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For well over a century
and a half, The Martin Guitar Company has been continuously
producing acoustic instruments that are acknowledged to be some
of the finest in the world. The Martin Guitar Company has survived
through the years with each succeeding generation, from C. F.
Martin, Sr.’s Stauffer influenced creations of the 1830s to
recent developments introduced by C. F. Martin IV. Continuous
operation under family management is a feat bordering on the
remarkable, reflecting six generations of dedication to the
guitarmaker’s craft. Throughout its history, the company has
adapted to changes in product design, distribution systems,
and manufacturing methods. In spite of the changes, C. F. Martin
has never veered away from its initial commitment to quality.
The concern for producing the finest instruments possible in
1833 is especially evident today at Martin’s facility in Nazareth,
Pennsylvania.
The story behind Martin
guitars began on January 31, 1796, in Markneukirchen, Germany
with the birth of Christian Frederick Martin, Sr. Born into
a long line of cabinet makers, Christian Frederick took up the
family craft at the early age of 15, when he left his hometown
and traveled to Vienna to apprentice with Johann Stauffer, a
renowned guitar maker. The young Martin was a gifted apprentice,
as he was named foreman of Stauffer’s shop shortly after his
arrival. After marrying and bearing a son, he returned to his
homeland to set up his own shop. Shortly after launching his
business in Markneukirchen, Martin found himself caught in an
acrimonious dispute between the Cabinet and Violin Makers Guilds.
Martin and his family had long been members of the Cabinet Makers
Guild as had numerous other guitar makers in the area. Looking
to limit competition, the Violin Makers Guild sought to prohibit
the cabinet makers from producing musical instruments. The violin
makers tried to get an injunction against the cabinet makers
with an aggressive campaign disparaging their skills. Fighting
back, the cabinet makers submitted testimony from a noted wholesaler,
who declared, "Christian Frederick Martin, who has studied with
the noted violin and guitar maker Stauffer, has produced guitars
which in point of quality and appearance leave nothing to be
desired and which mark him as a distinguished craftsman." While
the cabinet makers successfully defended their right to manufacture
guitars, the drawn battle took its toll on C. F. Martin. Concluding
that the guild system severely limited opportunities in Germany,
he emigrated to the United States, and in September,1833 he
left his homeland for New York City. Arriving in New York, he
set up shop at 196 Hudson Street on the Lower West Side housing
a limited guitar production set-up in the back room and a retail
store selling everything from cornets to sheet music. Given
the limited output of guitars and the immaturity of the music
market in 1833, distribution of Martin guitars was a haphazard
affair in the early years. To augment sales of his retail store,
C. F. Martin entered into distribution agreements with a variety
of teachers, importers, and wholesalers. Consequently, a number
of Martin guitars manufactured prior to 1840 are labeled with
wholesaler names such as "Martin & Schatz" and "Martin & Coupa."
Correspondence between Martin and his close friend and business
associate, Henry Schatz, revealed that he never felt truly at
home in New York and longed to move. In 1836, Schatz moved to
the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, purchasing a 55 acre tract
near Nazareth, PA. When C. F. Martin’s wife paid a visit to
Schatz and his family, she developed an instant affinity for
the tranquil Pennsylvania countryside. Upon returning to New
York, she encouraged her husband to make move to Nazareth, and
in 1838 Martin sold his retail store to music dealer Ludecus
& Wolter and purchased an 8 acre tract on the outskirts of Nazareth.
Early Martin guitars
were totally handcrafted products made on a one-by-one basis,
and there was little standardization. However, there were a
few features that were incorporated in most of C. F. Martin’s
instruments. Until the mid-1840s, Martin guitars were characterized
by a headstock that had all the tuning keys on one side, a design
acquired from his teacher in Vienna, Johann Stauffer. The headstock
design with all the tuning keys on one side was discontinued
by Martin and was unused until Leo Fender resurrected the design
in 1948 with his Telecaster guitar. Another feature of the early
Martin guitars was an adjustable neck; a screw mounted in the
back of the heel of the neck was extended into the neck block.
At the top of the dovetail (where the neck joins the body) there
was a wooden fulcrum about which the neck could pivot up and
down. With the strings attached, the neck could be adjusted
via a clock key inserted into the heel. While the adjustable
neck allowed the player to adjust the playing actions of the
guitar, the device was complicated and prone to slipping under
full string tension. As such, Martin phased out this unique
neck adjustment. The 1850's also witnessed one of C. F. Martin’s
major design innovations, the "X" bracing system for the guitar
top. Still in use today on all steel-string Martin guitars,
the bracing system is largely responsible for the distinctive
Martin tone, characterized by brilliant treble and powerful
bass response. C. F. Martin, Sr., died on February 16, 1873,
and his 48 year old son Christian Frederick, Jr. succeeded him.
In 1859, a plant was constructed on the corner of Main and North
Streets in Nazareth, still used today as a warehouse and shipping
location as well as the site of Guitarmaker’s Connection, a
retail supply house for instrument making and repair. During
the years following C. F. Martin, Sr.’s death, the fortunes
of the Martin Company rose and fell with the business cycle.
In 1888, C. F. Martin, Jr., died unexpectedly, leaving the business
in the hands of his 22 year-old son Frank Henry. Young Frank
Martin’s abilities as a businessman were put to the test early
on in his career as he took over a company faced with a severe
distribution problem. He decided to terminate Martin's
exclusive distribution agreement with Zoebisch & Sons, made
even more difficult due to a long-standing bond of friendship
that had existed between the Martin and Zoebisch families. Upon
assuming distribution of its own products, Martin enjoyed a
tremendous boom in the sale of mandolins which had become popular
with Italian immigration to America. Sales of Martin guitars
and mandolins were handled by various direct mail advertisements
in local newspapers and through the efforts of Frank Martin.
The 1920s were boom
growth years for the Martin Company, as the ukulele captured
the fancy of the American public. The first Martin ukuleles
were not well received, made much like a guitar and with too
much bracing in the spruce body. The excessive bracing and the
spruce top gave the instruments a lackluster tone that failed
to appeal to the buying public. Recognizing the shortcomings
of its initial ukulele design, Martin worked to produce an acceptable
uke. By reducing the amount of bracing and substituting mahogany
for spruce, Martin quickly garnered a large share of the ukulele
market. The demand for the products was such that Martin was
forced to double the capacity of the North Street plant with
an additional wing and increase in the work force. During the
decade of the ’20s, sales of C. F. Martin instruments increased
every year, and by 1928 annual guitar production was over 5000
units, over 4 times the output of 1920. With the advent of the
Great Depression in 1929, national economic hardship forced
the Martin family to discard aspirations for increased sales
and concentrate on survival as selling guitars proved increasingly
challenging. During this period, the company added new designs
to the product line, altered existing products, and explored
numerous features in hopes of finding a product that would bolster
lagging sales. While many of the products conceived during this
period had a short life span, two major developments emerged
that had a lasting effect on the company: the creation of the
now famous "Dreadnought" guitar and the invention of the 14
fret neck. In short order, the 14 fret neck became the standard
design for the American guitar industry. The Dreadnought guitar,
named after a large class of World War I British battleships,
became a trademark of the Martin Company as its large body and
booming bass was ideal for accompanying vocals. The first Dreadnoughts,
introduced in 1916, were sold under the brand name of "Oliver
Ditson & Co., Boston, New York." At first the instruments were
not very well received simply because there were not many singers
using guitars, and solo players felt that the bass on the Dreadnought
was overbearing. However, as folk singing became increasingly
popular, sales of the Dreadnought picked up. The Ditson Company
went out of business in the late 1920s, and in 1931 Martin incorporated
the Dreadnought into its line of guitars. Today, the model is
a dominant factor in the Martin line, and virtually every maker
of acoustic guitars domestic and foreign has introduced a version
of this original Martin design. Frank Henry Martin died at the
age of 81 in 1948, and C. F. Martin III assumed the presidency
of the company which continued to enjoy worldwide recognition
for its guitars of uncompromising quality.
The post war years 1948-1970
were an unprecedented era of growth for C. F. Martin, and by
the early ’1960s the company had a 3 year backlog. The company
built a new larger plant on Sycamore Street, and the building’s
efficient one story layout allowed Martin to improve the flow
of materials and workflow, increasing output without sacrificing
quality. In 1970, Martin purchased the renowned Vega Banjo Works
of Boston and later acquired the Fibes Drum Company, makers
of a unique fiberglass drum and the Darco String Company. Later
in the ’1970s Martin acquired the A. B. Herman Carlson Levin
Company of Sweden which made a variety of classic and steel
string guitars. In subsequent years, Vega, Levin and Fibes were
spun off, but the manufacture of Martin and Darco strings remains
an integral part of the company. Christian Frederick Martin
IV was born on July 8, 1955, and as he grew up he spent much
of his time learning every operation of the company and assisting
with the construction of a D-28S guitar. Chris joined the Martin
Guitar Company full time after his graduation from Boston University
in 1978, and in 1985 he was appointed Vice President of Marketing.
After the death of his grandfather, C. F. Martin III in June
of 1986, C. F. Martin IV was appointed Chairman of the Board
and CEO, giving him the responsibility for leading Martin into
the next century. Under Chris’ management, the Sycamore Street
facility was expanded, the successful Backpacker travel guitar
was introduced, and the limited edition guitar program was expanded
to include signature models of significant artists like Gene
Autry, Eric Clapton, and Marty Stuart plus unique collaborations
like the 1996 MTV Unplugged MTV-1 guitar. Perhaps the
boldest new direction that Chris took was the development and
introduction of the patented "1 Series" guitars which thoroughly
re-examined the way guitars are designed and constructed. Through
the use of innovative processes combined with computer aided
manufacturing, the 1 Series models offer an affordable acoustic
guitar without compromise of tone or craftsmanship. The Martin
Guitar Company is still thriving and adhering to the design
and quality principles that have long made them one of the top
names in fine guitars and musical string instruments.
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