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This was a cool trip down memory lane for me. I worked at Martin in the 80's. My desk was in the old plant on north street where Mr. Martin had, had his desk. I have a hard time going on the tour as so many I worked with are still there today. I have to keep catching up to the tour from seeing them and catching up. Oh and if you had smell o vision that would add tons to the video. Wow I can just smell the plant in my mind today. There's just something about the Martin factory you never forget. I worked with some special people and will never forget my time there. The stories I could tell.
@@mesametal8768 sorry to hear that. I haven't been to the factory in years. I need to get back there and see the place again. What dept did you work at?
@@edsautter51 i did almost everything except for neck fitting and sawmill,my last few years were in stringing and final inspection,was a blast that i could a guitar literally all day.
Like many, I’ve always considered Martin to be one of the industry leaders in the acoustic guitar world, but after seeing the ins and outs of their operations/manufacturing here, they’ve earned a totally new level of respect in my book. The amount of attention to detail and the number of QA touch points in this production process are unmatched. I really hope the brand continues to live on for many years to come so that my great great grandchildren are able to enjoy these incredible instruments as much as I have! Thank you Premier Guitar for taking us through this wonderful tour!
I learned how to play guitar while I was working as a dishwasher in Denton Lake, NY. I was determined to learn and played even when my finger tips had blood. When I returned at the end of the summer I picked up my father’s 1945 Martin D-18, I teared up at the sound produced on that then old guitar. It had the most beautiful sound. After my father died, I was the owner of this guitar and even hitchhiked around the US playing it in the mid 1960s. When short of money I would put out my hat. When I moved to Korea in 2003, I passed it on to the next generation of our family, so it is still played daily and I am sure that it will be passed on through our family. I thank my stars that my dad back in 1945 picked a Martin guitar made in Nazareth, PA. What joy that guitar gave me in California, Fairbanks, Alaska, New York, Massachusetts and all over the western US. Never will I ever forget that day when I picked it up after dish washing all summer and strummed the guitar and my ears heard that glorious sound of an old Martin D-18!
Love my 2014 D35. Waited 30+ years to invest in one. Easily the dumbest mistake I made in all that time to wait. Phenomenally well made. It sounds odd to say but it strikes me every time I play it that it is a perfect machine... made of wood. It was designed to do exactly one thing and everything about the design contributes to that goal and nothing detracts from it.
I drove two days up to Nazareth to drop off my 3 Martins for repairs, and decided to join a tour, only to receive very crappy response 'for being late'. I went back to the repair luthiers who said, "Come with us and we'll do the better tour" which showed me specific workers likely responsible for my guitars (12, 16 and 21 years old by that time). I've sold 2 of those in these subsequent decades then replaced the D-35 with an HD-35.
I have done the factory tour 6 times over the last 30+ years.....always amazing...always inspirational...even if you are not a guitarist you will enjoy seeing the craftsmanship and love Martin puts into their instruments!
I took this tour of the factory quite a few years ago. After the tour there was a room full of Martin guitars that I spent a couple hours in. I got to play my dream guitar Martin D45 of course I spent the most time on, although I picked up every single one. ALL great guitars!!
I’ve just owned a D-X2E Rosewood made by the Mexico Factory with confidence that it was made with the same Martin’s procedures and standards to maintain long lasting reputation. Watching this VDO I’m now much proud to own one of Martin guitar. Thanks for this walk-through.
When you realize that Captain Morgan is no longer on your rum bottle…but is giving tours at CF Martin Guitar Company. Great stuff. Great tour guide. And great content. Thanks for doing this.
Just bought a new 000-28EC. So excited! Looks, plays, and sounds like a dream. Took time away from playing to take in this Martin factory tour video. Great vid... so now, back to picking on the new guitar!
Wow, what a great look inside the production of masterpiece guitars. Rameen did a fantastic job of explaining each process of the builds, and it shows that he so dedicated to his job (or passion). One day, I WILL own a D 28!!! Thanks for the video everyone.
Great job. Thanks for such a detailed tour/ lesson on Martins guitar building process. . I’m fortunate to be only 45 minutes away, living in New Jersey. Visited and took my guitar for modifications. many times. You are a great asset to Martin. You are very engaged and passionate in regard to what you know and do.
I have owned several acoustics over the years. By far my Martin and Takamine guitars are the two best acoustics I have ever heard. I've had both of them almost 30 years each so they have aged well and I'll never get rid of them. Awesome tour video.
Thank you for an amazing video! I'll be heading to the factory to pick up another Martin, my kid now owns the last one I had for 20+ years. Great content!!!
I read an article where the sawdust is collected and used to make a laminate for the Mexican-made Martins. I bought one and compared the playability and sound to a D16 and D35...I was very impressed. They sound and play outstanding. They sound like Martins! I have seen other brands being repaired because the bridge is separating from the top...the bridges were glued to the clear coated top. Not on a Martin.
Outstanding tour. I love wood, woodworking, music and guitars. After seeing this I want to visit the factory. I may have to buy a Martin as well. I play a combo Mosrite sunburst, identical to one I saw Glen Campbell play on tv. Thanks for making this video.
Fantastic! A combination of two of my loves - woodworking and guitars. Around 2005 I built a replica of a D-28 by following Lynn Dudenbostel's process on his 4-part series on the DIY Network. I'm jealous of those jigs and tools, I did everything by hand the hard way. It still looks great and sounds great.
Thanks for the tour. This has to be the custom shop line. With the number of guitars Martin puts out daily, I doubt if every guitar gets this much attention to detail. Just MHO😎 I own two Martins, a 1970 D12-35 and a 2015 CS HD 35, and love them both.💖💖
I took the tour years ago. They will build you anything you want, but every guitar does get that treatment. There's really no custom line. That's why they're so expensive. In other words, there's a custom shop, but no custom line.
Love these tours. Just watched Mayer at MSG and some of the Martins he played were out of this world. Fabulous guitar maker and this was brilliant insight. Thanks guys!!!
This was AWESOME! :) In 1985 I was 16 and walking past a yard sale in Timmins, ON when I spotted an old ‘cardboard’ guitar case. The lady had $50 on the sticker and I had $38 (Canadian $) in my wallet that I offered to her. The nice lady said that if no one bought the old guitar by the end of the sale, that I could buy it (she was packing up in about an hour). I sat down on the curb to anxiously wait it out. The ‘week’ I waited was finally up and myself and the nice old lady exchanged my $38 for a 1957 D45. I sold it the next week to a guitar store in Ottawa, ON for $4k and about a year later they sold it for $15k. Sometimes I wish I kept it, but the two Les Pauls and Marshall stack I bought with my windfall $ were definitely worth it! :)
I'm pretty sure I've seen Canadian luthier Ted Woodford string up a Martin or 3 without glue during neck resets here on UA-cam. I believe he even pointed out the fact that it's extremely helpful that one is able to do that before glue up so you can check the neck angle when it's strung up with full tension, then make adjustments if it's necessary. Obviously not possible if you have to glue up the joint just to string the guitar up to full tension.
Fantastic tour. I still don't think anything could beat the DIck Boak tours, but this is really good, and unbeatable in 45 minutes (Dick's MF tour is in several parts adding up to about a couple of hours, as I recall). As a result, some detail is lacking here, but it is still a fantastic tour. Likewise, DIck is a legend, but Rameen does a super job and we still get a sense of the pride and care the comany and its employees take. So much is still basically handwork, albeit with template assistance. I have a J40, an HD35 and an MC68. They are all incredible guitars and I cannot believe what great value they are. Obviously, they are expensive (especially here in the UK), but honestly you cannot buy better. Different, sure. Boutique, custom or handmade, sure, but in my opinion, leaving aside all those special appointments you can only get from a single handed luthier, Martin still lead. I do not, however, believe they were right to move into the mid and lower end markets. Maybe they had to for marketing reasons, but these products are much better covered elsewhere and detract from the brand integrity.I also don't recommend their merch (t shirts, etc), which are average at best. But the standard guitars? Sell everything you can and buy one.
Super Dread... oh boy, that may be just the guitar to wait for. Fantastic tour, had no idea how Martin has progressed into the modern world and applied technology to building the brand.
No go to any Guitar maker in Spain and you will see attention to detail This is just another factory that produces Wood items at extortionate prices by people who have more money than sense!!
Cool video... I've only even held a guitar about four times in my life. However, I am an avid wood worker so I just thought I'd take a look... Glad I did. I told my wife I'd like to hand a couple guitars up as decor.
I borrowed a Martin LX1. Changed out the strings for Earnie ball Earthwood silk and steel. Loved the sound, size, comfortability. I was skeptical but it’s the factory strings that I’m not a fan of. Put new Earthwood strings and it was perfect. I’ll be saving up just for that guitar. Hopefully Martin LXM if they make more. More durable for weather changes.
at 4:44 is that the Simple Dovetail like in my John Mayer OMJM? I'm interested in why they chose to do that on one of their high end guitars. The Dovetail is one of the those things that Martin takes a lot of pride in, but they went with the simple version on a high-end guitar.
6:43 So my old 1974 D35 has some loose internal bracing which rattles and vibrates when I play. As it wasn't manufactured with a truss rod given its age it needs a neck reset. I don't imagine either are covered by Martins 'Lifetime Warranty'?
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Might not want to conflate CNC machines with AI/artificial intelligence. Two entirely different things.
This was a cool trip down memory lane for me. I worked at Martin in the 80's. My desk was in the old plant on north street where Mr. Martin had, had his desk. I have a hard time going on the tour as so many I worked with are still there today. I have to keep catching up to the tour from seeing them and catching up. Oh and if you had smell o vision that would add tons to the video. Wow I can just smell the plant in my mind today. There's just something about the Martin factory you never forget. I worked with some special people and will never forget my time there. The stories I could tell.
i worked there as well ed for 12 years,unfortunately it is not the same any more.
@@mesametal8768 sorry to hear that. I haven't been to the factory in years. I need to get back there and see the place again. What dept did you work at?
@@edsautter51 i did almost everything except for neck fitting and sawmill,my last few years were in stringing and final inspection,was a blast that i could a guitar literally all day.
These Behind the scenes tours of a Guitar Makers Factory are so awesome
thank you!
@@premierguitar why was my comment removed,so much for the first amendment!
Love my 2017 D-28 . Took me 40 years to get it
Ditto...so love my 2017 HD-28
I'm saving up for one now. Almost caved and bought some lower grade Mexican martins. But I'm staying strong and getting a good one
@@michaelvest6861 you won’t regret it
Man this guy knows how to put on a show and show things. That was AWESOME!
i just bought my first martin guitar. it took about 5 minutes to become my favorite guitar of all time
Like many, I’ve always considered Martin to be one of the industry leaders in the acoustic guitar world, but after seeing the ins and outs of their operations/manufacturing here, they’ve earned a totally new level of respect in my book. The amount of attention to detail and the number of QA touch points in this production process are unmatched. I really hope the brand continues to live on for many years to come so that my great great grandchildren are able to enjoy these incredible instruments as much as I have! Thank you Premier Guitar for taking us through this wonderful tour!
@ 9:30 Doh! Love the expression on the builder's face after he broke the side while testing its flexibility. Priceless.
Rameen is a total class act. Martin is lucky to have him working there. Pure passion and know how. Thanks for the great tour.
I toured Martin in September 2022. Amazing tour
I learned how to play guitar while I was working as a dishwasher in Denton Lake, NY. I was determined to learn and played even when my finger tips had blood. When I returned at the end of the summer I picked up my father’s 1945 Martin D-18, I teared up at the sound produced on that then old guitar. It had the most beautiful sound. After my father died, I was the owner of this guitar and even hitchhiked around the US playing it in the mid 1960s. When short of money I would put out my hat. When I moved to Korea in 2003, I passed it on to the next generation of our family, so it is still played daily and I am sure that it will be passed on through our family. I thank my stars that my dad back in 1945 picked a Martin guitar made in Nazareth, PA. What joy that guitar gave me in California, Fairbanks, Alaska, New York, Massachusetts and all over the western US. Never will I ever forget that day when I picked it up after dish washing all summer and strummed the guitar and my ears heard that glorious sound of an old Martin D-18!
What a wonderful story!
It must have been tough playing a guitar after washing dishes all day. Callused finger tips constantly being softened by dish water.
Great story, great comment, thanks!
Love my 2014 D35. Waited 30+ years to invest in one. Easily the dumbest mistake I made in all that time to wait. Phenomenally well made. It sounds odd to say but it strikes me every time I play it that it is a perfect machine... made of wood. It was designed to do exactly one thing and everything about the design contributes to that goal and nothing detracts from it.
Congratulations on finally seeing the light!
Been to Martin 3 times and even met Chris Martin in the lobby...they are the nicest people and their product is a American classic.
I drove two days up to Nazareth to drop off my 3 Martins for repairs, and decided to join a tour, only to receive very crappy response 'for being late'. I went back to the repair luthiers who said, "Come with us and we'll do the better tour" which showed me specific workers likely responsible for my guitars (12, 16 and 21 years old by that time). I've sold 2 of those in these subsequent decades then replaced the D-35 with an HD-35.
Great presentation as always, John, and kudos to Rameen for mentioning each employee by name! Have one Martin, now you made me crave for one more…
and one more, and just one more, etc👍
At 9.35 he cracked that lumber sheet and was so pissed with himself haha. Legend.
Dude. Rameen explained the whole thing really really well. Props to him. 👏👏👏
I have done the factory tour 6 times over the last 30+ years.....always amazing...always inspirational...even if you are not a guitarist you will enjoy seeing the craftsmanship and love Martin puts into their instruments!
I took this tour of the factory quite a few years ago. After the tour there was a room full of Martin guitars that I spent a couple hours in. I got to play my dream guitar Martin D45 of course I spent the most time on, although I picked up every single one. ALL great guitars!!
Love my Martin Custom D model. My number 1 guitar
Be careful of these new guitars they are very fragile and come apart easily. I know from experience.
Is it the Super D?
@@NgiamTeeEe nope. However I give you ma the SPECTACULAR D
There's a reason these are the best acoustic guitars on Earth. Well done Martin.
I’ve just owned a D-X2E Rosewood made by the Mexico Factory with confidence that it was made with the same Martin’s procedures and standards to maintain long lasting reputation. Watching this VDO I’m now much proud to own one of Martin guitar. Thanks for this walk-through.
Ive considered getting a 0-18...this just sold me. The amount of handwork and attention to detail is impressive.
Best sounding guitar they make, in my humble opinion - plus I own one!
I'm about to "Adopt" a new O-18...will be my second Martin and a friend for life...
John is the best. He lets people talk without interrupting them constantly 🤟
That was the best factory tour I ever saw. Fantastic!
When you realize that Captain Morgan is no longer on your rum bottle…but is giving tours at CF Martin Guitar Company. Great stuff. Great tour guide. And great content. Thanks for doing this.
This spokesman is an incredibly good communicator! Thanks for explaining all of this so well.
Just bought a new 000-28EC. So excited! Looks, plays, and sounds like a dream. Took time away from playing to take in this Martin factory tour video. Great vid... so now, back to picking on the new guitar!
Hats off, Martin is still a great guitar manufacturer.
Wow, what a great look inside the production of masterpiece guitars. Rameen did a fantastic job of explaining each process of the builds, and it shows that he so dedicated to his job (or passion). One day, I WILL own a D 28!!! Thanks for the video everyone.
It's heavily overpriced.
I've toured the Martin factory at least 5 times. Awesome experience. I love that place.
Great job. Thanks for such a detailed tour/ lesson on Martins guitar building process. . I’m fortunate to be only 45 minutes away, living in New Jersey. Visited and took my guitar for modifications. many times. You are a great asset to Martin. You are very engaged and passionate in regard to what you know and do.
I have owned several acoustics over the years. By far my Martin and Takamine guitars are the two best acoustics I have ever heard. I've had both of them almost 30 years each so they have aged well and I'll never get rid of them. Awesome tour video.
Mine Lowden and Faith 👍
That guy knows his stuff. Fascinating. Great to see where my HD-28V started its life...
Thank you for an amazing video! I'll be heading to the factory to pick up another Martin, my kid now owns the last one I had for 20+ years. Great content!!!
This was awesome 😎 thanks John & Martin
Martin’s PR is on point.
Tjis is a PHENOMENAL VIDEO! I wish Premiere Guitar would do more factory tours like this with other manufacturers!!
I read an article where the sawdust is collected and used to make a laminate for the Mexican-made Martins. I bought one and compared the playability and sound to a D16 and D35...I was very impressed. They sound and play outstanding. They sound like Martins!
I have seen other brands being repaired because the bridge is separating from the top...the bridges were glued to the clear coated top. Not on a Martin.
"sawdust is collected and used to make a laminate" - Said no one with even the slightest understanding of Wood is, or even what Laminate is.
Great Tour! I own 15 of these beauties. ❤Martin.
“I pulled into Nazareth feeling bout half past dead”
Take a load of martin's for free
That compound dovetail also makes it easier to remove the neck years from now on that eventual neck reset.
Well done Rameen. Really enjoyed the tour!
Outstanding tour. I love wood, woodworking, music and guitars. After seeing this I want to visit the factory. I may have to buy a Martin as well. I play a combo Mosrite sunburst, identical to one I saw Glen Campbell play on tv. Thanks for making this video.
Superb. Keep up the quality and tradition. Martin is a strong brand name.
That was awesome, he really knows his stuff too, very informative and the level of craftsmanship is so impressive
What a wonderful video from a wonderful company. So happy with my D-35. thx
Fantastic! A combination of two of my loves - woodworking and guitars. Around 2005 I built a replica of a D-28 by following Lynn Dudenbostel's process on his 4-part series on the DIY Network. I'm jealous of those jigs and tools, I did everything by hand the hard way. It still looks great and sounds great.
Awesome tour! Thank you! Great tour director also.
Drinking coffee in my living room on a Saturday morning, watching this video while petting my Martin like it's a cat.
Thank you very well organized, it is a privilege to work there.
Super interesting factory tour, the quality difference between a Martin acoustic and any other acoustic guitar became super clear to me....
Amazing tour! I've never seen Bollinger not talking this long, ever.
Thank you so much for my 2020 000-28 Standard. Pure art!!!
Thanks for the tour. This has to be the custom shop line. With the number of guitars Martin puts out daily, I doubt if every guitar gets this much attention to detail. Just MHO😎 I own two Martins, a 1970 D12-35 and a 2015 CS HD 35, and love them both.💖💖
I took the tour years ago. They will build you anything you want, but every guitar does get that treatment. There's really no custom line. That's why they're so expensive. In other words, there's a custom shop, but no custom line.
Amazing I just got my first Martin and I love it
⚓️ Thanks JoN PG 😎 this never gets old.
Love these tours. Just watched Mayer at MSG and some of the Martins he played were out of this world. Fabulous guitar maker and this was brilliant insight. Thanks guys!!!
This was AWESOME! :) In 1985 I was 16 and walking past a yard sale in Timmins, ON when I spotted an old ‘cardboard’ guitar case. The lady had $50 on the sticker and I had $38 (Canadian $) in my wallet that I offered to her. The nice lady said that if no one bought the old guitar by the end of the sale, that I could buy it (she was packing up in about an hour). I sat down on the curb to anxiously wait it out. The ‘week’ I waited was finally up and myself and the nice old lady exchanged my $38 for a 1957 D45. I sold it the next week to a guitar store in Ottawa, ON for $4k and about a year later they sold it for $15k. Sometimes I wish I kept it, but the two Les Pauls and Marshall stack I bought with my windfall $ were definitely worth it! :)
Fantastic guitars. Definitely worth the visit.
I'm pretty sure I've seen Canadian luthier Ted Woodford string up a Martin or 3 without glue during neck resets here on UA-cam. I believe he even pointed out the fact that it's extremely helpful that one is able to do that before glue up so you can check the neck angle when it's strung up with full tension, then make adjustments if it's necessary. Obviously not possible if you have to glue up the joint just to string the guitar up to full tension.
Fantastic tour. I still don't think anything could beat the DIck Boak tours, but this is really good, and unbeatable in 45 minutes (Dick's MF tour is in several parts adding up to about a couple of hours, as I recall). As a result, some detail is lacking here, but it is still a fantastic tour. Likewise, DIck is a legend, but Rameen does a super job and we still get a sense of the pride and care the comany and its employees take. So much is still basically handwork, albeit with template assistance. I have a J40, an HD35 and an MC68. They are all incredible guitars and I cannot believe what great value they are. Obviously, they are expensive (especially here in the UK), but honestly you cannot buy better. Different, sure. Boutique, custom or handmade, sure, but in my opinion, leaving aside all those special appointments you can only get from a single handed luthier, Martin still lead. I do not, however, believe they were right to move into the mid and lower end markets. Maybe they had to for marketing reasons, but these products are much better covered elsewhere and detract from the brand integrity.I also don't recommend their merch (t shirts, etc), which are average at best. But the standard guitars? Sell everything you can and buy one.
Can anyone tell what number cost the most and what number are cheaper. Like D45 etc.
Super Dread... oh boy, that may be just the guitar to wait for. Fantastic tour, had no idea how Martin has progressed into the modern world and applied technology to building the brand.
Been there twice! Go take the tour. You won’t be disappointed.
IMO The Rolls Royce of acoustic guitars!!!!!
No go to any Guitar maker in Spain and you will see attention to detail This is just another factory that produces Wood items at extortionate prices by people who have more money than sense!!
Great video, I love Martin guitars ❤
Very, very cool, always enjoy watching guitar 's being created, thanks.
That’s an awesome tour. Been there once loved it.
I've been to your factory it was awesome
Awesome Tour!
Beautiful product. I love to see quality being built. Nice job!
Cool video... I've only even held a guitar about four times in my life. However, I am an avid wood worker so I just thought I'd take a look... Glad I did. I told my wife I'd like to hand a couple guitars up as decor.
This must be such a cool place to work, I imagine that you would get such a sense of job satisfaction.
John, we need a demo of that new, bigger Martin model mentioned!
Epic, love my Martin. Nice work guys.
I am amazed how mutch work is really needed for a good guitar. Thanks for shearing this video.
What a facility.
Fantastic!...Martin is The Pinacle..
Wow he is good explaining!
Glad they mentioned a Super D. It is such a great guitar
I borrowed a Martin LX1. Changed out the strings for Earnie ball Earthwood silk and steel. Loved the sound, size, comfortability. I was skeptical but it’s the factory strings that I’m not a fan of. Put new Earthwood strings and it was perfect. I’ll be saving up just for that guitar. Hopefully Martin LXM if they make more. More durable for weather changes.
Been there twice now I want to go again 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤❤❤
this is a great tour even if you are just a fan of quality woodworking techniques
I still can’t believe when I went here the tour was free. I don’t know about now though.
killed it!
The three piece back of the D-35 came along when they were using even smaller pieces of the fading and not so big growing brasilian rosewood.
Educational tour... thanks for posting!
Glad you enjoyed it!
at 4:44 is that the Simple Dovetail like in my John Mayer OMJM? I'm interested in why they chose to do that on one of their high end guitars. The Dovetail is one of the those things that Martin takes a lot of pride in, but they went with the simple version on a high-end guitar.
when Joan & Tyler went to visit, they were invited to a visit of the old factory
Great video!!!!...Now if I can just hit the lottery so I can get in that custom shop and pick out some wood for a few builds.
SWEET!
We need you to go 4K guys
Super cool video
6:43 So my old 1974 D35 has some loose internal bracing which rattles and vibrates when I play. As it wasn't manufactured with a truss rod given its age it needs a neck reset. I don't imagine either are covered by Martins 'Lifetime Warranty'?
Just picked up a used DCPA1. I also own a D28 and GPCPA1.
My HD-28 I bought yesterday must’ve been built on a Friday because as it turns out, the neck isn’t even glued on all the way. So that’s neat.
Best guitars ever made.
I want to go there just to take a fresh deep breath and smell the amazing wood, some being insanely rare and expensive. World class art is made there
great video and commentator
Dang, I wish I worked there. Loved woodshop in high school, but live no where near that factory 😂