Crafted in or Made In or Where Made

[PassingThru]

I just received my Martin 00-15SM from UPS yesterday. The Martin & Co shipping box said "Made in Mexico". Martin's website says the 15 series is made in Nazareth, PA. The box could have just been from a stack of boxes the vendor had in the back of the store. Fine.

So, let's go inside the sound hole.

It says "Crafted in Nazareth, PA USA of materials sourced around the world." The words "Made in USA" are not there. Do not know if "Crafted" was a Martin appropriation of "made" like calling sapele wood, real mahogany.

Anyone have any idea?

[Bob from Brooklyn]

Both of my Martins merely say "C.F. Martin & company, Nazareth, PA"

[Tycobb73]

A lot of states, I think ca is 1, are getting picky about made in the USA. My guess is the tuners aren't made in the USA. So is the guitar 100% made in the USA. That's why you're seeing assembled in the USA.

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by PassingThru

I just received my Martin 00-15SM from UPS yesterday. The Martin & Co shipping box said "Made in Mexico". Martin's website says the 15 series is made in Nazareth, PA. The box could have just been from a stack of boxes the vendor had in the back of the store. Fine.

So, let's go inside the sound hole.

It says "Crafted in Nazareth, PA USA of materials sourced around the world." The words "Made in USA" are not there. Do not know if "Crafted" was a Martin appropriation of "made" like calling sapele wood, real mahogany.

Anyone have any idea?

Martin made that change a few years ago because some states were narrowing what “Made in the USA” means. Like the other poster said, some of the parts Martin uses could have come from elsewhere. No skulduggery. No one‘s trying to fool anyone. Just what Martin had to do to ship nationwide…

[Brent Hahn]

"Crafted" is marketing-speak. It makes your guitar seem "artisanal" rather than merely "made." "Artisanal" is also marketing-speak. Beer that's crafted by artisans costs more than beer that's just made by some guys.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

"Crafted" is marketing-speak. It makes your guitar seem "artisanal" rather than merely "made." "Artisanal" is also marketing-speak. Beer that's crafted by artisans costs more than beer that's just made by some guys.

In addition, "Crafted in the USA" sometimes means designed in the USA but manufactured in another country. I don't think that's the case with the Martin 15 series though.

[beatcomber]

Originally Posted by PassingThru

It says "Crafted in Nazareth, PA USA of materials sourced around the world." The words "Made in USA" are not there. Do not know if "Crafted" was a Martin appropriation of "made" like calling sapele wood, real mahogany.

Anyone have any idea?

My custom shop 00-18 has the same stamp inside. It just means the wood came from outside the USA. Your guitar was built in Nazareth.

[Bob from Brooklyn]

I'm pretty certain the 15's are made in Nazareth

[warfrat73]

There was some legal dust-up about this a few years back.

The FTC Website lays a lot of it out:https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/busi...e-usa-standard

Some of the relevant language is here:

"What is the standard for a product to be called Made in USA without qualification?
For a product to be called Made in USA, or claimed to be of domestic origin without qualifications or limit's on the claim, the product must be "all or virtually all" made in the U.S. The term "United States," as referred to in the Enforcement Policy Statement, includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories and possessions.

What does "all or virtually all" mean?
"All or virtually all" means that all significant parts and processing that go into the product must be of U.S. origin. That is, the product should contain no — or negligible — foreign content."

The big problem with Martin saying that their guitars are "Made in the USA" is down to the origin of raw materials and constituent parts... very few of their guitars use domestic back and sides, necks, fretboards, or domestically manufactured tuning machines, etc. Thus they can't claim that all or virtually all of (most of) their products are of domestic origin.

More significant verbiage:
"What factors does the Commission consider to determine whether a product is "all or virtually all" made in the U.S.?
The product’s final assembly or processing must take place in the U.S. The Commission then considers other factors, including how much of the product’s total manufacturing costs can be assigned to U.S. parts and processing, and how far removed any foreign content is from the finished product. In some instances, only a small portion of the total manufacturing costs are attributable to foreign processing, but that processing represents a significant amount of the product’s overall processing. The same could be true for some foreign parts. In these cases, the foreign content (processing or parts) is more than negligible, and, as a result, unqualified claims are inappropriate."

The phase "Crafted in the USA" circumvents the problem by only asserting that it was assembled in the US. The only bit of most Martins that's actually of domestic origin is the top and bracing.

[Misifus]

I heard a rumor that my Brazilian Rosewood guitar might have been sourced from outside the U.S. (same for Honduran Mahogany).

[donlyn]

Crafted in or Made In or Where Made

Many of these guitars may be subject to search and seizure by U.S. Customs upon or after importation as they may be in violation of the federal law which specifically states "Made In Mexico" (or wherever) is required for all imported products. Not "Crafted In". And if "Nazareth Pennsylvania USA" appears anywhere, and if the product is deemed of foreign manufacture, then "Made in Mexico" (or wherever) must appear nearby in at least the same size lettering that shows the US location.

Sourcing the wood probably doesn't matter, but sourcing wood cut to size and shape may very well matter.

It can get complicated when sourcing foreign components, and a consultation with U.S. Customs or a lawyer specializing in Customs law might be advisable.

Just saying. It's quite complicated.

And tariiffs are rarely pre-paid, but are normally accrued costs passed along to the consumer. Foreign countries are not liable for tariffs, just the importer.

Edit > And just for the record, my '21 Epiphone J-200 states "Made in Indonesia" with no mention of any other locations (like US ones).

Good luck,
Don

[jaymarsch]

FWIW - I noticed that the label on my Alvarez Masterworks parlor says:
Designed in St. Louis, USA - Crafted in PR China
Best,
Jayne

[llew]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

"Crafted" is marketing-speak. It makes your guitar seem "artisanal" rather than merely "made." "Artisanal" is also marketing-speak. Beer that's crafted by artisans costs more than beer that's just made by some guys.

I'd likely be more partial to the beer that was "made by some guys"!

[llew]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

Martin made that change a few years ago because some states were narrowing what “Made in the USA” means. Like the other poster said, some of the parts Martin uses could have come from elsewhere. No skulduggery. No one‘s trying to fool anyone. Just what Martin had to do to ship nationwide…

First I've heard of that Roy? You'd think people would have better things to occupy their time. Obviously NOT guitar players?

[jjbigfly]

Hmmmm…IF I were wanting a MADE in the USA Martin (or any other brand)guitar I would want to know if it was made here. CRAFTED might simply be an upscale word for MADE that is used by manufacturers as a sales gimmick, but it is somewhat unclear. Strictly speaking, CRAFTED in the USA could be used as a location indicator, but MADE in the USA seems more to the point.
A quick call to Martin COULD clear this up, but CRAFTED does seem to indicate it was made here…..