THE MUSEUM
I woke up in Philly on a Thursday morning, full of excitement. Having spent my whole life on the West Coast, I was finally going to knock off a big item on my bucket-list! A store I managed back in the‘ 80s was a Martin dealer, and ever since then I’ ve wanted to visit the C. F. Martin & Co. factory – and today was the day! My fond appreciation for Martin guitars has only grown over the years, as I kept‘ trading up’ and now I am blessed to own a 1943‘ War Era’ 00-18. It is the best sounding acoustic guitar I have ever heard. going to lead a small group of us through the Martin museum personally, my bucket-list day got even better!
Having the CEO of this vibrant company tell the story of this American institution from the totally unique perspective of‘ growing up Martin’ was more than I could have hoped for. I even got permission to record Chris’ presentation so I could take you on this amazing journey with me! comes as no surprise that C. F. also shared his father’ s interest in building guitars. So, after completing the lengthy and equally arduous apprenticeship required by the local furniture guild, when C. F. announced that he’ d rather build guitars than furniture, his father gave him his blessing. Keep in mind that in those days, one of the benefits of a family business is that the family participates in the family business. Although‘ losing a son’ would have come at a financial cost to Christian’ s father( Frederick Georg Martin), he not only gave his blessing, he sent the fifteen-year-old boy to Vienna to apprentice with Johann Georg Stauffer.
After a ninety-minute drive through the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, I pulled into the Martin parking lot. As soon as I walked into the main entrance of the C. F. Martin & Co. building, who did I see walking right towards me? None other than Chris Martin IV himself!
Yes, the heir apparent of the family linage that dates back to 1833. If you do the math, you soon realize that someone from Chris’ s family has been building iconic guitars while leading the company for the last 185 years. That is amazing! Then, when I found out that Chris was
C. F. Martin IV Photo: Courtesy C. F. Martin & Co.
Chris led us into the museum which is filled to the brim with a trove of Martin treasure from years, decades, and even centuries past. Chris stopped at each of the enclosed cases to describe their contents in a conversational and personable manner. The tour started with a brief‘ coming to America’ history lesson.
Christian Frederick Martin was born on January 31, 1796, in Saxony, which is now modernday Germany). Typical of the times, young C. F. followed in his father’ s footsteps crafting cabinetry in the family business. It probably
Stauffer’ s work remains highly regarded for his craftsmanship and for his innovation. He not only designed a detachable neck that enabled players to adjust the action on their instruments, he also crafted fingerboards that extended over the sound hole. Wait – a detachable neck with a fingerboard that extends beyond the neck – that sounds an awful lot like a 22-fret Strat neck! I digress …
After working his way up to the position of foreman under Stauffer’ s tutelage, C. F. spent one last fortuitous year in Vienna working for another instrument manufacturer by the name of Karl Kuhle. It would appear that C. F. had as eye on more than Kuhle’ s instruments as he went on to marry his daughter Ottilie.
Shortly thereafter Christian and new bride returned to C. F.’ s hometown in Saxony with C. F. Martin Jr. in tow. Presumably, C. F. Sr. made this move to support a family which soon grew to
Photo: Courtesy C. F. Martin & Co. |
August 2018 |
WorshipMusician. com |
51 |