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#1
03-11-2024, 05:02 PM
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Martin CEO-7 or OO-18?
Was just reading a thread on AGF about small guitars and two folks who had played CEO-7 said they preferred the 00-18. I'm interested in your thoughts about these two beauties. Do they sound significantly different? What's different, or unique, about CEO? I'm planning to buy one or the other in the not-too-distant future.. will of course try em both. But I want to be prepared and smart about it. Personal tastes welcome. Thanks in advance!
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#2
03-11-2024, 05:38 PM
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For me personally, I'm not a fan of necks that in my opinion feel more like electric guitar necks such as Taylor's or Martin's MLO HPT so the CEO-7 with it's modified V and standard taper is my preference. The other main difference is the Adi top versus sitka. Keep in mind "new" adi tops will typically be a bit strident and snappy sounding out of the gate whereas sitka will be very smooth sounding so let your ear be the judge. Good luck on your journey.
__________________
Santa Cruz 000, Samick classical
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#3
03-11-2024, 07:23 PM
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I’ve played a few 00 and 000 18 models and I own a CEO-7 (two of them actually - we have places on the West Coast and East Coast and I have one in each place). They’re both very nice sounding guitars. The things I prefer about the CEO-7 are the neck, the string spacing, and the Adirondack top. The neck is very much a personal preference - some of us LOVE the Mod-V neck, but a lot of people don’t like it at all, so that’s one you need to work out for yourself - try to play both of them. Both have 1.75” nuts, but the CEO-7 has notably wider spacing at the bridge. For a fingerpicker, that can make a big difference. For a strummer or flatpicker, not so much. And the Adirondack top and the bracing make it a notably louder and more responsive guitar. As noted above, it can seem a little brash at first compared to Sitka, but it mellows with time, but still retains that volume and responsiveness. The only thing I don’t like about the CEO-7 is the sunburst finish - I much prefer the looks of the natural top 00-18.
The good news is you can’t go wrong with either of them. But they’re somewhat different and you may develop a preference for one or the other. Good luck, -Ray
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"It's just honest human stuff that hadn't been near a dang metronome in its life" - Benmont Tench
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#4
03-11-2024, 08:04 PM
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I owned 0018v and CEO7 (I have two of them). I no longer own the 0018v. I played the poop out of it for sure. At the end of the day, the CEO had more of everything. I loved the neck on the 0018v...pretty thick Mod V. My Favorite neck of all time....again...I own two CEO7s right now.
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mcw
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#5
03-11-2024, 08:25 PM
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#6
03-11-2024, 08:27 PM
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#11
03-11-2024, 10:29 PM
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I own both of these guitars, a 00-18 from 2017 and a CEO-7 from 2022. To me, they are pretty different, both in sound and in feel. The CEO-7 has WAY more bottom end, and you can strum it awfully hard before it breaks up. The 00-18, in contrast, has less bass, and as a result sounds a little more chime-y. I really like them both and I think they sound and feel different enough that owning both isn’t redundant.
The adi does sound tight at first, but the more you play it, the more it rounds out. The CEO has a lot of volume, and is kind of EQ’d like a small dread. My 00-18 is shockingly loud (it’s gotten way louder in the last 2ish years), but not at all in a big bottom way. Like Ray, above, I agree that the 00-18 looks way better. I also agree with all of the above comments re: neck carves and string spacing. But you mention being familiar with those features. The last thing I’d mention (and you’ll see mentioned a lot) is that the tuners on the CEO aren’t great. I don’t hate them as much as everyone else, but yeah, they’re not super smooth and have some play in them. I haven’t swapped mine yet, but I did buy the replacements. I’m just lazy.
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#12
03-12-2024, 04:17 AM
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Regardless of what you read on these pages, you'd better try them both before you buy. Hopefully at a shop that has both.
I happen to like the neck and string spacing better on the 00-18. And though I like the sound of the CEO-7s I've played, I like the sound of the 00-18 as well. Maybe not quite as loud as a CEO-7, but not by much and I don't care. If you're a heavy strummer, you may want to move up on size anyway. It's a hard thing to quantify, but the 00-18 feels a little more personal for me. I think the slightly smaller body and slightly narrower/thinner neck add up to a cozier guitar for me. Both are great though
__________________
Martin D-18, 00-18, 00-15M, 0X1E Larrivee 00-40MH Fender '91 Strat Plus, Mustang P90, MIJ Mustang Bass Schecter SV Shredder “Trust gets you killed, love gets you hurt, and being real gets you hated.” ~ Johnny Cash (1932-2003)
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#13
03-12-2024, 05:37 AM
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Annie, I suspect your choice will become obvious as soon as you play both of them. They feel and sound very different. As mentioned above the ModV and MLO necks are nothing alike. The CEO7 is bold, powerful, and gutsy. Whereas, the 0018 is warm, round, and well-mannered. Good luck in your search.
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#14
03-12-2024, 06:45 AM
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I would echo what's been said above about he CEO 7 as I love mine. Even the sunburst and especially the neck. It came brand new with lots of bass and complex overtones and has only gotten better. Of course this is not to throw shade on the 00-18, so now I guess I'll have to play one and see whether I need that too!
__________________
"I go for a lotta things that's a little too strong" J.L. Hooker
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#15
03-12-2024, 08:33 AM
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