Martin CEO-11 Acoustic-electric Guitar – New Horizons Blue Burst

A Horizon Complete with 11 Degrees of Visionary Power

The Martin CEO-11 owes its actualized existence to the mind behind its namesake magic: Martin President and CEO Thomas Ripsam. This Grand Auditorium model is steeped in an eclectic fusion of arcane esoterica and premium tonewoods, born from Ripsam’s commitment to sustainable design, unwavering quality, premier craftsmanship, and the numerological philosophy behind the number 11 as a “master number.” But numeral pondering isn’t the only place the CEO-11 exudes mastery — City Music’s Guitar Workshop team was positively stunned after witnessing its construction. Dark-stained, multipiece white oak complements an FSC-certified European spruce top, supplemented by flamed maple and ebony, with eye-grabbing designs abounding throughout its inlays and rosette, topped off with the debut of its distinguished New Horizons Blue Burst finish. Robust aural architecture, hard-wearing hardware, and a versatile Fishman system reinforce the studio-to-stage style that’s been methodically assembled to give you everything you need to unearth your latent next-gen artistry. Only 1,111 units of this limited-edition instrument are available worldwide — get yours while you can!

Don’t forget your roots

Thanks to Thomas Ripsam’s tenure with Martin, he’s learned a thing or two (read: a lot) about guitars and tonewoods. The CEO-11 expertly distills this knowledge into a powerful, pliable instrument that’s been spared no effort to ensure it’s primed for performance. A European spruce top conjures projective panache with plenty of headroom, remaining balanced and punchy, with a touch of added midrange emphasis. The sides and multipiece back were carved from German white oak, which is tonally revered for its encompassing brightness, smoldering basses, and tenaciously transparent trebles, expertly complementing the mid-frequency favoring of the spruce top. The flamed maple neck takes up the white oak’s gauntlet of spectrum-spanning brilliance, supplementing it with its own doses of warmth and discerning note-separating articulation. That final detail dovetails into the last piece of the CEO-11’s tonewood quadrumvirate — the commanding ebony fretboard, teeming with sustain, presence, and voltaic voicing that punches through every register.

Custom-tuned versatile voicing

With such an eclectic and exciting tonal territory to traverse, Martin called upon one of the industry’s most celebrated names in acoustic-electric excellence: Fishman. The Aura VT Blend preamp has found its away among many Martin machines, and for good reason, supplying immense support that captures, preserves, and presents every note, chord, and lick with exacting precision, flourishes and nuances intact. And you can take that check to the bank — this Fishman Aura VT Blend system was expressly tuned to Ripsam’s personal preferences.

Golden-era braced for high-impact performance

Martin’s X Brace system has been long lauded as a gold standard of acoustic design. The CEO-11 naturally features as much, albeit with a twist that honors Martin’s near-200-year heritage. Forward-shifted X-bracing moves the X-brace system slightly off center, closer to the guitar’s soundhole, suiting the Grand Auditorium’s robust presence via less-restricted top vibrations, reinforced bass-end responsiveness, and an extra bit of smoldering warmth that “booms” beyond the standard X-brace position. Scalloped Golden Era (GE) bracing utilizes a pattern that harkens to Martin’s earliest innovations and prewar craftsmanship, eliciting enduring sustain and an open profile only achievable by Martin’s exacting vintage specifications.

Martin CEO-11 Features:

• Envisioned and designed by Martin President and CEO Thomas Ripsam — limited to just 1,111 units worldwide
• Premium craftsmanship meets esoteric wisdom for an inspiring, lifelong musical partner
• FSC-certified European spruce top yields high-headroom projection and expansive dynamic range
• Multipiece German white oak back and sides bring mid-emphasized sound, resounding basses, and transparent trebles
• European flamed-maple neck imparts full-spectrum warmth and brightness to your sound, with superior note-separating articulation
• Ebony fretboard conjures relentless sustain, crystalline transparency, and shimmering depth that never sacrifices definition for its enduring presence
• Forward-shifted X Brace makes for booming tones with versatile, detailed voicing
• Golden Era scalloped braces blend weight-reduction with sonic enhancement for premier prewar Martin craftsmanship and sound
• Satin-finished neck shaped to Golden Era Modified Low Oval profile, accommodating plenty of playstyles with unwavering accuracy
• Active Fishman Aura VT Blend preamp system is custom-tuned to Thomas Ripsam’s personal performance preferences
• Indian yantra tattoo-inspired inlays and Unalaome headstock inlay supplement your 6-string with the power of arcane wisdom