, which is valued at over $250,000.
Robinson has been working on the new guitar for two years, utilizing thousands
of hand-cut mother-of-pearl and other stones. The inlay includes a depiction
of the first C.F. Martin, the hand tools he used, multicolored pearl cherubs,
and an ancient Greek lyre. A separate craftsman will create gold engraving.
Other materials long associated with the Martin legacy are also being
employed—Brazilian rosewood for the back, ebony for the neck, and spruce for
the top. A removable soundhole cover made of gem-studded metal will complete the
guitar. Martin says that the guitar has an estimated value of $1 million, but it
will not be available for purchase. After being unveiled at the January 2004
NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) trade show in Anaheim, Calif., it
will eventually find a home in the museum at Martin’s headquarters.
Martin & Co.
610.759.2837
www.martinguitar.com
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