One Tank Getaway: An Afternoon At Martin Guitar

One-Tank Getaway
An Afternoon At Martin Guitar
by Diane McDonough

Directions:
From Harrisburg, take I-78 East to Exit 15, Rt. 22 East to Rt. 191 North to Nazareth. In Nazareth, continue on Rt. 191 as it turns into Broad Street. Continue through the center of town and after passing St. Elmo Street look for Beil Avenue. Turn right and the factory is on the right hand side.

Places to Eat:
For a good lunch or dinner in Nazareth, check out the Newberg Inn at the intersection of 191 and Newberg Road (610-759-8528). They serve classic American cuisine, specializing in prime rib and seafood. Dinner for two costs about $30 (without alcoholic beverages) and the hot lunch bar is a buy for $6.95 — it’s all you can eat.

Places to STAY:
If you’re interested in staying overnight in Nazareth, there are a couple of good options. For B&B fans, The Classic Victorian at 35 N. New Street (610-
759-8276) offers a variety of accommodations ranging in price from $90 to $115/night, all including a full gourmet breakfast. Or, the Comfort Inn just off Route 22 on Route 191 has lower room rates, ranging from $62 - $83, depending on number of guests and type of accommodations. Plus, there’s a Perkin’s Restaurant right next door for pancakes or eggs.

With the price of a tank of gas rapidly rising into the triple digits, any road trip had better be worthwhile. If you’re a music and/or a folklore lover, a trip to Martin Guitars in the Lehigh Valley just about fills the bill.

The Martin Factory is an awesome site, once you find it. I followed the directions provided by the website and missed the turn — twice. If they had said, “Turn by the pizza shop,” there would have been no problem. At Mirajo’s Pizza, on the corner of Beil and Broad, turn right and land practically in the parking lot of Martin’s. Be prepared to turn; the parking lot is right there.

Once you’re inside, the friendly staff takes over. These people love their jobs. There is very little about the manufacture of guitars that they don’t know and they are free with information. The factory is overwhelming. Many of the tools are similar to those used by Christian Martin over a hundred and thirty years ago.

Martin Guitars has a long past in musical history. According to the company’s documents, the story of the company actually began in Austria at the turn of the nineteenth century with the birth of Christian Frederick Martin. Fleeing the guild system that ruled the manufacture of furniture and musical instruments, Martin arrived in New York and set up shop in 1833. When a business partner, Henry Schatz, moved to Pennsylvania in 1836, Martin’s wife visited and the rest is history. Moving the shop and family to Nazareth in 1838, Martin bought an eight-acre tract and prospered. The business has been in the hands of family members continuously since that time.

Several features were unique to Martin guitars at the time. The guitars featured a headstock with the tuning keys all to one side, a design discontinued by Martin and resurrected by Leo Fender, another guitar pioneer. The early Martin guitar also featured a movable neck, a cumbersome detail that allowed early musicians to adjust the playing action of the guitar. The device slipped and was discontinued when it became obvious that it interfered with the playing of the instrument.

The company is now most famous for its acoustic guitar, the Dreadnought, named (oddly enough) for battleships of World War I. With a larger body and stronger bass, the Dreadnought was designed to accompany vocalists. While not popular at its introduction in 1916, as the century progressed, the model became more popular and is now considered Martin’s “signature” guitar and favored by a variety of contemporary artists. The company also produces a signature line sponsored by artists in various musical genres, including Eric Clapton and Marty Stuart.

The tour itself, which begins promptly at 1:15 (a few stragglers missed it and looked very disappointed) is an homage to wood and the transformation of wood into a well-made instrument. Careful attention to detail marks the successful construction of each instrument. Each step is explained during the tour and questions are welcomed. The tour takes between an hour and an hour and a half, so set the afternoon aside. After the tour, visit the museum and see some of the historic guitars on display. Here you’ll find explanations of each guitar and its significance to the country and the company. There is also on display a ukulele that made the trip with Admiral Byrd to the North Pole. Don’t ignore the wall of acoustics. They are there to be played — carefully. A visit to the gift shop rounds out the trip as tee shirts and guitar paraphernalia are available.

Be forewarned: along the way, temptation beckoned from every side — three restaurants on Route 22 alone promising Dutch cooking! Driving up Route 78 towards Allentown, I made a personal vow to repeat this journey. Not only was I passing up dozens of restaurants promising great home cooking — the kind that only exists in Pennsylvania — I was also passing miles of history and intrigue. Signs floated by offering Crystal Caves, Dutch and Greek cooking, antiques, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Hawk Mountain, shopping, hex signs, and Roadside America.

CF Martin Guitars, 510 Sycamore St., Nazareth PA 18064 (800) 633-2060, www.mguitar.com