American firm of guitar manufacturers. It was founded in New York by Christian Friedrich Martin (b Markneukirchen, Germany, 31 Jan 1796; d Nazareth, PA, 16 Feb 1873). Martin and his father, Johann Georg Martin, were members of the cabinet makers’ guild in Markneukirchen, and were described as guitar makers during a legal dispute. Martin is mentioned as having made guitars since before 1826 and as having been foreman in the factory of the Viennese maker of guitars and violins, Johann Georg Stauffer. In September 1833 Martin emigrated to the USA, setting up a shop and workshop at 196 Hudson Street, New York. A fellow guitar maker from Markneukirchen, Heinrich Schatz, bought land near Nazareth, Pennsylvania, in 1835, and by 1837 was making guitars and selling them through Martin’s New York shop, some guitars bearing the label ‘Martin and Schatz’. In 1839 Martin moved to the Nazareth area and sold his inventory to Ludecus & Wolter. Towards the end of this period Martin also had an association with Charles Bruno, founder of the musical merchandise house C. Bruno & Son, some guitars being labelled ‘Martin and Bruno’. By 1850 Martin had a New York sales outlet at 385 Broadway, and some guitars of this period are labelled ‘Martin and Coupa’. In 1850 the Martin factory was enlarged and in 1859 was moved to Main and North Street, Nazareth. The firm C.A. Zoebisch & Sons, at 46 Maiden Lane, New York, became Martin’s distribution centre, maintaining this role until 1898.
In 1867 the founder and his son, Christian Frederick jr (1825–88), formed a partnership with the founder’s nephew C.F. Hartman under the name C.F. Martin & Co.; in 1921 the company was incorporated. A new workshop and factory were built in 1964 close to the original family home. Until 1982, when C. Hugh Bloom became president, the business was headed by further members of the Martin family: Frank Henry (1866–1948), Christian Frederick III (1894–1986) and Frank Herbert (b 1933). Christian Frederick IV (b 1955) became chief executive officer in 1986.
Martin’s earliest guitars were influenced by the German maker Stauffer, but as the 19th century progressed the Martin brand came to be associated with more distinctive instruments. Martin’s designs for the shape and construction of acoustic steel-strung flat-top guitars have influenced virtually every other manufacturer, and include the perfecting of ‘X’-bracing (c1850) and the 14th-fret neck-to-body join (1929). One of the best and most popular Martin innovations is the Dreadnought (introduced in 1931), a large, flat-top acoustic guitar with a distinctive wide-waisted shape that has been much copied. Martin guitars are given model numbers based on a system of coding that can indicate size, shape and other design features. The firm has also, at various times, produced electric guitars, carved-top guitars, mandolins, ukuleles and tiples, but the principal part of their production is now devoted to flat-top guitars, in which they have few rivals. Since 1970 guitars based on Martin designs have been built in Japan and marketed under the name Sigma.
M. Longworth: Martin Guitars: a History (Cedar Knolls, NJ, 1975, enlarged 3/1988 as C.F. Martin & Co., Est. 1833: a History)
W. Carter: The Martin Book: a Complete History of Martin Guitars (London, 1995)
JAY SCOTT ODELL, TONY BACON