The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Anybuddy get a nice satisfying jazz tone out of these guitars?

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Dan Wilson sure did from a 446 (similar construction, but single cutaway), but he has moved on to a Benedetto now.


  4. #3

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    I think the tone is fine, but the sustain is more significant than that from a carved, acoustic archtop. If you've been on the archtop consistently, you'll have to adjust a bit.

  5. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    Dan Wilson sure did from a 446 (similar construction, but single cutaway), but he has moved on to a Benedetto now.
    Jeff: Not similar construction. The 446 model has a carved spruce top over a hollowed-out mahogany body, and is completely hollow. The 336/356 models use solid carved tops (usually maple) over hollowed-out bodies (usually mahogany), but they have center-blocks as well.
    Last edited by Hammertone; 03-04-2021 at 10:15 PM.

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hoots
    Anybuddy get a nice satisfying jazz tone out of these guitars?
    The short answer is..."close". Strung with flats will get you a very nice jazz tone, however not as thick as a full hollow guitar. And there will be more sustain than any archtop.

    My CS356 is constructed very similarly to my Heritage Millennium Eagle. Both have a Mahogany core, sandwiched between a carved Maple top/bottom. Both Gibson and Heritage consider these body types "semi-solid". Based on my experience with each of these guitars, I'd consider their tones are very, very close to one another....but neither has a thick, dark jazz tone.

    Gibson CS-336/356 construction:


    Heritage Millennium models (H-155, Ultra and Eagle) construction:


    Here's a video of Wolfgang Muthspiel performing on his Heritage Millennium Eagle as an example of his jazz tone.


  7. #6

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    There's no reason that shouldn't be a much more common way of construction, given modern CNC techniques. (Heck you don't even need CNC, just a router with a template.) Really, the bended thin wood sides only benefit a small number of electric players who want a fully hollow guitar.

    I remember a lot of discussion years ago about a Carvin model (no pun intended) that was constructed similarly.

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gitfiddler

    My CS356 is constructed very similarly to my Heritage Millennium Eagle. Both have a Mahogany core, sandwiched between a carved Maple top/bottom. Both Gibson and Heritage consider these body types "semi-solid". Based on my experience with each of these guitars, I'd consider their tones are very, very close to one another....but neither has a thick, dark jazz tone.
    I thought that the cs356 has a back and rims from a one piece hollowed out mahogany.
    since you have one, can you verify that the back is a separate piece glued to the rims? Does it have internal bracing on the rims?

  9. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by HarryPm
    I thought that the cs356 has a back and rims from a one piece hollowed out mahogany.
    since you have one, can you verify that the back is a separate piece glued to the rims? Does it have internal bracing on the rims?
    The CS356 does have a one piece Mahogany back/sides.

    The back, sides, and center block are carved from one solid piece of Mahogany, then a maple top is carved with a block on the underside as well and the two are mated together.

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
    The CS356 does have a one piece Mahogany back/sides.

    The back, sides, and center block are carved from one solid piece of Mahogany, then a maple top is carved with a block on the underside as well and the two are mated together.
    thanks for the clarification! the binding of the back side of the body was confusing me. I guess it is there for cosmetic reasons not to cover any joint.

  11. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by HarryPm
    thanks for the clarification! the binding of the back side of the body was confusing me. I guess it is there for cosmetic reasons not to cover any joint.
    True, the rear (and front) body binding is more bling for this upscale model.
    The front is so stunning, I never paid much attention to its backside.



    This is the rear of another CS-356 that I sold. The multi-layer binding is beautifully done.


  12. #11

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    Awesome photos and super guitars!

    Actually I was confused by that video at around 5:02. I saw the internal braces at the rims and they seem to be like the laminate construction type. Just like a 335, 359.


  13. #12

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    Gibson cs 336/356-semis-1-jpg

    The four smaller guitars are the ones I've been using to play rock & pop for the last 16-18 years. I play the Johnny A's more only because I prefer the longer scale, but all four are in steady rotation. My first semi was an ES-355 in 1962 and I've had about a dozen of them over the years, but at the turn of this century I started wishing for something smaller and lighter and Gibson came out with the CS-356. It's not a smaller 3X5 (the ES-359 is much closer) but after a gig or two with one, I stopped noticing that and enjoyed it for what it is. Having nice carved-top hollowbodies, I don't use my semi's for jazz, but I certainly could, especially since players use Teles, Strats and Les Pauls, or even Jaguars as I've posted here before.

    If the question is "Does this sound like a fully hollow-body guitar with a carved solid spruce top?" then the answer is NO! If the question is "Can I get a satisfying jazz tone from one?" then I'd say "Depends on you!"

    Danny W.
    Last edited by Danny W.; 03-06-2021 at 01:06 AM.

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
    True, the rear (and front) body binding is more bling for this upscale model.
    The front is so stunning, I never paid much attention to its backside.



    This is the rear of another CS-356 that I sold. The multi-layer binding is beautifully done.

    Awesome, those look like Citation "cloud" inlays.

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Danny W.
    Gibson cs 336/356-semis-1-jpg

    The four smaller guitars are the ones I've been using to play rock & pop for the last 16-18 years. I play the Johnny A's more only because I prefer the longer scale, but all four are in steady rotation. My first semi was an ES-355 in 1962 and I've had about a dozen of them over the years, but at the turn of this century I started wishing for something smaller and lighter and Gibson came out with the CS-356. It's not a smaller 3X5 (the ES-359 is much closer) but after a gig or two with one, I stopped noticing that and enjoyed it for what it is. Having nice carved-top hollowbodies, I don't use my semi's for jazz, but I certainly could, especially since players use Tele's, Strats and Les Pauls, or even Jaguars as I've posted here before.

    If the question is "Does this sound like a fully hollow-body guitar with a carved solid spruce top?" then the answer is NO! If the question is "Can I get a satisfying jazz tone from one?" then I'd say "Depends on you!"

    Danny W.
    Agreed. And really like that blond one! My CS-356 doesn't have the Bigsby, but my beautiful Johnny A did.

  16. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by Donplaysguitar
    Awesome, those look like Citation "cloud" inlays.
    Good eye, Don. This 356 was a one-off build by the former Gibson CS 'Custom Direct' program. They'd do about anything a customer wanted as long as it was based on a Gibson model. Mine has an unbound Les Paul-style headstock, Crown headstock inlay, Abalone cloud inlays and side markers, and a huge neck.