FEATURE
Dick Boak: Martin’s Renaissance Man Retiring
interview by Eric Dahl
[Dick] I taught Art for four years 1972-76 and
the interesting thing is that driving home I had
to go right through Nazareth and I discovered
Martin. I asked the receptionist whether there
were any scrap materials, and she sent me
around the side of the building to the dumpster
where I hit the jackpot. It was filled with ebony,
rosewood, spruce, mahogany, and koa. I filled
my entire car with the small scraps of wood and
I came back to that dumpster probably 500
times. The foreman at the backdoor called me
“The Kid.” One day, while I was in the dumpster,
the foreman said (using a Dutch accent), “What
do you do with this stuff anyhow?” I had some
instruments that I had made, so I handed them
up to him. He said (Dutch accent), “Do you mind
if I parade them around the shop onst?” So off
he went with my two instruments and he ran
into Chris Martin’s Grandfather, C.F. Martin III,
walking around the shop. He said, “Look what
the kid made.” Mr. Martin looked at them and
said, “Tell that kid to apply for a job.” Harvey
came back and said (Dutch accent), “The old
man said you should apply for a chob.” That’s
c h o b – chob! I went around to the front,
brushed the dirt off, and I told the receptionist
My first introduction to Dick Boak was, of hippie during the 1960’s and early 70’s and
course, at a Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, ended up on a commune in California living off
California many years ago. I had no idea early the earth and doing the Whole Earth Catalog
on about the depth of his creativity as an artist, thing. I was inspired by R. Buckminster Fuller
luthier, musician, composer, and author. Over and Geodesic domes. I also started dabbling
the years Boak has been a wealth of knowledge at a very early age in my basement with my
on all things Martin and has been playfully dad’s woodshop, building the most absurd
dubbed “The Mayor of Martin” by some, and instruments. I was doing a lot of wood working
held in high regard by all within the instrument and lathe turning. One of the instruments
community. Collectible Guitar caught up with looked like a banjo with a wooden bowl for a
Dick in his office at the Martin Guitar Company, body and door knob for the headstock. Five of
as he reflects on his past service to the musical the strings could be tuned to a G chord and the
institution and sets course for his next journey. last string was attached to this door knob so
you could play Sitar-like ragas.
[Eric Dahl for Collectible Guitar] How did
Geodesic domes lead you to Martin guitars?
[CG] When did you start working at Martin,
and what jobs have you held?
[Dick Boak] (Laughs) I was a pretty good
26
the Hippie years
Mar Apr 2017
CollectibleGuitar.com