Ceo-7 sound

[Luckymud]

Originally Posted by Kyle215

Cool, I’m curious to see what you think of it. You know you need to post some pics when it comes in, right?

I will definitely post a separate NGD and comment on it. I'll also likely have a chance at some point to play it next to the original standard I played and loved, as it's owner lives close by.

I'm excited, but also a little nervous, as this is the first used guitar I've bought at this price range. I hope it really is in the "as new" condition that it listed, and I have a very specific instrument that I'm pitting it against for tone. The good news is that if it's great, I'll be super excited for the natural top and the wood binding. I love to see the naked wood.

[AndUandI]

man.. Im just jealous you guys have gotten to play these.. Ive only played a 00-18 maybe a couple minutes and really liked it .. would love to get my hands on a 00-18 or a ceo-7 but alas.. they are impossible to find in my neck of the woods

[Luckymud]

So an update on the Custom Natural CEO-7:

It arrived on Wednesday, and well....

The Good: It sounds great -- big, articulate, crisp, and tons of headroom. You can strum it hard with no issues, but it also responds well to fingerstyle. The neck is weird as it's not a low oval, but it's V is definitely NOT as pronounced as the standard I played. I'm not familiar with all of the iterations of Martin's neck carves. It feels really comfortable.

The Neutral: It sounds different than the standard Ceo-7 I played recently. That guitar is more filled out in the bass, and thicker in the trebles. The custom sounds like it has less boom but more bite, and a bit more resonance and crispiness. But it also sounds less...refined? I wonder if the sound difference is due to the different top and/or from it being a 6 year old guitar where the wood has dried out a bit. But it still sounds excellent. Just very different...almost shocking how different it sounds.

The Bad: This guitar is headed back to the store for a number of reasons.

1. It was listed "as new" and definitely was not. Lots of light scratches, which are not that big of a deal, but some scuffs that probably could have been noted. Most importantly some finish cracks originating at 3 of the bridge corners.

2. In addition, the guitar arrived with sky high action at the 12th fret -- a little over 9/64 or .14". While there's a decent amount of saddle, it's going to be just a sliver once I get it down to 6/64. Neck relief is .006 at the 6th fret, and nut slots are fine, according to my measuring tool. The store says they ship all guitars out with 6/64 action at the 12th, so either something happened in transit, or it didn't get a setup.

3. Lastly, the guitar has a big ol dead/wolf note on fret 5 of the low E string. I play a lot capo 5, and this is going to kill a G chord. Aside from the issues above, this one kind of sealed the deal.

SO: I think I'll be on the lookout for a standard Ceo-7 instead.

But more importantly for you: if you see the guitar pop back up on their website, maybe consider the above before pulling the trigger! Or at least check out the guitar in person first.

[Kyle215]

Originally Posted by Luckymud

So an update on the Custom Natural CEO-7:

It arrived on Wednesday, and well....

The Good: It sounds great -- big, articulate, crisp, and tons of headroom. You can strum it hard with no issues, but it also responds well to fingerstyle. The neck is weird as it's not a low oval, but it's V is definitely NOT as pronounced as the standard I played. I'm not familiar with all of the iterations of Martin's neck carves. It feels really comfortable.

The Neutral: It sounds different than the standard Ceo-7 I played recently. That guitar is more filled out in the bass, and thicker in the trebles. The custom sounds like it has less boom but more bite, and a bit more resonance and crispiness. But it also sounds less...refined? I wonder if the sound difference is due to the different top and/or from it being a 6 year old guitar where the wood has dried out a bit. But it still sounds excellent. Just very different...almost shocking how different it sounds.

The Bad: This guitar is headed back to the store for a number of reasons.

1. It was listed "as new" and definitely was not. Lots of light scratches, which are not that big of a deal, but some scuffs that probably could have been noted. Most importantly some finish cracks originating at 3 of the bridge corners.

2. In addition, the guitar arrived with sky high action at the 12th fret -- a little over 9/64 or .14". While there's a decent amount of saddle, it's going to be just a sliver once I get it down to 6/64. Neck relief is .006 at the 6th fret, and nut slots are fine, according to my measuring tool. The store says they ship all guitars out with 6/64 action at the 12th, so either something happened in shipping, or it didn't get a setup.

3. Lastly, the guitar has a big ol dead/wolf note on fret 5 of the low E string. I play a lot capo 5, and this is going to kill a G chord. Aside from the issues above, this one kind of sealed the deal.

SO: I think I'll be on the lookout for a standard Ceo-7 instead.

But more importantly for you: if you see the guitar pop back up on their website, maybe consider the above before pulling the trigger! Or at least check out the guitar in person first.

Interesting, I was curious how it would turn out. Sorry to hear about the issues with the guitar.

[Luckymud]

Originally Posted by AndUandI

man.. Im just jealous you guys have gotten to play these.. Ive only played a 00-18 maybe a couple minutes and really liked it .. would love to get my hands on a 00-18 or a ceo-7 but alas.. they are impossible to find in my neck of the woods

Yes, though I didn't play the standard Ceo-7 in a store. And then the custom I bought I never played in-person -- AND it's going back. So they are pretty hard to find locally in shops. If you see one, definitely pick it up and give it a few minutes of your time, though.

[TDavis]

Although I have approached the CEO-7 on several occasions, and love the sound...I have been put off by the pronounced "V" of the neck shape. I know many here love that neck carve, but I just can't get comfy with it. I personally would snap one up in a heartbeat if the neck shape was more of a happy medium.

But, for those who like the Mod-V, the CEO-7 is a pretty great Martin guitar!

[Luckymud]

Originally Posted by TDavis

Although I have approached the CEO-7 on several occasions, and love the sound...I have been put off by the pronounced "V" of the neck shape. I know many here love that neck carve, but I just can't get comfy with it. I personally would snap one up in a heartbeat if the neck shape was more of a happy medium.

But, for those who like the Mod-V, the CEO-7 is a pretty great Martin guitar!

One of the biggest bummers about the custom guitar getting sent back is that the neck profile was SO comfortable. On the standard Ceo, the V is fairly pronounced and you can feel it just picking up the guitar out of the case. The custom is a very slight V, and it feels wider at the crest. So it's somewhat thicker than the MLO, but not as sharp as the Mod-V? At least that's what it felt like in my hand.