C.F. Martin & Co. #2,500,000

[edwardofhuncote]

You guys know how I am about numbers... but even I have a hard time swallowing 2.5 million of them. I can't believe they've made 2 million guitars since my lowly D-16 in 1992. (it was #518842) I've had quite a few more to commit to memory too, over the years.


Anyway, good for them, 190 years in. Cool story here if you watch through, especially the sourcing of the wood. (spoiler - birdseye rosewood) Quite a bit of artistry here, and a guitar that will never be sold.

[hammer]

Very interesting. I’m not sure that a blue diamond studded top would be my selection but the sourcing of the wood and the manner in which they incorporated Martin history into the guitar was amazing. The story about the cutting of the rosewood reminds me a lot of what the father of my son’s significant other has indicated he goes through in order to source kauri from New Zealand.

[cozmik_cowboy]

Very interesting. I’m not sure that a blue diamond studded top would be my selection but the sourcing of the wood and the manner in which they incorporated Martin history into the guitar was amazing. The story about the cutting of the rosewood reminds me a lot of what the father of my son’s significant other has indicated he goes through in order to source kauri from New Zealand.

Haven't had a chance to check the vid yet - but looking into kauri after discovering Laurie Williams's website ( https://www.guitars.co.nz/ ), it seems that NZ law says that kauri - or maybe it's just ancient kauri (10Ks years in bogs) - can't leave the country as raw wood; has to be a finished product.

Peter

[edwardofhuncote]

The video is a few minutes long. I watched the whole thing because I'm a huge fan of C.F. Martin & Co. from wayback. And I agree with Brian, if it was me planning a museum piece I probably would have gone another direction, but I totally agree the wood part was very cool. I also thought the astronomy connection was pretty interesting... going to to the trouble of figuring out exactly how the the stars were aligned on the night C.F. Martin Sr. landed in America, then rendering it in 23 carats of diamonds on a blue field... a ruby star on a map where his shop was - that's wild. I'm imagining the 2.5 millionth Alembic with a 60 Brady Street reference somehow.


Me? I'd have payed more direct homage to mark the occasion. In the form of an exact replica of a Viennese Stauffer model, that made us remember the first 1833 builds there in his New York shop. Maybe bring the bracing forward to incorporate his revolutionary X-braced top of the later 1850's. And then decorate it to the max.


But then, I ain't been running a guitar company for nigh on 200 years either.

[KR]

Greg, thanks for sharing this. Awesome!

[lbpesq]

I remember the 1,000,000th Martin with some incredible inlay work by Larry Robinson.  That was in 2004. 

1833 - 2004 = 1,000,000 guitars built in 171 years
2005 - 2022 = 1,500,000 guitars built in 17 years

The mind boggles!

Bill, tgo

[cozmik_cowboy]

Bird's-eye rosewood?!?
Well, shiver me timbers, that's cool!

Peter (who will not be buying 2,500,001..........)

[hammer]

Peter


I guess it all depends on your definition of “finished.” See the website for ancientwood.com


Hammer

[the_home]

Gregory,

Thanks for sharig the link. The master craftsmen at the Martin shop seem to be an apt reflection of the artists building Alembics. That got me to wondering how many of the club members might also Martin owners. As you shared, I've owed a few. Gifted one to a son upon his college graduation, sold a couple and have kept two, including an oddity original MTV-1 (bass side rim and back is rosewood, treble rim and back is mahogany... for 'tonal balance').

Tim

[StephenR]

I imagine there are a number of Martin owners among club members. I have two, a 1962 Brazilian Rosewood D21 and a 1994 Indian Rosewood D41. The D21 was my first acoustic guitar, I bought it used at Stuyvesant Music on 48th St in Manhattan in August of 1970 prior to going to college in Switzerland. It has been around Europe and all over the states on a couple of extended road trips. I had forgotten that it is now 60 years old. Like most older Martins it needs a neck reset but sounds amazing, very different tonally than my D41.

The commemorative Martin is really nice and the video backstory interesting. Someone made a diamond encrusted Gibson SG body Les Paul a few years ago and IMO it was truly hideous looking. This Martin is very classy and tasteful.

[edwardofhuncote]

I remember those half-rosewood / half-mahogany MTV Unplugged guitars. Man, you never see them anymore! Here's one on the market: https://reverb.com/item/53777887-martin-mtv-1-unplugged-limited-edition-flat-top-1996


Yeah, I bet there's a few of us with Martin guitars too. I have quite a few, and moved a few more on over the years. I keep a handful loaned out to players too, but currently my main players are a Custom Shop 00-18 built on pre-1932 specs, an OM-18 Golden Era built on 1930 specs, and a D-18 VS (Vintage Series) also a Style 18 throwback build. I don't carry it around as much, but I learned on a 1950 D-18, and still have it.


To be fair though, I love any well-made guitar, so there are also Gibsons, and a few other odd ones in my collection. Even a George Washburn, from the Lyon & Healy factory in Chicago.

[edwardofhuncote]

I remember the 1,000,000th Martin with some incredible inlay work by Larry Robinson.  That was in 2004. 

1833 - 2004 = 1,000,000 guitars built in 171 years
2005 - 2022 = 1,500,000 guitars built in 17 years

The mind boggles!

Bill, tgo

I remember those Larry Robinson pieces too, Bill, but wow, that seems like a long time ago! Agree on the mind-boggling production hike. You might find this UMGF thread interesting: https://umgf.com/martin-production-totals-and-serial-numbers-1990-2-t219692.html#p2681033


2021 set a new record.