Free Soldier Models

Martin Guitar Advertisement

Rock and roll might be summed up

as monotony tinged with hysteria 

--People Persuaders, Vance Packard 

Simple music is the hardest music in the world to play

--One Can Find Love Anywhere, Even in a Guitar, 

--Albert Collins 

I look from the wings at the play you are staging

While my guitar gently weeps 

--While My Guitar Slowly Weeps, 

George Harrison 

_________________

Martin Guitars has no qualms about featuring soldiers playing their guitars, but offer a discount?  That's a bridge too far.  Ranger takes exception to this as Martin has a series of military guitars dedicated to the various branches of the military.

Not one to miss a marketing opportunity, Martin Guitar designed their Veterans Model in 2002 to capitalize the early war fervor sales.  In addition to featuring the insignias of each military branch, the guitar features a dog tag-style label.  While there are no discounts to either veterans or active duty veterans, their site claims an UNDECLARED "portion of the proceeds from the sale of each DVM guitar will be donated to a disabled veterans' organization that wishes to remain anonymous" (the link is dead).

Ranger doesn't expect Gibson or any other maker to offer veterans discounts.  It is simply the fact that Martin is using the seals of the military branches on this model and using unpaid for models in the form of Soldiers that galls.  Preying upon the patriotic impulse via these images of service people in dire conditions finding succor in their guitar is priceless advertising that the company has simply appropriated; one would think they would offer a thanks in the form of a discount, at least.

FYI: There are groups which do donate guitars to deployed soldiers -- Operation Happy Note and Guitars4Troops among them.  We salute the work of these philanthropic organizations.

Camouflage looks cool on the free models, but Martin Guitar says, no discount for you, suckers.

Smells like exploitation to us.