C . F . MARTIN & CO . of the company ’ s craftspeople have been plying their trade at 510 Sycamore Street for the better part of a quarter century . That ’ s an unparalleled depth of experience in the industry . “ And they ’ ve acquired really unique skills ,” says Greene . “ When you come through the factory for a tour , you will see somebody shaving braces and be amazed by how fast they do it — and astonished by their accuracy . It ’ s very impressive . We try to maintain as much handwork as we possibly can , as the human interaction is important to the way our products sound . You could turn this operation into a 100 % engineering exercise where robots build everything in a factory that could run without the lights on . That just doesn ’ t fit who we were as a brand and what we represent to musicians . We still think of our guitars as art . They ’ re functional , but deep down we still think of every guitar as a work of art . Yes , we use the best tools available , we integrate the best technologies , but with the knowledge that it ’ s the hands of the artisans that make the difference .”
Taken together , modern materials and techniques advance the state of the art , preserving the essence of the tradition while enhancing the performance of the instrument . And as a final nod to its heritage , for its technology-enhanced Modern Deluxe line , Martin went with a 1930s style script logo inlaid in pearl on the headstock . Last century ’ s Martin builders would have approved .
28
| FALL 2023