C.F. Martin makes premier acoustic guitars for country and bluegrass, folk, blues, jazz, rock and roll, and pop singers. Starting off in 1833 with a production of less than a dozen guitars, Martin made its 1,000,000th guitar in 2004 and today produces about 20,000 guitars annually. Martin has been steered through nearly two centuries of business by six generations of C.F. Martin’s descendants and is now run under the auspices of C.F. Martin IV.

Trained in Vienna, C.F. Martin produced his first hand-crafted guitars in Germany. He immigrated to the US in 1833 and opened a shop in New York City. He moved his fledgling company to Nazareth, Pennsylvania in 1838, where 175 years later, the company is still located. Famous for meticulously crafted hand-made guitars, Martin has forayed into other instruments to satisfy public demand and to bridge tough economic times. In the late 19th century, Martin made mandolins to augment its guitar business. Beginning in the early 20th century and throughout today, Martin also makes ukuleles.

Tradition is tempered with innovation at Martin. In the 1850s, American guitar makers including Christian Frederick Martin I invented X-bracing and used it in favor of European fan bracing. This was the first of many innovations made by Martin that have become standards for the modern acoustic flat-top steel string guitar throughout the United States. The X-bracing provided the strength for the tone and resonance of modern steel-stringed acoustic guitars.

Martin introduced the 14-fret guitar in 1929 to increase the range. Classical guitars typically have nylon strings and 12 frets—Martin specializes in flat-top steel-string guitars typically with 14 frets. 14 fret necks have been adapted by virtually the entire U.S. guitar industry as standard. The orchestra model (OM) series of guitars remains significant with today’s musicians such as Paul Simon, who collaborated with Martin to create a special signature series in 1997. http://www.martinguitar.com/artists/display_artist.php?d=32

The Dreadnought was designed in 1931 for retailer Charles H. Ditson, larger to provide more bass, accommodate the 14 frets, and flexibility for accompanying folk and Western singers. Ditson and company went out of business in the 1920s, and Martin re-introduced the D-models in 1931.

In 1933, cowboy and Western singer Gene Autry requested a re-design of the 000-45 model with the new large body style, and the D-45 was born. In 1934, the D-28 with its rosewood body was introduced—arguably the most popular style of acoustic guitar ever made and produced to this day. http://www.martinguitar.com/history/dreadnought.php?chptr=3

Martin has consistently sought worldwide for the finest tonewoods and hardwoods for its instruments. In the 1960s, Martin switched from Brazilian rosewood to Indian rosewood in a conservation effort in light of the destruction of the Brazilian rainforests. Martin has a firm environmental policy that balances quality with sustainability. Martin uses alternative composites on more affordable models and is continually testing new woods and materials for the finest possible instruments.

From Gene Autry throughout today’s most prominent singers and performers, Martin has led the development of new styles of acoustic guitars for nearly two centuries. Different shapes and sizes influence tone and volume. Neck width and length, string height (action), and string tension are adjusted to each performer’s preferences, with some specifications becoming long-run production classics like the D-28. Flatpickers, rhythm players, lead or slide guitarists all come to Martin for the “perfect” guitar. For a list of special editions over the past 25 years, see: http://martinguitar.com/history/limited.php

Martin currently offers about 180 different guitar models. In addition to using different tone woods, appointments in mother-of-pearl inlays, marquetry, multi-level bindings and custom pick guards are available. If the available models do not satisfy, Martin offers a custom-made option with virtually infinite variations possible. http://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/custom/index.html