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Martins Tribute to The Gibson AJ and J45


george black

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Martin and company has introduced their 2011 models and one guitar that is attracting a lot of attention is the CEO6. It looks liker the Gibson AJ(Adi top with rosewwod back and sides). It is said to be a tribute to Gibson. From the reports being offered It has the Gibson tone with more volume and much more sustain. This is a follow up of the Limited Edition CEO4 which was a tribute to the J45(Mahogany back and sides with ADI top). The CEO4 was a run of 409 and though it looked like the J45 it retained the Martin headstock. The newly introduced CEO6 has the same look as the prior CEO4 and CEO4r but It has a black headstock.

 

These Gibson Tribute guitars may well prove to be collectibles in the years to come.

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To be honest, I nearly asked Wileyoldfool to post the CEO6 in the ugly guitars of 11 section.

I think the logo on the new Martin is a very bold step for Martin, and very ugly too.

It is way off traditional. I thought the raised gold logo in 1994 was bad enough!

As far as a tribute to the j-45 goes, I don't think it is. It is merely Martins attempt

to lure would be j-45 buyers to there side.

If I want Gibson I,ll buy a Gibson and likewise for Martin.

Still, at least Martin do bring out a lot of new acoustic guitars, unlike Gibson!

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Thanks to Guth we've got a link to a NAMM video. In that video, CF Martin said it's a copy - "a Martin version of someone else's iconic guitar design". He never called it a tribute. Nor did he ever utter the word "Gibson". So, according to

, it's not CF Martin's tribute to Gibson. It's simply Martin going after another iconic guitar company's market. Business as usual. B)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VefjTK3dpzQ

 

 

 

Thanks Guth - From this thread - http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/62056-martins-tribute-to-the-gibson-aj-and-j45/

...

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I think the logo on the new Martin is a very bold step for Martin, and very ugly too.

 

The logo looks like it was designed by an inhabitant of Toytown.

 

I'd expect a guitar with that headstock logo to have a stamp on the reverse reading "Made in China".

 

Awful. Truly Awful.

 

What were they thinking?

 

And, like dem00n said earlier, I'm absolutely serious. What were they thinking?

 

P.

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It's simply Martin going after another iconic guitar company's market. Business as usual. B)

 

I'm pretty sure Martin invented (among other things) the 14-fret neck, X-bracing and the dreadnought. Actually, most Gibson acoustics are copies of Martins and were introduced in order to compete with already existing Martin models. Just google a bit, if you're interested in the subject.

 

The last thing Martin needs to do is "go after an iconic guitar company's market". It has been the other way around for decades, but Martin is still the undisputed leader in the field of acoustics.

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It looks like someone took one of those $150 Chinese Epiphones, ran the headstock through a bandsaw, and the logo....

 

Words escape me about the logo. It's just wrong. No quasi-witty caustic barbs, it's just.... wrong.

 

I suddenly feel the need to go brush my teeth, or use some hand sanitizer, or spray some Tinactin in my pants.

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I was interviewing **** Boak of Martin at the 2008 Summer NAMM show and he shows me a guitar that looked a lot like a J-200 and said "This is new for 2008.... it's not a very Martin looking guitar" to which I almost said "Yea... it's a very Gibson looking guitar..." But he's a nice guy and I thought that would be rude so I didn't.

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I'm pretty sure Martin invented (among other things) the 14-fret neck, X-bracing and the dreadnought. Actually, most Gibson acoustics are copies of Martins and were introduced in order to compete with already existing Martin models. Just google a bit, if you're interested in the subject.

The last thing Martin needs to do is "go after an iconic guitar company's market". It has been the other way around for decades, but Martin is still the undisputed leader in the field of acoustics.

 

I don't need a history lesson. I'm talking about CF Martin's comments - he said "I'm a shameless copier." [blink]

 

Did you watch

? :rolleyes:
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I don't need a history lesson. I'm talking about CF Martin's comments - he said "I'm a shameless copier." [blink]

 

Did you watch

? :rolleyes:

 

Yes, he did say that, but it would seem to me that that's part of his little joke: Martins have been copied since the beginning. He made a copy of the copy. Or is that CEO model a ladder-braced, small-bodied, 12-fret guitar?

 

But I doubt he was doing it to make ends meet or cut into another company's market. He sells enough D-18's, D-28's, D-45's, etc., etc...

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A joke . . . . All that time and money to ramp up a new model . . . for a joke. [blink]

 

Welp, it's not getting many laughs at the unofficial Martin forum - and those guys are Martin fan-boys. In fact, some of those guys are not happy. I've owned Martins over the years, and currently own a D-45 VR. When I buy a Martin, I'm looking for a Martin, not a Martin that's built like a Gibson, or any other company's guitar.

 

Whatever you call it, a joke, market stategy, a dumb idea, . . . . . it's still a nod at the competition, plain a simple.

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A joke . . . . All that time and money to ramp up a new model . . . for a joke. [blink]

 

[...] When I buy a Martin, I'm looking for a Martin, not a Martin that's built like a Gibson, or any other company's guitar.

 

Whatever you call it, a joke, market stategy, a dumb idea, . . . . . it's still a nod at the competition, plain a simple.

 

I probably wouldn't buy one either, but I think it's a bit hasty to assume that this model won't be a "real Martin" with the Martin sound, unless one has played it first. After all, the goal was supposedly to make some sonic improvements.

 

As to all the time and money for a new model: Isn't this guitar a limited run just like the other "tribute model"? By their very nature limited runs aren't really intended to change the existing product-palette of a company.

 

In the end, I really do think the whole thing is basically a sort of funny publicity stunt, just to get people talking and to remind them that the original is still the best. And since you appear to be a satisfied Martin-player for many years, I guess you would agree.

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