by We were blown away by the Martin Guitar Factory Tour in Nazareth, PA. Neither of us had any idea about how a “handmade” guitar was constructed, so we were fascinated by the guided tour that took us through every stage of production in the entire factory.
Martin Guitars are premium instruments, famous for their quality of sound. C.F. Martin & Company began in 1833 in New York City, moving to Nazareth, PA just a few years later. Legends such as Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Neil Young, and John Mayer have favored Martin Guitars over the years. Have a guitar dream? Martin can build it (if you’ve got $20k or so).
In addition to the tour, there is a decent-sized Museum that features over one hundred guitars, ukuleles, mandolins, building tools, and memorabilia from Martin’s history as well as the history of guitars in general.
Even the “cheap” guitars produced primarily by hand in this facility start at $1,500, and even that seems like a bargain given Martin’s attention to detail and high quality standards.
The last stop in the factory for a guitar is a final inspection, including being played to test for sound; sounds like a fun job!
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