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clayville

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Everything posted by clayville

  1. The first number on that Certificate shown above is Gibson code for exactly what it is (Whoever wrote it may have forgotten the '3' in '355' - but I can't think of any other models that have a 55 in the model number so perhaps it isn't needed here). 'ES' = Electric Spanish '55' = ES-355 '18' = 2018 'AW' = Antique Walnut finish 'G' = Gold Hardware 'IU' = I'm not sure about these... Maybe it's really an 'M' for Maestro? '1' at the end = 'First Quality' (they used to release 'factory seconds')
  2. I use the On Stage GS7465 stand. Basically an A-frame with a flip-it locking extension for the neck. Foldable, really stable base and the neck 'lock' has saved me from disaster more than once. Works great for electrics or acoustics. https://on-stage.com/products/view/12912
  3. +1 on DR Pure Blues I find that the small bodied Gibson semi-hollow guitars can trend a little bit "bright" sounding and the DR's seem to be a little warmer sounding than, say, D'Adarrios on my CS-356 to my ear. But feel free to experiment in the coming weeks/months. Try different ones until you find one you like - strings are the cheapest mod there is (other than screwdriver adjustments to pickup height, which can also make a big difference on these).
  4. My 2003 CS-356 (bought new) doesn't have an inside sticker. My theory is that the inside carve/routing on these models doesn't lend itself to secure sticker placement.
  5. For what it's worth, when I moved away from D'Addarios on my CS-356 about five years ago I eventually settled on DR Pure Blues 10-46s after a few experiments and have never looked back. They seem warmer and less 'brittle' sounding in that guitar, and seem to create a richer, more 'round' and full sound. But that sounds lvague, even to me. Kind of depends on what you're looking for, what direction you want to take your guitar's sound... but if you're just looking for a change as I was, I liked my results.
  6. Thanks. The back and sides are carved (routed) from a solid slab of mahogany in the same manner for both the CS-356 and CS-336. Though the CS-356 has not been on Gibson's own website for nearly a decade, they do in fact still manufacture them in short runs for select dealers as far as I'm aware. Over the last year or so they have turned up at both Wildwood and Music Zoo, I believe.
  7. Back in 2003, when many, many Gibson dealers were allowed to show specific new guitars on the internet (instead of the small handful who can now), I fell instantly in love with the dealer photos of a CS-356 in a shop on the other side of the country. These were relatively new models then, differing from CS-336's with an ebony fingerboard and more bling, and then as now, very difficult to find locally no matter where you live. I took what was, for me, a huge gamble and pulled the trigger having never played one - and this was an investment of at least three times the size of any previous guitar purchase. This one is from a special run for Music Machine in Washington, In "Quilted Heritage Darkburst", with a Stinger painted on the back of the headstock. I was lucky to get it. Nearly fifteen years later, it has been by far my favorite guitar, and inspires me every day from the minute I open the case. Mine is still bone stock - though I can attest that these are very responsive to even small screwdriver tweaks to raise/lower the pickups, pole pieces or tailpiece. They're tremendously versatile guitars too, with a really broad range of sound available through little more that twisting the knobs - I can get as close as I need to get to an LP or a 335 sound, and pretty close to a brighter Tele-like sound too. I wouldn't part with it for three times what I paid for it new.
  8. Just replaced the saddle on my mahogany/spruce 1995 J-100 Extra with a new pre-shaped bone saddle from Bob Colosi. After sending along accurate measurements of the original saddle, I only needed about 30 minutes of minor sanding and fiddling to get the new one to fit beautifully - a little off the bottom and a little more off an end with sandpaper is all it took. The one I was replacing had some string wear grooves along the top that were, I thought, giving me some unwanted overtones. I couldn't be happier with the results: loud, even, clear tone before I even changed the strings (I had left the old set on so I could tweak the height to preference a few times) and my ol' cannon really came alive with a new set of Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze Custom Lights after that. I only mention this becuase I'd procrastinated for about a decade on this simple procedure - I was too chicken to attempt it for many years, but it really couldn't have been easier or the results more pleasing if you're in the same boat and "considering" like I was. Colosi was great to work with, does good work and was very helpful to me.
  9. I was taking a picture of a new-to-me amp I picked up recently and got photo-bombed by my 2003 CS-356. Plus: I missed this thread! - Clay
  10. Nothing new to report here a decade into my love affair with my CS-356, I just missed this ol' thread!
  11. I guess there IS an exception to every rule after all. Now I've seen one.
  12. Umm... I've never see a CS-356 with bound f-holes and narrow horns like that.
  13. *Bump* with soundtrack: my CS-356 on the clean - and boring - lead here http://soundclick.com/share?songid=9594944 (that one's for dodgytoo and eljay )
  14. This issue can easily be fixed if it's the nut -- and it's not something specific to 336s, but caused by the sharp angles from the thick middle strings at the nut heading down due to headtock angle and out to the tuner on most Gibsons. Be aware that it could be caused by burrs in the saddle slot too, even though that's less likely. You can approach the fix several ways: !. If you're blessed with an appropriate sized nut file or are willing to invest in one from Stew-Mac, a few careful draws of the file through the slot while applying a bit of side-to-side pressure should do the trick. 2. You can fold a piece of fine sandpaper over an old string and draw that through the slot a few times to gently widen it a little. 3. Or you can lubricate the slot with a graphite pencil, a commercial graphite product like Nut Sauce, or even a waxy substance like Chapstick to make the slot more slippery. With sanding/filing you generally want to be careful to avoid deepening the slot, or changing the angle of the bottom of the slot front-to-back -- for crisp sounding notes and good intonation you want a "clean/sharp" take-off point for the string as it goes from tuner through the slot and exits towards the saddle, so ideally the fretboard side of the slot is higher than the headstock side. If those second two home remedies above don't help, or you're not comfortable doing the first one, it may be worth taking it to a luthier with the proper files for more extensive/confident nut work. Which is... likely to be about the price of the files!
  15. An OCD pedal accidentally jumped into my shopping bag when I accidentally stopped into a music shop while Christmas shopping for the Mrs. Other than that, I got socks.
  16. The 356 never had the Memphis Tone Circuit stock. The 339 and 359 come wired that way. Congrats on your new guitar, it's a beauty.
  17. Thanks! Do you mean the Lounge Area here?
  18. Hi Tom! And what a fine example it is... I forget: does it have Dr. V's in it now?
  19. Nice! Is that her case she's lounging on?? I'm betting not...
  20. The CS did a small run (maybe 10 guitars total?) of White CS-356s for the 10th Anniversary of the Custom Shop. Those are the only white ones I know of in this body style: http://www.gibson.com/press/custom/img/10th_Anniv_CS-356.jpg
  21. Blues: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7528849 (unsophisticated) Jazz: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7336032 :D
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