I (Kristina) first played a Martin guitar at a local music store in Michigan. Having seen one of the brand’s well-loved instruments make an appearance at an old-time jam, I wanted to hear the unaccompanied sound of a Martin acoustic guitar’s voice for myself. So without paying too much attention to the seemingly cryptic system of model numbers, I selected an instrument from the display and strummed a few chords.
In mid-October, I visited the stateside factory of C. F. Martin & Co., Inc. Located in a quiet neighborhood of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, the longstanding guitar manufacturer makes it a habit to open its doors for daily tours. And, as anticipated, I found it inspiring to observe the attention that goes into the craftsmanship of a Martin acoustic guitar.
At the visitor’s entrance to the Martin Guitar Factory, I stood near the company’s iconic brick wall which resembles the front wall featured in the design of the original factory. Located a short drive across town, the former manufacturing facility remains open to the public as a registered historical site and stocks a wide assortment of guitar kits.
Once inside the lobby of the operational Martin factory, I joined other guests in checking in for the morning’s next tour. Led by Martin employees, the company’s free factory tours last approximately one hour and provide a step-by-step look at the process of building an acoustic guitar from start to finish.
To begin the tour, the guide led the group to an overlook point, giving us a view of the factory floor and the initial stations where employees matched and sanded the wood pieces used for guitar backs. Additional stations utilized tables installed with LED lights to check for blemishes in the wood selected for guitar tops.
Entering the factory floor, we took a closer look at the tools used to mount the horizontal bracing on the inside of the back panel.
Martin employees utilize a machine programmed to precise temperature and pressure settings to bend the wood that forms the sides of an acoustic guitar.
Prior to mounting the top and back of a guitar, a wooden ribbon—kerfing—is hand-mounted and glued along the upper and lower interior edges of the formed side walls.
Martin employees utilize a template that has the appearance of a large stencil to precisely place the wood strips used for the bracing pattern found on the underside of each acoustic guitar’s top.
With the front and back sections in place, employees prepare to install binding that artfully runs along the edges of a guitar.
Prior to the installation of a neck and fretboard, all guitars enter the finishing process.
While fascinated by the hand-crafted approach still utilized in the creation of a Martin acoustic guitar, the tour left me with a steadying reminder of a musician’s responsibility in the musical process. At the end of the day, the musician—through attention to his or her own craft—brings life to an instrument. And, as the passionate employees of Martin promote through their work, the acquisition of a well-built instrument by a guitar enthusiast often makes for a surprising and compelling story.
-Kristina Garvelink