CajunPlayer Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Good evening, A friend picked up a gently used CS359 from an estate sale. He didn't like it so brought it over to me. Problems: Someone with little or no knowledge had messed with the truss rod, bridge and pickups The guitar was set up very, very low. It fretted out past the 12 fret. No bends allowed. It also appeared that one of the tone shafts was bent. Told my pal... I'll take it. Brought it to a great luthier that we have in the area. He recognized the guitar right away. He knew the original owner. When he picked it up.. he was strictly ticked off.. someone had really screwed up a nice guitar. $130 and 3 days later it was back in pristine shape. The shaft was not bent... put in wrong and the top forced on crooked. all else was easy to repair. Added strap locks to this beauty. She is a keeper... beautiful guitar with a warm bite and great tone. Like the song "played until my fingers bled" Very true... Gibson hit a home run with this guitar. It is a perfect in between the LP and 335... love my Gibson. cajun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 . Congrats. Have you got a pic or two to share? . B) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayville Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 I'm trying to figure out which is the typo: the "C" or the "9"... Is it an ES-359 or a CS-356? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzGtr Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 I'm trying to figure out which is the typo: the "C" or the "9"... Is it an ES-359 or a CS-356? I would bet that it's a CS-356. I really have not heard a lot people talking about or buying a 359. Jazz, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 . That's why I asked for a pic. BTW - I've got a 359. . B) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G McBride Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I have a 359 Vintage Sunburst, Ebony Neck and lots of bling. Plays and sounds great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CR9 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I'm trying to figure out which is the typo: the "C" or the "9"... Is it an ES-359 or a CS-356? It could also be a CS359 and the original post was correct based on the serial number and what was on the factory paperwork. I have had several 339's and the model number on the paperwork on one was ES and the other CS but both had a serial number starting with CS. There was some confusion in the early models as to the model on the paperwork. The price would also be an indicator if it was a 359 or a 356, as the 356 would be quite a bit more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayville Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 It could also be a CS359 and the original post was correct based on the serial number and what was on the factory paperwork. I have had several 339's and the model number on the paperwork on one was ES and the other CS but both had a serial number starting with CS. I think I see what you're saying here, but... even Gibson paperwork indicating that one of your ES339's is a "CS339" doesn't, um, actually make it so... does it? I think we're all just trying to figure out which club to welcome this fellow into! Clearly a guy of taste and refinement either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CR9 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I also see what you are saying. If the COA says it is a Les Paul then we can't say it is a Firebird. For a short period of time at the beginning the model was called a CS339 and noted so on the paperwork similar to the CS336. If the paperwork (Cert, of Auth.) says it is a CS from the factory, how can one of us say it is not a CS and it is an ES? Could it be that the designation was different if it was built in Nashville or Memphis? Either way it is still a 339. We know the 336 is a CS because there are no ES-336's out there. My point was that there were a few of 339's that had the model listed as CS not ES on the paperwork I think the designation was cleared up before the 359's came out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayville Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 We know the 336 is a CS because there are no ES-336's out there. Umm... the wider-eared, routed solid wood, hatchback access, bound rosewood fretboard, straight-pull headstock version available prior to the debut of the CS-336 in 2001 was called the ES-336. I get a little fuzzy on dates, but Wiki says it was available from 1996-2001. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_CS-336 It looked like this: http://zen-pharaohs.com/guitars/Gibson/es-336.htm Gibson's nomenclature has often been a bit inconsitent. But on the other hand, I'm pretty sure it would be accurate to say instead that "We know the 359 is an ES because there are no CS-359's out there". It's (I think) technically proper to call the CS-336 and CS-356 "archtops" since they're "carved" rather than laminated Electric Spanish (ES) "semi-hollows" which the ES-339 and ES-359 clearly are. It's crazy, and confusing to many folks... and certainly the naming of the 1996 version didn't help. But when they launched the CS-336, Gibson made a big deal about the carved mahogany back design tracing it's roots all the way back to Orville Gibson's earliest guitars from the 1890s - also carved from solid woods. See here: http://www.earlygibson.com/ I sometimes wonder why the CS-336/356's weren't called CES's instead, like the Super 400CES or the L-5CES... they seem to have been careful most of the time to reserve the ES designation for laminate designs, and I assume that "CES" means Carved Electric Spanish. I'd like to see someone write up the whole family tree of the smaller non-solid electrics: maybe start with Orville's vision, but include the ES-140, the ES-336/Paul Jackson Jr., the Pat Martino (maybe), the CS-336, CS-356, the Johnny A., the Leo Parnell, the Keifer Sutherland (!), the ES-339, and ES-359... and anything else I've forgotten. Maybe Dave Carpenter could do it, just as a point of history. I recall his words about the genesis of the ES-339's being very useful (though being a 356 partisan I had a minor beef with those fine guitars being presenting as an evolution/progression from the CS-336). And... as always, I just wish Gibson would put the CS-356 back on their website. It might help them sell a few more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny W. Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 and I assume that "CES" means Carved Electric Spanish. C = "Cutaway" To differentiate it from non-cutaway L-5 and Super400 guitars that were still being made at the time. Danny W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayG Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 And... as always, I just wish Gibson would put the CS-356 back on their website. It might help them sell a few more. +1 on this issue again Clayville. No rational explanation was ever given to me by Gibson for excluding the CS-356 from the lineup. I still find it bizarre. Regards------------ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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