"Pulled Into Nazareth...."
Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2016 6:10 am
Hi Folks,
During IGC 2016 the guys in Casa Consuelo were gabbing over coffee and the subject of CF Martin came up. I mentioned that I was planning a trip to Nazareth, Pa to take the factory tour. John and Chan being residents of Pennsylvania said they'd like to do that too, and asked me to let them know when I would be there and we could all meet for the tour.
On 10/19/16 we did just that. We paid extra for the "Behind The Scenes" tour and got to see the whole plant. We started at the wood receiving, drying, seasoning, cutting and storage area and went all the way through to quality control and final shipping. While waiting to begin the tour we sat and played some of their less expensive guitars in the waiting area. After the tour we were invited to go to the "picking parlor" and play their top of the line guitars (Authentic series models, and D45, D18, etc) all retailing for approx. $6,000 to $10,000. And of course we went to the gift shop and the Martin Museum.
It was a two hour tour and fascinating from beginning to end. My wife, who is not a guitar player and really has no interest in guitar making, went along with us. She was duly impressed (no not enough to bless me getting a D45 )
While we were waiting for the doors to open for the day, Chris Martin came strolling in to start his day. I introduced myself and thanked him for making such beautiful instruments. He said "you don't have to thank me, thank all my workers, they are the ones who make it all happen." We soon learned that was absolutely the case. I've never seen a happier and more dedicated staff than what we saw and heard. During the tour, they were all happy to tell us what, why and how they were doing their jobs.
No, I didn't buy another Martin... yet... but someday maybe...if I win the lottery, I'll call Mark Smith in their custom shop and together we will design my Brazilian Rosewood/Adirondack Spruce D45 ... :ohmy:
Here's a couple pictures of John, Chan and I:
Waiting for the tour
World's biggest Martin Guitar
During IGC 2016 the guys in Casa Consuelo were gabbing over coffee and the subject of CF Martin came up. I mentioned that I was planning a trip to Nazareth, Pa to take the factory tour. John and Chan being residents of Pennsylvania said they'd like to do that too, and asked me to let them know when I would be there and we could all meet for the tour.
On 10/19/16 we did just that. We paid extra for the "Behind The Scenes" tour and got to see the whole plant. We started at the wood receiving, drying, seasoning, cutting and storage area and went all the way through to quality control and final shipping. While waiting to begin the tour we sat and played some of their less expensive guitars in the waiting area. After the tour we were invited to go to the "picking parlor" and play their top of the line guitars (Authentic series models, and D45, D18, etc) all retailing for approx. $6,000 to $10,000. And of course we went to the gift shop and the Martin Museum.
It was a two hour tour and fascinating from beginning to end. My wife, who is not a guitar player and really has no interest in guitar making, went along with us. She was duly impressed (no not enough to bless me getting a D45 )
While we were waiting for the doors to open for the day, Chris Martin came strolling in to start his day. I introduced myself and thanked him for making such beautiful instruments. He said "you don't have to thank me, thank all my workers, they are the ones who make it all happen." We soon learned that was absolutely the case. I've never seen a happier and more dedicated staff than what we saw and heard. During the tour, they were all happy to tell us what, why and how they were doing their jobs.
No, I didn't buy another Martin... yet... but someday maybe...if I win the lottery, I'll call Mark Smith in their custom shop and together we will design my Brazilian Rosewood/Adirondack Spruce D45 ... :ohmy:
Here's a couple pictures of John, Chan and I:
Waiting for the tour
World's biggest Martin Guitar