For well over a century and a half, The Martin Guitar Company has been continuously producing acoustic instruments that are acknowledged to be the finest in the world. After apprenticing with renowned guitar maker Johann Stauffer in Vienna, Christian Frederick Martin decided to leave his native Germany for America to escape the restrictive controls of the European guilds. He landed in New York City in late 1833 and set up shop at 196 Hudson Street on the Lower West Side. The company has continued to produce fine acoustic guitars under six generations of continuous Martin family management. (if you're interested in playing acoustic guitar, learn more here)..

Today C.F. Martin makes only steel string acoustic guitars. Martin acoustic guitars are used by many of the finest guitar players in several styles of popular music including country, blues, rock, funk, and bluegrass. The list of famous Martin guitar owners reads like a who's who of popular music over the past century including Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Sheryl Crow, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Dave Mathews, Elvis Presley, Tony Rice, Keith Richards, Paul Simon, Sting, Jimmy Page, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, John Mayer, Jerry Garcia Doc Watson and Neil Young, to name but a few. Eric Clapton, a Martin guitar endorser has his own signature model and has done much to promote the company. Flat pickers and fingerstyle guitar players alike depend on Martin instruments to ply their craft the world over.

Do you want to learn to play guitar?

Click on one of the links below to see which Zap Guitar lessons are right for you!

I'm a beginner . . . how will Zap Guitar teach me to play guitar?

I want to learn to play Blues Guitar

I want to learn to play Jazz Guitar

I want to learn to play Classical Guitar