Gibson Custom CS-356 Semi-hollowbody Review

STILL MY FAVORITE

I bought my first one of these in 2005 from a former band mate. It had a rich sunburst finish and cleaned up great. For some reason I decided wanted a Les Paul, or at least thought I did, so I sold it to a friend of mine who had the good sense to not sell it back after I realized I liked it better than my LP; a lot better! I looked around for several months and found a fair deal… read more on a 2008 model in cherry red. This was sometime around 2011, so it was used and has a few minor dents but nothing that noticeable; it's gorgeous and plays extremely well. The stock 57Classics are perfect for this guitar and I've never even considered swapping them out for anything else. The gold hardware ages nicely, giving it a nice patina and the nitro cellulose finish also ages well. The ebony fingerboard is amazingly smooth and makes string bending effortless. It's light, plays well sitting or standing and allows me to play at considerable volumes without unwanted feedback. I usually play a Telecaster and a Strat at most live venues, but on the nicer venues, like outdoor gigs and weddings, I take this one. For what I play the CS-356 is easily the best guitar I've ever owned. I learned my lesson about selling a guitar I really love and this one is staying.

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Rich lite?

Great guitar, but the one I have, a 2017 feels less solid than a 2007 336 I had a month before. My 356, th e strings slip off the fret edge sometimes. Don't know if it is the rich lite or the fret edges. Richlite played acoustically has a different feel than ebony. Prefer ebony. But guitar sound, fit and finish excellent. Love the guitar but I will have to have it fixed one day… read more and will cost at least a few hundred. The neck on 2 Johnny a customs I had and 2 reissue 330s, a 61 and a 59 are better. Also played a 356 in 2006 which was better. Still a great guitar, but a crazy idea putting richliteon a guitar.

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