Need advice on Gibson 336

[onewilyfool]

Hi Guys, I'm looking to get a Gibson 336 with a figured Maple top. I've played my friends which is quite nice, but would appreciate any feedback on things to look out for, whether to go used or new, etc. Thanks

[Hall]

Wily,

 

I hate it when: 1. no one answers a post or 2. when a poster asking a question fails to say,"thanks". Don't you? You were in category one until now. First of all, I would be buying a Custom Shop (much as there is) ES-335. But, if you dig the 6 that is your call. Get in a room alone without sound. Make them do it for you! So, play it unplugged first to make sure you have a good plank. Inspect every single thing on the instrument for good QUALITY CONTROL. Then do it another time, or two. Since Gibson went to mass production 101 there is no such thing as a "line pull" in electrics. Sticky necks won't heal. Shake it for God knows what lurks in cavities. Work the tuners well. Inspect all binding. De-tune and tune up for nut cut. Tell them you love it and want to put fresh strings on it, now! Plug into a clean tube amp and check all switches and pots for glitches and response at each end of spectrum. Play it clean, clean, clean. Make certain the correct Gibson case is included with all papers and truss rod tool, all without additional cost, or walk. Then go think about it over a burger. Come back and play a 335!

[onewilyfool]

Thanks HG....good advice for any purchase let alone the 6

[Hall]

Your welcome, Wily. And, you've restored my faith in mankind. Good hunting for you 6!

[clayville]

Well, what I love most about my 2003 CS-356 is it's tone and versatility. As you know from playing and hearing your friend's 336, the 336/356 models can get almost anything in between a ballsy LP and a woody 335, with even a little Tele-like spank in some situations. The size, weight, and comfort were and remain a very big plus for me since the bigger body of a 335 has always felt distractingly large to me.

 

Personally, I think one should always shop with their ears first. The sound is, to me, by far the most important factor. If you're going to ante up the substantial funds it takes for one of these, a very well-made guitar in good shape is obviously desirable... but I've always felt that expecting or demanding absolute perfection in a handmade but mass produced instrument was a surefire way to miss out on a lot of great ones.

 

That said, mine was perfect the day I got it. And it's looks didn't hurt:

[onewilyfool]

Clayville.....that is beautiful....

[Hall]

Well' date=' what I love most about my 2003 CS-356 is it's tone and versatility. As you know from playing and hearing your friend's 336, the 336/356 models can get almost anything in between a ballsy LP and a woody 335, with even a little Tele-like spank in some situations. The size, weight, and comfort were and remain a very big plus for me since the bigger body of a 335 has always felt distractingly large to me.

 

Personally, I think one should always shop with their ears first. The sound is, to me, by far the most important factor. If you're going to ante up the substantial funds it takes for one of these, a very well-made guitar in good shape is obviously desirable... but I've always felt that expecting or demanding absolute perfection in a handmade but mass produced instrument was a surefire way to miss out on a lot of great ones.

 

That said, mine was perfect the day I got it. And it's looks didn't hurt:

[img']http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c400/mcguane/Couch2.jpg[/img]

 

I think all you really did was show off your guitar there, clayville! Tell Wily if you tried your C before purchasing and if so what things you did. He wants assistance. Then, he can admire his own guitar, no? That is, providing he picks a good one! What would you have done if your's had a dead tone, ill-fit binding on the body etc, bad tuners, static or non responsive pots and pickup controls, uneven frets, lifting veneer and paint runs; along with the now all to frequent Gibson "sticky neck"? Wily asked for some specifics didn't he? And we are talking mass production with little quality control. One really has to check his Gibson out now days, much more than in the past. Heck, otherwise he could save a buck on a mail order and cross one's fingers as the order of the day. There are great ones still, for sure. But, man. Please tell him the specifics you examined before your purchase and take the photo awe out of his eyes and head.

[clayville]

Thanks for your, um, feedback hg.

 

It seemed to me that you pretty much had "the nit pickers guide to kicking the tires on a guitar/in-hand inspection" part covered quite well, along with the healthy dose of "bashing Gibson's QC thoroughly" (twice now)... so I thought I actually was adding something positive. I might be wrong (not the first time).

 

As it happens, I bought mine new from a trusted independent dealer via long distance -- one that I had researched quite a bit before hand. At the time (and to this day in many respects) it may be quite difficult to find a single example of these fine guitars locally for a test drive, much less several to choose from -- and I'm in a major US metro area. But as I understand it, the thread originator already knows what a 336 feels and sounds like generally, and wants one.

 

Back in the Wild West of 2003 when I got my 356 new, a fellow could scour the internet looking for examples of specific instruments and call for more info. But I still went with the customer service and reputation of an independent shop over other options. I got tons of detailed photos, a lengthy in-hand description, the answer to every question I had, customer service of the highest order and a 48-hour approval period that allowed me to draw my own conclusions before the deal was finalized. Mine wasn't the one on top of the pile in some central warehouse, in other words. It happened to be from a special run for a Super dealer with non-standard wood and finish. But it was flawless, just as described and just as expected by me from the good folks at the Gibson Custom Shop.

 

I do think, in my case, that the sort of dealer experience I had went a very long way toward reducing the perceived risk in a long distance purchase, especially with that approval period. At this level of expenditure I've personally never been particularly comfortable dealing with a giant mail-order outfit, nor with an amateur of unknown ethics or reliability on the used market. And in my experience, pricing from the indie dealers is often quite comparable to the chain(s) or mail-order. But again, that's just me -- lots of people have happy experiences going some other route.

 

And fwiw, every report I've read and experience I've had with sticky nitro is that it hardens over a very brief time. A super sticky, just-sprayed-yesterday neck just needs more time.

[Hall]

Thanks for your' date=' um, feedback hg.

 

It seemed to me that you pretty much had "the nit pickers guide to kicking the tires on a guitar/in-hand inspection" part covered quite well, along with the healthy dose of "bashing Gibson's QC thoroughly" (twice now)... so I thought I actually [u']was[/u] adding something positive. I might be wrong (not the first time).

 

As it happens, I bought mine new from a trusted independent dealer via long distance -- one that I had researched quite a bit before hand. At the time (and to this day in many respects) it may be quite difficult to find a single example of these fine guitars locally for a test drive, much less several to choose from -- and I'm in a major US metro area. But as I understand it, the thread originator already knows what a 336 feels and sounds like generally, and wants one.

 

Back in the Wild West of 2003 when I got my 356 new, a fellow could scour the internet looking for examples of specific instruments and call for more info. But I still went with the customer service and reputation of an independent shop over other options. I got tons of detailed photos, a lengthy in-hand description, the answer to every question I had, customer service of the highest order and a 48-hour approval period that allowed me to draw my own conclusions before the deal was finalized. Mine wasn't the one on top of the pile in some central warehouse, in other words. It happened to be from a special run for a Super dealer with non-standard wood and finish. But it was flawless, just as described and just as expected by me from the good folks at the Gibson Custom Shop.

 

I do think, in my case, that the sort of dealer experience I had went a very long way toward reducing the perceived risk in a long distance purchase, especially with that approval period. At this level of expenditure I've personally never been particularly comfortable dealing with a giant mail-order outfit, nor with an amateur of unknown ethics or reliability on the used market. And in my experience, pricing from the indie dealers is often quite comparable to the chain(s) or mail-order. But again, that's just me -- lots of people have happy experiences going some other route.

 

And fwiw, every report I've read and experience I've had with sticky nitro is that it hardens over a very brief time. A super sticky, just-sprayed-yesterday neck just needs more time.

 

Clayville,

 

The tone relayed via the written word isn't always accurate or perceived as intended. Please accept my apology. I meant to sound good natured, and not divisive. Obviously, I missed the mark! I didn't mean to be a smart aleck, so I hope we can agree you got quite even with paragraph #1 here. Ok? While #s 2 & 3 were much more informative, your final paragraph contains an assertion with which I don't agree. In fact, this was a post subject a week or so back on the SG or Paul division in which a lengthy discussion ended with a consensus Gibson currently has a problem in the area of "sticky necks" that do not dry out in a few days. I am quite familiar with nitrocellulose finishes. So is the luthier who came into the discussion by request and recommended the process required to remove the imperfection. If it isn't dry by the time it is purchased, the likelihood of an ongoing problem is very real. But, I am sure you will agree, such are forum issues that never seem to end for there exists the element, however consequential or the opposite, that of the human opinion.

 

You have a very beautiful guitar. I was not belittling that fact. I believe you supplied Wily, with another aspect of the process(es) one can employ in the search for a guitar worthy of purchase; more so in your current reply to my post, than in your initial pictured post to Wily. I hope very much you can agree with me. I did not mean to "bash" Gibson's Quality Control Division. I did mean to make it clear that since the 2006 switch to a more mass production approach in an effort to stay in the volume race, Gibson no longer has or takes the time to pull, correct or mark as seconds many of its production electrics. I am a lifelong professional musician and I do authorised repairs via appointment. I currently own over twenty Gibson guitars going back to my 61 Melody Maker, 63 ES-335 and through each decade to my 2006 R8. In 2008, one has to hunt longer for the well made instrument or, as in your own situation, get advice from knowledgeable individuals with whom one enjoys, trust.

 

Again, my apology at having offended you. Such was not my intent.

 

Steve

[onewilyfool]

Thanks HG...thanks Clayville....very informative....now Clayville....do you or do you not want to sell your 356??...lol....I think I will need to keep looking.....thanks again....wily

[onewilyfool]

hey Clayville.....I just went to your website....very impressive licks.....is that you or the guitar???? Thanks again...

[onewilyfool]

Clayville...by the way, where did you get those backing tracks.....good for practice....wily

[clayville]

hg,

 

'Sorry for the same. I'm easily made huffy when it comes to suggestions to skip the 336/356, and I'm fairly thin-skinned today anyway. I also failed to follow my own usual "think twice, post once" policy.

 

I confess to not following the Nitro Wars of '08 stuff very carefully since I'm not currently in the market for a new axe, but much of what I have encountered (elsewhere, truth told) seemed very like heresy bordering on dangerous folk remedies for a problem many say is best "cured" with time. I get the sense that there's a much faster "spray booth to your door" cycle than there used to be with additional "just in time inventory" and "shelf turn" mantras encouraging manufacturers and suppliers to lose track of what's best for the end users and their own reputations. Even if it's a small minority of end users who experience any of the problems mentioned here, and a smaller one still who cares, one would hope that from the top down at GMIC, the QC and end user experience are something more than a luxury to be considered on slow days. I'm sure that isn't the case, but there are always exceptions to the rule.

 

So perhaps we're on the same page after all!

 

Wily -- thanks. That is indeed me playing all the repetitive pentatonic lead noodling, usually on my 356. But sometimes on an import Tele that cost a tenth as much (though it's tuned to Open G lately). Some of the backing tracks are things I wrote and/or put together with loops, but most are original backings created by the members of a couple of other forums I frequent expressly for people to jam over. They keep me out of trouble and get me lots of recording practice.

Oh... and you're the third guy this week asking if I want to sell my 356. Nope, nope and nope! Good luck in your hunt, though.

[onewilyfool]

Clayville, do you have links or could you send me some MP3 files of those backing tracks? Thanks

[clayville]

onewilyfool: many of the backing tracks I've played over are relatively ephemeral things I've run across over the last 4-5 years at the Les Paul Forum (in a portion of the site visible only to registered users), the Gear Page, the Fender Discussion Page and elsewhere on the web. They're rarely posted permanently -- it's not from a library, but an evolving community of online jammers. Not always, but I'm generally pretty careful to stay away from obvious cover tunes or clandestinely shared commercial tracks if I'm unsure of the source. Seems like the right thing to do to me (and the legal thing).

 

That said, the ones I make myself come from royalty/copyright free loops matched to my own rhythm guitar fumblings most of the time, and were made expressly for the purpose of folks jamming over them if they so desire. You're welcome to any of my own if they strike your fancy here:

http://www.soundclick.com/members/default.cfm?member=clayville&content=station&id=590483

 

Anyone that registers at that site (free) can download any of mine if they'd like, but I'd prefer it if the backings themselves were not re-distributed (though... there's nothing in play to prevent that).

[onewilyfool]

Thanks Clayville....