CEO-6 and 6 Black

Martin CEO-6

List Price:  $4,499    Street Price:  Under $3,000

CEO-6 Black

List Price:  $3,999    Street Price:  Under $2,500

Martin Guitar’s CEO models are designed by the CEO himself, C.F. Martin IV. The sixth rendition embodies his appreciation of sloped shoulder guitars, his belief in the virtues of modern technology and even his wry sense of humor, since it looks more than a little like another maker’s famous model, the Gibson J-45. At least, at first glance. As a musical instrument it is still very much a Martin.

It seems different Martins prefer different Martins. Frank Martin felt the little, 12-fret 00 was ideal because it can fill up a room while maintaining perfect balance across the strings. His son Fred, C.F. Martin III, also loved string-to-string balance; only super-sized. He preferred the big, sloped shoulder dreadnoughts that the company had been making since, well, since the original “Dreadnaught” was built at a Martin workbench in 1916. Today, Chris Martin takes after his grandfather in more than just looks as half of his own designs have been made with sloped shoulders, including this latest edition.

The CEO-6 has a back and sides made from Indian rosewood and the top is Adirondack spruce that comes in natural or with a dark sunburst. And in 2013 and all-black version was released as well. The new CEO-6 Black has Sitka spruce for the top.

It is the combination of woods that will give any guitar a solid chime, with a dark and woody undertone. This guitar provides a nice combination of both. When flatpicked it sounds brassy, with snappy notes that pop out of a G run until the final strum ends with an articulate ring. Fingerpicking patterns also ring loudly and build up some undertone wash, as notes sustain while new ones are struck.

The guitar’s motif seems to answer the question “What if Martin had made a 14-fret sloped dread in the old days?” as it has wood fiber inlay, grained ivoroid bindings and solid, jet black ebony for the fingerboard and bridge, all very nice, traditional dressing. But its meat and potatoes are still quite modern.

In keeping with the custom of using a CEO model to debut new features or showcase a change in technology, the CEO-6 has the Mortise and Tenon neck joint seen on all the CEO models and the hybrid A frame bracing required to hold it in place. But it also has the new High Performance neck and Fishman F-1 Aura® pickup system, both originally designed for the Performance Artist Series guitars that debuted this time last year.

The neck is super comfortable, with a 1-3/4” width at the nut, but only 2-1/8 at the 12th fret. Matched with a new profile, where the wood behind the fingerboard is carved shallow, but with a subtle V, it all makes for one fast, easy to play guitar. I must admit, it is difficult to describe how they feel. When I play these new necks I forget all about them in a matter of seconds – they are effortless and allow me to think about the music I am playing, rather than the neck.

They come with 2-3/16” string spacing, half way between Martin’s typical spacing on strumming and fingerstyle guitars. They are designed to accommodate both and a lot more. From Gypsy Jazz to Swing to Hard Rock barre chords, the new High Performance neck can serve very well for any such playing.

The Fishman F-1 Aura® has a typical under saddle pickup leading to atypical tone controls that replicate the sound of the specific model as recorded with several famous microphones. But the controls are housed in discrete dials on the bass side of the guitar that are easy to operate and have an LED readout to see the settings even when the stage lights dim out. The F1 includes an on-board tuner and phase switch to combat feedback. And, just as cool, they have a new configuration for plugging in, where the 1/4″ cord jack is separate from the strap button. The plug has a pop-out battery, so the player does not have to go through the soundhole and the strap button is set near the top for improved instrument balance when hanging from a strap.

The F-1 Analog version on the CEO Black k model has the Fishman F1 has the same discrete knobs and readout, but is limited to a basic volume and tone sweep, while retaining the  on-board tuner and phase switch features that add a lot in convenience. So it is $500 less than the original CEO-6 model with the fancier Aura enhancement technology.

And now for the hoopla. It appears as if they have gone and made a Martin copy of a Gibson J-45, or so the howling on the guitar forums will proclaim. Ironic, since I never hear anyone calling Gibson’s square shouldered dreadnoughts their copy of a Martin.

The official press release states these 14-fret, sloped shoulder dreadnoughts are inspired by Martin’s large, 12-fret version that were once considered the “Standard” dreadnought, as opposed to their square shouldered, 14-fret “Orchestra Model” dreads that appeared in 1934 and are the most copied design for a flat top acoustic guitar in history. [SEE: Gibson’s Dove, Hummingbird, Songwriter] And this guitar does look like a slightly smaller Standard dreadnought attached to a longer neck.

In reality, just like the earlier CEO-4 model, anyone who sees this new Martin will instantly think it looks like a Gibson J-45. Well, an Advanced Jumbo actually, since the J-45 has a scale length shorter than Martin’s short-scale and the AJs had a long scale equivalent to Martin’s OM dreads. Any doubt about this Martin’s resemblance to a Gibson being coincidental are set aside when you notice how the CEO-6 sports a new headstock with a unique Martin logo that immediately suggests the logo seen on most Gibson guitars.

My initial thought was Chris Martin must be a fan of Philip K. Dick. Maybe this is his interpretation of a guitar from an alternate universe where Martin and Gibson switched places, or were they have an amalgamation of both in one company. I am ok with this. I like Science Fiction. I also happen to love the looks of the CEO-6.

Some will say the CEO is paying homage to the classic Gibson models, or at least their classic headstock logo. Others may see unoriginal infringement on the slope shoulder design, forgetting that Martin was making slope shouldered dreads twenty years before Gibson and making 14-fret flat tops several years before Gibson’s first.

So, Martin has decided to make some guitars that emulate models by other makers. The rosewood Grand Jumbos are Guild-esque. Many people see the new Grand Performance and are reminded of a Taylor of similar dimensions, even if both owe a lot to Lowden and Olson. And now we have the CEO-6 and its Gibson Jumbo looks. It is not like we haven’t seen this before. The Gibson Songwriter models were obvious in their Taylorish design. Given how many Taylors and Gibsons are directly inspired by Martin designs, maybe it is only about time Martin did likewise. Each puts their own unique stamp on the final guitar anyway.

For all the sweet Gibson Girl looks, the CEO-6 still sounds like a 14-fret Martin dreadnought. Sure, it has snappy fundamentals and a peppy ring when you whip through the treble strings. The new, stiff Adirondack spruce is enough to account for that alone. Yes, perhaps the fundamental notes off the strings stand out, with less of an undertone and have a faster decay than other Martins. The Martins made with the M&T neck joint usually do, but it still has Martin resonance and undertone. The fundamentals come out with a lot of pop, but not in the same kind of pop that comes out of a Gibson.

I loved the cha-lang ring off a G chord, like a sunny wake up call and yes, it made me think of an Advanced Jumbo, compared to an HD-28, maybe. But really, when I came home and sought out some Gibsons, they sound nothing like this guitar. Gibson J models are designed to have a bass note with a loud “thunk” that drops off with almost instant decay, promoting an open midrange that puts the focus on the thin, chiming trebles, which are pretty much all that sustain. This CEO-6 has a lot of beef in the bass that spills over into the other registers, thanks to the sustain that wells up out of the body. It may not have the complexity under the strings that you get from some other Martins, but compared to a Gibson, it has loads of the stuff. If your ears long for the Gibson sound, you will likely think this CEO-6 sounds too muddy with too many overtones. On the other hand, if you always loved the look of the J-45 but wished it produced more sustaining overtones, your long wait may finally be over.

When it comes down to it, the CEO-6 doesn’t play or sound like a Gibson any more than the HD-16R Adirondack model. For me the Gibson copy thing is a paper tiger. The real question is why does it have such a high price tag?

I mean, okay, it has a nice Adirondack top and the new Aura® pickup system, which really does sound spectacular through sound systems large or small. But it is otherwise a D-16R in a cool looking outfit. Cosmetics aside, the vitals don’t seem to add up to the sticker price.

The High Performance neck is a wonderful feature, but it appears on other guitars without increasing the price, including Martins made with a traditional, hand-fitted dovetail neck joint.

I am not questioning putting the M&T neck joint on this model. They work very well with fancy pickup systems because they do not have the same feedback issues that come with the more-resonant dovetail Martins. And this model comes with perhaps the best pickup system available today. The guitar is clearly designed for pro-stage performance and carefree plug-and-play gear brings peace of mind. The point is, the sole reason the M&T neck joint exists is to cut costs. This guitar would cost even more with the dovetail neck joint.

Now, to be fair, cosmetics and aesthetics matter. This is a handsome guitar with various, little extras, like wood fiber purfling instead of plastic, a vintage style bridge and a Style 45 backstrip. But the sloped shoulders and Gibson-like appearance seem to come at a premium I find hard to justify once I close my eyes and play the thing.

One other mystery remains for me. The guitar felt like it had a shorter scale, which would be in line with the J-45 style. The official spec sheets say it has the 25.4″ long-scale of the Martin dreads. Maybe the baritone guitars I played that day made it seem short-scale. Or maybe it was the new, fast neck. Whatever it was, I liked it.

Pros: Great looking, easy playing. An Adi-topped slope dread with state of the art electronics and some appealing novelty.

Cons: The sticker price. Seems a lot for what are essentially bells and whistles.

Bottom Line: An attractive and successful design, at a price. When it comes down to it, the CEO-6 is an M&T Martin listing over $4K. If a pretty face isn’t so important to you, the GPCPA2 or DCPA3 of the Performing Artist Series offer similar specs for less.

And that is one man’s word on…

Martin CEO-6 and CEO-6 Black

Read more about C.F. Martin & Co. HERE
Read our primer about Martin Model Designations and Naming Conventions HERE

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