Looking for a Quality Guitar? Consider Martin Guitars
By Scotty Cottell | Submitted On November 09, 2010
The Quality Roots of the Martin From 1833 until the present day, Martin guitars have been the stuff of legend. The stern, disciplined descendants of C.F.Martin have been faithful to his quality standards to a high degree. A lot of time and work still goes into the making of a Martin guitar, just as it did in 1833.
The mystery is how the Martin Company survived for 177 years, when so many guitar makers did not. Christian Friedrich Martin arrived in New York, from Germany, in 1833. He had been an apprentice to the renowned luthier, Johann Stauffer, but had some guitar design ideas of his own. He did create Martin-Stauffer guitars but by 1838 had developed a solely Martin guitar with a paddle-shaped headstock, instead of the usual "f" shaped one. Then he teamed up with other guitar designers, the two most notable being John Coupa and Charles Bruno. In 1860 the Martin 1-28 came to be.
Early quality control established in the Guitar Industry by Martin By the 1870's the 00 was introduced. Being a larger guitar with a big sound, it soon became very popular! This was just as Sears and Montgomery Ward were emerging as giant retailers, providing the means to get Martin guitars to the masses at a reasonable price. The only real competition came from the Chicago-based Washburn Company that had split off from the Ditson Guitar Company. The amazing thing about Martin was that, starting in 1898, every guitar they made was given both a production number and a serial number. This became very important, as record keeping and quality control was now taken very seriously by the wealthy collector. As Mike Longworth puts it so aptly in his book MARTIN GUITARS:A HISTORY, 'this means that your grandpa's old Martin guitar had a birthday'.
Martin Falls Behind If the Martin Company had a failing, it was in their marketing. C.F. Martin Sr., who passed away in 1873, was succeeded by his son, C.F.Martin Jr., who was involved with civic and family duties. He let the business coast on its' laurels. The quality was still very high but so was the price compared ot other companies who had come on the scene. The company argued that it took good wood and lots of time to build a fine guitar, but rivals such as Lyon and Healey were making inroads. They used catchy ads and large catalogs to lure customers. Their Washburn brand was good yet inexpensive, so they became a dominant force in the decades to come.
Tropical Winds of Change Save the Martin The third Martin, Frank Henry, visited the Nazareth, PA, factory in 1888 and realized it had to change. He introduced bowl-back mandolins in 1895 and published a catalog for guitars in 1898. Frank Henry Martin, however, did not have a flair for salesmanship, coldly reasoning with the public that a 'superior guitar should cost more but was well worth it'. This was true, of course, but the new style of flashy,cheap competitors was taking a toll on their bottom line.
In 1915 a lifeline came in the form of Hawaiian guitars that were becoming a craze. Martin began production of these in 1916, building them from Koa wood so they would be strong enough to handle steel strings. Then ukuleles followed, along with flatback mandolins. The day was saved and by 1920 the Martin Company was strong once more. The mysterious 'perfect timing' of certain members of the Martin clan was to become part of guitar folklore.
Banjo-Style Innovation Inspired New Rocking Design By 1929, the fad for the ukulele and mandolins was over. At the suggestion of 4-string banjo players, Martin designed a guitar with a shorter body and a longer neck, adding two more frets to the existing 12 frets. Orchestra models and Dreadnoughts were soon in demand.
The large rosewood-bodied guitars commanded attention. Herringbone D-28 and D-45 models would soon become collectors items. Movie star Roy Rogers played a Martin 1930 OM-45, which sold for a lofty price of $260. Most guitars in that day sold for around $30 to $60. Many musicians bought the cheaper models and still played a good tune! The less expensive guitars kept Martin in business while The Great Depression wiped out most of the competition. Martin had solved the great mystery of survival, not even realizing how good their quality had become!
Scotty Cottell is a long-time guitar enthusiast and player who is also a bit of a history buff. He has always believed that understanding the roots of the modern guitar lends a solidity to enjoying the musicality and impact of the instrument. He writes at [http://www.killerguitars.net]. Drop by to see your favorite killer guitars and hear some of them in action. Reviews, demos, and great musicians for you to enjoy. It is also the home of GIT Trivia.
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