NAZARETH, Pa. (WPVI) — Long before rock, country or blues shaped American music, one Pennsylvania company was already building its foundation. Martin Guitar has been crafting acoustic instruments for almost 200 years from its workshop in Nazareth.
The company produces between 130,000 and 140,000 guitars annually, including instruments made at its facility in Navojoa, Mexico. Each guitar, executives say, carries history and hometown pride.
“It is the sound, you know, the Martin’s tone is legendary. You can’t find it anywhere else,” said Michael Nelson, vice president of marketing. “There’s just that secret sauce, that magic that comes together from all those years of experience, just on how to build a flat top acoustic guitar just right.”
The process remains highly detailed, with about 300 steps and significant human involvement.
“The human touch is still really the essence of how our guitars are made,” said president and CEO Thomas Ripsam.
Martin Guitar employs about 500 people, with more than 300 involved in manufacturing at the Nazareth location. The company also makes over 2 million strings each year, Ripsam said.
The family-owned business began in 1833 in New York before moving to Pennsylvania in 1839. Christian Frederick Martin, who learned guitar-making in Vienna, founded the company after immigrating to America.
Today, Christian F. Martin IV represents the sixth generation of family leadership.
Martin guitars have become a staple for some of music’s biggest names.
“It’s literally the who’s who in music when guitars – and especially acoustic guitars – are involved, whether it’s Elvis Presley or Paul McCartney or now John Mayer and Eric Clapton and many, many others,” an employee said.
For nearly two centuries, Martin Guitar has stayed rooted in Pennsylvania.
“The fact that we’ve been able to stay here and find people that care as much about the guitars as they do, and the pride that they have in their work, is just a testament to Pennsylvania in itself,” Nelson said. “I hope we’re here for another 192 years.”
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