The Story of Martin
The Martin Story
From a small New York workshop in 1833 to the standard-bearer of the acoustic guitar. Knowing this history is where correct repair begins.
1833 → Today
Timeline
- 1796
Christian Frederick Martin is born
Born into a family of cabinet makers and instrument builders in Markneukirchen, Saxony; apprenticed in Vienna under Johann Stauffer.
- 1833
Founded in New York
C.F. Martin Sr. emigrates to America and opens a shop on Hudson Street, New York. The Martin story begins.
- 1839
Move to Nazareth, Pennsylvania
Martin leaves the city for the small town of Nazareth, where the company’s headquarters and factory remain today.
- 1843 – 1850s
X-bracing is born
Martin develops X-bracing, two braces crossing beneath the top. It becomes the structural foundation of the steel-string acoustic guitar.
- 1898
C.F. Martin & Co.
The company takes its present name and begins systematic serial numbering, still the basis for dating Martins today.
- 1916
The first dreadnought
Martin builds an unusually large body for Boston retailer Ditson. The name comes from the British battleship HMS Dreadnought.
- 1929 – 1930
The 14-fret neck and the OM
At banjoist Perry Bechtel’s request, Martin builds the 14-fret Orchestra Model — the design that became the modern acoustic standard.
- 1931
Martin-branded dreadnoughts D-1 and D-2
Released under Martin’s own name and soon renamed the D-18 and D-28.
- 1933 – 1934
The D-45 and 14-fret dreadnoughts
The first D-45 is built for Gene Autry; from 1934 dreadnoughts switch to 14-fret necks.
- 1960s
The folk boom and a new factory
Demand surges with the folk revival; in 1964 the current factory opens on Sycamore Street, Nazareth.
- 1969
The end of Brazilian rosewood
Supply problems move the D-28 and others to Indian rosewood — a dividing line for vintage value.
- 1986
Chris Martin IV takes the helm
The founder’s great-great-great-grandson leads a revival through the Vintage Series and signature models.
- 1995
Eric Clapton signature 000-42EC
After MTV Unplugged, the era of artist signatures begins — later John Mayer, Ed Sheeran and more.
- 2004
The one-millionth guitar
Serial number 1,000,000 is completed, 171 years after the founding.
- 2021
A new CEO
Thomas Ripsam becomes the first CEO from outside the family; Chris Martin IV remains executive chairman.
- 2023
190th anniversary
Six generations of family ownership, 190 years of history — still building guitars by hand in Nazareth.
Craft
Standards Martin set
X-bracing
Two main braces crossing beneath the soundhole. They resist steel-string tension while letting the top vibrate freely. Martin’s scalloped bracing is the heart of the 1930s sound, and the area a repair engineer inspects most often.
Dovetail neck joint
The traditional joint fitting the neck into the body like a dovetail. When the angle drops after decades, the joint is steamed apart and reset — the ‘neck reset’, the essence of Martin repair craft.
Nitrocellulose lacquer
A thin finish that breathes. The fine weather-checking that develops over time is not a defect but the face of a vintage instrument. Touch-ups use the same material, kept to a minimum.
The style-number system
In ‘D-28’, D is the body size (dreadnought) and 28 the style — ornamentation and wood grade. 18 means mahogany, 28 rosewood with simple trim, 45 the top specification with abalone inlay.
Sizes
Body sizes
Dreadnought (D)
15 5/8"
The largest, deepest voice. The standard for strumming and flatpicking.
OM / 000
15"
Balanced voice, comfortable body. OM is long scale (25.4"), 000 short scale (24.9").
00 (Grand Concert)
14 5/16"
An intimate sound loved for fingerstyle and recording.
0 (Concert)
13 1/2"
A small body in the lineage of 19th-century parlor guitars.
Jumbo (J) / Grand Jumbo
16" – 17"
Wide body, rich bass.
Players
Players of Martin
Johnny Cash
D-35, D-28
The Man in Black’s black D-35 signature.
Elvis Presley
D-18, D-28
Martins from the early Sun Records years.
Eric Clapton
000-28, 000-42
Unplugged, 1992; signature 000-42EC.
Neil Young
D-28 (1941) · D-45
Still plays ‘Hank’, Hank Williams’ 1941 D-28.
Joan Baez
0-45
Opened the folk era on a 1929 0-45.
Kurt Cobain
D-18E
The 1959 D-18E of MTV Unplugged.
John Mayer
OM-28, OMJM
Signature OMJM and 00-45SC.
Ed Sheeran
LX1E
Filling stadiums with a Little Martin.
Warranty
Official repair and warranty
Martin guitars carry a warranty to the original owner against defects in materials and workmanship. Warranty repairs must be performed by a Martin-authorized service center or the Nazareth factory; unauthorized repair or modification can void the warranty.
An official repair engineer works to Martin’s model-specific specifications, with genuine parts and factory repair standards. Non-warranty repairs (accidents, humidity damage, ageing) are done to the same standard, so the instrument’s value is preserved.
Humidity damage (sunken tops, cracks, loose braces) and impact damage are the classic exclusions from warranty. Keeping relative humidity at 45–55% is the surest prevention.