Another thing that caught my attention was a
rack of guitar bodies with blue stained maple
backs and sides. This is very unusual for Martin
as they primarily use rosewood or mahogany
for the back and sides on most models. I look
forward to playing those at the next NAMM
show as well. I am easily persuaded by blue
finished guitars and these Maple ones will really
pop once the final finish is applied and they are
buffed.
Speaking of buffing, Martin employs robotic
machines to do this part of the process as the
act of leaning into a buffing machine holding a
guitar body all day long was just too much wear
and tear on a human body.
Along one of the factory walls was a huge
thirty-five foot model of a Martin guitar. It was
actually from a parade float that Martin made,
which brings up another key C.F. Martin &
Co. attribute well worth mentioning. They are
very civic minded and give a lot back to the
community of Nazareth, PA.
58
August 2018
WorshipMusician.com