Christian Frederick Martin, Sr. was born in 1796 and came from a woodworking background. He learned guitar building as an employee for Johann Stauffer and became Stauffer's foreman in Austria. In 1825, Martin left Stauffer and returned to Germany, his birthplace. Martin and his family emigrated to America in 1833 and set up a full line music store in New York. In 1939, Martin and his family moved to Nazareth, PA. However, because of a contract with C.A. Zoebich & Sons, they had the New York label until 1898. They produced guitars just outside of town making more straight forward designs, rather than the European that Martin learned. In 1852, Martin standardized his body sizes with 0, 1, 2, 3, etc.
In 1867, the C.F. Martin & Company was introduced and lines were expanded. In 1896 the first Martin mandolins began being produced. In 1898 a serialization system was started and every guitar featured a serial number. Martin has produced mandolins ever since 1896 with the exception of 1943-45 because of the war, and 1978, 1989, and 1990. In 1991, Martin incorporated mandolin serialization in with guitar serialization. Production of mandolins remianed steady with between 500 and 1,000 mandolins typically produced every year up until the 1960s, when interest in mandolins began wane. When Martin went through some tough times in the 1970s and early 1980s, mandolin production was down to as little as 10 per year. Martin offered mandolins in their catalogs and price lists through 1995, and took customer orders through 2002 when they ended mandolin production entirely with the exception of the Martin Backpacker Mandolin that was produced in Mexico and offered through 2006.
Martin is a unique company in that Martin has always been a family owned company. The current president and CEO, C.F. Martin IV, is a direct anscetor of the original Christian Martin. Information courtesy: Mike Longworth Martin Guitars: A History, and George Gruhn and Walter Carter: Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars.
Mandolins previously produced in Nazareth, PA between 1939 and 2002, in New York between 1833 and 1839, and in Mexico (Backpacker Series) between 1999 and 2006. Acoustic guitars are still currently produced. Distributed by Martin in Nazareth, PA.

MARTIN Mandolins Models

MARTIN Backpacker Mandolin Image

MARTIN Backpacker Mandolin

- small, unique, backpacker style body, solid spruce top, solid tonewood back and sides, two f-holes, 12/21 fret Morado fingerboard, standard Martin-style headstock, four-per-side tuners, engraved tailpiece, chrome hardware, available in Na...

MARTIN Style 15 Image

MARTIN Style 15

- carved maple back, maple sides, carved spruce top, celluloid bindings, oval soundhole with rings, 10/20 fret ebony fingerboard with dot inlays, raised pickguard on treble side, ebony bridge, metal tailpiece, solid headstock with four-per-...

MARTIN G-Models Image

MARTIN G-Models

- The G Mandolins include the models G-1, G-2, G-3, and G-5. These were the first mandolins built by Martin and based the design for further models. These models only appeared in the 1896 catalog. It is unknown if serialization was used on...

MARTIN Style A Image

MARTIN Style A

- rosewood back and sides, spruce top, rosewood binding, oval soundhole, pickguard on treble side with pointed end, ebony fingerboard with dot inlay, ebony bridge, nickel tailpiece, solid headstock with four-per-side nickel tuners, availabl...

MARTIN Style 0 Image

MARTIN Style 0

- rosewood bowl, bent spruce top, rosewood bindings, mahogany neck, 18 ribs, tortoise shell pickguard, sound hole with rope pattern rosette, ebony fingerboard with dot inlay, ebony bridge, nickle tailpiece, solid headstock with four-per-sid...

MARTIN Style 20 Image

MARTIN Style 20

- two-point assymetrical body, carved curly maple back, curly maple sides, carved spruce top, black and white strip bindings, oval soundhole with rings, maple neck, 10/20 fret ebony fingerboard with pearl dot inlays, raised pickguard on tre...

MARTIN Style 20S Image

MARTIN Style 20S

- similar to the Style 20, except specially made for Carlos DeFilips, limited production of 30 instruments, mfg. 1949-1952.

MARTIN Style 00 Image

MARTIN Style 00

- rosewood bowl, bent spruce top, rosewood bindings, mahogany neck,9 ribs, celluloid pickguard, sound hole with rope pattern rosette, ebony fingerboard with dot inlay, ebony bridge, nickle tailpiece, solid headstock with four-per-side tuner...

MARTIN  Style AK Image

MARTIN Style AK

- similar to the Style A Mandolin, except features Koa back, top, and sides, mfg. 1920-1937, reintroduced as the A-3K2 mfg. 1980-81.

MARTIN Style 000 Image

MARTIN Style 000

- mahogany bowl, bent spruce top, rosewood bindings, mahogany neck,9 ribs, odd-shaped celluloid pickguard, sound hole with rope pattern rosette, dot inlay, nickle tailpiece, solid headstock with four-per-side nickle tuners, available in Nat...

MARTIN Style B Image

MARTIN Style B

- rosewood back and sides, spruce top, rosewood front and back binding, oval soundhole with Herringbone rosette/backstrip, pickguard on treble side with pointed end, ebony fingerboard with pearl dot inlays, ebony bridge, nickel tailpiece, o...

MARTIN Style 30 Image

MARTIN Style 30

- there have only been two of these models known to have been produced and specs on them are not available. It is possible that it is similar to the Style 2-30 model.

MARTIN Style 2-15 Image

MARTIN Style 2-15

- carved maple back, maple sides, carved spruce top, white ivoroid bindings, f-holes, 12/22 fret ebony fingerboard with dot inlays, raised pickguard on treble side, ebony bridge, metal tailpiece, solid headstock with four-per-side tuners, n...

MARTIN Style 1 Image

MARTIN Style 1

- rosewood back, bent spruce top, bound body, mahogany neck, 18 ribs, tortoise shell pickguard with pearl inlays, sound hole purfling, ebony fingerboard, ebony bridge, engraved tailpiece, fancy headstock with four-per-side tuners, available...

MARTIN Style C Image

MARTIN Style C

- rosewood back and sides, spruce top, ivory front and back binding, oval soundhole with colored purfling, pearl rosette, pickguard on treble side, fingerboard with snowflake inlays, engraved German silver tailpiece, ornamental headstock wi...

MARTIN Style 2-20 Image

MARTIN Style 2-20

- two-point assymetrical body, carved curly maple back, curly maple sides, carved spruce top, black and white strip bindings, f-holes, maple neck, 12/22 fret ebony fingerboard with pearl dot inlays, raised pickguard on treble side, ebony br...

MARTIN Style 2 Image

MARTIN Style 2

- rosewood bowl, bent spruce top, bound body, mahogany neck, 26 ribs, tortoise shell pickguard with pearl inlays, sound hole purfling, ebony fingerboard, ebony bridge, engraved tailpiece, fancy headstock with four-per-side tuners, available...

MARTIN Style D Image

MARTIN Style D

- rosewood back and sides, sides feature purfling, spruce top, ivory front/back/neck binding, oval soundhole, pearl rosette, pickguard on treble side, ebony fingerboard with snowflake inlays, engraved German silver tailpiece, ornamental hea...

MARTIN Style 2-30 Image

MARTIN Style 2-30

- two-point assymetrical body, carved curly maple back, curly maple sides, carved spruce top, fully bound and inlaid, f-holes, maple/mahogany neck with treble side extension, 12/22 fret ebony fingerboard with pearl diamond inlays, raised pi...

MARTIN Style 3 Image

MARTIN Style 3

- rosewood bowl, bent spruce top, ivory bound body with purfling, mahogany neck, 26 ribs, inlaid tortoise shell pickguard with pearl inlays, sound hole purfling, ebony fingerboard, ebony bridge, engraved tailpiece, fancy cutout headstock wi...

MARTIN Style E Image

MARTIN Style E

- rosewood back and sides, sides feature purfling, spruce top, ivory front/back/neck binding, oval soundhole, pearl borders on top/back/sides/soundhole, teardrop pickguard on treble side, ebony fingerboard with snowflake inlays, ivory bridg...

MARTIN Style 4 Image

MARTIN Style 4

- rosewood bowl, bent spruce top, ivory bound body, mahogany neck with ivory binding, 34 ribs, inlaid tortoise shell pickguard with pearl inlays, sound hole purfling, ebony fingerboard with elaborate inlays, ebony bridge, German silver engr...

MARTIN Style 5 Image

MARTIN Style 5

- rosewood bowl, bent spruce top, corded white pearl bound body, mahogany neck with ivory binding, 34 ribs, inlaid tortoise shell pickguard with pearl inlays, sound hole pearl and ivory inlay, ebony fingerboard with vine inlay, ebony bridge...

MARTIN Style 6/Style 6A Image

MARTIN Style 6/Style 6A

- rosewood bowl, bent spruce top, ivory bound body, fluted body joined with ivory, mahogany neck with ivory binding, 42 ribs, inlaid tortoise shell pickguard with pearl inlays, sound hole pearl and ivory inlay, ebony fingerboard with vine i...

MARTIN Style 7 Image

MARTIN Style 7

- rosewood bowl, bent spruce top, white pearl bound body, fluted body joined with ivory, mahogany neck with ivory binding, 42 ribs, inlaid tortoise shell pickguard with pearl inlays, sound hole pearl and ivory inlay, ebony fingerboard with...