A dream come true

Arthur Terembula, 18, of Lehighton, eagerly awaited the presentation of his own custom C.F. Martin guitar for months. And none other than Chris Martin, owner of the world renowned company, presented the guitar to Arthur Wednesday at the main plant in Nazareth, as his family, friends and several Martin employees looked on.

It was the best day of his life, he said.

Also representing C.F. Martin Guitars were Danny Brown, top custom shop sales administrator, who assisted Arthur with choosing the types of wood and construction style; Scott Follweiler, marketing planner; Aaron Vanwhy, inlay artist; and Scott Sasser, director of the custom shop administration and several Dream Come True volunteers who had helped make his dream a reality.

Vanwhy presented Arthur with a mother of pearl inlay, as a keepsake.

"We at Martin rarely get to see the person who loves and plays our guitars," said Sasser. "This is a special day for us to make this connection with someone so young who loves the product of our work as much as we do."

Designing his own custom guitar was made possible by Dream Come True, Blue Ridge Chapter.

Arthur became eligible for a wish when he was diagnosed on April 28, 2010 with Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL), a rare aggressive T-cell lymphoma that strikes children more often than adults.

His mother, Tammy Halore, said he lost 30 pounds in three weeks. He started chemotherapy in May 2010 and it lasted for nine months. He has been in remission for 17 months.

Arthur graduated a few weeks ago from Lehighton Area High School and plans a career in music therapy. For the fall, he will attend Berklee College of Music, Boston. He writes and plays most of his own material.

One of the first things Arthur did after he was handed his guitar was smell the wood.

Arthur selected a custom edition 14-fret J-18 acoustic model crafted with premium tonewoods for his project. The back is made from solid mahogany and the top is made of Adirondack spruce, with Madagascar rosewood on the sides and back. It is equipped with MSP7100 light gauge strings with ebony bridge pin and ebony end pin. The neck was carved from genuine mahogany and has a Madagascar rosewood headplate featuring an old style golden era headplate decal.

The word, "Believe" written in Arthur's own script, was inlaid in pearl, near the 11th, 12th and 13th fret. He also chose a black ebony fingerboard and black ebony bridge. The finish is non-catalyzed satin with a maple stain with a satin sheen and vintage-inspired toner and is protected by a Cabernet custom case.

Arthur said he chose to have "Believe" written on the guitar because of his illness.

"You have to believe in yourself before you can believe in others," said Arthur, who has remained upbeat during his diagnosis and treatment of his illness.

Arthur said he chose the older style guitar because he likes traditional models, like the ones from the 1930s and 40s.

Custom-made guitars are not easy to fabricate, nor are they cheap. Arthur's guitar took nearly seven months to complete and cost nearly $5,000.

Arthur said that neck was nice and smooth as he admired his new guitar.

"I don't want to leave it out of my sight," he said.

Following the presentation, Arthur toured the plant with his family and friends and then was feted at a reception in Palmerton.

One of the world's leading acoustic instrument makers, Martin guitars are handmade by skilled craftsmen and women, who use a combination of new design and techniques along with those introduced by the company founder.

Martin guitars and Martin strings are the instruments and strings of choice for musicians around the world, from the icons of rock, country, folk and bluegrass to those just beginning their careers.

During its history, C.F. Martin guitar has constructed over 1.5 million instruments.

To learn more about Martin guitars and Martin strings, check out their site on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, or www.martinguitar.com and www.martinstrings.com.