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58-612: C.F. Martin & Company (often referred to as Martin ) is an American guitar manufacturer established in 1833 by Christian Frederick Martin . It is highly respected for its acoustic guitars and is a leading manufacturer of flat top guitars and ukuleles . The company has also made mandolins and tiples , as well as several models of electric guitars and electric basses , although none of these other instruments are still in production. The company's headquarters and primary factory are situated in Nazareth, Pennsylvania , located in

116-431: A Band saw, Drill Press, Table Saw, Stationary Sander, Jointer, C Clamps, Sanding Board, Column Sander, Power Planer, Dovetail Saw, Scraper blades, Hand Files, Router, and Sand Paper. The majority of material comprising a modern guitar is wood. Typical woods used for the body and neck of a guitar today are Mahogany , Ash , Maple , Basswood , Agathis , Alder , Poplar , Walnut , Spruce , and holly . Woods from around

174-470: A D-18 owned and used by Elvis Presley from December 1954 to May 1955, sold at an auction by Gottahaverockandroll for US$ 1,320,000, the highest price ever paid for a non modified acoustic guitar. In 2018 Martin hired Greg Koch as a Martin guitar ambassador. Koch now does clinics demonstrating Martin guitar models. Guitar manufacturing A luthier is a person who has learned the craft of making string instruments including guitars, generally on

232-457: A TIG ( Tungsten Inert Gas ) welder. CAD and CAM systems are not limited to cutting guitar bodies alone. They are utilized by several manufacturers in cut necks, fretboards, and other parts of the guitar quickly and efficiently. The advantage of CNC machining is the accuracy and precision of the cutting. These machines can make thousands of parts with tolerances of mere ten-thousandths of an inch. C.F. Martin & Company uses CNC machines to cut

290-665: A controversy between two guilds . In the early 1800s, European craftsmen still operated under the guild system. The guitar (in its modern form) was a relatively new instrument, and most guitar makers were members of the Cabinet Makers' Guild. However, the Violin Makers' Guild claimed exclusive rights to manufacture musical instruments. The Violin Makers' Guild filed appeals on three occasions—the first in 1806—to prevent cabinet makers from producing guitars. Johann Martin

348-442: A cross between Gretsch and Guild hollow-body guitars. The guitars have a typical 60's jangly sound. DeArmond pickups were used. The units had Kluson tuners and most had a machined aluminum bridge though some were made with wooden bridges. Single and double-cutaway models were produced. Black, red and burgundy colors were available. The guitars failed to make a significant cultural or commercial impact. From 1985 to 1996 Martin produced

406-574: A factory tour. The range of instruments manufactured by Martin include steel-string and classical acoustic guitars and ukuleles . The company also manufactures instruments and strings in Navojoa , Mexico. It produces approximately 193 guitars per day. The company has been run by the Martin family throughout its history. Its executive chairman, C.F. 'Chris' Martin IV, is the great-great-great-grandson of

464-417: A guitar made out of aluminum, for example, the top, sides, and back of the body are drawn in a modelling program and a 3D model can be created by combining these 2D features. This representation gives the ability to see the final product before any material is cut. A popular choice for a CAM ( Computer Aided Manufacturing ) software suite is MasterCAM . It is also used by Taylor Guitars. The CAM software takes

522-425: A guitar with a 15-fret neck-to-body join. In keeping with Bechtel's request, Martin modified the shape of their 12-fret 000-size instrument, lowering the waist and giving the upper bout more acute curves to cause the neck joint to fall at the 14th fret rather than the 12th. Fourteen-fret guitars were designed to play with a pick and replace banjos in jazz orchestras. Thus Martin named its first 14-fret, 000-shape guitar

580-419: A guitar. A common choice of a CAD ( Computer Aided Design ) system is Solidworks , which is utilized by Taylor Guitars . With a CAD system, a two-dimensional or three-dimensional model of the guitar can be designed and seen before a physical model is created. This allows for consistency and convenience in the design process, whether the guitar is made out of wood, metal, polymer, or any machinable substance. For

638-509: A high-performance string in tennis racquets , although it had more popularity in the past and is being displaced by synthetic strings. Catgut is also traditionally used to hang the weights in grandfather clocks . Catgut was also used in early pocket timepieces from their invention up until the use of the Fusee chain . To prepare catgut, workers clean the small intestines, free them from any fat, and steep them in water. Then they scrape off

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696-446: A line of archtop instruments during the 1930s. Their design differed from Gibson and other archtops in a variety of respects–the fingerboard was glued to the top, rather than a floating extension of the neck, and the backs and sides were flat rosewood plates pressed into an arch rather than the more common carved figured maple. Martin archtops were not commercially successful and were withdrawn after several years. In spite of this, during

754-489: A line of solid body electric guitars and basses under the brand name Stinger. These were modeled after Fender guitars and were made in Korea. The guitars were shipped to the Martin factory where they were inspected and given a final setup before being sent on to the distributors. Martin opened its "Custom Shop" division in 1979. Martin built its 500,000th guitar in 1990, and in 2004 they built their millionth guitar. This guitar

812-479: A new plant that is still the primary Martin production facility. One of the consistent policies of the company was to not engage in endorsement deals. At the same time, they offered a 20% discount as a courtesy to professional musicians. They would also offer to customize instruments with inlays of names for the performers. The Great Depression in 1929 drastically affected Martin's sales. The company came up with two innovations to help regain business. One of these

870-612: A patent on the new bracing system. During the 1850s, X-bracing was used by several makers, all of whom were German immigrants who were known to each other, and according to historian Philip Gura there is no evidence that C. F. Martin invented the system. The Martin company was the first to use X-bracing on a large scale, however. From the 1860s on, fan bracing became standard in Europe. Martin and other American builders including Washburn and others since forgotten (Schmidt & Maul, Stumcke, Tilton) used X-bracing instead. While some consider

928-409: A richer, darker sound as well as withstanding high tension within low alto, tenor, and high-bass ranges. Many acoustic guitarists moved away from gut strings in the early 1900s when the C. F. Martin & Company introduced steel strings, which gave greater volume to the guitar. "The demand for steel came from ensemble players, who couldn't make themselves heard clearly without it." Within a few years

986-423: A ship that big had nothing to fear (nought to dread), it was christened HMS  Dreadnought . Martin borrowed this name for their new, large guitar. The greater volume and louder bass produced by this expansion in size was intended to make the guitar more useful as an accompaniment instrument for singers working with the limited sound equipment of the day. Initial models produced for Ditson were fan-braced, and

1044-457: A three-piece back design) are now very sought-after on the vintage guitar market, fetching sums in the neighborhood of $ 50,000–$ 60,000. The same models from the early 1970s, with Indian Rosewood backs and sides, generally sell for less than $ 2,500. Martin domestically produced hollow-body electric guitars in the mid-'60s, the GT-70, and GT-75. About 700 of each were produced. The guitars looked like

1102-584: A very small scale. The guitar has been played for hundreds of years, since evolving from the Lute and the Vihuela . The earliest guitars were made almost entirely out of wood, with some using animal intestines for strings and frets. Materials have become easier to obtain over the past 200 years. As a result, guitars are currently made out of materials that better suit their intended use. Frets and strings, for example, are now almost exclusively made out of metal, which

1160-410: A violin E, uses only three or four guts, whereas a double bass string may use 20 or more. After twisting and drying, workers polish the strings to the required diameter. Before the 20th century, the strings were simply rubbed with an abrasive to smooth them. Today they are generally ground down to the desired diameter using a centerless grinder . After drying and polishing, workers bleach and disinfect

1218-492: Is entirely hand-crafted and features more than 40 inlaid rubies and diamonds. It is worth an estimated $ 1 million. As of 2007, Martin employed 600 people. In October 2009, a Martin D-28 that was played by Elvis Presley in his last concert was purchased at auction for $ 106,200. In an effort to attract customers from the growing mid-level guitar market Martin introduced their first guitar constructed with laminated wood in 1993 with

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1276-510: Is mentioned in a surviving submission dated 1832. Although the cabinet makers successfully defended their right to build guitars, C. F. Martin believed that the guild system was too restrictive and moved to New York City in 1833. By 1838, he moved his business to Nazareth, Pennsylvania . The Martin company is generally credited with developing the X-bracing system during the 1850s (possibly July 1842) although C. F. Martin did not apply for

1334-400: Is merely a tool to reduce variance between guitars, allowing the craftsman to do their jobs more efficiently and quickly. Gibson Guitar Corporation has had 2 policies relating to the manufacturing of quality instruments throughout their 100 plus years of manufacturing: "Buy or invent machines for dangerous or repetitive operations requiring great accuracy and employ a highly skilled worker when

1392-519: Is much longer lasting and more ideal than organic material. The earliest guitars were not designed for mass production. Each guitar produced was a unique instrument artfully crafted by its luthier. This practice was common until the turn of the 18th century when the powers of the world experienced the Industrial Revolution. While early mass production of guitars dramatically increased the number of guitars in circulation, each instrument

1450-407: Is still a popular method of guitar manufacturing for luthiers and large manufacturer custom shops, the major players in the guitar industry are shifting to computer-controlled mass production of guitars. This approach maintains the quality of their instruments while increasing efficiency and productivity. Most manufacturers use some form of geometric modelling and CNC machining software when designing

1508-688: The Lehigh Valley region of the state. The original factory on North Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2018. This building no longer houses manufacturing, instead a luthier store called Guitar Maker's Connection. The current headquarters on Sycamore Street includes the Martin Guitar Museum, which features over 170 guitars made by the company over its history. Visitors can see pictures of famous guitar owners, try out and purchase guitars, or take

1566-534: The 12-fret neck design. Martin's second major innovation of the period 1915–1930 was the dreadnought guitar . Originally devised in 1916 as a collaboration between Martin and a prominent retailer, the Oliver Ditson Co., the dreadnought body style was larger and deeper than most guitars. In 1906, the Royal Navy launched a battleship that was considerably larger than any before it. From the idea that

1624-520: The 1960s, David Bromberg had a Martin F-7 archtop converted to a flat-top guitar with exceptionally successful results, and as a result, Martin has issued a David Bromberg model based on this conversion (no longer in production). This and other conversions of Martin F-size guitars later became the basis for the Martin "M"-sized guitars (also known as the 0000 size). The original production models of this size in

1682-527: The 1970s were the M-36 and the M-38. After a hiatus, the M-36 is once again in regular production. During this time, Martin also continued to make ukuleles , tiples , and mandolins . During the late 1960s, Martin manufactured hollow-body electric guitars similar to those manufactured by Gretsch . Martin's electric guitars were not popular and the company has since produced only acoustics. They also reinstated

1740-448: The 3D model created in the CAD system and uses a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine, also known as a CNC router (typically a vertical machining center) to cut out the 2D pieces from, in the example above, a sheet of aluminum. This process can eliminate waste as well as decrease machining time and machine downtime. The pieces cut from the sheets of aluminum are assembled by a worker using

1798-514: The D1 series that had laminated wood sides and a solid wood back. Since then they have also introduced an even less expensive DX series using printable HPL (high pressure laminates) as well as laminated "durabond" necks and yet maintain high tonal quality, built at their own factory in Mexico. In January 2018, Martin announced it would release a D-45 John Mayer signature model. The model was unveiled on

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1856-601: The Orchestra Model (OM). Martin applied this term to all 14-fret instruments in its catalogs by the mid- to late-1930s. Original Martin OMs from approximately 1929 to 1931 are extremely rare and sell for high prices. Many guitarists believe that the OM—a combination of Martin's modified 14-fret 000 body shape, long scale (25.4") neck, solid headstock, 1-3/4" nut width, 4-1/8" maximum depth at the endwedge, and 2-3/8" string spread at

1914-524: The United States. They are also made elsewhere, for example in India, Mali, and Morocco, for local use. Catgut suture was once a widely used material in surgical settings. Catgut sutures remain in use in developing countries where they are locally less expensive and easier to obtain. Catgut treated with chromium salts, known as chromic catgut, is also used in surgery. Natural gut is still used as

1972-442: The bridge, and pickups are made out of metals and plastics. These materials offer increased performance and strength over wood or other organic material and are easy to obtain and machine. With modern machining methods, luthiers and companies are no longer confined to working with woods. In addition, as tonal woods that offer the best sound quality become increasingly hard to come by, manufacturers are exploring different materials for

2030-554: The bridge—offers the most versatile combination of features available in a steel-string acoustic guitar. Many contemporary guitar makers (including many small shops and hand-builders) design instruments on the OM pattern. The change in body shape and longer neck became so popular that Martin made the 14-fret neck standard on almost all of its guitars and the rest of the guitar industry soon followed. Classical guitars, which were evolving on their own track largely among European builders, retained

2088-410: The excellent strength to weight ratio and cost-effectiveness of carbon fibre in their guitar designs. Manufacturers such as Rainsong have built their businesses around carbon fibre bodied guitars. Rainsong in particular uses carbon fibre in the tops, backs, sides, necks, headstocks, and fretboards of their guitars, offering intricate patterns of the fibre on select models. While handcrafting guitars

2146-402: The external membrane with a blunt knife, and steep the intestines again for some time in potassium hydroxide . Then they smooth and equalize the intestines by drawing them out. Lean animals yield the toughest gut. Next, they twist the prepared gut strands together to make string. String diameter is determined by the thickness of the individual guts, and by the number used. A thin string, such as

2204-399: The famous D-45 in 1968. During the 1960s, many musicians, including Clarence White and Eric Thompson preferred Martin guitars built before World War II to more recent guitars of the same model. The prewar guitars had a different internal bracing pattern consisting of scalloped braces (the later ones were tapered rather than scalloped), with the x-brace forward-shifted to about an inch of

2262-537: The founder. The firm was the first to introduce many of the characteristic features of the modern flattop, steel-string acoustic guitar. Influential Martin innovations include the Dreadnought body style and scalloped bracing. In June 2021, CFM IV retired as CEO. He still maintains a seat on the Board as Executive Chairman. The first non-family member, Thomas Ripsam, has since assumed the role of CEO. C. F. Martin

2320-467: The human touch or the musician’s ear is required." Catgut Catgut (also known as gut ) is a type of cord that is prepared from the natural fiber found in the walls of animal intestines . Catgut makers usually use sheep or goat intestines, but occasionally use the intestines of cattle , hogs , horses , mules , or donkeys . Despite the name, catgut is not made from cat intestines. The word catgut may have been an abbreviation of

2378-438: The instruments were poorly received. In 1931, Martin reintroduced the dreadnought with X-bracing and two years later gave it a modified body shape to accommodate a 14-fret neck, and it quickly became their bestselling guitar. The rest of the industry soon followed, and the "dreadnought" size and shape became one of the "standard" acoustic guitar shapes, iconic for its use in a wide variety of musical genres. Martin also developed

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2436-503: The late 1890s and ukulele making in the 1920s greatly contributed to their expansion, and by 1928 they were making over 5,000 instruments per year. The ukulele was responsible for keeping the company profitable in the 1920s. The company remained family-owned and employed a relatively small number of highly trained craftsmen making instruments primarily by hand. By the early 1960s Martin guitars were back-ordered by as much as three years due to limited production capacity. In 1964, Martin opened

2494-592: The majority of Martin guitars were made with steel strings to accommodate the demand. After World War II, most classical and flamenco guitarists switched from catgut to the new nylon strings for their greater smoothness, durability, and stability of intonation. Before 1900, the best strings for musical instruments were reputedly from Italy . Musicians believed the best were from Naples, though Rome and other Italian cities also produced excellent strings. Today high quality gut strings are produced mostly in Italy, Germany, and

2552-648: The manager of the Carl Fischer store in New York City. The "Carl Fischer Model" tenors were soon renamed 0-18T. Martin altered the shape of its 0-size guitar body to accommodate 14 frets, the first time Martin changed one of their original body shapes to accommodate a longer neck with more frets clear of the body. It was also during this time that Perry Bechtel, a well-known banjo player and guitar teacher from Cable Piano in Atlanta, requested that Martin build

2610-414: The neck and body of guitars. Aluminum is a functional alternative for crafting guitar bodies. Its combination of high strength and low weight are attractive to guitarists around the world. Aircraft-grade aluminum ( 6061 ) is the composition of choice for guitar manufactures such as Normandy Guitars and Xtreme Guitars. It is highly machinable, weldable, and strong enough to withstand the tension created by

2668-415: The necks and neck pockets of their guitars. C.F. Martin uses the machines because of the precision and quality of cutting that CNC offers. The Plek machine is a CNC machine currently being implemented by a large number of guitar manufacturing companies. The machine is a time-saving way to level and shape fretboards through a process called fret dressing. CNC machining does not do all of the work, however. It

2726-481: The propagation of tone transmission from the guitar neck into the body. The growing popularity of the guitar in the early 1900s led to a demand for louder and more percussive guitars. In response, many companies began to use metal strings instead of the traditional catgut . These became known as steel-string guitars. By 1921, Martin had focused production towards steel-string guitars. The company's reputation and output continued to grow. Forays into mandolin making in

2784-432: The selection of a type of wood; woods have unique acoustic properties and produce different sounds and resonances at different frequencies and points. Woodgrain, pattern and defects (understand defects as genetic defects of the tree-like quilt, flame...) also are factors that contribute to the beautify of the instrument. This happens especially on guitar tops or veneers. Other parts of the modern guitar such as tuners, frets,

2842-478: The sound of X-bracing less delicate sounding in guitars strung with gut strings, this bracing method helped prepare the American guitar for steel strings, which emerged in the first quarter of the 20th century. Martin's tinkering did not stop at X-bracing. From his cabinet-making heritage, he carried over the dovetail joint to connect the neck of the guitar to its body. Some feel that this new technique contributed to

2900-411: The soundhole, producing better resonance, and tops made from Adirondack red spruce rather than Sitka spruce. After 1969, the rosewood components, including the backs and sides of some models, were changed from Brazilian rosewood to Indian rosewood, due to restrictions on the sale of Brazilian rosewood. The D-28s and D-35s (introduced in the mid-1960s to make use of the more narrow pieces of wood, by using

2958-400: The strings while maintaining a relatively low weight. Some companies have experimented with aluminum necks, although aluminum's high degree of thermal expansion can cause the instrument to go out of tune after a short time. Another popular alternative material for the body and neck of a guitar is carbon fibre. Advances in technology over the past century have allowed guitar manufacturers to use

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3016-526: The winter NAMM Show . In support of the imprisoned Kurdish singer Nûdem Durak , Roger Waters sent her his black Martin guitar he had played during the Us + Them Tour . On June 21, 2020, the 1959 Martin D-18 E, modified to be plugged into an amplifier and played by Kurt Cobain during Nirvana's 1993 MTV Unplugged appearance, sold at auction for $ 6,010,000 a record sale price for any guitar. On August 1, 2020,

3074-498: The word " cattlegut ". Alternatively, it may derive by folk etymology from kitgut or kitstring — the dialectal word kit , meaning fiddle , having at some point been confused with the word kit for a young cat , the word "kit" being possibly derived from Welsh . In the 16th century a "kit" was a "small fiddle used by dancing teachers," a name probably derived from a shortening of Old English cythere, from Latin cithara, from Greek kithara (see guitar ). Historically, catgut

3132-400: The world are also incorporated into modern acoustic and electric guitars. Some of these exotic tonewoods include Koa , Rosewood , Bubinga , Korina , Lacewood , Zebrawood , Padouk , Redwood , and Wenge . With modern manufacturing techniques, almost any wood can be used if it can be obtained in an acceptable quantity. Abundance is not the only characteristic taken into consideration during

3190-777: Was born in 1796 in Markneukirchen , a small town in Germany historically famous for building musical instruments. He came from a long line of cabinet makers and woodworkers . His father, Johann Georg Martin, also built guitars. By the age of 15, according to the book "Martin Guitars: A History" by Mike Longworth, C. F. Martin apprenticed to Johann Georg Stauffer , a well-known guitar maker in Vienna, Austria . Martin returned to his hometown after completing training and opened his own guitar-making shop. However, he soon became embroiled in

3248-431: Was still handcrafted by a single or team of luthiers. For luthiers who still choose to handcraft their instruments, methods have changed very little over the past 500 years. As more advanced tooling options become available, however, less of the work in manufacturing a guitar is necessary to complete by hand. Handcrafting guitars is a time and labor-intensive method of production. Some common tools used by luthiers today are

3306-435: Was the 14- fret neck , which allowed easier access to higher notes . Most guitars of the day, with the exception of Gibson's L-5 archtop jazz guitars , had necks joined at the 12th fret, half the scale length of the string. Martin intended it to appeal to plectrum banjo players interested in switching to guitar for increased work opportunities. This was in response to specific requests from tenor players including Al Esposito,

3364-581: Was the most common material for the strings of harps , lutes , violins , violas , cellos , double basses , viols , acoustic guitars , and other stringed musical instruments , as well as the heads of older marching snare drums . Most musical instruments produced today use strings with cores made of other materials, generally steel or synthetic polymer . Gut strings are the natural choice for many classical and baroque string players, and gut strings are still most commonly preferred in concert-tension pedal/grand and some lever harps because they give

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