Martin Guitar's factory tour is interesting, entertaining, and it smells good in there! This is a free tour; just show up and you can usually get on the next tour. The tour guides talk about the history of the company, the product's evolution, the musicians who have used Martin Guitars, etc. You can see the people making guitars and the tour guide does talk to some of them. The museum is fantastic too.
One of Nazareth, Pennsylvania's tucked away secrets! What a fascinating and informative experience on learning how the infamous Martin Guitar is made. From tree to tune, this is a must see for anyone who likes or loves music! Loved hearing about the history of the company and the evolution of the guitar. Be sure to take the time to check out the on premise museum as well! A must see!!!
First time. This place is real neat. They have a museum with all the guitars they made through our the years. In the lobby their is several guitars that you can actually play. The factory tour is wonderful. Lot of craftsmenship goes into making a Martin. It's worth the drive, the tour is free.
I love factory tours, and this is one of the best I have ever seen! For about 75 minutes our guide walked us through the production line from raw materials to finished products. He was very knowledgeable, humorous, and articulate about what the employees were doing each step of the way. Some steps are technical, some artistic, some computer driven and some hand-crafted. The result is a jewel-perfect work of art that also creates music. Martin’s employees appear to be proud of their work and many work there for an entire career. In these days of outsourcing to foreign countries it was great to see that US manufacturing is alive and well.
Visited the famousMartin Guitar Complex with my childhood friend. We both enjoy music and thought it would be nice. We were not disappointed! . The tour was free, the tour guides were very knowledgeable and friendly. Was wonderful to tour the factory and see how each piece is carefully assembled and lovingly put together to make magnificent musical instrument that will be used to entertain for many years. There is a museum and gift shop as well. Many school groups tour here, just be aware, might want to call first to make sure of tour times. Wonderful experience, will do it again.
I found out about this by accident while reading a TripAdvisor review for another attraction - the reviewer mentioned this place. My son is a guitarist so I knew we had to check it out. We were in the area for a college tour and arrived at Martin at about 2:10. The last tour was supposed to be at 2:30 and was already full. They ran one last tour to fit us and some others in. Some workers had gone home for the day but a good amount of activity was still going on.You walk right through the factory, not behind windows or look down from above. We were just a couple feet away from hundreds of guitars in various states of manufacture. We got to see every stage of production. I learned a lot and have a much higher appreciation of the craftsmanship that goes into the production.They provide headsets so you can hear everything the tour guide provides, no matter if you are next to him or 10 feet away or in a loud area or quiet area. I wish every place I toured had them!We each got a souvenir to take home - a center cutout from the face of a guitar embossed with the Martin logo. A nice little take home. Don't miss the museum - some great historical guitars and some great celebrity ones as well.
I drove from Pittsburgh to Nazareth and it took most of the day. I stayed in New Bethlehem since it had hotels. The factory tour was a blast! I learned so much about the building of a guitar. The museum was first class too! Check this off my Bucket List.
Wonderful tour of the factory floor where you can see how hand built guitars are made.If you're a picker, there's a wall with different model Martin Guitars you can try out and play.And the museum has wonderful displays on the history of the Martin Guitar Company and various artists who have owned their products. I've been a fan of Johnny Cash since I was a child and really enjoyed the tribute they had to Johnny and his music.
I have owned a Martin Guitar for 40+ years and have always wanted to visit. The factory and visitors center is very well done. There is a guitar museum loaded with historical Martin Guitars. There is a store where you can buy Martin gear and an area to play one of several guitars. There is also a factory tour where one of the employees takes you on a 1 hr tour through the entire factory. You actually walk through the factory seeing the many different steps in producing a quality guitar. The workers are very skilled and appear to really enjoy working there.It was one of the best times and lived up to my expectations.Did I mention the museum and tour are free.
Okay, I've owned a couple of Martin guitars so naturally I thought the factory tour was terrific, but my wife and daughter (not pickers) also enjoyed it. The tour is very thorough - you get to see all aspects of guitar construction - but not excessively long. The guides are regular Martin production employees who build the instruments so you get the inside view. Because they aren't PR staff, I'm sure they vary in ability but that's part of the charm, I think. At the end of the tour is a showroom, of course, where you can play a variety of really fine guitars, and a museum of interesting instruments from the past. Well worth the trip - and I got the t-shirt.