I went to Martin Guitars in Nazareth, PA on 9/30/2016 for a factory tour. Martin offers daily plant tours so I was excited to get a chance to see how their guitars are made. CF Martin started in 1833. Once you enter the lobby of Martin Guitars there are lots of
things to see while you wait for the tour to start. There is a museum on the left which
beautifully showcases the history of the company back to its start in
1833. There are guitars there that are
180+ years old! You could spend a long time in this museum as it is as high
quality as any museum you will visit. There is also a gift shop and a guitar playing area where
you can actually play several Martin’s hanging on the wall.
The tour starts with a tour guide handing out wireless
earphones so you get to hear every word during the tour. This is a great idea! They are set up for daily tours and have it
down to a science. There are display
boards everywhere in the factory showing what the workcell does and what the
equipment does. There are many cnc
machines and robotic equipment but there still is lots of work that is hand
done by craftspeople.
There are about 600 employees in this 200,000 square foot
facility. It is a marvel that this company
has survived all these years. It is a
privately owned company and the Martin family is now in its 6th
generation. For anyone who is a
woodworker or guitar player or both, this factory tour is really a special
treat. Even if you are not either, it is
still one of the best plant tours you will see.
It is really interesting how the factory and walking tour are set up to
showcase the employees and product.
There was careful thought to not make just a factory to build guitars
but to market the high quality of the Martin product right in the factory
itself. When you are walking through and
seeing the many different styles of guitars in process, you definitely want
one! It is really clever how this was
thought out and something you will not see in other factories. After the tour you receive a laser engraved sound hole cut out.
It is a bit of a ride from Philadelphia, PA but well worth
it.
More pictures from the tour are here = Martin Guitar photos.
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