Quote Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
It may be worth pointing out that the GCS-1 is available in two versions that reportedly do not sound alike. One is the GCS-1. The other version is the GCS-1 ES, which I believe is the one Jack Wilkins plays. Same design, different woods. The ES version is supposed to sound darker, more like a traditional jazz guitar tone.
I swapped my ES-335 for the GCS1 ES, and i'm super happy, after adjusting for a month or two. For a while i've looked for a guitar that sounds close to the jazzier side of the 335 but feels/hangs like a solidbody. the GCS is the first one i've tried that doesn't compromise on sound. The middly attack that we love on the 335 is not quite as prominent on the gcs, but you can bring it out with the pick dynamics anyhow - the thing about the es335 is how little attack you need to make it really bite - that mid range is just ready to sing, and can be hard to dial out sometimes when you need to, depending on amp and room. The GCS, i've found after a few gigs on it, does the jazz thing in a slightly purer way than the 335, but with the coil taps you can back off the fatness to blend with the band or get that transparency up to top without overpowering the general sound, and that brightness adds its own cool kind of grit. And the neck pickup does sound pretty fat, perfect for standards, 60s boogaloo stuff, and reminiscent of my Eastman 185, which, blindfold, sounds more like a fully hollow. plus the bridge gets you that sco-ey picking style. i'd be curious to try out the maple top GCS again also. I'm surprised Gibson haven't really embraced the 14.5/15" body style. i did have a 339, but it never could approach that late 50s sound in the way that comins, eastman, dangelico, and a few others have. maybe that es390 gets there. I'm sure if they succeeded they would fly off the shelves. it really changes the playing experience, especially for longer gigs/practice. Anyway very happy with my orange guitar!