Martin Guitar & Company sits quietly on a side street in Nazareth. But for more than 175 years, Martin Guitar has been making musical history throughout the world.

Martin Guitar popularized the dreadnought-style guitar. The dreadnought's large, round body and steel strings transformed the guitar from a quiet accompanying instrument to the lead. And that helped create rock-and-roll.

Popular artists, from Elvis and the Beatles to Sting and John Mayer, have preferred Martin Guitars. The factory in Nazareth offers free museum and factory tours that highlight those who make the guitars and those who play them. You can't buy a guitar at the Martin Guitar factory, but visitors can get a local glimpse of musical history