Non Multa Sed Multum. -Traditional Martin Guitar motto, translated as ‘Quality, not Quantity.’
For nearly two centuries, some of the finest guitars in the world have been produced in Nazareth, Pennsylvania at the C.F. Martin & Company factory. Martin is renowned for its acoustic guitars, played by musical royalty like Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Kurt Cobain, Johnny Cash, Sting, Willie Nelson, and many, many more (via Discover Lehigh Valley). If you have seen a professional musician playing acoustic guitar on stage, chances are they have been strumming along on a Martin product.
At a time when many American companies have moved their production facilities to other countries, Martin stubbornly continues to produce their instruments in eastern Pennsylvania. The factory offers guided one-hour tours every week, Monday through Friday, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm., for the price of five dollars per ticket. On a beautiful Friday morning, my wife and I took a day off from our jobs and headed west to see how these amazing instruments are assembled.
So come along, then, on a journey to eastern PA. Along the way, we’ll eat at one of our new favorite lunch spots and visit a free museum. We’ll also close with some updates from the garage.
Let’s begin:
The Martin Guitar Factory Tour
Our 165-mile round trip would take us to Martin Guitar in Nazareth, PA, lunch in Bethlehem, and a cool museum in Allentown. Let’s go!We set off under cloudy skies. Rain showers were predicted, but no precipitation fell. Having endured a winter of seemingly endless rain, I was glad to leave the wipers off.After several weeks stuck in New Jersey, it felt good to cross a state line once again.A little more than an hour after leaving home, we arrived at C.F. Martin & Co. Martin Guitar was established in New York City in 1833, but moved to Nazareth in 1839 and has been assembling guitars in this location for 185 years.My wife called my attention to the design of the entrance – so cool!Tours begin every hour on the hour. While waiting for our tour to start, we ambled through the lobby. This three-wheeled motorcycle was built for the TV show American Chopper to honor Martin Guitar.The tour takes attendees through the factory, showing each step of guitar assembly. We began our tour at this massive guitar, which sits just inside the factory doors.The company was founded by Christian Frederick Martin, a German immigrant, and has been operated by the Martin family ever since. The current CEO is C.F. Martin IV, the founder’s great-great-great grandson (via Wikipedia).The tour guide next stopped at a display of the materials and parts involved in building Martin guitars. We were treated to an in-depth explanation of the techniques we would see employed during our factory tour. I was spellbound!The factory floor is highly organized – even the brooms have specific locations where they must be returned after use.While technology and computers have changed some aspects of guitar production, human workers are still critical. This worker connects the different sections of the guitar body.Precision tasks, such as fine-sanding the assembled guitar body, are still done one-at-a-time.While there are many high-tech tools in the factory, sometimes the simplest solution is the best, such as the use of clothespins to secure different parts of the body together during the gluing process.As we watched the workers at their stations, there was no sense that anyone was rushing to complete a task. Each guitar receives ample time and attention. There are several inspections during construction to ensure that a completed product meets quality standards.Machines do certainly play a role in several stages of construction, automating tasks that do not require fine skills.Fun fact: Martin Guitars offer a lifetime warranty on their instruments, but only for the original owner.The tour ends at the gift shop (of course!). Guests are welcome to stop by the “Picking Room,” and try out some Martin products. I took a D-28 acoustic off the wall, and instantly fell in love. The D-28 was played by blues guitarist Buddy Guy, Coldplay singer Chris Martin, Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder, rock/country hero Johnny Cash… and me. It retails for $3,200, and I’m currently accepting donations.Across the lobby from the factory tour entrance is a small museum dedicated to the history of Martin Guitars. The museum is free (donations appreciated), so we decided to check it out.One of the earliest instruments in the museum is this guitar made by C.F. Martin in 1834. This instrument is built in the Stauffer-style, named after Johann Stauffer, a Vienna-based guitar maker who is regarded as one of the most important guitar builders of all time (via Wikipedia).Numerous custom guitars are on display, such as this NASA Moon Landing guitar, built in 2019 to honor the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.This Martin D-35 was played by The Man in Black – Johnny Cash. Cash produced a signature model with Martin, affixing his name to the guitar he played throughout his career. Johnny Cash Signature Model guitars can be bought for the low, low price of $5,299.Growing up in the 80s and 90s, perhaps no guitar in the collection spoke to me as much as this D-18, which was played by Nirvana singer/songwriter Kurt Cobain. He used this model on the Nevermind tour.One of the most influential singers of the 1960s was Joan Baez. She is a lifelong Martin guitar player, and the museum has a large display devoted to her career. After a quick trip back to the museum’s gift shop to pick up a couple of souvenirs, we left the museum and headed to our next destination!We got back in the car and drove 20 minutes to the city of Bethlehem for lunch. We discovered Social Still, a cool distillery and restaurant, during our trip to Bethlehem earlier in the winter, and we thought it would make a fun stop once again.Arriving right at noon when Social Still opened, we had the place to ourselves, at least initially (customers did start to filter in while we ate). We started our lunch with a couple of delicious cocktails and a yummy order of Korean BBQ shrimp.Rather than exploring the menu further, we went right back to what we ordered last time – a gluten-free fried chicken sandwich for my wife, and an order of the Bao Down Buns for me. It was all very tasty!Before heading home, we made one last detour to nearby Allentown, Pennsylvania, to visit the Allentown Art Museum.The museum has a surprisingly diverse collection of art. One of my favorite pieces was Girl Balancing Knowledge III by English-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare.The museum has a surprisingly large gallery of Renaissance and Baroque art, including one work by Dutch painter Rembrandt (right side of image, affixed to yellow wall).In the museum’s vestibule is this provocative work by Chinese political activist and artist Ai Weiwei, titled Golden Age.This Tiffany lamp, designed by Emarel Freshel for Louis Comfort Tiffany’s design studio, was made in 1902. An electric lamp, it was produced at a time when only 2% of American homes had electricity.Stepping into one room, we were transported to the town of Wayzata, Minnesota. This library was part of a home designed by noted American architect Frank Lloyd Wright for Francis and Mary Little. The Little House was torn down in 1972, but several sections were preserved, including the library, which came into the possession of the Allentown Art Museum. The house’s living room can be visited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and a hallway has been preserved at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (via Allentown Art Museum).Retrospect is a print by Keith Haring, a native of nearby Kutztown, PA. Haring became famous for chalk drawings he would create on the subways of New York City in the 1980s. Haring died in 1991 of AIDS, but his artwork, and his unique vision, live on.Hope & Healing is a community art installation, with works contributed by area high school and college students. The 144 works will be donated to area hospitals, doctor’s offices, and clinics with the stated goal “to uplift patients, families, and staff” (via Allentown Art Museum). After an enjoyable few hours in the museum, we set off for home.We arrived a little over an hour later, the TLX delivering us with comfort and ease. My new car is fast approaching the 31,000-mile mark. Onward!
Garage Updates
Before closing, I wanted to share a few updates on the vehicles in my garage, a friend’s million mile odyssey, and an update on a four-legged companion.
Grace, our 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, recently crossed the 106,000-mile mark. She required a bit of attention recently, as a maintenance inspection revealed a deteriorating tie rod end (tie rod ends are important in steering a vehicle), a slowly failing drive shaft (the drive shaft transfers power from the transmission to the rear wheels), and a bad hood latch (failure of which could cause the hood to unexpectedly fly up during driving). All items were addressed, and Grace is good to go once again!Meanwhile, as you may have noticed, my Acura TLX recently crossed the 30,000 mile mark. I bought the car in September with 18,697 miles on the odometer. The vehicle is certainly not standing still! I have greatly enjoyed the first six months of ownership, and I am looking forward to seeing if the Acura can match the amazing ownership experience I had with my 2012 Honda Accord coupe.On the other end of the mileage spectrum, my friend Justin’s million-mile 2003 Honda Accord coupe is currently at an auto body shop being repainted. Justin has had the interior retrimmed in new leather, and he has a slew of replacement parts ready to make this car “showroom new” once again. Next month, he is planning to drive it to Maryland for HDay, a meetup event for Honda and Acura enthusiasts. I’ll be there – I can’t wait to see the finished product!Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t share that our cat, Betty, is settling nicely into her new home with us. She seems comfortable, right?
Wrapping Up
Over the past two months, I have had the opportunity to explore eastern Pennsylvania, and have discovered several cool attractions worth of visiting. Certainly the Martin Guitar Factory Tour deserves a stop if you are in the area. Tickets are only $5, and the factory is open for tours Monday through Friday from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (advanced reservations are required). The Allentown Art Museum is also a notable attraction, especially since admission is free. The museum is open Thursday through Sunday from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Thanks, as always, for coming along on yet another journey down the open road ahead!
I didn’t know about Martin guitars. It was really interesting to see pictures of the factory and museum. Really cool to see Kurt Cobain’s guitar and the picture of him playing it.
Betty is the perfect way to close out your post. She’s adorable.
I have known about Martin Guitars for a long time, but I had no idea the factory was so close to where I live (and that it was open for tours!). It was a fascinating tour – I’d definitely go again!!
The Open Road Ahead 
Betty is adorable ❤️
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She’s pretty awesome! Thanks for reading!!
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I didn’t know about Martin guitars. It was really interesting to see pictures of the factory and museum. Really cool to see Kurt Cobain’s guitar and the picture of him playing it.
Betty is the perfect way to close out your post. She’s adorable.
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I have known about Martin Guitars for a long time, but I had no idea the factory was so close to where I live (and that it was open for tours!). It was a fascinating tour – I’d definitely go again!!
Betty says thanks for the kind words!!
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