Martin Stories

Some guitars just sit in a case. This one helped write "Hotel California."   Don Felder—Eagles guitarist from the mid-'70s through the band's first breakup, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, and author of Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles—joins Jimmy Leslie from his California studio, known as The Vault. He brings along the actual 1965 Martin D-35 he bought while working at a music store in high school—the guitar that unlocked the iconic key for Hotel California. He calls it: "The love of my life for acoustic guitars."   Don walks through the wild, true story of how Hotel California song landed in B minor (a key almost nobody writes rock songs in), the friendship with Bernie Leadon that got him into the Eagles in the first place, learning slide guitar from Duane Allman as a teenager, and reworking Hotel California into the now-iconic MTV Unplugged version. He also opens up about The Vault, his recently released album built from decades of forgotten demos, including a track he wrote and recorded in tribute to Glenn Frey.   If you've ever wondered what's actually behind one of the most famous guitar parts in rock history, share this one with the guitar player in your life who needs to hear it.   Follow Martin Guitar on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@martinguitar Follow Martin Guitar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martinguitar/ Follow Don Felder: https://www.instagram.com/donfeldermusic/

Jimmy Leslie catches up with blues guitar legend Joe Bonamassa, who joins from "Nerdville Gotham," his New York City home and vintage gear hub. They trace Joe's Martin story back to the very beginning—clawing at his father's mid-'70s Martin D-35 as a toddler growing up in his dad's vintage guitar shop—all the way through to the moment of looking inside a Martin and seeing his own name on the label—this time on his latest signature models, a 00-18 and 00-10E Retro, both inspired by a humble 1937 shade-top found by a friend in Birmingham, Alabama, complete with its original 1938 layaway receipt.   Along the way, Joe talks about the almost mystical lightness of pre-war Martins (and the one time he got to hold a Stradivarius violin), the story of a 000-45 that saved a stranger's house, and performing "Woke Up Dreaming" at a breakneck tempo with cellist Tina Guo at Carnegie Hall—a performance he compares to "Evel Knievel jumping the fountains at Caesars Palace." He also reflects on 60 albums, a possible final solo record, and what it means to finally see his own name on a Martin.   If this made you rethink what actually makes a guitar "the one," pass it along to someone who still thinks expensive always means better.   Check out Joe's performance of Woke Up Dreaming at Carnegie Hall:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM1M6p1fiUM&list=RDHM1M6p1fiUM&start_radio=1   Follow Joe here: https://www.instagram.com/joebonamassa/   Follow Martin Guitar: https://www.instagram.com/martinguitar/   Subscribe to Martin Guitar YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@martinguitar   Check out the launch of the 00-18 Joe Bonamassa and 00-10E Retro Joe Bonamassa, two new signature acoustic guitars inspired by Bonamassa's treasured 1937 Martin 00-18 shade-top.

Some guitars choose you years before you actually have them—this is the story of one that did.   Jimmy Leslie catches up with Kenneth Pattengale, one half of the folk duo The Milk Carton Kids, who joins from his North Hollywood studio, surrounded by decades of vintage Martin collecting.   They trace the story of his main guitar—a 1954 Martin 0-15 he first laid eyes on in a museum case, spent two and a half years hunting down, and eventually built his entire signature Martin model around.   Kenneth walks through the philosophy behind his playing—how a duo forces you to "collide" two guitars into one sound, why he's drawn to instruments that are "real" rather than "pretty," and the surprising, almost accidental story behind how Martin turned a pile of rejected guitar wood into his affordable signature model. Along the way, he shares memories of Patti Smith, Emmylou Harris, and Stephen Stills, and reflects on what 2,500 shows with The Milk Carton Kids has taught him about connection over perfection.   If this made you think differently about what "perfect" even means, pass it along to someone who needs the reminder.   Follow Milk Carton Kids: https://www.instagram.com/themilkcartonkids/   Follow Martin Guitar: https://www.instagram.com/martinguitar/   Subscribe to Martin Guitar YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@martinguitar