When Christian Frederick Martin established his stringed-instrument company in 1833, there were only 24 states in the U.S. Most of the Louisiana Purchase was still just a mass of land and nothing west of it even belonged to the country. For C. F. Martin & Company, the year 1833 represents their history and is a source of pride; few American companies can boast a 175-year history. The company has survived the abolishment of slavery and the Civil War, major depressions in 1893 and 1929, and two world wars. » Click Here to View the Martin Photo Gallery
Through alternating family owners (four of them named C.F.) came alternating schools of thought on how to run the company. Some were more conservative, making few changes for decades, while others implemented innovations that were accepted by players and guitar makers alike as standards for the instrument.
Martin gave us X-bracing in the 1840s, the Dreadnought in the 1920s, the 14-fret neck in 1929, and popularized herringbone purfling, to name just a few of their contributions to the world of luthiery. Of course, Martin wasn’t always paving the way – their reputation for tradition is well-earned. The company initially resisted flashy inlays, put off using steel strings until 1922 (decades after competitors), advertised little and spent a substantial amount of their earlier years keeping artists at bay.
This combination of innovation and conservatism (and making a lot of ukuleles at exactly the right time) proved to be a successful model for the company, which has grown to the point of producing its highest volume of guitars right now.
If Martin’s history can be separated into progressive and conservative periods, the era of sixth generation Chris Martin IV, beginning in 1986, would have to fall under progressive. Guitar production from 1990 to 2004 was equal to the total production from 1833 to 1990 – the company celebrated 500,000 guitars in 1990 and 1,000,000 in 2004. Ed Golden, Martin’s Custom Shop Manager, says that the company is already approaching serial #1,300,000, thanks in part to the addition of mid-to-lower priced instruments in the 16, 15, Road and X series.
By The Numbers
*according to the Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars, 10th Edition For more information on Martin’s history, check out Martin Guitars: An Illustrated Celebration of America’s Premier Guitarmaker, by Jim Washburn and Richard Johnson. |
Through 175 years of production, how has Martin stayed relevant?
C.F. Sr. had a vision and passion for guitars so strong that he uprooted his family in Germany to bring his idea to America. He designed and built instruments that set the standard for acoustic tone. Countless acoustic guitar companies have emerged since then to join in our quest to fill the world with music, but Martin set a precedent 175 years ago and has continued to nurture it with the same devotion that our founding father did.
Obviously, there is great pride in being a family company – does this have something to do with Martin’s staying power?
Absolutely. There is an undeniable pride in the hearts of our coworkers. Their CEO and sixth generation family heir, Chris Martin, is not just a name on the headstock, but a close and trusted friend who has continued the tradition of treating us like an extended family. This internal feeling of “ownership” by the employees, along with our commitment to quality, is the backbone of our continued success.
Because of the company’s history, Martin has a unique view of acoustic trends. What have you seen happening lately?
It seems that at least one acoustic guitar is an essential part of every musician’s arsenal, even if their main instrument is something other than guitar. We also feel that more people are learning guitar; free online guitar sites and unlimited resources make it easier than ever.
In terms of the guitars themselves, the Dreadnought and Auditorium sizes are still extremely popular, but we have seen an increased interest in the 00 size – both 12 and 14 fret – in recent years.
Let’s talk about the anniversary guitars. The 1833 Custom Models have some very exotic and figured wood. How were these developed?
A small group of experienced co-workers got together and selected the most dramatic wood species we had available, and combined aesthetics to create outstanding guitars.
Is there a special stock of wood for runs like these?
We have a limited amount of exotic specialty woods we chose for these models, but there are still enough sets available for special orders from authorized dealers or consumers.
What anniversary guitars can players look for other than the 1833 Custom Models? There’s the DX 175th, which features a graphic on the top commemorating the anniversary; the 00 Stauffer 175th, limited to 50 with the Stauffer headstock; America’s Guitar, limited to 175; and the LX 175th, which is only available in person at the factory’s 1833 Shop.
The virtual custom shop has opened up a lot of opportunities for the average player – with the money, of course – to get a Martin built to spec. How did this idea come about?
About a year ago I began a discussion with our Information Systems Department on making custom options more accessible to the public. We receive so many requests for simple changes to our stock models and even the smallest option change takes up valuable time internally. We decided to take the most popular options and create a virtual design tool to allow people to create and price a base model with custom options.
| Anniversary Festivities Aside from commemorative guitars, Martin has other projects in the works. From books (release dates TBA) and an October 10th Christie’s auction with a to-be-determined lineup of prototypes and other sought-after models to a CD compilation called My Favorite Martin. Ed Golden discusses the CD: “Grammy award-winning Solid Air Records is in the final assembly and mastering stages of the My Favorite Martin project. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity and enthusiasm of the great players who have shown their appreciation by submitting tracks recorded on their favorite Martin guitars for this project.All of the songs on this CD were recorded on Martin instruments or signature models owned by the individual artists, and many of the tracks were written or recorded specially for the compilation. |
Customers have been able to get custom orders from Martin for some time though, right? How does this change that?
We have been building customs designed by customers and dealers for more than 25 years. The web-based design application is simply a tool, similar to what BMW would use where you can design your own car. Using the design tool allows us to be more accurate and eliminates any interpretation we might have to otherwise do when reviewing all of the line options. There are more than 70 line items involved in building each custom guitar and each line item may have up to 30 or more different variations in it.
For example, there are more than 20 binding options alone. There are more than 25 unique rosettes, not including design options submitted by customers involving pearl inlay. With so many customizable features available, it is essential that we are all using the same terms. The design tool allows for us to be speaking the same language with our customers by allowing them to choose options graphically instead of trying to name them alone. There are many more options available than are visible on the web design tool. All custom orders are still placed by an authorized dealer, and customers can still work directly with their dealers without ever logging on to our site.
Are there plans to flush out the additional options online?
New options have been planned from the inception. We simply chose the most popular options first, but we will be adding many more as we go forward, including sunbursts, top toners, 12-fret models and cutaway options. Our plan is to continue to add new and interesting options as we develop them.
Are these just the pre-planned changes or are you taking suggestions from customers?
We are responding to customer feedback as well – the input from our customers has been excellent!
It seems that an acoustic custom shop would be a lot more labor-intensive than an electric one; how is this feasible for such a large company?
The process of building a custom acoustic is very labor-intensive. Parts and components are processed and compiled in our machining area, and travel through our standard production line through the finishing process. All final assembly, neck fitting, bridge gluing and setup is performed in the custom shop exclusively. We employ eight of our most experienced craftspeople in the custom shop itself, along with three highly skilled designers who can offer assistance to our dealers and customers.
So what exactly is the process when a player has picked all of their options and is ready to order their guitar? The first thing to do is to take your virtual spec sheet to an authorized dealer. The dealer will place a quote contract request with us based on your spec sheet. Once created, we will return the spec sheet to the dealer, who will review all specs and options with the customer. Once all the specs and options are agreed upon, both parties return the signed quote to us and we will begin the build process. It generally takes about four to six months to complete a custom, depending on the complexity of the project.
There are a lot of options for smaller, high-end custom shops where one guy makes the guitar from start to finish. What does this option offer over those shops?
Martin has a long history of successful guitar design and innovation. Having 175 years of experience to draw from allows us to offer more flexibility and more options than any other guitar manufacturer. From simple to complex, we offer the ability to customize virtually any base model on our price list, utilizing the finest materials.
| Nazareth, Pennsylvania is at or near the top of any guitar player’s list of Cooperstown-type destinations for a road trip. Just ask anyone who has made the journey – Martin’s factory and museum provide a full day of learning and drooling that every picker must experience. The factory tour is almost overwhelming with its start-to-finish, up-close look at how every Martin guitar is made. Artisans do their thing right in front of you using tools and techniques that have been passed down for generations, as well as modern methods/technology that keep the company at the forefront of quality guitar craftsmanship. The museum includes priceless artifacts and famous guitars that will quickly drain your digital camera’s memory card: the 1,000,000th Martin, one of the earliest Martins ever made, the best sounding Martin known to man, you name it. To give you a taste, we’ve produced a number of videos from our recent trip there. Click here to watch! |
C.F. Martin & Company
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Duane Denison of the Jesus Lizard, EGC Chessie in hands, coaxing some nasty tones from his Hiwatt.
The Jesus Lizard’s sixth album, Blue, served as the band’s final statement from the frontlines of noisy rock for the next 26 years. By the time of their dissolution in 1999, they’d earned a reputation for extreme performances chock full of hard-hitting, machine-like grooves delivered by bassist David Wm. Sims and, at their conclusion, drummer Mac McNeilly, at times aided and at other times punctured by the frontline of guitarist Duane Denison’s incisive, dissonant riffing, and presided over by the cantankerous howl of vocalist David Yow. In the years since, performative, thrilling bands such as Pissed Jeans, METZ, and Idles have built upon the Lizard’s musical foundation.
Denison has kept himself plenty busy over the last couple decades, forming the avant-rock supergroup Tomahawk—with vocalist Mike Patton, bassist Trevor Dunn (both from Mr. Bungle), and drummer John Stanier of Helmet—and alongside various other projects including Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers and Hank Williams III. The Jesus Lizard eventually reunited, but until now have only celebrated their catalog, never releasing new jams.
The Jesus Lizard, from left: bassist David Wm. Sims, singer David Yow, drummer Mac McNeilly, and guitarist Duane Denison.
Photo by Joshua Black Wilkins
Back in 2018, Denison, hanging in a hotel room with Yow, played a riff on his unplugged electric guitar that caught the singer’s ear. That song, called “West Side,” will remain unreleased for now, but Denison explains: “He said, ‘Wow, that’s really good. What is that?’ And I said, ‘It’s just some new thing. Why don’t we do an album?’” From those unassuming beginnings, the Jesus Lizard’s creative juices started flowing.
So, how does a band—especially one who so indelibly captured the ineffable energy of live rock performance—prepare to get a new record together 26 years after their last? Back in their earlier days, the members all lived together in a band house, collectively tending to the creative fire when inspiration struck. All these years later, they reside in different cities, so their process requires sending files back and forth and only meeting up for occasional demo sessions over the course of “three or four years.”
“When the time comes to get more in performance mode, I have a practice space. I go there by myself and crank it up. I turn that amp up and turn the metronome up and play loud.” —Duane Denison
the Jesus Lizard "Alexis Feels Sick"
Distance creates an obstacle to striking while the proverbial iron is hot, but Denison has a method to keep things energized: “Practice loud.” The guitarist professes the importance of practice, in general, and especially with a metronome. “We keep very detailed records of what the beats per minute of these songs are,” he explains. “To me, the way to do it is to run it to a Bluetooth speaker and crank it, and then crank your amp. I play a little at home, but when the time comes to get more in performance mode, I have a practice space. I go there by myself and crank it up. I turn that amp up and turn the metronome up and play loud.”
It’s a proven solution. On Rack—recorded at Patrick Carney’s Audio Eagle studio with producer Paul Allen—the band sound as vigorous as ever, proving they’ve not only remained in step with their younger selves, but they may have surpassed it with faders cranked. “Duane’s approach, both as a guitarist and writer, has an angular and menacing fingerprint that is his own unique style,” explains Allen. “The conviction in his playing that he is known for from his recordings in the ’80s and ’90s is still 100-percent intact and still driving full throttle today.”
“I try to be really, really precise,” he says. “I think we all do when it comes to the basic tracks, especially the rhythm parts. The band has always been this machine-like thing.” Together, they build a tension with Yow’s careening voice. “The vocals tend to be all over the place—in and out of tune, in and out of time,” he points out. “You’ve got this very free thing moving around in the foreground, and then you’ve got this very precise, detailed band playing behind it. That’s why it works.”
Before Rack, the Jesus Lizard hadn’t released a new record since 1998’s Blue.
Denison’s guitar also serves as the foreground foil to Yow’s unhinged raving, as on “Alexis Feels Sick,” where they form a demented harmony, or on the midnight creep of “What If,” where his vibrato-laden melodies bolster the singer’s unsettled, maniacal display. As precise as his riffs might be, his playing doesn’t stay strictly on the grid. On the slow, skulking “Armistice Day,” his percussive chording goes off the rails, giving way to a solo that slices that groove like a chef’s knife through warm butter as he reorganizes rock ’n’ roll histrionics into his own cut-up vocabulary.
“During recording sessions, his first solo takes are usually what we decide to keep,” explains Allen. “Listen to Duane’s guitar solos on Jack White’s ‘Morning, Noon, and Night,’ Tomahawk’s ‘Fatback,’ and ‘Grind’ off Rack. There’s a common ‘contained chaos’ thread among them that sounds like a harmonic Rubik’s cube that could only be solved by Duane.”
“Duane’s approach, both as a guitarist and writer, has an angular and menacing fingerprint that is his own unique style.” —Rack producer Paul Allen
To encapsulate just the right amount of intensity, “I don’t over practice everything,” the guitarist says. Instead, once he’s created a part, “I set it aside and don’t wear it out.” On Rack, it’s obvious not a single kilowatt of musical energy was lost in the rehearsal process.
Denison issues his noisy masterclass with assertive, overdriven tones supporting his dissonant voicings like barbed wire on top of an electric fence. The occasional application of slapback delay adds a threatening aura to his exacting riffage. His tones were just as carefully crafted as the parts he plays, and he relied mostly on his signature Electrical Guitar Company Chessie for the sessions, though a Fender Uptown Strat also appears, as well as a Taylor T5Z, which he chose for its “cleaner, hyper-articulated sound” on “Swan the Dog.” Though he’s been spotted at recent Jesus Lizard shows with a brand-new Powers Electric—he points out he played a demo model and says, “I just couldn’t let go of it,” so he ordered his own—that wasn’t until tracking was complete.
Duane Denison's Gear
Denison wields his Powers Electric at the Blue Room in Nashville last June.
Photo by Doug Coombe
Guitars
- Electrical Guitar Company Chessie
- Fender Uptown Strat
- Taylor T5Z
- Gibson ES-135
- Powers Electric
Amps
- Hiwatt Little J
- Hiwatt 2x12 cab with Fane F75 speakers
- Fender Super-Sonic combo
- Early ’60s Fender Bassman
- Marshall 1987X Plexi Reissue
- Victory Super Sheriff head
- Blackstar HT Stage 60—2 combos in stereo with Celestion Neo Creamback speakers and Mullard tubes
Effects
- Line 6 Helix
- Mantic Flex Pro
- TC Electronic G-Force
- Menatone Red Snapper
Strings and Picks
- Stringjoy Orbiters .0105 and .011 sets
- Dunlop celluloid white medium
- Sun Studios yellow picks
He ran through various amps—Marshalls, a Fender Bassman, two Fender Super-Sonic combos, and a Hiwatt Little J—at Audio Eagle. Live, if he’s not on backline gear, you’ll catch him mostly using 60-watt Blackstar HT Stage 60s loaded with Celestion Neo Creambacks. And while some boxes were stomped, he got most of his effects from a Line 6 Helix. “All of those sounds [in the Helix] are modeled on analog sounds, and you can tweak them endlessly,” he explains. “It’s just so practical and easy.”
The tools have only changed slightly since the band’s earlier days, when he favored Travis Beans and Hiwatts. Though he’s started to prefer higher gain sounds, Allen points out that “his guitar sound has always had teeth with a slightly bright sheen, and still does.”
“Honestly, I don’t think my tone has changed much over the past 30-something years,” Denison says. “I tend to favor a brighter, sharper sound with articulation. Someone sent me a video I had never seen of myself playing in the ’80s. I had a band called Cargo Cult in Austin, Texas. What struck me about it is it didn’t sound terribly different than what I sound like right now as far as the guitar sound and the approach. I don’t know what that tells you—I’m consistent?”
YouTube It
The Jesus Lizard take off at Nashville’s Blue Room this past June with “Hide & Seek” from Rack.