In the world of hand-crafted acoustic guitars, there are lots of greats – Takamine, Gibson, Ovation and Taylor come to mind – but for many of us there’s only one best, and that’s Martin. For nearly 200 years C. F. Martin guitars have set the standard for bright, rich sound, for ultimate playability and for continuing to age into a more and more beautiful tone. After years of playing Ovation guitars on-stage, I finally acquired my first Martin about 20 years ago, and have always been fascinated at how the guitar seems to teach me almost every time I pick it up; chords, progressions and permutations of chords I had never thought of apparently just emerge from the instrument, with me going “Wow! Where did THAT come from??!!” the whole time.
And now the Martin Guitar Foundation has recognized Owensboro’s Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum with not only a cash donation but also 4 Martin guitars! And guess what? Those instruments won’t be behind glass in display cases. They are instead to be placed in the Museum’s Pickin’ Parlor where folks from all over the world will be able to experience what it feels like to pick up and play a real Martin. Those visitors will join a virtual Who’s Who of virtuosos from Bob Wills to Joni Mitchell to Elvis, Neil Young, John Mayer, Jimmy Page, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and — of course — Willie Nelson, along with so, so many others who have always valued the brilliance of a Martin guitar.
Congrats to the Bluegrass folks downtown and big thanks to everybody at Martin for setting the bar not only for quality instruments but for generosity, too – thanks for keeping it real!
