andrew336 Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 (edited) hello everyone. curious. new acquisition of a beautiful cs-336 to the body of guitars. very pleased... as the fit, feel and sound are uniquely different from my other gibson models. came strung with .10's, which i am not used to playing. any experience with equipping this guitar with .11's, possibly flat wounds... presuming that adjustments will be made for increased tension? thanks for your replies! Edited November 19, 2019 by andrew336 attract more views/replies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 (edited) It should accept .11s with no problem and flat wounds are OK too if you prefer that tone. Always loved my 336, and subsequent 356. Post a few pictures of your new baby - we always say around here if there are no pictures, it didn't happen 🙂 Edited November 19, 2019 by Twang Gang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew336 Posted November 20, 2019 Author Share Posted November 20, 2019 (edited) 6 hours ago, Twang Gang said: It should accept .11s with no problem and flat wounds are OK too if you prefer that tone. Always loved my 336, and subsequent 356. Post a few pictures of your new baby - we always say around here if there are no pictures, it didn't happen 🙂 thank you for your reply! And thanks for those pics! They are beeeautiful!! may I ask your choice of string manufacturers and gauge? stock pick ups on both? this is a pic of the 2018 I recently acquired. Edited November 20, 2019 by andrew336 Poor picture quality Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew336 Posted November 20, 2019 Author Share Posted November 20, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golf4birds Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Nice looking guitar! Have really been thinking of getting one... do you have an issue with it not staying in tune?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew336 Posted November 21, 2019 Author Share Posted November 21, 2019 Thank you! Pictures don’t do the instrument justice. It really is a thing of beauty, and when you consider the time and craftsmanship that went into it, it’s pretty special, I think. ive been playing it for a week or so... and really have had no issues with it falling out of tune. As the instrument warms up from holding it and playing, minor adjustment in tuning can be made, but really is just very sweet to play. I thought I might have issue with the stock kluson tuners, but they actually work very well, have no play, and are very sensitive to adjustment. Sound wise, it is very different from its larger cousin the es-335. The sound is more punchy, with a very responsive attack. And the variety of tones it can produce makes it very versatile. The smaller body makes it very comfortable to hold and play. Similar in size to a Les Paul, but much lighter ( this one just shy of 7 lbs). I will keep this guitar forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted November 23, 2019 Share Posted November 23, 2019 On 11/19/2019 at 7:48 PM, andrew336 said: may I ask your choice of string manufacturers and gauge? stock pick ups on both? For years I used Elixir .10s . However recently a tried three different types of Gibson branded strings (on three different guitars) and I really like the "Humbucker Special Alloy Wound" that they make, so next string change I will probably go with them on my 356. I sold the 336 when I bought the 356, but they both have stock pickups which are the '57 Classics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted November 23, 2019 Share Posted November 23, 2019 On 11/21/2019 at 2:16 AM, Golf4birds said: Nice looking guitar! Have really been thinking of getting one... do you have an issue with it not staying in tune?? I have played Gibson guitars since 1965 and was never a big fan of the Kluson tuners thinking that they led to tuning issues. Actually I was wrong - I don't think there is anything lacking in Klusons at all (although I do like locking tuners) and all my tuning issues stemmed from two things: the nut on the guitar needed to be filed just a little bit so it wouldn't bind, and my sometimes forgetting to always tune UP to the note. If you tune down at all there will be a little slack between the nut and the string post (especially if the nut is binding a little) and when you bend the string you pull out the slack leaving the string a little flat. Not the fault of the tuners at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayville Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 Congrats - that's a handsome CS-336. FWIW, I've been using DR Pure Blues .10-.46 pure nickels on my '03 CS-356 for about a decade now. They seem just a little warmer and, well, bluesier than the D'Addario XL10s I favored before that (which suits this guitar and what I play). Sounds plenty "jazzy" on the neck pickup if that's what you're after, and the guitar is still as versatile overall as it's always been. These (336/356) come stock with .10s, so if you go up a gauge to .11s you'll either be just fine or you *may* benefit from carefully drawing a folded piece of fine sandpaper through the nut slots a few times to reduce string binding in the slots on the way to the tuners - particularly on the middle strings where the angles are sharper. If you do get a little binding or tuning instability, you'll want to sand the sides to make the slot a touch wider, but not deeper - and try to avoid the take-off point on the fretboard side of the nut if you can, or you might need to adjust your intonation at the saddles just a wee bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew336 Posted December 4, 2019 Author Share Posted December 4, 2019 Hey, thanks everyone! There is some great insight here... just what I was looking for! Think I will adjust to .10’s for now... and try pure nickel strings. It’s a great instrument, a joy to pick up and play every day. Many sounds, with very articulate variations . Lovin it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotod69 Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 I've used Gibson Vintage Pure Nickel 11's on most of my Gibson's and feel and sound great on my CS 336. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew336 Posted December 27, 2019 Author Share Posted December 27, 2019 Holy mackerel, that is a beautiful guitar! I love the finish... and I am sure it sounds even better...! i appreciate your reply. I think I will follow your lead and have my guitar tech string it with the Gibson vintage pure nickel .11’s, and make the proper adjustments. After a few months of playing this instrument strung with .10’s, it feels/sounds like it could benefit from slightly heavier strings. Thanks, again, for continuing this discussion... and sharing the pics of your 336! I really love everything about this guitar, and enjoy hearing from others who share the same feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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