Several years ago I was playing my D18 Martin, which I bought new in 1956, and the slot-thru bridge broke. I called the C. F. Martin Company in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. It was amazing! A real person answered the phone after just a few rings. When I explained my situation she connected me directly with a service representative. He asked me if I had the original warranty. I replied "no, that was over fifty years ago." After I gave him the serial number he told me there were several dozen owners of D-18 Martin guitars with the same last name as mine. I then mentioned that I had the guitar repaired in Minneapolis in about 1980 under warranty after I had written a short letter to Martin explaining that I was the original owner. He said to hold for a minute, and when he came back he said "no problem, just have the guitar repaired by a certified Martin repair person and we will pay for the repair." I had it repaired by a luthier in Bellingham, WA - nicely done and no cost to me. What can be better service than that? Altogether, I've had free repairs totaling more than the $99 I originally paid for the guitar in 1956.

Cheers, S. in Seattle