Post by CTGull on Apr 13, 2017 20:06:55 GMT -5
Have a seat, this is going to take a while.
Yesterday we went back to the Martin factory and did our 3rd Behind the Scenes tour. I’ve probably mentioned it elsewhere, highly recommended, blah blah blah. Just go, you’ll thank me.
I had mentioned to the tour coordinator that we had done this twice before and who had done them. She confirmed we would have the same tour guide as last time. His only job is the Behind the Scenes tour. She said the only do ONE tour per day (which starts at 9:30am, an hour and a half before the first regular tour). If they need to do another one they pull someone off of the shop floor. Well, not literally. So I was a little disappointed.
It’s a 3 hour 30 minute ride for us (including a stop for breakfast), so I wanted to be out of the house by 5am so I’d have time to hit the Pickin’ Parlor (where all the good guitars are hanging to play!) and talk to Dick Boak (look him up) for a few minutes. Of course it took my wife 30 minutes to get ready. I not only got ready, I also shaved in 15 minutes. So we left 15 minutes late. And on top of that I forgot to find the address of the McDonald’s we normally stop at for breakfast about 2 hours into the ride. So I drove by the exit. It took 15 minutes to get to the next one and turn around. Now we’re running a half hour late. We finally got there with 15 minutes to spare. Time to hit the Pickin’ Parlor. No talking to Dick.
We met our tour guide Ben in the lobby. We knew he was our tour guide because we remembered him from the last time. There were 2 other couples in the group. As we walked around I almost felt like I could have done the tour myself. I remembered most of the stuff. He did talk about a few things he missed last time and he missed a couple of things he talked about last time. They had a couple of new machines and moved a couple of things around. And the smell!!! All the woods and lacquer!! They should make a scented candle or spray from the stuff!!
After the tour I went to the front desk and asked to talk to Dick Boak. If you haven’t looked him up yet, he’s the company historian, and he’s done many other jobs in the 45 years he’s worked there, and he’s retiring in January 2018. Come on!! Look him up!!! www.dickboak.com/dickboak_website/Bio.html He came down about 5 minutes later. I really had no plan on what to talk about, and hoped I wouldn’t be start struck. The guy’s a living Martin legend! He talked about his current project. He is researching to identify all the signatures on the ukulele that Admiral Byrd took to the North Pole in 1920’s. www.google.com/#q=admiral+byrd+ukulele I asked if they had a replacement for him. He said a few people would take over some of the things he did. He’s hoping Chris Martin will call him back to do projects here and there. I should have had him sign something but I forgot. My wife didn’t take a picture. But, he’s a great guy and I enjoyed the few minutes we talked. He went back upstairs to continue researching with a guy who is visiting.
I wanted to get to the old factory, a mile or so away, which houses the Guitar Makers Connection. They sell parts, kits, tools and stuff. Last time they had a ton of Martin headstock cutoffs. When they scrapped necks they’d send the headstock to them and chip the rest. I had taken a bag of them last time and used a couple to make a replacement adjustable bridge for a 1953 Harmony Monterey. I brought pictures to show them the steps, the fixtures I made and the finished bridge on the guitar. Buuuutttt…. They were out to lunch. So we went to lunch. To the same local hot dog joint we went to last time. Good stuff. Then we went back to the old factory. The woman got back just as we got there. So I told them my story, showed them the pictures and found they hadn’t gotten any headstock cut offs in a while. They had 4 so my wife took 1. Bummer. My wife wanted to buy me some Titebond, tools, etc. I told her I had all that stuff. Then she insisted she needed this plain Allen wrench in a plastic pocket, identical to one I threw out last week (I just pulled it out of the garbage to give to her!)!!! And we found a Martin history book at half price because the binding was slightly damaged.
Then we went back to the factory to see the museum again. As we’re walking up to the building Dick Boak was right behind us with his guest. I asked if my wife could take a picture of me with him. I have no idea how it turned out (it’s on my wife’s phone) probably goofy. I knew there had to be some new stuff in the museum, and there was. I won’t get into that because I don’t remember and this is long enough already. After the museum (again, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!) I checked the Pickin’ Parlor. Again empty!!! Let’s hit some of those fine guitars one more time!!! I can’t play much but I sure enjoyed my time in there!!!
It was only about 1:30pm so I figured we’d go to Nazareth Music Center. In the two times we’d been out there before we’d never been there. That’s were things got interesting. We drove right by it the first time and had to circle around. I finally parked in front, looked at the building, and almost drove away. It wasn’t much to look at on the outside, just a small store front. My wife said she’d wait in the car. Another bad omen. But I got out and put a quarter in the parking meter for an hour. I didn’t think I’d be in there for long. When I got inside it looked even smaller, a very small lobby and a small room to the right and a small hallway going back. It’s owned by a couple in their 60’s. The husband greeted me. His father started it in 1960. I mentioned we had done the Behind the Scenes tour 3 times and hadn’t been to his store. I kind of felt embarrassed to be wasting his time.
So he led me way back into the store to the Martin room. Most of the guitars are kept in their cases, for safety and to keep a constant temp & humidity. The room is humidified but they’re safer from people’s hands if they’re in the case. Actually he doesn’t want people taking them out, he does that. And you have to wear an apron, to prevent buckle or key marks. A minor inconvenience!! There were a few guitars hanging on the walls but they looked to be ones with HPL back & sides. One of the ones on a stand was a HD-35S. SWEET!!! I really liked that one, but it was a bit boomy for fingerstyle. Then my wife came in. First mistake. Then he handed her his price sheet. BIG MISTAKE!! She started asking about various models. She’s knows nothing about Martin guitars. He answered every question. I tried a few of the ones she suggested. I asked for the 00028EC. YUM!! But a little pricey.
The young girl working there came back asking if we were driving the silver car out front, the parking meter had expired. The owner of the store explained that some of the neighboring stores complained if they saw someone who worked at a store putting change in the meter for their customers. But he told her to do it anyway.
Then my wife asked more questions. She insisted on buying me a guitar. I resisted. She insisted. I reluctantly gave in. We have lots of bills, we don’t need another. He got out an OM-21, slightly smaller & thinner body, solid Indian Rosewood back & sides, Sitka Spruce top, ebony fingerboard & bridge, 1-3/4” wide nut, no bling. A good one for fingerstyle. Nice rosewood overtones, maybe not as much as a HD35 or 00028EC, but quite a bit less money. So we drove off with it. My fingers were a little sore from all the guitars I’d tested all day.
Am I happy? Maybe. Am I nervous? Definitely!! It’s another bill. Maybe it’s sticker shock. And I don’t know for sure if I’ll like it in the end. Is it 40X better than a $50 rescued Yamaha that I’ve fixed up? Questionable. Those old guitars are pretty good. They might be a little muddier in the low end but they have lots of clarity and overtones for what they are. Old fairly cheap guitars, in comparison the Martins of that day. And I don't have to worry about dinging them. I guess we’ll see how it goes. I haven’t had much time to play it.
In the Pickin' Parlor.
The guitars in the Pickin' Parlor.
The wife in the museum.
The 2 millionth guitar.
I caught 2 of the few copies of the 2 millionth guitar. They've only sold a handful, so it's rare to see one in production. They quickly rushed it away.
At Nazareth Music Center with the stylish blue apron.
Yesterday we went back to the Martin factory and did our 3rd Behind the Scenes tour. I’ve probably mentioned it elsewhere, highly recommended, blah blah blah. Just go, you’ll thank me.
I had mentioned to the tour coordinator that we had done this twice before and who had done them. She confirmed we would have the same tour guide as last time. His only job is the Behind the Scenes tour. She said the only do ONE tour per day (which starts at 9:30am, an hour and a half before the first regular tour). If they need to do another one they pull someone off of the shop floor. Well, not literally. So I was a little disappointed.
It’s a 3 hour 30 minute ride for us (including a stop for breakfast), so I wanted to be out of the house by 5am so I’d have time to hit the Pickin’ Parlor (where all the good guitars are hanging to play!) and talk to Dick Boak (look him up) for a few minutes. Of course it took my wife 30 minutes to get ready. I not only got ready, I also shaved in 15 minutes. So we left 15 minutes late. And on top of that I forgot to find the address of the McDonald’s we normally stop at for breakfast about 2 hours into the ride. So I drove by the exit. It took 15 minutes to get to the next one and turn around. Now we’re running a half hour late. We finally got there with 15 minutes to spare. Time to hit the Pickin’ Parlor. No talking to Dick.
We met our tour guide Ben in the lobby. We knew he was our tour guide because we remembered him from the last time. There were 2 other couples in the group. As we walked around I almost felt like I could have done the tour myself. I remembered most of the stuff. He did talk about a few things he missed last time and he missed a couple of things he talked about last time. They had a couple of new machines and moved a couple of things around. And the smell!!! All the woods and lacquer!! They should make a scented candle or spray from the stuff!!
After the tour I went to the front desk and asked to talk to Dick Boak. If you haven’t looked him up yet, he’s the company historian, and he’s done many other jobs in the 45 years he’s worked there, and he’s retiring in January 2018. Come on!! Look him up!!! www.dickboak.com/dickboak_website/Bio.html He came down about 5 minutes later. I really had no plan on what to talk about, and hoped I wouldn’t be start struck. The guy’s a living Martin legend! He talked about his current project. He is researching to identify all the signatures on the ukulele that Admiral Byrd took to the North Pole in 1920’s. www.google.com/#q=admiral+byrd+ukulele I asked if they had a replacement for him. He said a few people would take over some of the things he did. He’s hoping Chris Martin will call him back to do projects here and there. I should have had him sign something but I forgot. My wife didn’t take a picture. But, he’s a great guy and I enjoyed the few minutes we talked. He went back upstairs to continue researching with a guy who is visiting.
I wanted to get to the old factory, a mile or so away, which houses the Guitar Makers Connection. They sell parts, kits, tools and stuff. Last time they had a ton of Martin headstock cutoffs. When they scrapped necks they’d send the headstock to them and chip the rest. I had taken a bag of them last time and used a couple to make a replacement adjustable bridge for a 1953 Harmony Monterey. I brought pictures to show them the steps, the fixtures I made and the finished bridge on the guitar. Buuuutttt…. They were out to lunch. So we went to lunch. To the same local hot dog joint we went to last time. Good stuff. Then we went back to the old factory. The woman got back just as we got there. So I told them my story, showed them the pictures and found they hadn’t gotten any headstock cut offs in a while. They had 4 so my wife took 1. Bummer. My wife wanted to buy me some Titebond, tools, etc. I told her I had all that stuff. Then she insisted she needed this plain Allen wrench in a plastic pocket, identical to one I threw out last week (I just pulled it out of the garbage to give to her!)!!! And we found a Martin history book at half price because the binding was slightly damaged.
Then we went back to the factory to see the museum again. As we’re walking up to the building Dick Boak was right behind us with his guest. I asked if my wife could take a picture of me with him. I have no idea how it turned out (it’s on my wife’s phone) probably goofy. I knew there had to be some new stuff in the museum, and there was. I won’t get into that because I don’t remember and this is long enough already. After the museum (again, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!) I checked the Pickin’ Parlor. Again empty!!! Let’s hit some of those fine guitars one more time!!! I can’t play much but I sure enjoyed my time in there!!!
It was only about 1:30pm so I figured we’d go to Nazareth Music Center. In the two times we’d been out there before we’d never been there. That’s were things got interesting. We drove right by it the first time and had to circle around. I finally parked in front, looked at the building, and almost drove away. It wasn’t much to look at on the outside, just a small store front. My wife said she’d wait in the car. Another bad omen. But I got out and put a quarter in the parking meter for an hour. I didn’t think I’d be in there for long. When I got inside it looked even smaller, a very small lobby and a small room to the right and a small hallway going back. It’s owned by a couple in their 60’s. The husband greeted me. His father started it in 1960. I mentioned we had done the Behind the Scenes tour 3 times and hadn’t been to his store. I kind of felt embarrassed to be wasting his time.
So he led me way back into the store to the Martin room. Most of the guitars are kept in their cases, for safety and to keep a constant temp & humidity. The room is humidified but they’re safer from people’s hands if they’re in the case. Actually he doesn’t want people taking them out, he does that. And you have to wear an apron, to prevent buckle or key marks. A minor inconvenience!! There were a few guitars hanging on the walls but they looked to be ones with HPL back & sides. One of the ones on a stand was a HD-35S. SWEET!!! I really liked that one, but it was a bit boomy for fingerstyle. Then my wife came in. First mistake. Then he handed her his price sheet. BIG MISTAKE!! She started asking about various models. She’s knows nothing about Martin guitars. He answered every question. I tried a few of the ones she suggested. I asked for the 00028EC. YUM!! But a little pricey.
The young girl working there came back asking if we were driving the silver car out front, the parking meter had expired. The owner of the store explained that some of the neighboring stores complained if they saw someone who worked at a store putting change in the meter for their customers. But he told her to do it anyway.
Then my wife asked more questions. She insisted on buying me a guitar. I resisted. She insisted. I reluctantly gave in. We have lots of bills, we don’t need another. He got out an OM-21, slightly smaller & thinner body, solid Indian Rosewood back & sides, Sitka Spruce top, ebony fingerboard & bridge, 1-3/4” wide nut, no bling. A good one for fingerstyle. Nice rosewood overtones, maybe not as much as a HD35 or 00028EC, but quite a bit less money. So we drove off with it. My fingers were a little sore from all the guitars I’d tested all day.
Am I happy? Maybe. Am I nervous? Definitely!! It’s another bill. Maybe it’s sticker shock. And I don’t know for sure if I’ll like it in the end. Is it 40X better than a $50 rescued Yamaha that I’ve fixed up? Questionable. Those old guitars are pretty good. They might be a little muddier in the low end but they have lots of clarity and overtones for what they are. Old fairly cheap guitars, in comparison the Martins of that day. And I don't have to worry about dinging them. I guess we’ll see how it goes. I haven’t had much time to play it.
In the Pickin' Parlor.
The guitars in the Pickin' Parlor.
The wife in the museum.
The 2 millionth guitar.
I caught 2 of the few copies of the 2 millionth guitar. They've only sold a handful, so it's rare to see one in production. They quickly rushed it away.
At Nazareth Music Center with the stylish blue apron.
Glad you had fun. Sounds like it was a great time!
