The Walnut Valley Association congratulates this 
2017 Bluegrass Banjo Champion
1st Place – Kyle Tuttle from Nashville, TN
2017 National Flat Pick Guitar Champion
1st Place – Andy Hatfield from Peoria, IL
2017 Walnut Valley Old Time Fiddle Champion
1st Place – Tyler Andal from Nashville, TN
2017 National Mandolin Champion
1st Place Winner: Isaac Eicher from Nashville, TN
MARTIN DEVELOPS NEW PROCESS THAT RECREATES CLASSIC LOOK OF HISTORIC MARTIN MODELS FROM THE 1930'S
C.F. Martin & Co. (Martin Guitar) continues to draw inspiration from their historic legacy with their newest innovative technology process, AGED, which will be unveiled with a new custom shop guitar series at Winter NAMM 2017 in Anaheim, CA from January 19-21, 2017.
The new process "ages" a new guitar to replicate the appearance of a classic Martin vintage model.
Held this past weekend in Winfield, Kansas at the Walnut Valley Festival, the National Guitar Flat Pick Championships yielded three new certified guru's on the instrument.
Scott Fore of Radford, VA is the 1st place winner earning him the title of 2015 National Guitar Flat Pick Champion and a prize instrument - a Collings Winfield Model Mahogany/Adirondack Spruce Guitar.
C. F. Martin & Co. continues to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the iconic Martin D-35 model with two commemorative limited-edition D-35 models at the 2015 Summer NAMM show in Nashville July 9th through July 11th. The limited edition D12-35 50th Anniversary model and the HD-35 FM IV 60th will be among six other models showcased.
C. F. Martin & Co., Inc. hosted the Fifth Bi-Annual Wood Summit at the company's headquarters in Nazareth, PA on Thursday, May 7, 2015.
The full-day Summit commenced with an agenda of discussions, networking and presentations on a myriad of key topics that ranged from CITES Permits & Process, Lacey Act Due Care, DNA Chain of Custody Tracking, and alternative material sourcing.
C. F. Martin & Co. is celebrating 50 years of their legendary D-35 Dreadnought with a very special model to debut at the 2015 Winter NAMM Trade Show - D-35 Brazilian 50(th)Anniversary Limited Edition.
With no more than 100 created, the D-35 Brazilian 50(th) Anniversary Limited Edition model is constructed with Madagascar rosewood sides and back wings, a Brazilian rosewood back center wedge and headplate, FSC certified European spruce top, ¼" non- scalloped X bracing, and ivoroid bindings.
Held annually each year on the 3rd weekend in September, the Walnut Valley Festival is the home of the International Autoharp Championship, the International Fingerstyle Guitar, the National Mountain Dulcimer, the National Flat Pick Guitar Championship, the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship and the National Bluegrass Banjo Championship.
Other contests held at the Walnut Valley Festival are the National Mandolin Championship and the Walnut Valley Old Time Fiddle.
....AND THE WINNERS ARE . . .
C.F. Martin & Co. has announced the appointment of Fred Greene as Chief Product Officer (CPO) at the guitar company.
There aren't many tenor guitars in bluegrass. Rabon Delmore was known to play the 4-string, so just in case you might want to find out what it's all about, we thought we'd post this notice for you.
Thanks to CBS Sunday Morning and Folk Music Icon John Sebastian for a fantastic look at Martin Guitars.
Little Jimmy Dickens, Grand Ole Opry Legend and member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, has endorsed his very own model of guitar, which makes this a collector’s item.
At 93 years old, “Tater,” as he is known to his friends, has authorized the Glen Morgan Guitar Company to make only 200 of these priceless instruments for sale.
ArtistWorks, today announced the upcoming launch of their new Acoustic Guitar 101 School.
Available in early December, Acoustic Guitar 101 represents the most comprehensive free guitar lesson resource available online today, according to the company's press release.
Two of the guitar world’s greats who both new of each other but had never met are just a small part of the landmark, history-making statistics that came from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN recording project.
Envision a collection of guitars fit for “The King!” That’s exactly what world-class luthier Manuel Delgado, of Delgado Guitars, and Gabriel Hernandez, of Blues Vintage Guitars, Inc., have set out to do.
Delgado and Hernandez have joined forces to produce what will surely become one of the most talked about and sought after collection of guitars in quite some time – a limited run of handmade stringed instruments crafted from authentic, untouched white-washed fence wood that once bordered legend Elvis Presley’s beloved Graceland home in Memphis, Tennessee.
MerleFest 2013 has opened registration for the annual Instrument Contests held during the four-day festival slated for April 25–28, 2013.
Both the Doc Watson Guitar Championship and the Merle Watson Banjo Contest will be held on Friday, April 26th. The first place winners from both contests will be invited to perform on the Cabin Stage Friday evening following a performance by the winners of the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest.
Until now the contributions of a band of intrepid, unpretentious, stunningly skillful, thoroughly American women to both the war effort and to the endurance of one of the greatest musical instrument manufacturers ever known, has gone unheralded.
"Kalamazoo Gals” by John Thomas is the forgotten story of the women who built Gibson’s “Banner” guitars during WWII.
It’s a haunting image. At least it was for author John Thomas. Some seventy women sit in four rows in front of the Gibson Guitar factory in the mid-1940s. Conventional wisdom and company lore had it that Gibson had ceased guitar production during World War II, with only “seasoned craftsmen” too old for war doing repairs and completing the few instruments already in progress.
Online bluegrass music lesson provider Layne Publications has just released a number of bluegrass guitar tabs. The company has the largest collection of guitar, mandolin, and banjo tabs all over the web including some for no cost.Layne Publications continue their efforts to further enhance their excellent collection of bluegrass tabs.
New and Free – Steve Kaufman’s Flatpick Central has a few new video clips on the site now. It's a new series called "Flatpicking Lick Tricks"
These are short clips teaching one measure runs and then putting them into context so you know how to use them. Split screen with a left hand close up. There are several
“C”-runs and “G”-runs and even one called "That Dang F Chord" showing you, hopefully, an easier way to hold the F chord.
Go to www.flatpik.com and look on the left sidebar and find Video and Audio Downloads - They're free!
CUMBERLAND RIVER is proud to announce a new band member, multi-instrumentalist Gary Robinson, Jr. who joins the band on Lead Guitar.
Gary’s incredible talents certainly add to the dynamic sound of this now 6-piece group that includes: Jamie Dean (Banjo, lead & harmony vocals), Joey Jones (Bass), Dustin Middleton (Mandolin, Lead & Harmony Vocals), Jamie Stewart(Dobro), and Gary’s brother in-law, Brad Gulley (Guitar, Lead & Harmony Vocals).
Innovative New Guitar Technology To Be Unveiled At Summer NAMM In Nashville Today!
NAZARETH, Pa., July 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- C. F. Martin & Co. is inviting musicians to take a trip back in time with the introduction today of a groundbreaking guitar technology available in the new four-piece RETRO SERIES: D-18E Retro, D-45E Retro, HD-28E Retro, and OM-28E Retro. Paying homage stylistically and sonically to the iconic classic Martin guitars of the 1930's and 40's, this new series features traditional non-cutaway Martin guitars incorporating significant advancements in plugged-in sound reproduction.
The series exquisitely captures a sought-after sound, melding traditional models with state-of-the-art technology, and will appeal to musicians and guitar aficionados alike.
