PP_CS336 Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Just wanted to let you guys know I added a new guitar to the family. This one's not an Epiphone, but is a richer cousin, so to speak. I took what was left of my job bonus for this past year (after the government took their share) and purchased a Gibson ES-336 (I don't have a digital camera for pictures, but it's my new avatar. If you want a better shot of it, you can go to the Gibson Products site under Custom Shop and look up CS-336). I didn't go to the music store with the intent to buy the guitar premeditated. It just happened. I went to exchange some strings for my daughter's guitar and went into the "Private Parlor" room at Alto Music in Middletown, NY to just browse at the Gibsons. I tried a couple and then picked out one and said, "What' this?". It said CS-336 (I didn't know at the time that CS stood for Gibson's Custom Shop). I plugged it in and played it for about two hours. The store was closing so I had to get ready to leave, but I told the guy, "I want this guitar." I came back a week later and bought it. For those that don't know, the CS-336 is a hybrid type guitar. Gibson wanted to combine the classic look of a hollow-body with the performance of a solid-body. Kind of like the ES-335 meets the Les Paul. The color is VS (Vintage Sunburst). It's semi-hollow with (2) '57 Classic Humbucker pickups and a sound pallette that's out of this world (the tone knobs actually work in conjunction with the pickups). The hardware is nickel, the tuners are Gibson Deluxe with the tulip turning pegs. The body is mahagony shell (bottom and side) and the top is book-matched two piece maple. The body and neck are bound but, the headstock is not, somewhat like the ES-335. I used it on my gig this past Saturday night in the band and the other guys were like, "Whoa!" I still have my two Epiphone electrics (Sheraton II NA and Les Paul Standard VS) and still love them, but I did notice the difference in the sound of the Gibson guitar. I feel like I got back the Gibson Les Paul Custom and the ES-335, I had to give up in the past, all rolled into one guitar. I'm really in love with this guitar. Oh and there's not only a difference in sound, but also the speed of the neck (fretboard) is incredible for it's playability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicester35 Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 HNGD! Seriously though, if you can afford one of those you can afford a cheapo digital camera. We want to see pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReneBoedker Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Congratulations! It looks stunning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deflepfan Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 HNGD! Seriously though' date=' if you can afford one of those you can afford a cheapo digital camera. We want to see pics! [/quote'] +1 !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonesomeagle1 Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Congrats Paul. Many years of playing in that baby! BTW , Alto's is a great shop. We have a summer place about 20 minutes from there. My son goes there religiously. Nice people. Peace, Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PP_CS336 Posted March 30, 2010 Author Share Posted March 30, 2010 Congratulations! It looks stunning ReneBoedker, Thanks! It seems you took the time to go to the Gibson site to check it out as I had asked. I have the Plain-Top model as the Flame-top model costs another $600-700.00 that I didn't have. Alto Music had the Plain-Top VS for $2099.99 with the case, and certificate of authenticity from Gibson's Custom Shop. The salesman told me the only difference between the two was cosmetic, because everything else was exactly the same. I actually like my plain-top as it has a nice grain of its own. While I was at the music store I saw the guitar you have in your avatar. It is also a beauty. I've never had an SG, but they are nice guitars. I feel guitars are like a craftsman's tool. You buy what you need for your craft and if you can't afford the better at one time, you buy what you can to do the job and when you get more money you can always upgrade if you choose to. Other more fortunate people can buy them outright without having to put much thought into it; that's not me. I noted the comment the other two guys made about that if I could afford that guitar I could afford a cheap digital camera to take a picture of it. Maybe if I could make continual use of the camera I might break down and buy one someday, but since I'm not a camera buff it's not on my list of priorities at the time. They probably didn't note that I had to use my job's bonus money to afford the guitar, otherwise I would not have been able to buy it. I'm on a budget where I have to pick and choose what I can buy. I love music and I love playing guitar, but I've gotten what I have by using "found money" (like my 2009 work bonus for the Gibson CS-336, or work award in 2006 for my Epi Sheraton II, or George Bush's stimulus check in 2008 for my Epi Les Paul Standard), if you know what I mean, or bartering, or being blessed (I won my Epi PR5E in an Epiphone giveaway contest last year). I don't just collect guitars for the sake of having them. I actually use them. Since I play pretty regularly, outside of my 9 to 5 job, and can use this guitar (as well as my others), it will eventually pay for itself and more because it's a tool for craft as well as for pleasure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PP_CS336 Posted March 30, 2010 Author Share Posted March 30, 2010 Congrats Paul. Many years of playing in that baby! BTW ' date=' Alto's is a great shop. We have a summer place about 20 minutes from there. My son goes there religiously. Nice people. Peace, Pete. [/quote'] Pete, many thanks! I'm sure this guitar will see alot of action. I see you have an Epi PR5E in your collection, also. I won mine last year in an Epi website contest. Very nice Acoustic-Electric guitar. Mine's Ebony (had no choice because that's what they gave me, but I love it anyway). What color is yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeladdie Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Must have just missed you Paul, I was in Alto Middletown last week and wound up getting the Pelham Blue 339. All the great things you noted about your 336 are the same for my 339, and I've been playing it so much my other guitars are starting to collect dust! Here it is.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PP_CS336 Posted March 30, 2010 Author Share Posted March 30, 2010 Must have just missed you Paul' date=' I was in Alto Middletown last week and wound up getting the Pelham Blue 339. All the great things you noted about your 336 are the same for my 339, and I've been playing it so much my other guitars are starting to collect dust! Here it is.... [img']http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q98/weeladdie2007/Guitars/P3250049.jpg[/img] Weeladdie, Wow! You blew my mind when I got your post. I bought my guitar Thursday, March 26th. I was talking with Phil, the guitar salesman that works in "the Room" at Alto's in Middletown and he was telling me that someone had just purchased the Pelham Blue ES-339 that was hanging in the same area where my VS CS-336 was (I was lucky you bought that guitar and not the one I was looking at). Yeh, these Custom Shop guitars are awesome. I'm sure we're going to get a lot of playing, action, and years of pleasure out of these babies. And thanks to Alto Music for making them even more affordable then most music stores. The color on yours looks great. I don't have a digital camera to take pictures, but our Forum buddy, Peter, (AKA, paruwi6172) from Germany, provided a web link that everyone can tap into (see his reply) and see the guitar I have because that link depicts the exact color, etc. and many views. Take a peek, if you haven't already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PP_CS336 Posted March 30, 2010 Author Share Posted March 30, 2010 HNGD to you' date=' paul from the other side of the pond it's a great looking guitar here is a link to some more pics....... http://www.thomann.de/de/prod_bdb_AR_232220.html?image=0&small=1 I'm jealous ! Peter[/quote'] Peter, thank you so much for the compliments and also providing a link so the other guys can see exactly how nice my new guitar looks. I already know it's as much a player as a looker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dearlpitts Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 awome guitar/my rythm guitar player just got the 335 and your lucky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector Arcadius Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Many congrats man! I'm sure that this is a guitar to cherish, love and play for many years to come! And she's a great looker as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midiman56 Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Happy New Guitar Day to you! Congrats on a beautiful instrument! Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonesomeagle1 Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Pete' date=' many thanks! [biggrin'] I'm sure this guitar will see alot of action. I see you have an Epi PR5E in yourcollection, also. I won mine last year in an Epi website contest. Very nice Acoustic-Electric guitar. Mine's Ebony (had no choice because that's what they gave me, but I love it anyway). What color is yours? Bought my son the natural a few years back. Currently away at college in Florida( he is a recording technology student) along with the LP Custom. He also added a Epi hummingbird and an '74 Ovation 12 string while he was down there. We suffer from serious GAS! Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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