MARTIN | The Journal of Acoustic Guitars: Volume 12

VO L U M E

12

20 22

IT'S ALL IN THE HANDS

Why Hand Craftsmanship is Here to Stay at Martin Guitar

12

A Conversation with

JEFF DANIELS 30 Getting to Know

MARTIN'S NEW CEO 22 THE CUSTOM SHOP EXPERTS 52 Extraordinary Dealers in Extraordinary Martins

SET LIST 6.

A B O U T T H E C OV E R

8.

TA K E I T F R O M T H E TO P A Word from Chris

10.

L I N E R N OT E S Letters from the Community

12.

IT’S ALL IN THE HANDS Why Hand Craftsmanship is Here to Stay at Martin Guitar

By Jonathan R. Walsh

22.

G E T T I N G TO K N OW M A RT I N ’ S N E W C E O A Conversation with Thomas Ripsam

By Kristi Bronico

26.

F R O M T H E WO R K B E N C H

3 0.

A C O N V E R SAT I O N W I T H J E F F DA N I E L S

By Kristi Bronico

4 0.

E V E RY T H I N G O L D I S N E W AG A I N Martin’s Authentic Series

By Len Jaffe

46.

O R I G I N S TO R I E S Merv Shiner Turns 100!

By Dick Boak

48.

Q & A W I T H B R O O K E L I G E RT WO O D

By Bruce Adolph

52.

T H E C U S TO M S H O P E X P E RT S Extraordinary Dealers in Extraordinary Martins

By T. S. Phillips

5 8.

WO R K H O R S E S H OW D O G A Guitar that Continues to Inspire

By Cliff Hall

6 4.

SOMETHING OLD Ukulele Edition

66.

U N D E R S TA N D I N G M A RT I N ’ S S E R I E S D E S I G N AT I O N S

By Kristi Bronico

7 0.

FSC ® : WHAT IS IT AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

By Marshall Newman

76.

N O RT H S T R E E T A R C H I V E S

7 8.

M A RT I N G U I TA R K I T S

8 0.

IN MEMORIAM

M A R T I N G U I TA R . C O M |

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Martin has chosen Alcom Printing Group, Inc., to print this journal because we share a passion for environmental responsibility. Alcom became the 13 th printer in the United States to be certified as a sustainable green printer by the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership. This journal has been printed on 30% PCW (post-consumer waste) paper.

D-45S Authentic 1936 Aged

VOLUME 12 | 2022

T H E J O U R N A L O F ACO US T I C G U I TA R S

PUBLISHER C. F. Martin & Co., Inc. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kristi Bronico CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Michael Nelson CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bruce Adolph, Jason Ahner, Dick Boak, Kri st i Bro n i co, Cl i f f H al l , Len Jaffe, M a rs ha ll New m a n, T. S. Ph i l l i ps, Jo n at h an R . Wal sh DESIGN & PRODUCTION Lehigh Mining & Navigation CREATIVE DIRECTOR Laura Dubbs DESIGNER & ILLUSTRATOR Gina Naseef ACCOUNT DIRECTOR Cathy Wagner PRODUCTION Donna Mugavero PHOTOGRAPHY John Sterling Ruth Studio & Zachary Hartzell Editorial requests can be submitted to journaleditor@martinguitar.com.

MARTIN ® | THE JOURNAL OF ACOUSTIC GUITARS C. F. Martin & Co., Inc. P.O. Box 329, Nazareth, Pa. 18064 P. 610.759.2837 F. 610.759.5757 MartinGuitar.com © 2022 C. F. Martin & Co., Inc., Nazareth, Pa. All rights reserved.

F O R B O N U S D I G I TA L C O N T E N T O F T H E M A RT I N J O U R N A L , V I S I T M A RT I N G U I TA R .C O M /J O U R N A L .

M A R T I N G U I TA R . C O M |

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Cover photo by John Sterling Ruth Studio

BOUT THE COVER

The tools shown on the cover of this issue are from C. F. Martin Sr.’s

toolbox, which is proudly displayed in the Martin Museum in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

If you are lucky enough to own a vintage Martin made between 1833 and C. F. Sr.’s death in 1873, it’s possible that some of these tools were used to build your guitar.

Even when C. F. Sr. was older and in poor health, he was still going to his shop and helping as much as he could.

6 | ABOUT THE COVER

M A R T I N G U I TA R . C O M |

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A WORD FROM CHRIS

TAKE IT FROM THE TOP

Handcrafted

adjective

/'han(d),kraft d/ e

: made skillfully by hand.

My family’s business was built on the idea that a good guitar needs to be built by skilled hands, complemented by a skilled eye for detail. In fact, today, part of our hiring process is an eye-hand coordination test. You see, we can teach you to build a guitar, but you need to have an aptitude for the kind of highly skilled work it takes to make a great guitar. A Martin guitar.

Today, between our facilities in Nazareth and Navojoa, we have over 600 co-workers directly involved in manufacturing, using their skilled hands to build Martin guitars. Many of these colleagues have worked with me for many years, and some for many decades. That gives us the competitive advantage of having more skilled guitar builders, with more experience and knowledge, than any other guitar shop on earth.

8 | A WORD FROM CHRIS

Yes, over the years, we have embraced modern woodworking techniques and technology. My ancestors did the same thing when they ran the business, although I’m sure they would be amazed at the current state of modern woodworking equipment! However, to my knowledge, no one has yet invented the “guitar-put-it-together-machine.” Guitar building is still very labor intensive. Guitar building still needs a human touch. And we believe that it always will. That it always should.

I hope you will come and visit us so you can see for yourself our guitars being handcrafted. It’s quite an experience. And you never know…you may even get inspired to join the Martin family. We look forward to seeing you.

Sincerely,

M A R T I N G U I TA R . C O M |

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LINER NOTES LETTERS FROM THE COMMUNITY

How did your Martin Guitar help you through the pandemic?

“Gave me an activity to do literally every day— couldn’t have done it without.” | Jos M. “My Martin has helped through a lot of hard times.” | Justin V.

“GAVE ME THE INSPIRATION TO WRITE AND RECORD MY SOLO ALBUM IN MY BEDROOM. ALL ON MY D-35.”

“Literally poured hours of creativity into my guitar every day during lockdown.”

Nathan M.

“New songs written and killed it on the livestreams.” | Mark B. “It was my crutch to find calm in the chaos that was our world. #LXlittleMartin” Megan A.

- ALEC M.

“I made four acoustic instrumental songs and nearing a million streams since :)” | Anshul K. “Playing every day to center myself!”

Rachel B. “Sold it to pay rent. So it helped, but biggest regret of my life :(” | Chans F.

“I LOST TOUCH WITH LEARNING HOW TO PLAY. PANDEMIC HIT AND I HAVEN’T PUT MY MARTIN DOWN MUCH.” - JOE S.

10 | LINER NOTES

“I had no hobbies, so I picked up an LX1 and I play almost every day.

Helps pass the time.” | Clint F. “Transported me to many places outside of the house during quarantine.”

Jessica B. “It’s helped me with a lot of self-care. Music is my therapy.” | Sal P.

“MY MARTIN GUITAR HELPED ME TO FEEL ALIVE AGAIN.” - AUDREY B.

“Calms me when I get anxious.” | Mitchell H.

“Helped me working as a musician for more than 10 years. It’s a part of me.” | John Q.

“Mastered fingerpicking as never before.”

Robin I.

“It helped me remember my genuine love for music.”

Alejandro D.

“Kept me sane and was my therapy.”

Charles S. “Bought my first guitar and it’s a Martin. Haven’t put it down. Love it! Love learning.” | Luc G.

M A R T I N G U I TA R . C O M |

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WHY HAND CRAFTSMANSHIP IS HERE TO STAY AT MARTIN GUITAR

BY JONATHAN R. WALSH

12 | IT’S ALL IN THE HANDS

“I LOVE YOUR HANDS, MORE THAN ANYTHING. I SEE THEM OFTEN WHEN YOU’RE AWAY FROM ME —SO TIRED; I KNOW EVERY LINE OF THEM. DEAR HANDS!” – F. SCOTT FITZGERALD, THIS SIDE OF PARADISE Somewh e re at the bottom of your bag, pretend, is something very small and very important. One of those flash drives, or a ring, or your car keys. It’s cluttered in there, full of reading glasses and receipts, a packet of cough drops, a wallet, your phone, various knickknacks that should have been cleaned out months ago. You reach your arm in to find it and, somehow, unbelievably, you do.

Without looking, you successfully navigate a universe of objects, create a map of the clutter in your mind through the miracle of your hands alone.

M A R T I N G U I TA R . C O M |

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e take for granted sometimes how useful our hands are. Excellent for physical acts like grasping and pinching and clutching, convertible into a fist for self-protection. But, for those of us fortunate enough to have fully functional hands, their usefulness goes well beyond being the primary way we manipulate the tactile world. They communicate volumes through gesture, be that the “over here” of a pointer finger, the thumbs up of an “okay,” or an open palm that can be subtly shifted to say either “hi there” or “stay back.”

And, of course, there’s the world of connection made possible through sign language.

They’re also incredibly receptive—in fact, your fingertips

It is the gateway of string vibration from the headstock

may be the most sensitive skin in the animal kingdom.

to the bridge, and the reason every inch of a dovetail

From minute variations in temperature to the tiniest shifts

Martin guitar seems to vibrate in harmony. Getting the

in texture, our hands coax myriad secrets of touch from

neck to fit with perfection is a key part of what gives

the physical world.

the dovetail joint its mystique. It can be the difference

Which makes t h em great for building guitars. Wood, while being sturdy, beautiful, and reliable, can be fickle.

between a guitar that sings with resonance and one that sounds merely okay.

No two pieces of wo o d react the same way to being

But, of course, a tight fit is not always easy, and is not

worked, and what caused one piece to sit snugly might

a simple matter of squeezing the neck into the body

not be right for the next.

till it fits. Shave off too much wood and you could

N ow h e re i s this more re a d i l y a p p a re n t t h a n i n

throw the neck off-axis, creating a world of problems

t h e dovetail neck joint of a Martin Standard Series

down the road, and even throwing the scale length and

instrument. A feature of quality guitars dating back as

intonation out of whack.

early as the 1500s, the dovetail neck joint is a marvel of engineering at what is arguably the most important part of t h e guitar: wh e re the body and neck m e e t.

14 | IT’S ALL IN THE HANDS

The problem is that hands like those—that take years of dedication and ex p e r i e nce to make—are increasingly hard to come by.

Ta l e s abou t t h e d a n ge rs of a u to m ation and its power to push its flesh-and-blood counterpart out of jobs are as old as the spinning jenny of the 1700s Among the luthier’s toolkit of calipers, chisels,

and encapsulated in the stories like John Henry’s

pliers, jigs, scrapers, straightedges, screwdrivers,

race against the steam-powered jackhammer. Today,

p l a n e s, c l a m p s, a n d k n i ves, there is but one

headlines abound about the swathes of jobs being

instrument that has proven near-perfect at getting a

devoured by machines, from automotive factories to

dovetail neck joint to sit just right: an experienced

shipping warehouses to call centers and even law firms.

pair of hands. Hands that have worked all types of

As machines become better and better equipped to

wood, on rainy days and dry days, that have worked

do the sensitive and difficult tasks that were once

mahogany and maple and bubinga, wood sourced from

the domain of what only humans could do, it begs the

both hemispheres, day after day, year after year.

question: why preserve hand craftsmanship at all?

Hands tha t know how a parti c u l a r slab of wood

“When I think about hand craftsmanship, I think

will handle before eve n c u tt i n g i n to it, and the

about the parts of the guitar or ukulele that matter

difference in feel between good enough and great.

to the player, the artist,” says Fred Greene, Martin

At the assembly stage, human hands are phenomenal

Guitar’s Vice Pres i d e n t of Pro d u c t Management.

tools for at once sensing all of the microscopic

“What parts of this instrument really matter to that

shifts in texture and feel of multiple pieces of wood

person, and was there a sense of care put into it? Did

working together in concert, and then responding

a human being look at it and say, Hey, is this good

instantaneously to apply more pressure here or grip

enough, and can I make it better? Is there something

more delicately there.

I can add to it through my experience that’ll make it

In the Custom Shop, an experienced pair of hands

worthwhile to someone? As opposed to a machine,

can encounter the utterly unique feel of a blank of

which is simply just performing a process function

flamed mahogany and guide it to perfect playability

an d c l i c k i n g t h e m o u t , a n d t h e re’s nothing else

as a vintage-contoured neck.

beyond that. There’s no looking at it—it’s just going

Throughout the factory, hand craftsmanship is an essential part of what makes a Martin a Martin.

off and on, off and on—it’s ones and zeros, so to speak. It’s very binary.”

M A R T I N G U I TA R . C O M |

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Whether it’s fitting that dovetail neck joint, clamping

Guitars aren’t standardized commodities, widgets

down a hide-glued top, or doing the painstaking work

w h ose g re a t e s t a s s e t i s t h e i r c h e a p n e ss, t h e i r

of shaping a neck to the kind of perfection that invites

sameness. Most players have had the experience

a player to strum for hours, part of what human hands

of stopping by their local guitar shop in hopes of

bring to the equation is just that: humanity.

finding “the one.” And most have sensed the mystery

“When people ask me what I buy when I buy a Martin

of trying to understand why two seemingly identical

guitar, I tell them that I prefer ones with pearl inlay,” says

guitars—the same make, model, and wood types—can

Chris Martin IV, Martin’s Executive Chairman. “Because I

sound so completely different from one another. The

know just how much work goes into selecting the best

impact of the people behind each one is an invisible,

wood and adding the really ornate binding. And then on

indivisible part of that.

top of all the woodworking and all the other cosmetic

“ I l o o k at g u i ta rs a s i n d i v i d u a l s, ” says Greene.

details, there is all this intricate pearl inlay work. That

“While two guitars may both have Sitka spruce tops,

simply cannot be done by a machine.”

they just don’t look the same, they don’t play the

For someone who hasn’t visited the Martin factory,

sa m e, a n d t h e y d o n’ t f e e l t h e s a m e. A n d w h e n

seeing that value can be difficult. It’s one aspect of

yo u h a v e s o m e o n e h a n d - c a r v i n g a b ra ce t h at’ s

t h e h u m a n touch that is th e h a rd est to fight for in

u n d e r n e a t h t h at to p, t h e re’ s a d i ffe re n ce t h e re.

a world focused on bottom lines: it is in many ways

There’s no way of really controlling that or getting

invisible, unquantifiable.

i t d o n e e x a c t l y t h e s a m e. Ev e n i f yo u wa n t e d

J e f f A l l e n , M a r t i n’ s V i c e P re s i d e n t o f G l o b a l

to, yo u re a l l y c o u l d n’ t . W h e n yo u h ave n atu ra l

Manufacturing & Operations, puts it this way: “When

materials like wood as one variable, and then you

you see a M a r t i n ve rs u s s o m et h i n g that was made

add the human element as another variable—that’s

somew h e re e l se t h at’ s a l ot l ess ex p e n s i ve, some

handmade. That’s really what handmade is.”

co n s u m e rs m ay st r u g g l e w i t h understanding that

That difference—between quality hand craftsmanship

difference in cost. But once you rea l i ze h ow many

a n d t h e n ex t b est t h i n g— ca n b e t h e d i f f e re n c e

people-hours are in that guitar, how much is done by

between producing a line of guitars that each have

hand versus how much is automated, then people can

the magic to become “the one” for somebody, and

define it and say, Okay, this is where the value is—if

producing tens of thousands that simply do not.

that person cares about it.”

For many, however, the value of a guitar is identical to its cost—the p r i ce of each piece of wood, which features it has, wh at e l e c t ro n i cs package it comes with. Some may i n c l u d e t h e ove rsimplified cost of “labor” in the tally—how many hours at which standard hourly rate. Bu t t h i s o m i t s t h e re a l va l u e of w h at people add—something greater than time alone.

16 | IT’S ALL IN THE HANDS

N AT HUMA H W F O “...PART E G TO TH N I R B S HAND HAT: IS JUST T N O I T A EQU TY.” HUMANI

ou know, my family’s always used tools,” Chris Martin says. “But I met a guy in Australia once, when I was younger. And he was a luthier—a hobby luthier, but he was so into it— and he said, Chris, when I made my guitar, it was completely by hand. And I said, What do you mean? And he said, I don’t have any power tools. And I’m like, Oh, my gosh! Alright, that is handmade! And you can do that when you’re making only one guitar. But you can’t do that when you’re making hundreds of guitars a day.”

It’s a story that gets to the crux of the challenge Martin Guitar faces as it works to bring a 189-year tradition of hand-built excellence into a millennium dominated by machines and automation, those ones and zeros. When a competitor is willing to churn out guitars that look the same on paper—Martin body shapes, classic tonewoods, but at much lower prices because machines have done most of the handwork—how is a company like Martin to compete?

“It’s not easy,” says Greene. “Because technology is definitely driving the industry, and manufacturing as a whole. Some of these complex machines are getting cheaper and cheaper, and it does feel like the world is sort of pushing you to replace everybody with a machine. The machines don’t take vacation. The machines never call in sick. Machines can run 24 hours a day, so you don’t even have to have the lights on, because they don’t know the difference.”

It’s a chilling picture: blinking lights toiling away in the dark to create the instruments we use in that most human of endeavors—creative expression. Thankfully, at Martin, it’s a scene that will never come to pass.

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The most basic truth at Martin Guitar is this: what makes a Martin a Martin is the people who built it, whether that’s in Nazareth or Navojoa. At the Martin factories, human hands are n o t s i m p l y a n o t h e r p a r t of the production process, a va r i a b l e to b e m a x i m i z e d o r p h a se d o u t in favor of something faster or cheaper.

They are a part of a person, and it is in people that Chris Martin knows to invest.

It wasn’t always that way. “Martin was a German family,” Martin says, and at the beginning, it ran the German way: as a hierarchy. “You’re the manager, and the workers do the work. If the workers do the work, the manager’s h a p py, a n d t h e n M r. M a r t i n ’ s h a p py, a n d w e a l l go home.” For Chris Martin, that wasn’t enough. “It sort of worked,” he says. “But you’ re not giving the worker—t h e p e r s o n w h o d o e s t h e w o r k— t h e o p p o r t u n i ty to participate in improvement.”

To him, Martin Guitar is more than a name that can simply b e a p p l i e d t o a h e a d s t o c k . I t ’ s a c o l l e c t i o n o f p e o p l e, working together to make so m e t h i n g great. “Collectively, w e a r e s m a r t e r t h a n w e a r e a p a r t i n d i v i d u a l l y. S o , w e n e e d t o g e t t h e p e o p l e w h o d o t h e w o r k i n v o l v e d i n t h e co nve rs a t i o n , co l l e c t i ve l y, i n a ro o m . ” Part of this began out of necessity. “I told them, I don’t know how to make a guitar—you do! Tell me what you need! And they said, Well, now that you asked… and then what happens is you end up with a list that’s so long, you don’t know where to begin.”

It raises an unspoken fact about hand craftsmanship: much of it is really hard, some not all that pleasant to repeat over and over again all day long. In this way, when the time comes to make decisions about automation, the question is not how can I use a machine to build a guitar, but how can machines help people perform their jobs better, more quickly, and more easily? How can machines minimize the less pleasant parts of the job and maximize the more satisfying ones? And who better to answer that question than the people doing the work themselves? In this way, automation has been integrated into the Martin tradition of doing things.

18 | IT’S ALL IN THE HANDS

“THE FEEL OF THE NECK AND HOW MUCH SHOULDER IS THERE, THE SPINE OF IT AND HOW MUCH YOU WANT TO FEEL AND TOUCH—THAT’S WHEN THE HUMAN HAND BECOMES INVALUABLE. THAT’S WHEN YOU NEED TO FEEL AND TOUCH AND UNDERSTAND THAT INDIVIDUAL PIECE OF WOOD, HOW THE GRAIN IS RUNNING AND HOW IT FEELS IN YOUR HAND, HOW IT’S GOING TO WORK A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN THE PIECE YOU HAD BEFORE.”

Some of these are quite basic: “We start with a log, a big chunk of wood, and then we use a machine to cut it away to some basic, more manageable parts, and in those cases, that’s where machines can be very handy,” says Greene. “But once you’re getting close to that final dimension where it’s something that you’re going to really notice—the feel of the neck and how much shoulder is there, the spine of it and how much you want to feel and touch—that’s when the human hand becomes invaluable. That’s when you need to feel and touch and understand that individual piece of wood, how the grain is running and how it feels in your hand, how it’s going to work a little bit different than the piece you had before. And that’s where experience comes in—understanding how to move this material in a way you want to move it to get something that’s usable for the artist.”

These types of decisions point to the Martin ethos—

But machinery isn’t incorporated into Martin’s nearly two-

that the people doing the work are the ones best

century-old tradition lightly, or simply with the bottom line

equipped to advise o n how to do the work better.

in mind. Some of these changes are completely invisible

“It’s not very often that engineering-type folks

to the player, and only visible to the people building the

develop a machine just for guitars,” says Chris Martin.

guitars. An example of this is the body press, an essential

An excellent example of this is the advent of Martin’s

function at Martin, and one that used to lead to exhaustion

simple dovetail neck joint. An innovation born not out

and injury. The issue was that adjusting the press to a

of some opaque research-and-development process

convenient height for a particular worker used to be so

in offices far removed from the sounds of the

onerous that the craftspeople at Martin simply reached

factory floor, but developed right there, amid the

beyond comfort to get the job done. One approach to

wood shavings and sawdust, the smell of ro sewood

marrying Martin’s tradition of innovation with its tradition

and mah o ga ny, by p e o p l e w h ose lives had b e e n

of hand craftsmanship was to introduce machinery to

devoted to building the guitars. The simple dovetail

make those adjustments easier—a simple foot switch

was conceived as a way to leverage automation to

rather than, as Martin puts it, an adjustment that had

offer the advantages of a traditional dovetail joint at

been like changing a flat tire on a car. It’s a change that

a lower cost and across a greater number of guitars,

marries innovation, automation, and Martin’s invaluable

by the people whose jobs were to craft them.

human factor in ways invisible to the player.

M A R T I N G U I TA R . C O M |

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very year it feels like we move a little bit farther from our connection to the physical world.

Movies are shot entirely in front of green screens, the work of stunt people now simulated by avatars generated on computers. Electric scooters offer the promise of taking over the labor of pedaling for cyclists while stationary bicycle companies sell the opportunity to sit at home and gaze into a screen as a modern improvement over a ride outdoors. Smart phones and watches sort the chaos of the everyday into a series of brightly colored digitized icons.

How, then, to carry the old ways forward into this

It’s a sentiment Chris Martin shares. “I ask, What

future? How to convince people of the value of the

are the benefits of this? And if the answer is that it’s

intangible when what some people seem to care most

cheaper, that’s not enough,” says Martin. “It has to

about is a certain sort of disposable cheapness?

be better.”

At Martin, the future and the past aren’t at odds.

For Martin Guitar, the people and the process are one

“We can either fight it and push back against it, or

and the same. You cannot remove one while keeping

try to go with it and try to benefit from it,” says Jeff

t h e o t h e r. B u t y o u c a n i n n o v a t e — a n d y e s, eve n

Allen. “We can say, Okay, you know what, we can

automate—to help people do things in ways that are

put a monitor on that job to display and aid in the

faster, easier, safer, and more affordable for artists.

calculations. You can automate in ways that you’re

But it can never replace those ineffable parts of hand

still hand-making. All those things that would go

craftsmanship that make a Martin so special.

on in the background that you would do by hand—

“You know, it’s like if your mom makes you a

measuring using calipers to check—all those things

cake, right?” says Fred Greene. “Yeah. It tastes a

can be automated while the actual building is done

heck of a lot different than buying a boxed cake off

by hand. All of that is possible. And it always cuts

the shelf at the convenience store.” They’re both

cost s— w h e n eve r you take time out of the process,

“cake,” but there’s a difference between the two

it saves the player money, and it doesn’t really

that’s invaluable, unquantifiable, and in many ways,

matter where you take the time out—just as long as

indescribable. It’s the Martin difference. It will always

you’re not sacrificing quality. If you try to save time

be the Martin difference.

by cutting corners, that’s not going to fly.”

Jonathan R. Walsh is a writer, musician, and teacher living in Columbus, Ohio. In 2018, his band, Self Help, released their debut album, Maybe It’s You. He launched the Black Rabbit Review literary journal with friends and fellow musicians from his longtime neighborhood bar, the Black Rabbit, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where he recommends you enjoy a pint.

20 | IT’S ALL IN THE HANDS

M A R T I N G U I TA R . C O M |

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GETTING TO KNOW MARTIN'S NEW CEO A Conversation with Thomas Ripsam

After more than a year of searching for the perfect candidate and much anticipation from everyone involved, Martin proudly announced the hiring of our new CEO on June 14, 2021. Thomas Ripsam has taken the CEO reins from Chris Martin IV, setting a milestone

By Kristi Bronico

in the company’s long history as the first CEO who isn’t a descendant of the Martin family. I sat down with Thomas to learn about his background and interests and why he chose to step into this exciting and challenging role.

22 | GETTING TO KNOW MARTIN’S NEW CEO

What was your first experience with the Martin brand

I feel deeply honored and humbled that I was chosen

that you remember?

for the CEO role. It is truly my dream come true! And

My first experience with Martin, without knowing it,

my family was equally excited about this opportunity

was when I listened to Elvis Presley as a child, and I

for me. But I also feel the tremendous responsibility to

was drawn to Scotty Moore’s electric guitar and Elvis’s

protect the legacy and to help shape the next successful

acoustic guitar. But I became really aware of Martin

chapter for the company.

when, in my teens, I listened to Steve Howe from Yes, and David Gilmour from Pink Floyd, both real heroes,

What is your key leadership style, and how do you feel

and the sound of their acoustic guitar captivated me.

it’s a good fit for Martin?

So, I started to research what brands and models they

I have a participatory and inclusive leadership style. I

were playing, and that’s when I found out about Martin.

believe in the power of teams and in empowering people

I also saw it in action in the Yessongs movie.

to become the best they can be. To me, everyone and everyone’s voice matters, and I listen to what people

How did it feel when you first walked through the front

have to say across the organization and at all levels. I

door at the Martin Guitar factory to discuss the possibility

believe Martin’s culture is centered around people, so I

of working for this iconic brand?

think that makes a good fit.

I had done a factory and museum tour about 10 years ago, which had been awesome and magical. So, when I

As a guitar player, how has music and/or guitar playing

visited Sycamore Street this time for discussions about

impacted your life?

joining as the new CEO, it honestly felt unreal. With

Music and guitar playing have been where I find joy,

everybody I met, I could feel the love and passion for all

inspiration, happiness, and peace. I cannot imagine life

things Martin, and I just felt this is where I want to be

without them!

and the people I want to work with.

I’m told you are a guitar collector. How many Martins This is the first time in the company’s long history

do you own, and which is your favorite?

that the top leadership role in the company has been

I collect acoustic as well as electric guitars and basses,

entrusted to someone who is not a descendant of the

and other fretted instruments, so, for example, you

Martin family. Why do you feel you were chosen, and

will see a banjo, autoharp, and charango at my home.

what does this mean to you personally?

I have three Martins—an MC-68, a D12-28, and a D-41

There are a few things that come to mind. One is

Reimagined. I love them all, but my favorite is probably

my deep love and passion for the guitar and fretted

the MC-68. It was my first Martin and first real acoustic

instruments. I’ve played guitars since my teens, I collect

guitar. It sounds, feels, and looks great; it’s been with

them, and I even worked with a luthier to learn about

me the longest and very close to my heart.

the process to build an acoustic guitar in the style of Martin. Next is that I spent my entire business career

Which Martin is next on your wish list?

helping companies to grow and continuously improve.

I already ordered a D-28 Authentic 1937 Aged, but with

Many of these companies were family owned or had a

our current backlog, it’s going to take a while until I get

long legacy. And I did it in consumer, retail, and hi-tech.

it. I can’t wait to get it!

Last, I deeply care about family and about people, and that seems to fit really well with the Martin Company.

M A R T I N G U I TA R . C O M |

23

Who are the biggest musical influences in your life?

There are many artists across multiple genres who have influenced me, and I continually find new artists who inspire me. If I had to boil it down to a few, I would say Scotty Moore, Steve Howe, David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, Hank Williams, Doc Watson, Bob Dylan, Tommy Emmanuel, PJ Harvey and Jonny Greenwood, Ritchie Blackmore, Robert Johnson, and Django Reinhardt.

You’re originally from Germany, as was the company founder. What was it like growing up there, and what is something from the German culture that you feel will help you in your new role as Martin’s new leader?

In Germany, we use this apprenticeship model to become an expert in a craft. The idea is that you gradually learn on the job with more experienced craftspeople, starting with tooling, then moving on to parts, and graduating with a final product. Growing up with this model gave me a deep appreciation of the expert craftsmanship, focus on quality, and excellence that Martin artisans bring to this company every day.

Tell us about your family and how you like to spend your time outside of work?

I met my wife, Kathleen, 31 years ago. We’ve been married for 25 years and have four wonderful children—one out of college, two in college, and one in high school. My side of the family still lives in Germany. My wife is half-American and half-Venezuelan, and she has a big family that is pretty spread across the U.S., South America, and Europe. Family has always been really important to us.

24 | GETTING TO KNOW MARTIN’S NEW CEO

Outside of work, beyond spending time with family, I spend a lot of time on guitars and music, whether it’s playing, working on my songs, or simply reading and following the industry. I am a big reader in general and love to read fiction and nonfiction. I love soccer and car racing, especially Formula 1, and follow those two sports quite a bit. And I like to keep myself fit with running and road cycling.

What advice would you give a beginner guitar player that you wish you knew when you first started out?

Make the best use of what learning resources are available. I am self-taught, and the process would be for me to listen to a song and then figure out how to play it. I have a good musical ear, so that helped. I sometimes wish I had known of more resources to help me. Nowadays, there is YouTube and there are apps, magazines, and online communities so you can get help with almost anything you want to learn on the guitar.

What is the best piece of advice that Chris Martin IV has given you so far?

It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Good advice, indeed!

PLEASE JOIN US IN WELCOMING THOMAS TO THE MARTIN FAMILY. M A R T I N G U I TA R . C O M |

25

FROM THE WORKBENCH T I M E L E S S G U I TA R - B U I L D I N G T E C H N I Q U E S

At Martin, timeless guitar-building techniques never go out of style. Tradition rules and is respected. Handmade still matters. We believe you can only create guitars with amazing tone when artisans do honest work with care and patience without taking shortcuts. Handmade guitars are special; they have a soul all their own, and you can hear it in the music they create. Every handcrafted Martin is a stand against a massproduced, disposable, speed-obsessed world. In this issue, we are highlighting just some of the handmade techniques that are still used in both of our production facilities by craftspeople who have been perfecting their trade for years, and even decades.

1

ROSETTING Dorothy places the rosettes into the channels around the soundhole.

Dorothy Frable | 19 Years | Nazareth, Pa.

2

BRACING Jonna adds glue to the braces and positions them on the instrument top, then places the top into a press that sets the glue.

Jonna Reph | 3 Years | Nazareth, Pa.

3

B O DY A S S E M B LY

Derek creates notches in the ribbon to fit the braces, and then the top and back are glued to the sides.

Derek Ashmore | 9 Years | Nazareth, Pa.

26 | FROM THE W O R K B E N C H

4

FREIZING

Kyle uses a router to create the channels for the binding materials around the edge of the guitar body.

Kyle Fritz | 10 Years | Nazareth, Pa.

5

BINDING Royce checks the channel and makes necessary adjustments before the binding is glued in place and secured with tape.

Royce Getz | 22 Years | Nazareth, Pa.

6

B O DY T R I M M I N G

Nicole uses scrapers and sandpaper to prepare the guitar body for the finishing process.

Nicole Sutter | 7 Years | Nazareth, Pa.

7

B O DY S A N D I N G Luis sands the guitar body to make sure everything is even and smooth.

Luis Valdez | 7 Years | Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico M A R T I N G U I TA R . C O M |

27

8

NECK SHAPING Joel sands and inspects the neck to make sure it is the proper width and depth.

Joel Toth | 20 Years | Nazareth, Pa.

9

FRET GLUING

Karen places the frets into the p ro p e r location before they are pressed into the fingerboard.

Karen Marsh | 20 Years | Nazareth, Pa.

10

NECK FITTING Will uses files and chisels to align and fit the neck to the body.

Will Broeker | 26 Years | Nazareth, Pa.

28 | FROM THE W O R K B E N C H

11

HAND SANDING Paula hand sands the instrument body before it moves on to finishing.

Paula Barron | 13 Years | Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico

12

BRIDGE GLUING

Jennifer glues the bridge onto the soundboard.

Jennifer Dieter | 29 Years | Nazareth, Pa.

13

P E A R L I N L AY Brenda meticulously places tiny pieces of pearl into channels to form a pattern.

Brenda Lichtenwalner 32 Years | Nazareth, Pa.

M A R T I N G U I TA R . C O M |

29

A CONVERSATION WITH JEFF DANIELS Jeff Daniels is a two-time Emmy Award-winning actor and

playwright with a 45-year movie and television career. He is known for his starring roles in both dramas and comedies and

played the lead role in the historic To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway. But I’m betting you’re already familiar with Jeff

Daniels, the actor. What you may not know is that Jeff picked up the acoustic guitar long before he became known for his

acting and that he is a brilliant songwriter and accomplished

guitarist who’s got some serious fingerpicking chops. Jeff was

kind enough to talk with me for over an hour on the phone and answered questions about his lesser-known talents and his passion for music. If you haven’t heard Jeff play, I highly

recommend checking out his work, especially his latest album,

By Kristi Bronico

30 | MARTIN®

Alive and Well Enough, at JeffDaniels.com.

hen we look back on our lives, we can tend to romanticize our rough-and-tumble beginnings. What were those early days like for you? Did music play a role in shaping your acting career, or vice versa?

I didn’t realize until decades later how important being a musician was in regard to my acting and playwriting. There is such a rhythm and a sense of melody that music brings. With all the great writers, and it goes back to Shakespeare with the iambic pentameter, there was always a rhythm. One of the playwrights that I just revered was Lanford Wilson. I was in a couple of his plays, and we ended up on Broadway in 1980. There was a rhythm to Lanford’s writing that, once you found that, it was easier to memorize; it was easier to perform.

I just did the voiceover for a Ken Burns project, Hemingway, and the simplicity of his writing, the spareness of it.... They choose every single word. I don’t care if it’s 500 pages, every single word has been chosen. Ken Burns and I found the melody of each sentence, which is the inflections and all of that, but that’s how it’s supposed to be. And once you find that, it’s the same thing as learning a riff or a lick or a chord progression. And finding that tempo—it’s all the same thing.

That’s what I came to.

Photos by Getty Images

M A R T I N G U I TA R . C O M |

31

"ONCE YOU'VE HEARD

IT'S JUST DIFFERENT. YOU JUST HOPE SOMEDAY

When did you buy your first guitar?

I’ve had an acoustic guitar next to me since 1976. I bought a Guild D-40 from Herb David’s Guitar Studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan, threw it in the back of the car, and moved to New York. I figured, you know, I’d learn.

I knew five chords. I was living in one room on 23rd Street and Seventh Avenue. And I’m 21 years old and nobody cares who I am or why I’m here. And the friend I had was that guitar in the corner of the room. And it was always there. I was around playwrights like Lanford at the Circle Repertory Company on Broadway.

I had never been in a place like that before. There was so much creativity in that theater. Playwrights were walking around, every single one of them, seemingly in the middle of rewriting a second act. Actors were working on lines. I mean, it was like a factory of creativity. And I would go back to the apartment, and, you know, I’m not going to write a movie or a play. So, why don’t I pick up the guitar and start to write songs?

And that became a great creative outlet. So, I had this Guild D-40, which was perfectly fine. The neck was skinny, and the Martins were way too expensive. I think I got the Guild for 400 bucks, and that was a lot of money for me in ’76. And I still have it. But then a friend of mine in New York had a Martin. And I’m pretty sure it was a 000-28. And, you know, once you’ve heard a Martin…it’s just different. You just hope someday you can get one. And I did in 1981. I got my first one. I have it right here. I bought a 1932 OM-28. I bought it at Mandolin Brothers in Staten Island. I might have had a Dreadnought and something else. But, you know, the OM-28 is the best for fingerpicking. I have like three or four of them now. That’s my go-to Martin.

Who were some of your earliest musical influences?

Arlo Guthrie was the first and Stevie Goodman soon after. I could fingerpick, and I picked up on Doc Watson. Stefan Grossman tablature books were all part of the late ’70s, early ’80s. But those were the guys early on. It was those tab books with Stefan Grossman.

And then, much later on when I started playing out—and I didn’t play out till I think it was like 2001, nobody knew I did this—I just wrote for me and the back porch. And, you know, I started playing out to raise money for my own theater company and that led to playing clubs. You know, I saw Arlo, and I saw Stevie Goodman, and I saw John Prine and Lyle Lovett. I saw Cheryl Wheeler and Christine Lavin and Utah Phillips. And I asked myself, “What are they doing? And how can I do that in a way that’s unique to me?” And that became, in the last 20 years, as much of a focus as acting has continued to be.… And then there’s a story about actually meeting Stefan Grossman at the Martin Guitar factory.

OM Jeff Daniels Custom Artist Edition

32 | A CONVERSATION WITH JEFF DANIELS

How cool! Was it a coincidence?

Completely! Oh, this was, you know, 2009 or 2008. And I was playing clubs, and I had my son Ben with me, who was starting to take a real interest in guitar and music. And we drove up through Nazareth. So, I “celebrity’d” my way into Martin, and Dick Boak was there to meet me, and he was very nice. And Dick Boak says, “How long have you been playing? Where’d you learn how to play?”

And I said, “Well, Stefan Grossman tablature books, pretty much.” And he goes, “You ever met him?” I said, “No. God, no.” And Dick said, “Well, he’s sitting right over there.” And Stefan was in the lobby of Martin that day. They were doing some repair work on one of his signature Martins. And he couldn’t have been nicer. And he later invited me to his house, and he worked with me for like three hours. He said, “We got to make your thumbs stronger on the bum-bum of the alternating thumb.” And it was just great.

I saw on your latest album, Alive and Well Enough, that you made space on the artwork to list all the guitars that you used to record the album. And I think all but one are Martins. Do you find that different body sizes and tonewoods lend themselves to different songs and songwriting, and is that why you chose to use that many different guitars for the album?

I kind of play them for the history of it. There’s an instrument that I played on a song on Alive and Well Enough called “Paris Moon.” And I’m pretty sure, I played a Martin out of the ’20s. And, you know, it was the roaring ’20s. And it’s almost 100 years old, that guitar. And all the songs that have been in it and all the history and all the places it’s been. Then here I am singing a song about artists from decades and centuries ago, all congregating in the same cafe on the same night—kind of an imaginary, fantastical kind of night in Paris, where they all come back. So why not use that guitar that was alive and well back then?

So, it’s more about the fact that they all sound different. They’ve still got songs in ‘em. And the guitars still have something to say. And you can hang them on a wall, or, if you’re going to do an all-acoustic guitar album that features songwriting and fingerpicking, why not bring them downstairs and tune them up? And let them show people what they still got.

They’re all special. I won’t sell them. I know that. They’re a part of me.

And I think you’re even napping with one on the front cover of that album, right?

Yeah, I think that’s the Dreadnought that was on The Newsroom set. Dick Boak got me a 000-28 and a Dreadnought D-42 that we put in Will McAvoy’s apartment. I was completely appreciative, and then at the end of the three seasons, they said, “Yeah, go ahead and keep it.” And that’s the Dreadnought that I use on “I Am America” with Thornetta Davis.

M A R T I N G U I TA R . C O M |

33

That song is just amazing. It’s so beautiful. So poignant. So relevant.

With that whole album, but particularly “I Am America,” I could have brought in a band, singers, and an orchestra. I could have done the big production, or I could let Thornetta and a Martin guitar do it. Just let the acoustic guitar be the whole orchestra. And it really is. Especially if you fingerpick—it’s the low end, the middle, and the high. It’s got it all. And Thornetta did the rest.

Oh, I mean, you nailed it. I don’t think it could be more perfect. It’s gorgeous.

Well, thank you!

What’s it like playing with your son Ben? Who takes the lead in writing songs?

Arthur Miller, the playwright, once said, “I look forward to seeing what my work inspires in others.” And that’s what I’ve done on movies. I remember with The Comey Rule. They came to me with the role, and I said, “Are you going to put great actors around me? Are you going to pay for that?” Because I need those people. Because I really bounce off of other actors who are really good. So, I put great people around me that I can lean into and use. And it’s the same thing with music. When I walk in with the band, I ask them, “What do you hear? And where do you hear it?” And I try not to dictate. Then I say, “See you in a couple days.” And then let it live. Let them get the joy of creating.

When we went out, especially on the acoustic end, I would open the show. I would come out and do a couple of songs.

And then, as I’m playing “Fingers and Strings,” Ben walks out, picks up an acoustic guitar, and joins in on the chorus.

And it’s got some fancy fingerpicking that he went out on his own and learned. And one day, he just appeared at rehearsal and said, “Do you want to play that song?” And it was like, “Oh, my God.” So, I’m delighted to be able to sit there on stage in front of 1,000 or 200 people, whatever it might be, at a club or bigger, and to have him walk out and do that. It’s just...it’s so moving. It’s emotional for anybody with a kid sitting in that audience. And how special it is that I still have a relationship with all my kids that I can do something like this. It’s pretty special. And it’s the same thing with all the kids. “What do you see? What do you hear? Go chase that.”

34 | MARTIN®®

“JUST LET THE ACOUSTIC GUITAR BE THE WHOLE

AND IT REALLY IS.

ESPECIALLY IF YOU FINGERPICK ­­­— IT'S THE LOW END, THE MIDDLE, AND THE HIGH.

The pandemic has affected musicians and the music industry in such a big way. How was it for you? How did you find it was interacting with an audience that wasn’t actually there?

Having spent decades in front of the camera with no audience, I said there must be a way. And my boys and I already have a recording studio, and a video-audio company called 2188. It’s a working thing with me and my boys. So now the pandemic hits, and I said, let’s just set up the cameras.

Give me one medium shot straight up with me. You can see the guitar sitting in the chair and a close-up next to it. And then a third camera on what they call a gimbal. So, it was like a poor man’s TV studio/movie set. It was like going home for me. The only difference was I’m looking into the lens versus, you know, looking at an actor off camera. But that kind of intimacy that the camera gives you, I used it. And we found that the trick was not trying to recreate a stage show in front of the camera. But what can you do that’s different? And that is, you put one person on the other side of that lens who’s listening and is interested. And you play to that one person. Now, you take them deeper. Take them behind the song. You’ve got time. There’s no hurry. No one’s looking at their watch. People aren’t getting up and bored. And they’re not going back to get a drink at a bar. No one’s talking. There are no waitresses coming through in front of the stage. You got ’em. So now tell them the real story behind the song. And let ’em in. And once you lean them in, then you hit them with the chord change or the lyric.

Wow. Thank you for that. It’s probably the most positive feedback on playing virtually during the pandemic that I’ve heard so far.

Yeah, and I get it—some people need the audience—well, okay. I say, “No, you don’t. You really don’t.” I mean, it’s nice to have an audience, but if the songs are road-tested, like in my case, I know where the laughs are in the song, like “Recreational Vehicle” or “Dirty Harry Blues.” So maybe I give a little room there. I’ve spent decades not having an audience as an actor. And then I go out and find that the movie works. And that Dumb and Dumber is funny. We didn’t have anybody laughing on the set of Dumb and Dumber. You either know or you don’t. So, I took all that experience and put it in front of the camera and trusted the fact that what I was doing was working.

M A R T I N G U I TA R . C O M |

35

You don’t shy away from playing controversial roles as an actor, which I personally admire. Atticus Finch is one of my all-time favorite fictional characters. I just watched The Comey Rule all the way through in one sitting. And I am a huge fan of The Newsroom. You were brilliant in the role of Will McAvoy. But you’ve also used music to share your views on all this crazy stuff that’s going on in the world right now. Do you feel it’s sort of a responsibility for celebrities to use their voice to bring about

“THE ACOUSTIC GUITAR BECAME A WEAPON FOR

awareness on a global scale?

Well, the prevailing wisdom to be quiet is that, if you open your mouth politically, you lose half your audience. That’s kind of been true for a long time, but it certainly is now, as politically divided as we have been in the last four or five years, maybe longer. And I can see, if you have a record label or have a big brand and a big following and you play stadiums, that you don’t want to piss off half the audience.

That costs you money. So, at the end of the day, you look the other way. And you hope everything blows over. And hope nobody asks you what you think. Because it’ll cost you money. And here I am playing Atticus Finch on Broadway at the time, in 2018-19, a guy who believes in being honorable, and the rule of law and what’s right. You know, all those things that nobody cares about anymore.

We don’t have any rule of law; we don’t have a difference between right or wrong. So, speak up.

FOR BOB DYLAN, PHIL OCHS, WOODY GUTHRIE, PETE SEEGER, AND LATER, UTAH PHILLIPS. THEY USED THEIR MUSIC TO

The acoustic guitar became a weapon for social change for Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and later, Utah Phillips. They used their music to speak up. Effect change. Inform. They had a point of view. They had something to say. And they used an acoustic guitar to say it. That wasn’t lost on a kid coming out of high school during the cultural change that happened in the early ’70s. Who grew up artistically in NYC, where artists were nothing if not political, who spoke up, who wanted to change the world with their new play, new song, new novel. To shut that side of myself down, to muzzle that because of money or sustaining some manufactured image, I wasn’t raised that way.

I think we should all aspire to be more like Atticus Finch.

So you had said in an interview with Conan O’Brien a few years ago that you made the movie Dumb and Dumber because it was an opportunity to do a comedy with Jim Carrey, who’s brilliant. If you could team up with any musician on stage, dead or alive, who would it be?

Off the top of my head, I’d have to say I’ve hit that bug. I’ve checked off that bucket list a couple of times with John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett.

I met Lyle on the couch at the Johnny Carson show in the mid-1980s; Lyle played and came over and sat down. That’s where I met him. And we’ve stayed friends over the years. It’s been great.

36 | A CONVERSATION WITH JEFF DANIELS

EFFECT CHANGE.

INFORM. THEY HAD A POINT OF VIEW. THEY HAD SOMETHING TO SAY. AND THEY USED AN ACOUSTIC GUITAR TO SAY IT.”

At one point, Lyle, Joe Ely, and Guy Clark were doing a songwriter tour, and they came through East Lansing, Michigan, and played the Wharton Center. I live an hour away, so I emailed Lyle and drove up and was going to do soundcheck and have dinner and watch the show and learn about songwriting. I had played one of the smaller theaters at Michigan State where they were playing, and we were walking down the hall to catering and Lyle saw my picture, you know, and he goes, “You play?”

And I said, “Well, I mean, you know…play? I mean…define play.” And he goes, “You want to sit in?” And I said, “Okay. Okay, sure! Of course! Are you kidding? Yes!” So, we’re in catering and there’s Guy Clark. And Guy Clark goes, “I heard you’re gonna play for us tonight. You want to use my Martin?” I said, “Yeah.” So, he handed it to me and then went and got something to eat. So, I’m trying to figure out what the hell am I going to do. You know? And then the show starts, and halfway through the show, Lyle does this long-winded introduction that leads to me...which is, you know, Michigan hometown boy...and the place goes nuts. Guy Clark stands up, I walk on, and he hands me the guitar. And then I sit down, and Lyle is looking at me like, “I hope you can play,” and John Hiatt’s looking at me like, “What are you doing here?” And Joe Ely is just kind of neutral. But Hiatt definitely had a “go ahead” look. And so I open with “If William Shatner Can, I Can Too.” It is this ridiculous song about actors who think they can sing. So, I make fun of myself before you can. And I’m halfway through the song—with 2,000 people at the Wharton Center—and I look over and Hiatt’s got his finger in his mouth—biting on his finger—because he’s laughing so hard. It was gold. It was just gold. So, I’ve kinda done it with them. And I got to sit down with Keb’ Mo’. He’s been a great friend. He’s taught me some stuff. Yeah. I mean, being able to play with Stefan [Grossman] a couple of times at his house—I don’t know how to top that.

So, we talked about some of the music that you like, and I have another question. If you could play, as an actor, any musician in a leading role, who would you choose?

If they ever made a movie about Utah Phillips—just give me six months to grow the beard.

I’d love to see that happen. You should make that happen.

Yeah. I think…there’s a life. There’s a story. 1,000 stories. But that’s one. He was something. I remember he came to The Ark in Ann Arbor. So, I went to see him. And Utah comes out. And he’s a hobo. He made a little money, and he’s passed away since, but you know, and he’s got the cheap construction shoes and the overalls and the guitar that’s pretty much in tune.

And he starts off with “Railroading on the Great Divide.” And it’s 20 minutes long. He keeps stopping and telling a story about this time where he was on a train in Utah, and the moose that came through, and the guys that got us off the boxcar, and then he’d start playing again. And that was his opener. 15-20 minutes. Storytelling with a guitar and also doing comedy and then dropping into serious mode and then here’s the song. It’s like doing a one-man play. And that’s when I said, “I get it. I know what I have to be able to do.” And so that became the template for how to walk onto a stage with an acoustic guitar and hold ‘em for 100 minutes.

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37

Right on. I get it. My dad is a singer and performer. He made sure we always listened to the lyrics he was singing to us when we were little. Sometimes he’d throw our names into the song just to make sure we were paying attention. For me, there’s no better way to connect with music than to understand the story behind it.

If you could give a piece of advice to a musician who’s starting out in their career, what would it be?

Learn the blues. That’s a good start. I mean, learn your chords and good technique and all that stuff. And let me know when your fingers don’t hurt. Do not switch to nylon strings—stay with a steel, and when your fingers stop hurting, then make sure you start to transition to the blues.

Once the pandemic allows us to get back to life, what’s next for you and the band? Do you have any touring plans? Are we going to have any live shows to look forward to?

No touring plans. I mean, we have livestreams. During the pandemic, we did a total of 77 of them. And we would play venues. So Caffe Lena, you know, we would go, “Use your mailing list. We’ll announce it on social media on our end.” And they would have to join Caffe Lena or get on their mailing list to get the link to the show and pay the 15 or 20 bucks, whatever it was, and Caffe Lena gets a cut. And then we take the rest, and it’s a way to kind of help the venues. I hope I get to do more of that. I hope after the pandemic that for those who can’t get a babysitter that night, or don’t necessarily like the jazz that’s being played at their local venue: What else is the venue offering? Oh, the venue is offering a Jeff Daniels livestream at 8 o’clock. And they’re on their own couch. And it really is no different than being in a movie or a TV show. We’re coming to you, to your living room. I think that’s a revenue stream that’s at least viable. I hope it’s viable after the pandemic because it sure is a lot easier on me.

® 38 | A MARTIN CONVERSATION WITH JEFF DANIELS

Yes, if there was any positive thing about the pandemic, it was being able to tune in and see all the live music right there on my computer. I felt like the musicians were playing just to me, and it felt more intimate than being in the room with them.

And that’s the secret—making it intimate—give them something to pull them in. And, you know, if you’re a songwriter, who’s also a storyteller…it’s gold. Like there’s a story about making the movie Blood Work with Clint Eastwood…and I tell the story about working with Clint and they’re laughing, and it’s something they’d never hear anywhere else.

And then I lead into “Dirty Harry Blues,” which is a song about what it’s like to get shot and killed by Clint Eastwood.

You can sit in front of a camera, and you can hold anybody if you know how to tell a story. That’s what the livestream thing can offer. For guys like me, I hope I get to do more of that.

Well, I look forward to catching some of those livestreams that you do in the future. And, you know, you certainly are a brilliant storyteller. So, I look forward to that.

Well, thanks!

I want to just thank you again, so much, for taking the time to talk to me today. And I hope you’ll visit us in Nazareth, again, when it’s safe to do so.

Yeah, you make the pilgrimage. You just make the pilgrimage. And you walk in and you take the tour, or you don’t take the tour, but you can smell the guitars. You can smell that, whatever it is, the shavings and the sanding and all that stuff. And so, when you get that Martin and you open the case, and you put your nose down by the soundhole, you can smell where it came from. It’s so great. Handmade. Each one. It’s a beautiful thing.

“AND SO, WHEN YOU GET THAT

AND YOU OPEN THE CASE, AND

YOU PUT YOUR NOSE DOWN BY THE SOUNDHOLE, YOU CAN SMELL WHERE IT CAME FROM. IT'S SO EACH GREAT. ONE. IT'S A

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40 | EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN

or those of us who have a great respect for the beautiful instruments that find their way out of Martin Guitar’s Nazareth, Pennsylvania, factory, none are held in a higher regard than the models that preceded World War II. With attention to the most intricate of details, the Martins of the 1930s and 1940s, if they’ve survived the ravages of time, are among the world’s most sought-after vintage guitars.

The main reason for this preoccupation is simply the way they sound. Because fine tonewoods age over time and open up. A Martin guitar built 80 years ago sounded great when it was new, but today, a well-cared-for vintage Martin will sound even better.

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The technology and engineering of guitar building has come a long way in the last half-century. Computers have found a partnership with world-famous luthiers and, today, machines can be programmed to fashion even the smallest of components to the most exacting specifications. Bridges, fingerboards, and struts that once took hours to make can be created in a fraction of that time.

The Martin buyer of the 21st century is more sophisticated and demanding than those buying a similar instrument even 50 years ago. There are more options today, and musical styles and genres have been invented that weren’t even thought of a couple of generations back. In order for Martin to stay in the forefront of guitar builders, they, too, must make every effort to stay current.

With that thought in mind, the Martin customer who wants the sound that a vintage instrument provides, without having to wait many years to get it, has an option. The Martin Authentic Series was introduced to the general public in 2005, and they have since been widely praised.

So what exactly is the Authentic Series, when did the first ones come out, and what models are currently available? The Authentic Series is Martin’s way of building classic Martin models to exacting vintage specifications. The series was introduced with the re-creation of the 1937 D-18. Over the last 16 years, Martin has made many Authentic models from specific time periods, and they’ve tried to focus on the most iconic models from highly collectible vintage years, each one representing a h i g h p o i n t i n a co u s t i c g u i tar design.

42 | EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN

In addition, three of the current models feature Martin’s patented Vintage Tone System® (also referred to as VTS), a process that ages the top of the guitar to help achieve the sound of a vintage instrument without the wait. They are the D-45S 1936, the D-28 1937, and the D-18 1939. Those three models are also available without the VTS top, as is the 00-17 1931, if you’re looking for a smaller guitar.

This series of instruments is different from Martin’s other models in several key ways. First of all, all the Authentic guitars are built in Martin’s Custom Shop, which offers options and build techniques that are no longer employed in a modern production facility. For example, the Authentic models utilize period-correct hide glue, as opposed to more modern glues that tend to dry faster. More hand-shaping and fitting takes place in the production of the series, and a completely different lacquer and finishing process is employed that’s necessary to give the guitar its unique vintage gloss. All of this requires a special group of craftspeople to ensure that these guitars are built just as they were eight decades ago. Additionally, these guitars include certain components to remain true to the original builds, such as nonadjustable truss rods, Madagascar rosewood for the back and sides (a substitute for the Brazilian rosewood that has been embargoed for the last half-century), as well as Adirondack spruce tops. Substitute materials have long been employed to replace the real ivory and tortoiseshell that the original models had.

These guitars were developed for the customer who wants a vintage instrument but can’t really afford the incredibly high prices that true vintage Martins command today. These customers want the tone of a vintage guitar, the feel of a well-worn instrument, and the time-tested aesthetic, but they don’t want to wait. They also want the luxury of a lifetime warranty, which you don’t get when you buy a previously owned Martin.

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Being familiar with some of the modern enhancements that were made to Martin’s Standard and Modern Deluxe models, which include adjustable truss rods, the forward-shifted “X” bracing, and high-performance neck profiles that became standard more than 35 years ago, I asked Fred Greene, Martin’s Vice President of Product Management, if the Authentic equivalent of a vintage Martin is a better guitar for the added cost, and, if so, why? “I hesitate to call certain guitars better or worse,” Greene replied. “It’s so subjective. I prefer to say that each one is different and brings something to the game that the other guitars do not. Not everyone likes big neck profiles; not everyone likes the austere look of a vintage Martin. Some people need more adjustability or flash in their guitar. Maybe they have an issue with their hands, and they need a smaller neck. We try to design guitars that provide something for everyone. However, I CAN say that when you pick up and play an Authentic, you get a very unique vibe. It’s hard to explain. It’s something you have to experience, and then and only then will you know if it’s the right guitar for you.”

While some buyers will treat these specially crafted guitars as museum pieces and keep them at home to keep them safe, Greene adds that “these guitars are meant to be played, just like any other Martin, and that they are actually quite a bargain when compared to a vintage instrument.” The top-of-the-line D-45 that was built in the late 1930s would cost you in excess of $300,000 today. The comparable Authentic model, the D-45S Aged, with the VTS top, has a suggested list price of just under $52,000. Fred Oster, owner of Vintage Instruments in Philadelphia, says that a 1937 D-28, completely original and in very good to excellent overall condition, is worth $90,000 to $120,000. “So, the new Authentic Series Martins,” he thinks, “are actually quite a good deal. They look great and, in general, have superb sound.”

Since the introduction of the Authentic Series, the biggest obstacle the company has faced is the demand for them.

Since they are all constructed in the Custom Shop and training enough luthiers to build them is a difficult process, meeting the demand for them has been a challenge. In addition to new models being considered for the series in the coming years, we can expect to see some changes to the series as early as this year. Madagascar rosewood, for instance, which comes closest to replicating the properties of the cherished Brazilian, will stop being used in favor of another rosewood species from another part of the world, yet to be determined.

Tim Teel, Martin’s Director of Instrument Design, said that, to him, the fun and exciting part of the job is to see how close they can come to making the Authentics by developing new techniques and getting a chance to become intimately familiar with the original product. “We continually refine this series,” Teel admitted, “and w i t h each new model, we get closer and closer to the original in appointments, finish, tone...all the while keeping playability and longevity a priority.”

44 | EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN

I decided to try to connect with a few Martin Authentic owners through the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum, just to get their reaction to the line and see whether they were pleased with their purchase. The responses received were quite positive. Most who answered my inquiry gave me phrases like “great guitar” or “two thumbs up.” One respondent in particular, St. Louis resident John M., is the proud owner of an Authentic D-28 1937, built in 2014. John specifically mentioned the great tone, sustain, and volume as the best things about his guitar, and since acquiring it, he says, “it’s opened up beautifully.” He also thinks there’s going to be a purchase of a D-18 from the same era very soon.

To this guitar picker, it seems that, as the technology advances with time, there is still a desire to keep, or at the very least, incorporate, the time-honored traditions that musicians all over the world have come to know and don’t want to lose. With the development of the Authentic Series, everything old really is new again. No effort has been made, nor will be made, to extinguish what has been accomplished, as the company gets ready to celebrate its 200th birthday in 11 years. Perhaps in other businesses, old ways must be discarded in order to move forward. In the Martin factory, the past and the present share a peaceful coexistence because, like gold and silver, both have value, and one should not be forsaken for the other.

For further information about the Authentic Series, please visit martinguitar.com.

Len Jaffe is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance journalist who performed regularly as a singer/songwriter/guitarist in many of the area’s finest clubs and concert halls over the course of a 40-year career. He occasionally comes out of retirement for a special event, and still composes a song or two when the muse strikes. He owns a 1991 Martin D-28P, which, he says, has opened up beautifully since receiving it as a gift several years ago.

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MERV SHINER TURNS 100!

BY D I C K B O A K Merv Shiner was born in 1921, a stone’s throw from Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He started singing with his mother, Jennie, at an early age, and they achieved some local popularity performing mostly gospel and country tunes on WEST radio in Easton, WSAN and WCBS in Allentown, and the larger WFIL radio station in Philadelphia. Bethlehem is only eight miles from Nazareth, and Merv’s father drove him over to Martin’s original North Street factory, where they were greeted by C. F. Martin III. Merv was already adept at rhythm guitar accompaniment but needed a good guitar. Mr. Martin sold him a brandnew, all-mahogany 00-17 for $37.50, and that was a lot of money in 1937. Merv has been playing Martin guitars exclusively ever since!

After performing guitar and vocals on several television shows out of New York City, legendary songwriter Vaughn Horton helped Merv secure a recording contract with Decca. In January of 1950, his manager brought him a children’s song to record, but Merv wanted to know, “What happened to my country music career?” Vaughn told Merv not to be concerned, assuring him that the song would be a hit, and he was right. Although they initially misspelled his name as “Mervin Shriner,” his recording of “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” was the very first recording of that hit, selling more than a million copies and earning a listing on Billboard’s Top 10 picks. With his career in full swing, Merv made his first appearance on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry in April of 1950.

Photos courtesy of the C. F. Martin Archives 46 | ORIGIN STORIES

Above left: Chris Martin, Merv Shiner, and Dick Boak. Above right: The Circle J. Range Riders in 1940, featuring "Bunkhouse Al" Anthony on fiddle, Ed "Doc" Fuller on mandolin, band leader "Smiling Ray" Walton on accordion, Merv Shiner with his 1937 Martin 00-17, "Tumbleweed" Ludy on bass, and "Texas Ruby" Owens seated with guitar. The band performed regularly on WEST radio in Easton, Pa., and enlisted Merv, who was only 19 years old, to sing, yodel, and play guitar.”

In 1953, Merv joined the popular World’s Original Jamboree radio show on WWVA radio out of Wheeling, West Virginia, and a year later, he was featured on the Hillbilly Jamboree out of Cleveland. In the decade that followed, Merv traversed key country music venues and benefits from Tennessee to Michigan and Ontario, including the A Bar C Ranch and the famed Country and Western Music Park in Lakewood, New Jersey. He even appeared in the movie Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar.

Between 1949 and 1955, Merv recorded 124 songs, or "sides" as they were called, and he scored several successes as a songwriter, penning tunes for Charley Pride, Loretta Lynn, and Dolly Parton. He also had a lifelong friendship and association with songwriter and Sam Phillips’ producer Cowboy Jack Clement, who produced recordings for Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and a who’s who of other famed country artists. While living in Nashville, Merv became a regular on the Grand Ole Opry, performing with many stars, including Hank Williams, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash. Merv recorded with the Jordanaires for five years before they eventually became Elvis Presley’s backup band. Merv was even the star attraction of the Camel Caravan, along with Gordon Lightfoot and Judy Collins.

In the mid-1970s, Merv’s wife gifted him with a D-41 Martin guitar that he has since cherished. In 2009, however, he tripped and fell after a jam session, subsequently requiring arthroscopic surgery on his injured knee, and he also discovered that his prized guitar had been damaged in the fall. Merv’s cousins, Bob and Joe Kempfer, owned Kempfer’s Music Store in Bethlehem. They were a Martin dealer, and Joe’s son, Joe Jr., was a classmate and friend of mine. It wasn’t long before my phone rang. That’s how I met and befriended Merv. He brought the D-41 over to the factory for repairs, and I took him on a factory tour. Afterward, he gave an impromptu concert for visitors in the museum, including his signature song, "Here Comes Peter Cottontail." As always, Merv was entertaining, accessible, kind, and full of joy. That was the first of many great visits, and before long, Merv’s hand-tooled cowboy boots and his "In the Ghetto" LP were on display in the Martin Museum. On one of his visits, he ran into Grammy Award-winning musician and multi-instrumentalist Marcy Marxer. They had a great time playing guitar together and made a YouTube video that can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQMCSOifPPk&t=2s.

In fact, anyone who meets Merv, soon becomes his friend. I developed such a fondness for him that I ended up illustrating a detailed pen-and-ink portrait of Merv, and I visited him in Tampa where he lives with his wife, Marilyn.

They love to sing together, and Merv still plays his guitar, mostly in church these days. His love of music keeps him young. Here’s to you, Merv!

Dick Boak had the honor of managing the Museum and Archives for C. F. Martin & Co., where he enjoyed a long and fulfilling career. He headed up Martin’s Advertising and Artist Relations departments, producing signature models for more than 100 legendary artists. Dick retired in 2018 to focus on illustration, music, woodworking, writing, and (no surprise) making a batch of eight handcrafted acoustic guitars.

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Q&A WITH BROOKE LIGERTWOOD

By Bruce Adolph

New Zealand-born singer-songwriter Brooke Ligertwood, also known by her maiden name "Brooke Fraser," has had wide-ranging international success in two different music genres. In mainstream music—winning 17 different New Zealand awards over a 15-year career and touring New Zealand with David Bowie and both Australia and New Zealand with John Mayer. During this time, she won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for the co-write of “What a Beautiful Name” (which has over 400 million views on YouTube). For that same song, she won the Dove Award for "Song of the Year.” Brooke is a genuine Martin guitar enthusiast, owning many over the years, and now she has a signature Martin guitar of her own. She and her husband, Scott, (also a songwriter) along with their two young daughters, are based in Orange County, California.

48 | Q&A WITH BROOKE LIGERTWOOD

BROOKE LIGERTWOOD Photo by Nolan Knight

As a young folk singer in New Zealand, you spoke about

Tell us about your journey as a singer-songwriter in both

how important your first Martin guitar was for you. Can

mainstream and worship music genres?

you please tell us about that?

I never understood why people found it so difficult to grasp

When I began writing songs at the age of 12, I wrote

that it was possible to do both. To me, the distinction

solely on the piano. Around 15, I got sick of writing slow

was so easy. If I was a barista and it helped and blessed

piano ballads and decided to teach myself the guitar. I

the church for me to make people coffee on the weekend,

would borrow a humble little nylon-string from my friend’s

then, of course, I would do that. I was a musician, and if

dad, who would tune it for me on the weekends because I

I could help and bless and contribute to the church with

didn’t know how to tune it myself. I fell in love with playing

music, then why wouldn’t I do that? I don’t have a poverty

the guitar. Because I was entirely self-taught, I didn’t

mentality when it comes to creativity.

know the right way to do things, so I just experimented and did them my own way. I loved the song possibilities

Since being signed with a major label for your secular

that this new instrument unlocked for me.

music, your songs and worship leading have made a

Some time after this, I became friends with a group of

major impact in modern worship music all over the world.

amazing older girls, one of whom was a social worker,

What has that been like for you personally?

if I recall correctly, but she was also a songwriter who

Not without a bit of challenge and not without a lot of

would sing her songs around town. She had been saving

wonder! To have even just one song that could reach

up for a guitar, a base model Martin.

anyone, let alone many songs reaching so many different

Well, one day, we were meeting up, and she brought

types of people, is utterly humbling. I’m so grateful.

her new Martin guitar. With tears in her eyes, she told me that she felt really strongly that the guitar was for

Why do you play Martin guitars? What stands out about

me. I can’t tell this story myself without crying.

them for you in songwriting and performing?

I wrote my entire first record on that Martin 000XM

Before I answer that, I will be the first to admit that I’m

and have only played Martins ever since—specifically,

absolutely biased because I’ve had such a strong and

a Paul Simon PS2 signature edition and two Eric

deeply personal connection with Martin guitars for so long.

Clapton signature editions—and now, unbelievably, my

But I have written and played with a ton of artists, some

own signature edition. I still have the 000XM hanging

of whom played other guitars, and my honest experience

on my office wall.

is that I preferred my Martin guitars every time. The tone, resonance, and playability are unmatched to me.

When I pick up one of my Martins, I can feel the songs

" WHEN I PICK UP ONE OF MY MARTINS, I CAN FEEL THE SONGS INSIDE THEM. IT’S ALMOST AS IF THE GUITAR IS PLAYING ME."

inside them. It’s almost as if the guitar is playing me.

The instrument itself seems to help draw the melody and lyric out of me.

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You have played several Martin guitars over the years—the Paul Simon signature model you mentioned, the Eric Clapton signature model, and now you have your own signature model Martin guitar. What does that mean to you, and what did you want to see in this unique model of your own?

It would be difficult to be hyperbolic about how much this means to me, because it means that much. Because it means so much to me, I knew we had to nail this. I wanted to create the guitar that I want to play for the rest of my life. And I was so grateful that the Martin team allowed me to be totally uncompromising in my vision.

I basically took all of my favorite aspects of the Paul Simon and the Eric Clapton and combined them, and then added some personal touches. I wanted to keep the aesthetic very clean with specific special touches that reflected my personal connection and spoke to the quality of the guitar, but for this guitar to be all about the sound and the feel—the feel in the hand and against the body. That’s why the neck shape is so unique. I still remember the moment I picked up the Paul Simon for the first time and knew instantly it was the guitar for me because of how the neck fit in my hand. I hope people experience that with my signature edition. The body size and shape is so “wieldable,” if that makes sense.

I move a lot on stage—I’m really physical when I play music—and my guitar becomes an extension of me. The size and shape of my signature edition mean that I can maneuver the way I need to and the guitar doesn’t impede me, whilst still producing a warm, resonant, gorgeous tone that sounds fantastic, both acoustically and through a PA. It’s really hard to explain in words just how incredible this guitar sounds. The materials and construction are uncompromising, and the sound reflects this.

You had a chance to visit the C. F. Martin guitar factory and see the museum. What was that experience like?

They say “never meet your heroes,” but, in this case, I did and it was more wonderful than I ever dreamed. These luthiers are the best in the world. The process is so meticulous, so care-full and so pure. The skill is intimidating. I was also really impressed and excited by how many female luthiers are involved in every Martin guitar that comes out of the factory. These women know how to handle their tools!

50 | Q&A WITH BROOKE LIGERTWOOD

Photo by Nolan Knight

Who were your earliest musical influences that inspired you to become a musician?

My earliest musical memories are of Julie Andrews and Mike and the Mechanics, but when I was 12, my friend’s mother was driving us to after-school sports and James Taylor came on the radio, and my whole world stopped. I knew I wanted to write songs that made other people feel how "Carolina in My Mind" made me feel in that moment.

Tell us about your personal approach to songwriting?

When I write, I fully commit to going all the way with whatever song it is I’m writing. I’m in the room with myself, the Lord, and the idea. I’ll think about where it fits later. I just love the journey.

Any current plans for new music projects and getting out touring again?

I sure am. Some live dates and a LOT of new music in multiple spaces this year. I’m going to get to play my signature edition pretty incessantly. :) If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting out in wanting to play guitar and start a career in songwriting and performing, what would it be?

Make the gift of music your friend, not your master. If you can do that, whether you’re able to work together for a season or not, you’ll have a companion for life.

Bruce Adolph is the founder-publisher of Worship Musician magazine since 2003. He also pu b l i s h e d C o l l e c t i b l e G uitar m a ga z i n e for s e ve ra l ye a rs a n d produces three different guitar festivals in the Great Northwest, where he lives with his wife, Judy, and dog, Winston.

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Custom Shop D-28 Authentic 1937

52 | THE CUSTOM SHOP EXPERTS

C.

F. Martin & Co. is proud to introduce the Custom Shop Expert Program wherein Martin has identified elite authorized Martin dealers who specialize in designing custom Martin guitars. The dealers selected for this program have proven success in this role and have earned access to Custom Shop options never before open to consumers.

To celebrate the program’s introduction and to showcase some of these exciting options,

the Martin Custom Shop has developed two new pre-built custom models that unite the most desirable features of vintage Martins with the modern convenience of an adjustable truss rod. The robust and sonorous Custom Shop D-28 1937 and the svelte and balanced Custom Shop 000-28 1937 are available only through Custom Shop Expert dealers, and they have been priced significantly lower than the vintage Martin replicas in Martin’s Authentic Series.

To acquire one of these rarefied instruments, you can find a Custom Shop Expert dealer on Martin’s website at www.martinguitar.com/customexperts.

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Lucky owners of these limited edition models may choose between a natural spruce top and an Ambertone burst resembling a classic shaded top from the 1930s that has mellowed to an amber glow over the past 80 years. Either choice may be enhanced by the incredible new Stage 1 Aging option.

The Stage 1 Aging process transforms the entire instrument with a thin finish of Vintage Low Gloss lacquer that is subtly distressed with micro-cracks and light crazing, combined with an aging toner that adds a lovely patina to the solid Adirondack spruce top. It gives a brand-new guitar the appearance of a pre-war Martin preserved in near mint condition, without the dings, dents, and scars of a more-heavily played instrument, as found on the Authentic Series’ Aged models. It is but one of the new options that Martin has reserved for patrons of the Custom Shop Expert dealers.

W

AFTER YEARS OF EXPERIENCE hile the program is new, each Custom Shop

If you dream of owning a beautiful guitar that has a

Ex per t has many years of ex p e r i e n ce i n

playability and dynamics crafted to fit your musical

catering to the needs of guitar players and

style, with a tone all its own and a personality as

collectors seeking outstanding luxury models.

individual as the musician who will cherish it for a

Their

exhibit

lifetime, then it is vitally important that you reach

custom shop instruments from several major

out to a Custom Shop Expert dealership. That is

brands, including mouthwatering Martins adorned with elegant

where you will find the unparalleled advice and

appointments and exotic tonewoods selected from the most treasured

invaluable assistance in realizing your vision and

stash in the world. They excel at guiding private customers through

making your dream come true.

sumptuous

showrooms

often

the process of ordering a one-of-a-kind instrument, and have the

When you see the Custom Shop Expert badge, you

wisdom to anticipate important questions that their client might

can rest assured you will be collaborating with a

not have considered, while also making recommendations that

dealer whose talent for articulating tone and design

help guarantee complete satisfaction with the final product.

elements helps you communicate the specific sound,

Martin encourages musicians to dream big when it comes to

looks, and playability that you are seeking. They will

creating their unique custom guitar, as the possibilities are

invest the time to respond to all of your queries, and

practically endless. In addition to mixing and matching specs

use their private Martin Custom Shop telephone hot

from Martin’s many models, a guitarist can order a custom

line to speed up the process.

neck shape, and submitted artwork can be reproduced on their

Like you, they have a deep love for fine guitars.

guitar with ornate wooden marquetry, iridescent seashells, and

Together, you will make the correct choices necessary

even glittering gems, skillfully set by the most gifted inlay

to perfect and elevate your creation from a Martin with

artists working today.

nonstandard specs into an incomparable masterpiece

But there is a profound difference between someone imagining what will give them the look or tone they are aiming for, and the actual engineering and specifications needed to hit the bullseye. That requires a trained eye and superior expertise in the design and building process that was perfected within Martin’s unrivaled Custom Shop.

54 | THE CUSTOM SHOP EXPERTS

of the luthier’s art.

M

AFTER DECADES OF FULFILLMENT artin has built custom instruments for players of all persuasions, including distinguished professionals from contemporary megastars like Cory Wong of Vulfpeck to timeless immortals like Bob Dylan. Many of the official artist signature model collaborations with A-list performers like John Mayer, Shawn Colvin, and David Gilmour were inspired by instruments they had previously purchased from the Martin Custom Shop.

Atlantic Records artist Sturgill Simpson appeared in Volume 5 of Martin ®: The Journal of

Acoustic Guitars with his 12-fret Dreadnought inspired by examples from the early 1900s. His is a particularly old school Martin, unlike the one owned by Brian May of Queen. Dr. May celebrated his PhD in astrophysics by ordering a stunning 0000 with a double cutaway and colorful fingerboard inlays featuring the planets of the solar system. As different as they are, both of these custom Martins are absolutely exquisite in their design and their tone.

Among all the unusual or classic Martin specifications requested of the Custom Shop, people frequently ask for tone-enhancing upgrades found in the Authentic Series. The answer has always been a reluctant “No.” That is, until now.

Custom Shop D-28 Authentic 1937 Ambertone

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Custom Shop 000-28 Authentic 1937 Stage 1 Aging

F

THE TIME HAS COME or the first time ever, custom orders may include those

to its gorgeous grain patterns and lush, complex tone,

very Authentic Series specs, as part of the luxury

this sustainable Dalbergia species is considerably

options available from the Custom Shop Experts. They

less expensive than the rarer Madagascar rosewood

are also featured on the first limited edition models

currently employed by the Authentic Series.

that are sold only by these special dealers.

The other major difference from the Authentic Series

Martin’s Vice President of Product Management,

guitars is the fact that the period-correct Adirondack

Fred Greene, said of the new models: “We decided to include a

spruce used for the top and its bracing was not treated

group of guitars that took advantage of some of the new options

with Martin’s Vintage Tone System ® to simulate 80 years

being made available to these Custom Shop Expert dealers. As

of natural aging. This means the guitar sounds more

usual, I am building the sort of instruments that I personally

like a 1937 D-28 on the day it left the factory, rather

respond to and believe other consumers will like. Basically, they

than one that has seasoned for decades.

offer Authentic Series sound and looks with modern adjustability and a lower price.”

However,

the

bridge

plate

and

forward-shifted

bracing pattern under that select Adirondack spruce

The new Dreadnought is closely based on the marvelous D-28

soundboard are identical to those on the actual 1937

Authentic 1937, itself a meticulous replication of a specific pre-

D-28 that lives in the Martin Museum. It also has a

war Martin. The year 1937 is an extraordinarily excellent vintage

similarly satisfying tone with a massive voice of deep,

for Martins, and that particular D-28 is one of the best-sounding

resounding bass notes, sparkling trebles, and rich

guitars ever created by anyone anywhere. The latest scientific

harmonic complexity.

know-how was used to discover and then reproduce how those

The Custom Shop 000-28 1937 can be viewed as the

magical Martins were made back in the day, and now these new

same guitar but in the smaller Auditorium body size. It

Custom Shop models have benefited from the same pre-war specs.

provides a comfortable playing experience along with

The neck shape on the Custom Shop D-28 1937 is identical to

the more perfect tonal balance adored by fingerstylists,

the Authentic Series edition. It has the same thinner depth to

while offering soloists the full-step string bends

the solid ebony fingerboard and bridge, and a traditional glued-in

achievable only on a guitar with a short-scale neck.

long saddle, as well as the same Waverly brand tuners, and prewar Style 28 appointments.

Since no 000 with a 1-3/4” nut width exists in the Authentic Series, they had to improvise when it came

Significant enhancements in tone production come from the

to the neck. According to Custom Shop Director Scott

same natural hide glue construction and proprietary Thin Finish

Sasser, “The neck shaper who crafted the profile for

option. This combination increases responsiveness and resonance

the 000 took his inspiration from the OM-28 Authentic

beyond the capability of other high-end guitars.

1931. Otherwise, it has specs similar to other Authentic

Where this new Custom Shop model differs from its Authentic

Series instruments, including the tucks and peaks of

Series twin is where the cost savings are found. A modern, two-

the bracing,” which refers to how the scalloped bracing

way adjustable truss rod provides added security for the 1-3/4"

used in the Authentic Series differs from that of the

V neck, and the back and sides are made from solid East Indian

Standard Series and Modern Deluxe Series.

rosewood. One of the most popular tonewoods worldwide, due 56 | THE CUSTOM SHOP EXPERTS

Custom Shop Butterfly Model

AUTHENTIC BRACING FOR AUTHENTIC PRE-WAR TONE

A

s Executive Chairman Chris Martin put it, “The best-sounding guitars are crafted so that, when you play them, they feel like they are just about to explode, but don’t.” Pre-war Martins are a perfect example of this.

Martins from the 1930s are built with hand-carved scalloped bracing that is lighter and more precisely shaped than found on modern guitars, including a bridge plate and tone bars that have their ends tucked into notches under the main X brace. This time-intensive technique

requires supreme craftsmanship, but it maximizes the amount of tone-producing energy surging through the entire soundboard from the vibrating strings. When added to the other Authentic specs, the results are nothing less than a superbly responsive acoustic tone machine as finely tuned for high performance as an elite sports car.

Tucked bracing is a primary reason Martins from the pre-war era sound different than all others that came later. Today, the procedure requires the skills of specially trained artisans, which is why it remained the most exclusive aspect of the Authentic Series guitars.

Now, at long last, authentic vintage Martin bracing can be ordered through a Custom Shop Expert dealer.

But the most economical way to obtain this bracing is to purchase one of these fantastic 1937 models, because they are being offered at a special price that is exceedingly nice.

Amazingly, this is just the beginning for the Custom Shop Expert Program, with more awesome options and limited edition guitars to come. Chosen for their dedication and expertise from among hundreds of authorized Martin dealers in 11 different nations, the Custom Shop Experts are specialists at what they do better than the rest—partnering with the Custom Shop to make magnificent Martins for their customers.

Click on “Custom Shop” at the top of the Martin website to find a Custom Shop Expert in your area.

T. S. Phillips is a veteran performer in New York City’s acoustic music scene whose articles and reviews relating to Martin guitars have appeared in The ToneQuest Report, Acoustic Guitar, The Sounding Board, and at One Man’s Guitar, www.onemanz.com.

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WORKHORSE SHOWDOG

A GUITAR THAT CONTINUES TO INSPIRE

Nowadays, many kids learn how to play the guitar on YouTube from

By Cliff Hall

players all over the world. But back when Sebastian Robertson was first figuring this instrument out, this resource wasn’t yet available.

Instead, he had to look closer to home.

58 | WORKHORSE SHOWDOG

About the Artwork In 2 014, Se ba st i a n Ro be r tso n released a children’s book, Rock and Roll Highway, about his father’s life.

The artwork on this spread depicts the following excerpt from the book: “Early one morning, Robbie was sitting with his pencil, paper, and his Martin D-28 acoustic guitar across his lap. It was time to begin the writing process for their first album.

If I can just get the first line of the song down, he thought to himself.

Waiting for inspiration, Robbie peered into the sound hole of the guitar. It read ‘Nazareth.’ Quickly he picked up the pencil and wrote the line ‘I pulled into Nazareth.’ In a few hours he had written one of The Band’s most famous songs—‘The Weight.’”

Illustration by Adam Gustavson

STRUMMING AROUND THE HOUSE ON HIS FATHER’S 1970 MARTIN D-28 WAS JUST HOW HIS MUSICAL JOURNEY BEGAN. “I was obsessed with Led Zeppelin, so I would make my dad teach me Led Zeppelin riffs,” said Robertson. “I remember him teaching me "Whole Lotta Love" and "Heartbreaker" and him having to keep rewinding the cassette so he could learn Jimmy Page’s riffs.”

But his dad wasn’t just any dad. He was that Robertson: Robbie Robertson of The Band. And strumming around the house on his father’s 1970 Martin D-28 was just how his musical journey began. But, as with any teen, sometimes growing up means doing something different than your parents, maybe even especially if your father is quite famous for his guitar chops.

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Robbie Robertson

“I knew how to play a handful of chords, but drums were the first thing that I really dedicated myself to. But at a certain point, musically, it felt a little limiting to me because I was so curious with the process of songwriting,” said Robertson.

“I wanted to contribute something, but I just didn’t have the language for it yet. So eventually the guitar ended up replacing the drums for me.”

“JUST THE MARTIN. IT'S ALL I NEED. THAT GUITAR he enthuses about his dad’s acoustic.

DOES IT ALL FOR ME,” “ALL OF MY FRIENDS, TOO, THEY'RE JUST ALWAYS [SAYING], ‘THAT IS THE MOST REMARKABLE SOUNDING GUITAR.’ ALL MY ENGINEER BUDDIES ARE LIKE, ‘WAIT, WHAT IS THAT AGAIN?’”

Fast-forward to the present day. Now, he composes for movies and television shows for his production company, Sonic Beat Records. And, among the variety of electric guitars he has in his studio, he has only one acoustic guitar: a 2007 Martin OM-18 custom made for his father.

“Just the Martin. It’s all I need. That guitar does it all for me,” he enthuses about his dad’s acoustic. “All of my friends, too, they’re just always [saying], ‘that is the most remarkable sounding guitar.’ All my engineer buddies are like, ‘wait, what is that again?’”

The guitar was given the nickname “Workhorse Showdog,” and it was created in collaboration with Martin Guitar’s former longtime employee Dick Boak and Robbie Robertson.

It has an iced tea-shaded Italian Alpine spruce top and Madagascar rosewood back and sides.

60 | WORKHORSE SHOWDOG

ROBBIE ROBERTSON ON “WORKHORSE SHOWDOG” AND HIS COLLECTION OF MARTINS When asked about the origin of the name, Robbie Robertson said, “the ‘Workhorse’ part of the name is because this guitar does everything. It’s electric, with variable sounds.

It’s acoustic, with the most beautiful tone. And it plays like a dream. The ‘Showdog’ part is because it’s so damn pretty to look at.”

As a man with an impressive collection of vintage Martins, Robertson knows his stuff. Among his rarities are a 1901 Martin 00-42 and a 1919 Martin 00-45K. A natural storyteller, he recalled the circumstances of buying his 00-45K.

“On the 00-45K, I didn’t realize at the time when I got this guitar [in 1975] from Norman Harris [owner of the California vintage guitar store Norman’s Rare Guitars] that it was one of a kind. I don’t think he realized it either or he would have charged me more,” Robertson said of the instrument that Emmylou Harris used for her performance in The Last Waltz. “When Martin came to me a few years ago and said they wanted to make a new model of this instrument, I thought that was going to be a real challenge, but the new ones turned out excellent, though you can’t beat the original.”

Another guitar in his collection that significantly impacted his music career is his 1951 Martin D-28, which was used as inspiration for the hit song “The Weight.”

SEBASTIAN ROBERTSON: PLAYING FOR CHANGE While Sebastian Robertson was finding his own voice and establishing his production company, he became involved with a charitable organization called Playing For Change, a movement that was co-founded by Mark Johnson and Whitney Kroenke in 2002 and created to inspire and connect the world through music. In fact, he was in the room with Johnson when the idea for Playing For Change was conceived.

“We were hanging out at his apartment, just friends [as a part of] a great group of really talented young people. It was a great community that we had,” he explained. “And then just one day, Johnson said, ‘I have an idea called Playing For Change. I want to bridge this divide of people around the world that play music and people on the street that play music. And I want to find a way to connect them all.’ “We’re like, ‘holy moly, what a remarkable idea.’”

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PLAYING FOR CHANGE: A FATHER AND SON COLLABORATION Years passed as Playing For Change evolved, and Robertson’s and Johnson’s paths diverged, but the familiar classic “The Weight” brought the two back together to collaborate on their first project for the charity.

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Music from Big Pink, Sebastian Robertson worked with his dad and Playing For Change in 2019 to create a collaborative recording of one of the album’s most famous songs, “The Weight.”

But this was no small feat. To produce the music video, which took over two years and spanned five continents, Robertson connected musicians ranging from Ringo Starr on drums, Sheikh Abdullah from Bahrain on oud (“That’s my dad’s favorite part...a true master”), and his father playing the guitar.

“The original recording was all about extreme closeness and contact with the other guys in the band. But what Sebastian and Playing For Change were able to do with this new global version of ‘The Weight’ is the complete opposite,” said Robbie Robertson about the viral sensation that has garnered over 21 million views on YouTube. “Especially during this pandemic, I think the new version is extraordinary and a miracle of the times.”

Watch “The Weight” video at https://youtu.be/ph1GU1qQ1zQ.

Photos by Dawn Robertson 62 | WORKHORSE SHOWDOG

“THAT'S WHAT PLAYING FOR CHANGE DOES. THEY BRING PEOPLE FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD TOGETHER TO CONTRIBUTE THEIR PART TO A SONG. AND, AGAIN, THAT ENDED UP MAKING THIS A REALLY MOVING AND UNIQUE INTERPRETATION.” – Sebastian Robertson

PLAYING FOR CHANGE: A COLLABORATION WITH PETER GABRIEL While a paternal bond between Sebastian and Robbie Robertson powered the re-recording of “The Weight,” it was “Workhorse Showdog” that helped propel the next collaboration: a re-creation of Peter Gabriel’s song “Biko” in honor of Black History Month.

Originally off Gabriel’s eponymous third album, which was released in 1980, the song was re-recorded with parts being played by various musicians around the world to raise money for a charity called Peace Through Music, organized by Playing For Change.

But Gabriel’s influence took root in Sebastian Robertson a long time before this latest effort.

“The first album that I listened to front to back was Peter Gabriel’s Security. I went into my dad’s music room and pulled it off the shelf, and it just blew my mind. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I didn’t know music could do this,’” he recalled. “‘Biko’ was the first of his songs that I thought we have to try. And the message of it is as important today as it was when Peter wrote it.”

With the re-recording’s release in the heat of the Black Lives Matter movement, Robertson sees how the impact of “Biko” has only become more resonant in today’s cultural climate: “We have Stephen Biko dying at the hands of officers, and while we were re-recording [‘Biko’], people were rioting in the streets here in America as we watched George Floyd be murdered at the hands of officers. It’s a chilling reminder of how little progress we’ve made in some respects.”

“We did a little demo of it on ‘Workhorse Showdog,’ which was a little bit of a different take on the song,” said Robertson. “Peter said, ‘OK, let’s do this.’ And that was just one of the greatest musical moments of my life.”

And as the project grew, “Biko” found a new voice.

“We were in the super-hot and unknown period of COVID when we recorded here at a park in Los Angeles,” Robertson continued about the worldwide effort. “Then people from South Africa recorded the choral part, and Peter was at his studio in the U.K.” As “Biko” has racked up over two million views since being released in February of 2021, Robertson sees the universality of the song being key to its allure.

“That’s what Playing For Change does,” he said. “They bring people from all around the world together to contribute their part to a song. And, again, that ended up making this a really moving and unique interpretation.”

Robertson played the “Workhorse Showdog” guitar on the final collaborative recording of “Biko."

Watch the “Biko” video at: https://youtu.be/jWNEr4eHL18.

Clifford Hall is a journalist, regularly contributing to magazines like Martin ® : The Journal of Acoustic Guitars, Guitar World, and the Fretboard Journal. A bluegrass and folk musician as well, Hall has a love of vintage Martins and has learned how the history of both Martin guitars and American music intertwine. Hall currently resides near Philadelphia, where he also works as an elementary violin teacher at the Owen J. Roberts School District in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

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SOMETHING OLD UKULELE EDITION

E A R LY 1 9 6 0 s S T Y L E 1T T E N O R The #1T ukulele was larger than the soprano and concert ukuleles, but smaller than the baritone. First catalogued in 1928, tenor ukes featured an all-mahogany body and neck, a rosewood fingerboard and bridge, and were tuned to D, G, B, and E like the treble strings of a standard guitar.

E A R LY 1 9 2 0 s S T Y L E 1 TA R O PAT C H The taropatch is an eight-stringed member of the ukulele family.

Lois Phillips owned this model, and in October 1923, she carved a hula dancer into the back with her penknife. The taropatch eventually gave up four strings to become the concert uke.

64 | SOMETHING OLD

CIRCA 1930 STYLE 5 “DAISY” This top-of-the-line uke was a gift from C. F. Martin III to his wife, Daisy. Style 5 ukuleles were usually made with flamed Hawaiian koa, but this model is unique because it instead has flamed Cuban mahogany top, back, and sides. Even the case was extra special, featuring a plush, zippered interior.

L AT E 1 9 1 0 s D I T S O N S T Y L E 1 The most-famous collaboration between C. F Martin & Co. and the Oliver Ditson Co. was the Dreadnought, but smaller guitars and ukuleles were built in a similar wide-waisted shape. This Style 1 uke is an example of one of these instruments. Other than the “miniDreadnought” body design, the other features of this ukulele are similar to the ukes Martin built under their own name during this period.

TINY TIM STYLE 0 This well-worn Martin ukulele belonged to the legendary Tiny Tim (aka Herbert Khaury). After playing his signature song, "Tiptoe Through the Tulips," on stage with this instrument at a Minneapolis Women’s Club event on November 30, 1996, he collapsed from a heart attack, dying shortly after. This ukulele holds Tiny Tim’s last song.

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PRICES AND SPECIFICATIONS AS OF JANUARY 2022 AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE

LITTLE MARTIN SERIES $369-$499 BACKPACKER SERIES $299 It’s played around countless backcountry campfires, strummed on tops of mountains, and heard in the most remote locations on—and off—the planet. The Martin Backpacker goes wherever you do. Its sleek, slender body shape makes it easy to take almost anywhere, and it’s crafted from solid tonewoods for a clear, crisp sound, no matter where on earth you play it. Like everything else with the Backpacker, even the price is small.

Little Martins are small in size but big in performance.

Ed Sheeran has even played sold-out stadiums with one. And because the back and sides are made with HPL (High Pressure Laminate), they provide worry-free durability. We even make models that have HPL tops for an even more affordable and durable option. And because they’re small, they are very travel friendly.

They even fit in most overhead airplane compartments, but be sure to check individual airline requirements before traveling. All LX models are crafted with Martin’s signature X-bracing for stability and amazing tone. And they come with a seriously cool gig bag.

The greatest thing about a Little Martin? You’ll never outgrow it. It will be your favorite travel guitar for life.

JUNIOR SERIES $549-$699 The Junior Series instruments are slightly smaller than their full-size counterparts. We make a 000 style and a Dreadnought style. Even though they are slightly smaller, they are made with solid wood tops, backs, and sides, so you aren’t going to sacrifice much tone or volume.

The Junior Series was designed to be comfortable and easy to play, so Juniors are the perfect first guitar. They even include some full-sized Martin features like scalloped X-bracing. (The reason we scallop the braces that support the guitar top is to allow it to vibrate more freely.)

So, the Junior Series really delivers all the tone you’d expect from a full-sized Martin, but just slightly scaled down in size. The Junior Series has a comfort edge, so it sits very comfortably against your body and also includes our high-performance tapered neck, which is slimmer and shallower, making it super easy to play, even if you have smaller hands.

When shopping for a new Martin, you may find it helpful to understand how we categorize our guitars by series and price point. We’ve included here a brief description of each series and some key components of each. However, we encourage you to try different models at an authorized Martin retailer or to reach out to one of our online retailers for assistance in finding the guitar that is the best fit for you.

X SERIES $499-$699

15 SERIES $1,349-$1,649

For simplicity’s sake, you can think of Martin’s X Series guitars as the full-sized equivalent of the LX Series with some additional features. They are super durable, and we make X Series models in a variety of sizes and styles from 0 (the smallest body size) to Dreadnought (the largest). Some have HPL tops, and some have solid wood tops. The model names with a 1 (like the D-X1E) have HPL tops, and the ones with a 2 (like the D-X2E) have solid wood tops. And quite a few include a cutaway to reach those high notes for aspiring shredders. We offer a variety of high-resolution woodpatterned HPL, so you can pick the look you like best.

Another cool thing about the X Series is that they all include electronics, so you will be ready to plug in to record or play live on stage once you master a few chords!

The 15 Ser i es i nst r u me nts a re a mahogany lover’s dream. With solid mahogany back, sides, and top, the 15 Series instruments offer a loud sound with a bright treble response and a powerfully punchy midrange.

And they produce just the right amount of harmonic complexity to bring your songs to life in the studio or on the big stage. The 15 Series instruments not only sound beautiful, but their uniform, satin-finished mahogany build looks elegant and tasteful in any setting. Some models include a standard taper neck for traditional players, and some include a high-performance neck taper for added comfort and playability.

ROAD SERIES $799-$1,999 Martin’s Road Series guitars are the perfect entry to the full-size Martin product line. We make a variety of sizes and styles, including the revolutionary SC-13E (shown here), which really has it all for beginners who want to grow into their first Martin. These instruments are professional grade, and they’ll be there for you every step of the way as you conquer the instrument. All Road Series models include solid wood tops and fine wood veneer back and sides, which affords us the opportunity to offer stunning figured woods at an incredible value. The Road Series also includes advanced electronics and a gig bag. All this in a fullsized Martin for $799? Yes, please!

16 SERIES $1,849-$2,199 Each model in Martin’s popular 16 Series is uniquely designed with tonewoods that best complement the body size and shape of each particular model. Unlike the 15 Series, which features solid mahogany top, back, and sides, and the 17 Series, which primarily pairs mahogany with a spruce top, the 16 Series models feature various hardwoods selected by Martin luthiers to produce a unique tone specific to each model’s other attributes. The 16 Series is Martin’s playground for experimentation with various material enhancements and exotic tonewoods. All of the 16 Series models are a 000 depth for added comfort. All models come equipped with electronics, and some are available with a cutaway.

17 SERIES $1,699-$1,899 The instruments in Martin’s 17 Series pair mahogany back and sides with a Sitka spruce top for a well-balanced sound full of bright, airy trebles; crisp midrange; and complex harmonics. Most unique to the 17 Series are the darker wood tones with contrasting appointments and shade patterns that give each of the instruments in this series a unique look that is sure to turn heads. The bold and edgy 17 Series guitars are offered with comfortable high-performance necks that are super easy to play. The 17 Series takes inspiration from guitars that would have been played in juke joints back in the ’30s and ’40s. Some models come with built-in electronics, and some even offer a traditional slopeshoulder profile.

68 | UNDERSTANDING MARTIN’S SERIES DESIGNATIONS

STANDARD SERIES $2,599-$9,499 They’re the backbone of Martin; distinguished instruments that created the template for the American acoustic flattop guitar. Standard Series models embody nearly two centuries of craftsmanship and technique—history made from wood and wire. These legendary guitars and the artists who played them helped establish country, folk, bluegrass, and rock. Today, you’ll hear their ringing tone echoing across the American soundscape and in music around the world.

MODERN DELUXE SERIES $3,599-$10,499 The Modern Deluxe Series is packed with custom features and modern technology that make them truly unique. Vintage appointments include a Vintage Tone System® (VTS) top and natural protein glue construction that give them the rich, fully aged Martin tone that has inspired generations. The look includes elegant complementary wood binding, stylish gold frets, gold open-gear tuners, and inlaid with pearl in the headstock. Some ultramodern features include Liquidmetal® bridge pins and a carbon fiber sandwich bridge plate to boost volume. They also include a new neck shape that is slightly asymmetrical for maximum hand comfort up and down the fretboard. This series is anything but standard.

AUTHENTIC SERIES $5,699-$51,999 The Golden Era is back: those years between the late 1920s and 1942 when a perfect storm of innovation, materials, and craftsmanship at Martin produced some of the world’s finest, most sought-after guitars that sound better as they age. The Authentic Series are new instruments constructed to be faithful-looking and faithful-sounding reproductions of historymaking, pre-war models like the D-45, D-18, and 00-17.

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70 | FSC ® : WHAT IS IT AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Fine guitars begin with forests. And forests worldwide have faced a variety of threats in the last 50 years: from deforestation and exploitation to illegal logging and climate change. Nearly half of the world’s original forests have disappeared, impacting more than one billion people who depend on them for their homes and livelihoods.

Yet there are reasons for optimism when it comes to forests.

The rate of deforestation has slowed by nearly 40 percent since 1990. The importance of forests to the health of the planet and its inhabitants is now increasingly recognized, and forest sustainability is gaining support from wood supply chains and from consumers. Among the forces contributing to this evolution toward sustainable forests, one stands out significantly: the Forest Stewardship Council.®

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WHAT IS FSC? The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC ® ), founded in 1993, is an international, nongovernmental organization that was established to create global standards for responsible forest management, with the goal of protecting forests for future generations.

Companies, products, and entire forests can become FSC certified. For wood suppliers and producers of wood products like Martin Guitar (FSC Chain of Custody Certification License Code FSC-C008304), FSC certification shows their commitment to responsible forest management, protection of endangered species, and cultural and economic fairness for indigenous peoples. For consumers, the FSC trademark on products ensures that materials used for the product have been responsibly sourced.

Today, more than 500 million acres of forest are FSC certified, representing 12 percent of the world’s forests. Since 2003, the forest acreage protected by FSC certification has grown by 600 percent. More than 3,700 companies in the United States are now FSC certified, including Kimberly-Clark, Herman Miller, Crate & Barrel, and Patagonia. Most importantly, FSC-certified products are increasingly being embraced by consumers, who show their support for sustainable forests through their purchases.

WHEN DID MARTIN BECOME CERTIFIED? C. F. Martin & Co. first received Forest Stewardship Council certification in 1997, and now has multiple-site FSC certification to encompass both its Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico, production facilities.

It has steadily increased purchases of FSC-certified tonewoods over the years and, today, approximately 70 percent of the wood Martin uses is FSC certified. Martin uses FSC-certified Richlite,® a phenolic resin/ cellulose composite, on several models. The high-pressure laminate (HPL) used on Martin’s X Series guitars is also FSC certified. Martin has offered several 100-percent FSC-certified models in recent years, including the D-Mahogany, the 00L Earth, and the Concert Uke FSC. “FSC certification is extremely important to C. F. Martin & Co., as sustainability is a core value of the company,” explained Cindy McAllister, Martin’s Director of Intellectual Property and Community/Government Relations.

“Martin is committed to purchasing independently certified timber products, and recognizes the benefits to nature, to people, and to the climate that FSC represents. FSC’s forest management standards ensure strong protection for old-growth forests, as well as safe and fair working conditions and respect for workers’ rights.”

72 | FSC ® : WHAT IS IT AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

WHAT DID MARTIN DO BEFORE FSC? C. F. Martin & Co.’s focus on the environment and sustainable forests began well before the Forest Stewardship Council was founded. Former Martin President and CEO C. F. Martin III spoke of the importance of sustainable wood supplies in the 1960s. Scarcity of Brazilian rosewood caused the company to transition to East Indian rosewood in 1969, and concern regarding the slaughter of elephants caused it to phase out ivory nuts and saddles in the 1970s, in each case taking action more than a decade before the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) banned their commercial trade. In 1990, C. F. Martin & Co. became one of the first guitar manufacturers to develop an ecological policy, one that advocated use of sustainable and alternative woods, opposed burning of tropical forests to create farmland, and favored legislation to control overharvesting of old-growth timber.

WHY WAS THE FSC FOUNDED? After the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was adopted by 80 countries in 1973, to assure world commerce would not threaten the survival of any species, environmental organizations hoped a similar international agreement could be forged to address deforestation. When the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro failed to produce such an agreement, those organizations turned their attention to creating a market-based approach to forest sustainability. With their support, the Forest Stewardship Council was founded in 1993.

The Forest Stewardship Council established standards that include: • Prohibiting conversion of natural forests to plantations or non-forest uses • Requiring forest growth to meet or exceed harvest levels • Protecting threatened species beyond that now required by law • Protecting indigenous peoples’ resources, cultural sites, and legal and traditional rights • Engaging local communities and other stakeholders in the management process FSC also established national standards for many countries, standards that generally conform to its global standards but are adapted to local conditions. Landowners, concessionaires, vendors, and companies that bring wood products to the marketplace gain FSC certification by demonstrating they meet FSC standards.

Only FSC-certified companies may use the FSC trademark.

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WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT? The ability to trace wood from FSC ®-certified forests through the supply chain is important to ensuring FSC-certified products are legitimate. The FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) system enables FSC-certified wood to be tracked through transportation, processing, and manufacturing. Every vendor, processor, and producer in the chain must be FSC certified, and each is audited annually to ensure controls are in place to identify FSC-certified shipments and to prevent them from being mixed with those not certified.

BUT WHO’S KEEPING AN EYE ON THE FSC? The Forest Stewardship Council sets the rules for the FSC forest certification, supply chain certification, and Chain of Custody tracking system. However, to maintain independence between those rules and the certification process, it depends on several thirdparty organizations (called “certifiers”) to handle evaluations, certifications, and annual audits. “A good comparison would be the National Football League,” commented Michael Dickinson, C. F. Martin’s Sourcing Specialist. “The league establishes the rules, but the referees on the field make sure the rules are being scrupulously followed.”

When C. F. Martin & Co. gained FSC certification in 1997, the Rainforest Alliance became the company’s third-party certifier for Chain of Custody and annual audits. Internationally recognized for its efforts on behalf of the environment, the Rainforest Alliance provided this service to Martin until 2018, when it pivoted toward agricultural certification and transferred its FSC oversight responsibilities to NEPCon (Nature Economy and People Connected). NEPCon became Preferred by Nature™ in 2020, but continues to be Martin’s certifier.

“FSC Chain of Custody audits can be a challenge,” observed Rachel Richmond, Preferred by Nature’s Supply Chains Manager. “Business practices vary from country to country. Our job is to verify each vendor and end user strictly adheres to FSC policies, including documentation that traces every FSC-certified shipment back to its FSC-certified source.” She noted there were three different FSC labels, and “all three must meet the same Chain of Custody requirements.”

1 2 3

FSC 100% for wood sourced from FSC-certified forests, managed according to FSC’s rigorous environmental and social standard.

FSC Mix for wood sourced from a combination of FSC-certified forests, FSC-controlled material (where the company’s due diligence minimizes the risk of procuring wood from unacceptable sources), and/or recycled material.

FSC Recycled for material made from 100% recycled content, either pre-consumer or postconsumer reclaimed material.

Even the certifiers themselves are not above scrutiny, according to Richmond. “FSC works with an auditing body called Assurance Services International, which periodically reviews our work to verify it is thorough and accurate.”

BEYOND RESPONSIBLE WOOD SOURCING For C. F. Martin & Co., the advantages of FSC go beyond responsible wood sourcing. “Martin now builds guitars with a greater range of tonewoods than previously,” Dickinson observed. “Plus the supply situation is ever-evolving. Our FSC certification provides access to the FSC portal, which we use to find FSC-certified sources to meet our needs.” FSC-certified wood also lessens concerns regarding certain tonewoods’ legality. It is another safety measure, like CITES and the Lacey Act, to ensure our wood is not illegally harvested or traded.

“We buy as much FSC-certified wood as we can because it is the right thing to do,” stated Chris Martin, C. F. Martin & Co. Executive Chairman. “We hope it reinforces for wood suppliers around the world that sustainable forests are truly valuable—economically, ecologically, and culturally.

“Every few years, we assess our relationship with the Forest Stewardship Council. We always come to the same conclusion: FSC sets the gold standard in responsible forest management.

“When my daughter reaches my age, my hope is that our drive toward sustainability will have paid off, with stable, environmentally healthy, and economically viable forests that can provide the mature trees C. F. Martin & Co. will need, in the quantity we need. Our strong commitment to FSC and FSC-certified woods comes at a price, both in effort and in money. It is a price we are willing to pay to secure the future—not simply the company’s future, but everybody’s future.”

Marshall Newman has contributed his writing work to Martin Guitar publications for two decades and also has written for other publications, including Acoustic Guitar and The Wine Spectator. Marshall is an avid guitar player and longtime Martin guitar owner. In fact, his very first guitar was a 1941 Martin 00-17.

MARTIN ARCHIVES

NORTH STREET ARCHIVES

By Jason Ahner

C . F. M A R T I N S R .’ S T O O L C H E S T C. F. Martin III believed that many of the tools in this chest were brought to America when his great-grandfather, C. F. Martin Sr., emigrated from Markneukirchen, Germany, in 1833. For years, these tools were stored in the attic at the North Street factory but were eventually moved to their current location in the Martin Guitar Museum.

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ANTIQUE GLUE POT CIRCA 1913 Oscar Lambert worked for Martin Guitar from 1913 to 1948. He handcrafted this remarkable hide glue pot from copper and used it daily. It was very special to him, and he carried it for a mile and a half to and from work every day. The glue pot was donated to the C. F. Martin & Co. Archives by Joan and Pep Irvin.

K E A L A K A I M O D E L B O DY T E M P L AT E 1 9 1 6 Body templates like this were used to mark the outline of the top and back so they then could be cut. The special guitar Martin built for the Hawaiian virtuoso musician Mekia Kealakai was used as the basis for the Dreadnought models built later in 1916 for the Oliver Ditson Co. Written in pencil on the template are instructions for both the Dreadnought and the Model K guitar. For the Dreadnought, the template says, “Braces, scale & soundhole used for Ditson Dreadnought without change” and for the Model K, “1/2” longer than 000, both length & breadth.”

B O DY M O L D S C I R C A 1 9 2 0 -1 9 4 0 Handcrafted wooden molds like these were traditionally used to ensure that consistent instrument shapes were maintained during assembly. Wooden molds were used for over 150 years by the company until accurate aluminum molds were introduced .

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ARTIN GUITAR KITS Feeling inspired by all the handmade goodness in this issue? Why not take a crack at building your very own Martin guitar with a kit made up of genuine Martin factory parts? We make kits in a variety of sizes and styles. Check them out at MartinGuitar.com/kits.

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On November 21, 2021, the Martin family said goodbye to our good friend and colleague Kit Culpepper. Kit was an integral part of the Martin family for almost ten years, serving as Director of Sales, the Americas, before being promoted to Director of Channel Strategy. During Kit’s tenure with Martin, the company realized unprecedented sales growth.

Kit was a hard worker, but she valued friendships above all else, which was vividly apparent in how she conducted her day-to-day business at the company. She always strived to make positive impacts while simultaneously demonstrating the principles of inclusion. She always made sure her friends and colleagues felt valued and appreciated.

Kit faced her health challenges with dignity and grace, sharing her journey with those closest to her and inspiring everyone around her to be their best. The courage and wisdom she shared remain an inspiration to all of us who were lucky to know her and those whose lives she touched.

A self-taught musician, Kit was in both tribute and original bands for more than 25 years. In addition to playing acoustic guitar, she was a beloved frontwoman for bands like Major Kit & the Bionic Defection, Pulp Flannel, and Organic Juice. Her influences were rooted in classic rock, and some of her heroes were Tina Turner, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, and Chrissie Hynde. She firmly believed that music is a gift and a place to get good vibrations.

We will miss Kit dearly, and we will honor her memory always.

Donations may be made in Kit’s memory online to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, StJude.org.

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On January 4, 2022, the Martin family suffered a tragic loss. Diane Martin, the wife of Chris Martin and Vice-Chair of C. F. Martin & Co.’s Board of Directors, died after bravely fighting a battle with cancer for many years.

In addition to her role with the company, Diane was a philanthropist, a business leader, a loving wife, and a mother. She was adored and respected by everyone lucky enough to know her. Diane led by example through her hands-on commitment to bettering our local community. She was the former Chair of the Northampton Community College Foundation Board and Vice President of the Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation. Diane was instrumental in Martin Guitar’s success over the last three decades, representing the company in numerous local and national organizations and developing close relationships with many of our customers and partners.

Diane and Chris met under unusual circumstances when Chris received a traffic violation in Lower Saucon Township and decided to contest the ticket in court, where Diane served as district judge until retiring in 2009. Chris arrived at the district justice’s office for the hearing, equipped with an easel and illustration that depicted the site of his violation, plus tiny Matchbox replicas of the police vehicle and his car, a stone grey metallic Porsche. Chris re-enacted the incident for the judge, who was impressed and amused by the presentation. Several days after Chris appeared in Diane’s courtroom, he called to ask her to consider “having dinner with a lawbreaker.” She said yes, and the rest is history. We look back on these moments with gratitude, for they brought Diane into our lives, and we are all the better for it.

Chris and Diane married in May of 1990. They shared 31 wonderful years together and have been blessed with their beautiful daughter, Claire. Diane loved animals, especially her cat, Emelda, and her dog, Dolce. Diane also loved to travel, and she took several cruises around the world with Chris and Claire. It’s their travels that Chris expressed deep gratitude for having shared with Diane during their many years together.

Diane Martin will be remembered for her quick wit, sense of humor, and compassion. She will be greatly missed, and we will forever continue to honor and celebrate her life.

Donations may be made in Diane’s memory to the Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation.

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