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Spruce Hill Guitars at the Superbowl Half Time Show (2022) — with Eminem

At Marty's funeral on March 23, Marty  received one of the most heartfelt testimonials from one of his friends that I have ever heard.   Derek Whidden, who has known Marty since 2010 described him as "Cantankerous" but as an extremely giving and attentive friend; something I, as his brother, am well aware of.  His comment "Whenever anyone plays one of Marty's guitars, they will hear Marty's voice" particularly resonated with me. Derek continues to help Pat Shaffer, Marty's long time partner in life, to work through all the challenges of this loss.  I am extremely grateful to him.

Eulogy by Marty's Brother Marvin:

I’ve been thinking about Marty a lot over the past few days. Marty was on of those people who lived life in his own unique way, always pursuing his dreams. I believe he sacrificed a lot to do so. To me, he was the classic artist, always focused on what he was creating rather then how he lived. It was not always an easy life but, as with many artists, you have to look at his art to really understand what was inside. I want to read you something from one of my favorite books - Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. (Robert Persig).

"You want to know how to paint a perfect painting? It’s easy. Make yourself perfect and then just paint naturally. That’s the way all the experts do it. The making of a painting or the fixing of a motorcycle isn’t separate from the rest of your existence. If you’re a sloppy thinker the six days of the week you aren’t working on your machine, what . . . can make you all of a sudden sharp on the seventh? It all goes together. The real cycle you're working in is a cycle called yourself. The machine that appears to be" out there" and the person that appears to be "in here" are not two separate things. They grow toward Quality or fall away from Quality together."

In other words your creations are not separate from you but part of you. To create beauty there needs to be beauty inside of you. When I look at the beauty in what Marty’s made, whether it is the shinning Harley parts or gorgeous saddlebags in the early years, or the incredible guitars, which I believe will be his legacy, I see a beauty and a quality in these things that were a reflection of his inner self.  Let’s remember him that way.  Let’s remember how he left the world better than he came into it and how he left us with the beauty of his creations. His guitars will probably last far longer than any of us and will continue to bring joy and make music for years to come. We should all hope to leave something like that to the world when we leave it.  As for myself, I will remember Marty every time I hear a guitar play or I see a custom motorcycle and I will miss him.