Martin CEO says “we’re only at the beginning of what’s possible” with new guitar designs
When Thomas Ripsam took over as Martin’s CEO back in 2021, he had his sights set on the “future”. That “future” is already starting to take form; in 2024, the company released the ultra-sustainable GPCE Inception Maple, with its combination of domestic tonewoods and a unique internal architecture marking the dawn of Martin’s next era.
In a new podcast with Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto, Ripsam explains how Martin is keen to utilise even more alternative, sustainable tonewoods in future. “We still rely on a lot of traditional and exotic tonewoods… but those tonewoods get harder and harder to source,” he explains. “That means they become more expensive… so we are constantly looking for alternative materials.”
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He points to ebony as a case in point. While the company has previously relied on ebony for its fretboards, certain models now boast Richlite fretboards instead. “We still use ebony, but we also use Richlite, which is an alternative,” Ripsam explains. “We are trying to use multiple paths… and we are [trying to] find new ways to use materials.”
Other changes have come in the form of multi-piece backs, like the D-35 and DH-28, with their respective three-piece and two-piece rosewood backs. Whether a multi-piece back affects your tone is up for debate, but it certainly wastes less wood and looks pretty cool. “Aesthetics are a big part of what gets you excited,” the Martin CEO says. “It’s not just about the tone and the sound.”
“I think we’re only at the beginning of what’s possible in coming up with with new designs,” he continues. “Like earlier this year, we introduced the CEO-11, which is a blue guitar. We don’t use blue that often, and I love colours… there were a lot of people who provided feedback [saying] they were totally enamoured with the blue.”
When Guitar.com spoke to Ripsam back in 2024, he explained how the GPCE Inception Maple was just the beginning. “It’s a very exciting guitar for us,” he said. “And it’s the beginning for us to actually do more around the use of domestic tonewoods and alternative materials.”
“I think what’s really cool about this guitar was, we didn’t just use our established models and slap domestic tonewoods on it,” he later added. “No, we actually really thought about the particular sound and what we need to do about the inside of the body to bring out the tone and the sound that we wanted. So it has skeletonised bracing, and sonic channels – a couple of features that we’re very excited about.”
“This is the beginning of a line of more of these types of guitars,” he noted. “That doesn’t take away from anything – people still can get their standard models! But I think this just adds to the palette.”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
