There are certain events in our lives that stand out as truly special. I am not talking about the most important moments, like the birth of a child, meeting your life partner for the first time, or some other milestone event. I am referring to those unexpected moments that we just never forget. Perhaps it was a chance meeting of a childhood hero, a truly surprising gift, catching a foul ball at the ballpark, or some quiet, intimate moment with a friend or family member where you just felt a completely unexpected vibe. These experiences stay with us and sometimes they take on a life of their own. Surprise and delight are incredible feelings and they are something I love to create and share with others.
Almost four years ago I took a two-day road trip to Nazareth, PA. I was working on an exhibition featuring the artist T.C. Cannon, who was a painter, poet, and musician. Amazingly the show featured the artist’s vintage 1939 Martin 000-18 guitar and I wanted to visit the Martin Museum to get some creative ideas on how to display and celebrate this magnificent instrument.
C.F. Martin & Company is the oldest guitar company in the United States and they represent the gold standard for the instrument. You could say that a Pre-World War II Martin is the Stradivarius of the guitar world. I was incredibly fortunate that my colleague, Dave Seibert helped design some of the displays at The Martin Museum and he connected me to their legendary archivist and head of artist relations Dick Boak.
As a side note, I had a mid-life crisis moment a few years prior to this visit. I bought myself an entry level guitar and taught myself to play. Owning a Martin was not on my radar, I had only been playing for a few years and I honestly didn’t feel like I earned the right to own one at that point. However, Dick let me know about their factory delivery program that included a tour of the factory and the museum and then your very own Martin guitar. I knew this would likely be my only opportunity to take advantage of this unique experience and as I wavered back and forth over the decision, I was reminded of my late mother-in-law’s sage wisdom that her grandmother shared with her. She often reminded me, “Nonni used to say, if you are going to go to the dance be sure to dance all the dances.” In this case, if you are going to play a guitar and you are lucky enough to be in the position to afford one of the best, then buy it!
So, I pulled into Nazareth…yes, a gratuitous reference to The Band’s song The Weight…beaming with excitement in anticipation of the day ahead. Little did I know that Dick had a few surprises in store for me.
As I checked in, I saw my name up on the welcome screen and thought well that is a pretty cool touch.
I arrived early, so the woman working the information desk called up to Dick’s office and he suggested that I wander the museum galleries until he could make it down to greet me. As a museum guy, it was pretty cool to have the place to myself for a few minutes. When Dick arrived, my newbie guitar nerd persona kicked in and I was surprisingly a little star struck to finally meet him. I mean this was the guy who landed his first job at Martin when he got caught dumpster diving for scrap wood behind the factory and 40 years later was the company archivist. His real claim to fame was starting the Artist Relations Department at Martin, where he worked with famous musicians to design signature guitar models. He collaborated with Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, Sting, Eric Clapton, and Crosby, Stills and Nash! My six degrees of separation to some absolute music legends dropped to two upon meeting him!
We said hello, shook hands, and I thanked him profusely for taking the time to show me around. I remember asking him a question about the arrangement of the galleries and before I knew it he whipped out a set of keys, opened one of the display cases, and he excitedly stated “let me show you a few guitars.” He said, “let’s start from the beginning, this is the oldest Martin in existence.” It was made in 1834 (the company was founded in 1833) by Christian Frederick Martin. He delicately removed it from the display and handed it to me…needless to say, I froze.
I could not believe I was holding a 184-year-old guitar and of course my only thought was, “don’t drop it, don’t effing drop it!” He gave me a look and said “well, are you going to play it?” I just stared at him incredulously and he then said something like “these are living, breathing instruments, they are meant to be played to be fully experienced, they need to be played.” I remember softly strumming a few chords and then I did a kind of finger picked arpeggio of D minor, A minor, E minor and C, because I had been playing around with those chords for a song I was working on. Somehow I was conscious enough to ask him to take a picture of me playing this work of art. He took a few shots and as you can see from the smile on my face, it was a moment of pure joy…although in this case, mixed with a touch of sheer terror. I literally felt my entire body beginning to perspire and I handed it back to him and he gave me a huge smile.
I wish I could remember more about the rest of the museum tour, but after that first experience it was all a bit of a blur. Dick handed me a few more priceless guitars over the next 30 minutes. He spoke so eloquently and passionately about the collection and told wonderful stories about his encounters with some of the most famous musicians of the 20th century. Perhaps the most fascinating instrument he handed me was the “Konter” ukulele. This ukulele was owned by one of Admiral Richard Byrd’s crew members. It was signed by everyone in the 1926 expedition to the North Pole, including Byrd, but the owner continued to add famous autographs to the ukulele. Remarkably, it was signed by Charles Lindbergh, Thomas Edison, President Calvin Coolidge and a slew of other celebrities. At this point my head was spinning.
When we stepped out of the museum and back into the lobby, I saw a guitar case sitting on a presentation table. Dick turned to me and said something like, “well, go ahead and open it up.” I don’t know if I was still shaking from holding the oldest Martin or just plain nervous to own my own, but I slowly removed it from the case and again repeated to myself “just don’t drop it.” The guitar looked absolutely gorgeous and you could smell the Sitka spruce, East Indian rosewood, and ebony. I was so excited!
Dick encouraged me to play something for the folks that were gathering for the tour. I sat down and softly strummed a few chords, but I had never played in front of a group before. I asked him if he would do the honor of playing it and he pulled out a pick from his pocket, as one does when you work at a guitar factory, and made it sing.
The factory tour was about to start, so the staff put the guitar away for safe keeping and off I went. Dick said he would catch up to me after the tour. It turns out that he had one more surprise for me, but we will get to that later. The tour was incredible. Even if you do not play guitar, if you are ever within an hour of Nazareth, PA, I strongly encourage you to take the tour. It was a real multisensory experience, you could smell the wood, hear the machines, watch the luthiers’ hands shape the instruments, and even touch some of the materials.
Dick caught up with me in the gift shop and I thought it was time to just say goodbye. Instead, he took me into the archive and showed me some of the original ledger books of company founder Christian Frederick Martin. It was unreal and the museum and history nerd in me really kicked in again. As I held one of the original ledgers, written in Martin’s hand, I felt so connected to those first few years of the budding company, since reading primary sources like this can bring you so close to history. I felt like my entire day had come full circle. He opened the book to October 13, 1836, almost 181 years to the day and there was a transaction for two guitars with cases for $40.00. This was the icing on the cake for what was in some ways a completely surreal experience.
As many stories end…it was getting late and I had a long drive home ahead of me. I thanked Dick and the staff again and I gingerly, but proudly, walked out the door with my own piece of history. This incredible day had come to a close, but I knew I had just experienced something that I would re-live over and over again. I play my Martin D-28 almost every night and just opening the case brings me back to that special day.
John Prine was a Martin player and my songwriting hero.
Here is my cover of his song Lonesome Friends of Science.
The smell of the wood, the shine of the finish and the beautiful grain patterns, the weight of it in my hands, and of course the sound of that first chord strummed transport me to that time and place. It is remarkable how these senses are so deeply connected to my memory of that experience.
I know I am so lucky and privileged to have had special access during my Martin experience and to own this beautiful instrument. I am also lucky to have the great fortune of co-founding a company that creates emotive and memorable experiences for other people. Do you have a life moment like this that you cherish and reflect back on? Do you have a wish, desire, or a crazy idea for an experience for yourself, a loved one, your company, or your community? The Experience Alchemists would love to help you realize that dream! Drop us a line at hello@theexperiencealchemists.com and let’s conjure up some magic together.
