I went on a tour of the Martin Guitar Factory in Nazareth, PA today which is about 20 miles east of where I live. I was there about 30 years ago to interview one of the members of the family involved in the business for a college paper I had to write. I don't remember it being anything like this. The tour is free and lasts about one hour. As you go throughout the tour, you can see the amount of money and time the business has invested in the factory just for the tour which amazingly they do not charge for admission. While there is quite a bit of automation in the factory, I was amazed at the amount of hand crafting that is still performed on these instruments. The museum, alone, would be worth the price of admission. I didn't spend as much time as I should have going through it. It seems pretty incredible by itself. I learned it takes about 2.5 months to make their standard line of guitars and 6-9 months for a custom guitar. They finish close to 200 guitars a day. I thought the tour gift was a nice touch (after all the tour was FREE).
The Old Factory about 1 mile away from current facility. Old one is used by a guitar parts reseller and as chamber of commerce for the town of Nazareth, PA.
Current Factory
Mural painted by a cousin of the Martin family depicting the 200 year history of the company
First part of the tour explaining type and source of wood and the cutting processes prior to parts arriving upstairs for assembly
Giant size guitar replica. I learned the style, size, and shapes of the braces on front and back panels impact the sound of the guitar
Hand craftsmanship
Guitar #2,000,000
An exhibit in the museum
Museum map
Tour gift made from the wood cut out from the sound hole of the front face of the guitar and digitally engraved
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