MartinTalk.com

Front detail of CF Martin’s very popular 000-28EC model, showing the solid Sitka spruce soundboard, finely inlaid herringbone rosette and their instantly recognizable, much-copied “comma-shaped” pickguard.

 

The C.F. Martin & Company is a US guitar manufacturer established in 1833 by Christian Frederick Martin. Martin is renowned for its high-quality steel-string guitars, and is arguably the world’s preeminent mass manufacturer of flattop acoustics, with models that retail for thousands of dollars and vintage instruments that often fetch six figures at resale. The company also made several models of electric guitars and electric basses.

Company history

The company has been run by the Martin family for all of its history; its current chairman and CEO, C.F. ‘Chris’ Martin IV, is the great-great-great-grandson of the founder. Many characteristic features of the modern flatop steel strung acoustic guitar were first introduced by the firm. Some influential creations of the company include the Dreadnought body style and scalloped X bracing.

The company’s headquarters and primary factory are in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, located in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.

Founding

Born in 1796 in Markneukirchen, Germany, C.F. Martin came from a long line of cabinet makers and woodworkers. By the age of 15 he was an apprentice to Johan Stauffer, a well-known guitar maker in Vienna, Austria. After completing his training, Martin returned to his hometown and opened his own guitar-making shop. Shortly after opening he became embroiled in a controversy between two guilds.

At the time European craftsmen operated under the guild system. The guitar (in its modern form) was a relatively recent instrument, and most guitar makers were members of the Cabinet Makers Guild. The Violin Makers Guild began to claim exclusive rights to manufacture musical instruments. Although the cabinet makers successfully defended their rights to build guitars, Martin decided that the guild system was too restrictive, and in 1833 he moved to New York City. Obviously uncomfortable with the pace and style of big-city life, by 1838 he had moved his operation to Nazareth, PA.

Company

In the 1850s, the Martin company developed one of its best technological innovations for the guitar, the X-bracing system on the N20. The musical and structural integrity of an acoustic guitar is a balance between the need to allow the soundboard of the guitar to resonate freely for acoustic purposes versus the compensation needed for maintaining structural integrity over the long term. By gluing struts of wood to the underside of the top of the guitar in a modified X brace pattern, Martin invented a design that successfully met these competing demands: the compromise being pleasing to the ear of players and listeners as well as the demands of time, with instruments of 100+ years of age still being eminently playable.

The growing popularity of the guitar in the early 1900s, fueled by the growing popularity of folk music and country and western music, led to a demand for louder and more percussive guitars. This led to many companies beginning to string their guitars with metal instead of catgut. These became known as steel-string guitars, and Martin began concentrating on this type of guitar by 1921.

The company’s reputation and production continued to grow. Forays into mandolin making in the late 1890s and ukulele making in the 1920s greatly contributed to their expansion, and by 1928 they were making over 5000 instruments per year. Remaining a family-owned business, the company employed a relatively small number of highly-trained craftsmen making instruments primarily by hand. This limited production capacity, and by the early 1960s Martin guitars were back-ordered by as long as three years. In 1964 they opened a new plant which is still the primary Martin production facility.

Innovations

The Great Depression had a drastic effect on sales, and Martin came up with two further innovations in an attempt to regain business.

One of these was the 14-fret neck, which allowed a greater range of notes, and which was meant to appeal to banjo players. Most guitars at the time had only 12 frets where the neck joins the body. This idea became so popular that Martin made the 14-fret neck standard on all of its guitars, and the rest of the guitar industry soon followed, although classical guitars retained the 12-fret neck. Some recent electric guitars go well beyond 14 frets.

The second innovation 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. This led to its name; at about the same time the British Navy shocked the world by launching a battleship that was considerably larger than any in service. From the idea that a ship that big would have to fear nothing, it was christened “HMS Dreadnought.” Martin recognized a perfect marketing tie-in when they saw one, and borrowed the 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. Poorly received at the time of its introduction, when Martin reintroduced the style in 1931 it quickly became their best-selling guitar. Again, the rest of the industry soon followed, and today the “dreadnought” size and shape is considered one of the “standard” acoustic guitar shapes.

The 1960s

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 continued to concentrate on the manufacture of a wide range of high quality acoustics. They also brought back the famous D-45 in 1968.

During the 1960s, many musicians preferred Martin guitars built before World War II to more recent guitars of the same model. The pre-War guitars were believed to have internal bracing carved more skilfully than later instruments, producing better resonance. Although Martin continued to make all these models and continually added innovations, musicians liked the old ones better, and they gladly paid premium prices for vintage Martins. This trend has continued. Curiously, however, one sees 1971 guitars offered on eBay as “vintage Martin guitars.” At present, any old guitar is valuable to collectors, if not to musicians. Christie’s sets new records every year, as it does with paintings. One suspects that scarcity, new wealth, and the psychology of speculation are behind these prices, more so than musical quality.

Recent events

In 1979, Martin opened its “Custom Shop” division. Martin built its 500,000th guitar in 1990, and in 2004 they built their millionth guitar.

 

Christian Frederick Martin, Sr. (German: Christian Friedrich Martin I.; January 31, 1796 – February 16, 1873) was a luthier who specialized in guitars.

Born in Markneukirchen, Germany to a family of cabinet makers, Martin became an apprentice of the guitar maker Johann Stauffer of Vienna, Austria.

As a result of a dispute between the Cabinet Makers Guild, of which Martin was a member, and the Violin Makers Guild, Martin moved to the United States in 1833. On arriving in New York City , he set up shop at 196 Hudson Street on the Lower West Side. Martin’s first workshop housed a small production setup in the back room, and a retail music store up front. This shop was the forerunner of C. F. Martin & Company, which is still family-owned and operated, whose current CEO is CF Martin’s great-great-great grandson, CF Martin IV as of 2007.

At the insistence of his wife, Ottilie Lucia Kühler (daughter of well-known guitarmaker Karl Kühler of Vienna), Martin moved the guitar shop in 1838 to Nazareth, Pennsylvania where it is still located.

Martin’s guitar construction and design innovations produced a model of flattop guitar that is still in use today

 

Six-string guitars

For many years, Martin has used a model-labeling system that consists of an initial letter or a number or series of zeros that specifies the body size and type (5 being the smallest and J being the largest - followed by a number that designates the guitar’s ornamentation and style, including the species of wood from which the guitar is constructed. Generally, the higher the number, the higher the level of ornamentation. Additional letters or numbers added to this basic system are used to designate special features (such as a built-in pickup or a cutaway).

Martin also periodically offers special models. Many of these have a limited production run, or begin as a limited-production guitar that sells well enough to become regularly produced. Many of these special models are designed with, endorsed by, and named after well-known guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Merle Haggard, Stephen Stills, Paul Simon, Arlo Guthrie, Johnny Cash, and many others. In 2002, Martin launched its “Women in Music” series with the Joan Baez Signature guitar, a replica of the 0-45 with which Baez began her career.

Classically-trained guitar virtuoso Dominic Frasca created a 10-string guitar by grafting the neck from an electric guitar onto a Martin Millennium acoustic guitar. He also added single string “mini capos” which form part of his trademark style and sound.

Roger McGuinn worked with C. F. Martin & Company to develop a seven-string folk guitar. McGuinn’s guitar, the D7, is tuned the same as a standard folk guitar with steel strings, but the third (G) string is augmented with a harmonic string one octave higher. The intention was to afford the six-string player the chance to play “jingly” twelve-string style lead guitar.

As of 2005, Martin offers over 180 different guitars. Some of the more notable models are:

* 000-1: Slightly smaller in all dimensions than a “Dreadnought” guitar (the “standard” acoustic guitar), solid Sitka spruce top, solid mahogany back, laminated mahogany sides, tortoiseshell binding, rosewood fingerboard.
* 000-28EC [4]and 000-28ECB: Two of the five “Eric Clapton” models. Same size as the above guitar, constructed with higher-quality woods (especially the more expensive 000-28ECB constructed from the extremely rare Brazilian species of rosewood, hence the “B”), a different shape to the neck, and greater ornamentation around the edge of the body.

000-28EC in Geib-style hardshell case
000-28EC in Geib-style hardshell case
HD-28 Dreadnought in moulded case
HD-28 Dreadnought in moulded case

* The 000-28EC (bottom left photograph) is one of Martin’s most popular guitars; unlike the bigger dreadnoughts, the 000-28EC is nearer to the size of a Spanish guitar - a slimmer body and wider fretboard.
* D-1: Dreadnought version of the “000-1″.
* D-18: Dreadnought guitar, solid Sitka spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides.
* D-28: Dreadnought guitar, solid Sitka spruce top, solid East Indian rosewood (Brazilian rosewood before 1969) back and sides, ebony fingerboard, black and white binding and ornamentation with 5/16″ non-scalloped braces.
* The HD-28 (right photograph) replicates pre-1947 “‘bone” D-28s with herringbone purfling (then manufactured only in pre-war Germany) and scalloped braces. It is an extremely popular guitar with a full sound, good balance between bass and treble.’
* HD-35:Similar material and style to the HD-28, but has a distinctive 3 piece solid East Indian Rosewood back and 1/4″ scalloped braces.
* D-45: Similar to the “D-28″ with much greater and more complex ornamentation, including abalone and mother-of-pearlshell inlays. Also comes in a vintage version D-45V and a D-45 Koa made with solid highly flamed Koa.
* J-40: a “Jumbo” sized guitar, slightly larger than a Dreadnought but not as deep. Woods similar to the “D-28″ and ornamentation slightly less ornate that the 45 level.
* OM-28 - Similar to the 000-28 model in body size and ornamentation, except with a slightly longer scale. Also known as the “orchestra” model.
* OM-42PS - Paul Simon’s signature acoustic model, manufactured in the 1997 model year, is based on the OM-28, but with fancier ornamentation and alterations specifically requested by Paul Simon himself. From the original planned run of around five hundred, only two hundred and twenty three were made, making these a collector’s item. The OM-42 is the nearest in the current range.
* Backpacker: a very small guitar with a body shaped like an elongated triangle, designed to be very portable and inexpensive while still being constructed of quality woods.
* 16-Series: Style 16 guitars were first introduced in 1961. Later they were the first production Martins to utilize sustainable, native woods such as ash and walnut, as well as the first to implement hybrid A-frame “X” bracing. Today these models use solid woods such as mahogany, East Indian rosewood, koa, sapele and maple. Models include: DC-16RE Aura, OMC-16E Koa, D-16 GT and 000C-16RGTE Aura.
* 15 Series: Constructed of solid all mahogany woods, featuring herringbone rosette, matte finish and A-frame “X” bracing. Models include D-15 and OMC-15E. Also acoustic bass guitar BC-15E. John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers favors this series, himself owning two vintage O-15 acoustics. Used on solo albums (most notably on Curtains) and albums with the band (like the recent Stadium Arcadium), Frusciante’s O-15s can be seen in action during live performances of songs, including Venice Queen (most memorably at Slane Castle) and Desecration Smile (usually sitting on top of a special stand in a similar fashion to Slane Castle).
* Road Series: Designed for extra durability, constructed of laminated 3-ply mahogany sides and solid spruce top. Also features specially designed top braces, shaped back braces and beveled rear block. Models include the DM.
* X-Series: Back and sides constructed from compressed wood fibers (high-pressure laminate or “HPL”) and solid Sitka spruce or HPL top. Due to this construction these guitars are more environmentally friendly. Models include, DX1, DX1-R, DXM, DCX1E and 000CXE Black.

A steel-string guitar tuned to concert pitch endures a tension of 180 pounds (800 N) on the top of the guitar from the strings. The X-bracing system has been shown to be an efficient technique for preventing the top of the guitar from warping under this force. The braces are generally carved, scalloped and tuned in order to aid in the resonance and integrity of the guitar top, such capability being performed by skilled artisans and not readily reproducible by machine. This work is an important factor in determining the timbre of the guitar, and a major determinant in the observation that rarely do two guitars ever sound alike even though they are ostensibly identical in construction.

I feel relatively ignorant. Having been a guitar player for some 40 yrs. I don’t know what wings are. Will someone please tell me so that I won’t feel so inadequate?

I have the opportunity to buy a `61 Martin 0-15 she`s in a good condition, a few minor scratches and chips, but i`m not sure about the prize. It` s about 3116 USD. What do you think? Is it a good deal?

  The EB-18 was the first electric bass the Martin company produced in 1979. Previously they had only produced acoustic bass guitars.

The general features of the EB-18 are:

*
o Scale length 34″.
o Brass nut,
o Badass bridge,
o Single DiMarzio humbucking pickup,
o Through piece solid construction of hard maple and walnut (body wings are glued on to central core), rosewood fretboard.
o Schaller BM series open tuning heads M/C heads with a gear ratio of 1:20. Some M/C heads have C.F. Martin stamped on them but look very similar to Schaller heads.
o Four figure serial number printed on the back (where the ‘neck’ enters the ‘body’).
o The headstock has the C.F. Martin logo printed on the front. The name C.F.Martin and Co. is printed on the back.

Pickup

The pickup is a DiMarzio DP120 (model 1) dual pole type with a multicore screened lead. This contains red, white, black and green wires as well as an uninsulated ground wire.

Controls

The EB-18 is provided with a single volume control, one tone control, and a switch for altering the pickup wiring. The switch alters the tone from a bright to a more bassy sound by cutting one pickup coil out of the circuit.

The tone control is comprised of a 0.1- microfarad capacitor in series with the variable resistor that is adjusted by the control knob. This network is placed directly from the red pickup lead to ground. The volume control is a simple potentiometer wired between the red pickup lead and ground with the wiper being fed to the output jack.

The control compartment is covered on the rear surface of the body by a polished brass plate. The interior of the compartment is coated with a light colored conductive paint to act as a screen against unwanted pickup such as mains hum.

Flight case

The EB-18 was supplied with a quality hard flight case. The EB-18 body fits into the shaped recess and the case takes account of the oddly shaped ‘lizard’-looking head and large tuning lugs. There is a pair of compartments inside for cables and other items. The inside is lined with a soft, burnt orange color, fur-like material. The case is closed with four toggle latches and has a centrally placed carrying handle.
Martin EB18 Headstock showing Martin machine heads
Martin EB18 Headstock showing Martin machine heads

Popularity

The EB-18 was not all that popular among bass players. The next model, the EB 28, was more popular.

See also: E 18 series guitars

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., April 7 /PRNewswire/ — The pioneering American spirit
has always romanticized the traveling singer, the wandering poet, and the
musician whose home is the road. It is a lesser known fact that Mark Twain, long before the quieter years of white hair and linen suits, was one of the original bohemians of this land. Like his archetypically American protagonist
Huck Finn, Twain traveled far and often, accompanied only by ink, paper, and
an 1835 Martin guitar. Though his writings are invaluable, Twain’s Martin is
definitively valued at over $15 million.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050407/SFTH069 )
The guitar was acquired by world-renowned guitar collector Hank Risan in the mid-nineties. Part of the John Hancock III guitar collection, Risan
purchased the instrument replete with its original coffin case and an
authentic shipping label dated 1866. “It’s one of the best-sounding guitars
I’ve ever played. It still retains its original finish and everything is
original to the guitar, except the bridge, which was made in 1850 or 1860.
The guitar has a great provenance,” Hank Risan explained to Noah Adams on NPR’s Lost and Found Sound.