Martin Acoustic Electric Guitars

In the 1970s, Martin bought a few companies. These included the Darco String Company (owner of the family was D'Addario), the Vega Banjo Works, the Swedish company and a Dutch Levin guitar factory. Out of all these companies, only Darco is still part of Martin today. In particular, the investment in European guitar manufacturer proved a failure.

After Martin in the seventies just produced the models D-28 "and " D-18 ", the company gradually expanded its product line. They carried on an examination that were successful in the thirties and has to this day a legendary reputation. Today you can get from Martin & Co a variety of designs and different models that were made in the long history of the company, for example, guitars of the size "000" with the neck at the twelfth fret and wider fretboard, as they were already made by the turn of the century.

A new challenge proved to be cheaply produced steel string guitars from Japan and other emerging Asian countries. Martin tried to counter the fact that even now there was a tendency to let Guitars specifications prepared by the parent company in Japan. These instruments, which are still occasionally found in the trade were known under the brand name "Sigma Guitars". Another approach was to be prefabricated guitar parts in Japan. They were delivered to Nazareth (Pennsylvania) and finished by Martin & Co. These instruments are known as "Shenandoah-Martins". But it turned out soon that the price advantage that had been expected by the partial production in Japan was largely absorbed by transport costs again. Finally, they went on from the mid-eighties to the parent company itself to do a design a line of cheap instruments and bring them to market. The resulting instruments "the Road "and the" X "series proved to be a resounding success because it offered the potential affordable instruments with all the necessary qualities of a good musical instrument: Good workmanship, beautiful sound and good playability.

Meanwhile, Martin has started to produce some of the instruments of the least expensive line, the "X" series, in a subsidiary in Mexico.

Besides a number of high-quality series Martin produced, the "Little Martin" for the small budget. The offer is complemented by numerous Signature Series, and custom shop guitars.

In 2004 the one million mark was broken. Martin is still run as a family business and is currently led by Christian Frederick Martin IV As the company now is in continuous family ownership since the beginning of its existence in 1833 and the vast number of artists from popular music, among many music-loving individuals his instruments are played and it is not to be doubted that the company CF can call Martin & Co as part of the cultural history of America.