#16
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A year ago, my wife gave me a new guitar for my 60th birthday, but I had to pick it out. I set out to get either the Martin 00-18 or the 000-18. Then I tried the Gibson L-00 Standard with a vintage burst and my search was over! I have been very happy with the L-00. It sounds and looks great.
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_______________ 1954 Gibson J-50 1999 Taylor 355 2004 Martin LXM 2018 Gibson L-00 Standard |
#17
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Checkout the CEO-7. Great volume and sound.
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#18
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Make sure you get a 12 fretter. Short or long scale.
You will thank me later |
#19
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The 00-18 Standard is one of my favorite, if not my favorite Martin guitar in their current catalog. Super comfortable to play, bell-like clarity in the trebles with a lot of the classic "Martin Sound" in the low end. Face it, a 00-body will never generate enough air flow to emulate the roar of a good dreadnought...but the 00-18 is consistently satisfying and a joy to play. No matter what else I have, I'll probably always have a 00-18 laying around.
Last edited by TDavis; 09-28-2020 at 08:17 PM. |
#20
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An 00-18 is a truly special guitar - it is a great size for all but the biggest volume needs, and sits right in the middle of the spectrum from Parlors up to Dreads/Jumbos. They can go really big, but can handle all the nuanced stuff.
My story is that I recently have been getting to work with a 1944 00-18 and it is comfortably one of the top five guitars I have ever played - and I have played a lot and owned my share of prewars. My oldest acoustic jam friend is a guy that, over the past year, has gone from feeling like a late-50’s has-been, to getting a new job, landing a huge deal and ending up with a nice bonus in this weird time. He has always looked at my vintage guitar haggles and said One Day. I took the matter in hand, checked a few trusted shops, saw this guitar and knew “That one.” I had my guy put in on hold and called my friend and basically said “Do you trust me?” (There was a healthy return policy; he’s not an idiot ;-) He got the guitar and, well, yeah. All that. So much more than All That. But while this is a truly special example, I am left with a clear impression that a great 00-18 could easily be all the guitar you would ever need. My story and $.02. Best of luck with your research and decision.
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An old Gibson and a couple of old Martins; a couple of homebrew Tele's |
#21
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I really appreciate the experiences and the suggestions. Thanks to all of you who have responded.
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Martin 000-28 Ambertone (2020) and four ukuleles. I don't have a tuba. |
#22
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My 00-18 is the Tim O'Brien model, long scale and Adirondack top, plus a few cosmetic upgrades. Anyway, it's my do-anything guitar. It's one of those guitars that sound great whether played lightly with bare fingers or aggressively with a pick.
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#23
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About 10 years back I got a 1953 00-18 off Craigslist in Nashville. Fortunately for me, Scarface is a player so I could afford him. (As I recall I paid about $1500 when ones in good condition from the 50s were going for 3k+.) He's been rode hard and put away wet but is so sweet to play. He's great for strumming, flat picking and finger picking. I use him a lot when I'm teaching, doing open mikes and going to guitar camps (Swannanoa, Rocky Mountain Song School, Moab Folk Camp). He's very light, has amazing action, and just a joy to play. I will say when I want a deeper, almost dreadnought sound I play my '98 00-16DBR which is from Martin's Women and Music series. The deep body and rosewood give it a fuller sound strumming but it still sings when finger picking. I highly recommend the 00-18, especially if you can find one of the older ones. Here are some pictures of Scarface.
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#24
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Quote:
I've played many 00-18 Martins of every era, but unfortunately never the Tim O'Brien signature model. I bought a brand new Custom Shop 00-18 at a dealer about six years ago. This was just before Martin released the new reimagined 00-18. It has many of the important sonic features of the O'Brien: 1/4" scalloped GE bracing, Adirondack top, longer 25.4" scale, 1 3/4" width at the nut, plus a 1/2" deeper body. For this bare-fingered picker who tunes in lower open tunings, this guitar provides all the power, volume, and tone I could hope for in a small and responsive package. After I bought it, I got rid of three guitars. I'm down to keeping three, but this little CS 00-18 gets about 95% of my playing time. I'm done buying guitars. . |