Martin Museum
It’s Guitar Heaven. C.F. Martin & Co.—the oldest surviving maker of guitars—has opened its new Martin Guitar Museum and Visitor Center in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
Martin’s old museum and visitor center, the starting point for one of the most popular “factory tours” in the US has been completely rebuilt to offer guests the chance to experience Martin’s history and play some of the company’s best known and top-selling guitars.
In the new museum, the collection of Martin guitars that spans nearly two centuries of handcrafted musical instruments now has appropriate space and display. Covering more than 170 years of history, the museum display has grown tenfold and now occupies nearly 3,600 square feet.
Among the featured guitars are those created to mark milestones, such as guitar number 500,000 and the beautifully crafted and adorned one millionth guitar. In addition two separate “workbench” display areas showcase the late 19th and mid 20th century crafting of the Martin guitar. A segregated 200 square foot area shows off items from current President and CEO Chris Martin’s personal guitar and art collection.
One of the architectural hallmarks of the construction project is a 21-times actual scale Dreadnought guitar that is designed in the tile floor.
The lobby has been designed for performances. For the first time, Martin will have a stage that can be located in one of two designated areas between the reception desk and monument stairs.
Guests are invited to visit the Pickin’ Parlor, where they can get to try out some of Martin’s Limited Edition models. There’s also the 1833 Shop, named to commemorate the year the company got its start, which is the place to pick up a souvenir or collectable.
The Martin Museum and Visitor’s Center is located on the company’s main premises at 510 Sycamore Street, Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, every day except national holidays. To learn more, call 610-759-2837, or visit the website www.martinguitar.com.
