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ES-359 fever

hus682man

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Joined
Dec 15, 2018
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9
I'm looking seriously at buying a 359, but can't find any literature on it. Can anyone help me out?
 

clayville

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Feb 25, 2004
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http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/ES/Gibson-Memphis/ES-359/Features.aspx

Not sure what you're looking to know. The link above is what Gibson offers about the specs.

The ES-359 is the upscale cousin of the ES-339 - gold hardware, block neck inlays and fancier binding being the main differences between the two. Both are small-bodied variants of the ES-335 with similar construction to 335's: a solid center block surrounded by a plywood top/sides/back creating hollow wings.

These are the same size as the CS-336 and CS-356, which are constructed quite differently from the ES versions. The back and sides of the CS models are carved (routed) from a solid slab of mahogany leaving a central 'block' that is all part of the same wood, then they're capped with book-matched maple which is carved like a LP top with f-holes.

My main guitar has been a CS-356 for 15 years, and I'd say that generally these CS guitars have a sound that is slightly more scooped (more lows, more highs, usually less mids) than these ES models which seem to lean a bit more toward the classic ES-335 mids-heavy sound. But all four of them fall somewhere in between an LP's and a 335's sound and are surprisingly close to each other despite the big construction differences.
 
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hus682man

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Joined
Dec 15, 2018
Messages
9
Thanks for the input. Now you have me intrigued as to look at the CS-356 as well. I would assume the CS over the ES is a slightly higher price range. I'm on the hunt.
 

clayville

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Feb 25, 2004
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Well, I love my CS-356. Extremely versatile, smaller, lighter weight than most of the guitars it falls between from Gibson and gets me as close as I personally need to be on either end of the LP-->335 continuum of sound. The CS models probably lean closer to the LP end of that range and the ES models are a little closer to the 335 end, but they're all in between. The CS-336 and ES-339 have simpler appointments and the CS-356 and ES-359 have more bling. It's sort of like an LP Standard vs an LP Custom in terms of the look. The CS models come from the Custom Shop and the ES models come from Gibson Memphis.

Wildwood often posts great videos of individual examples they have available and many they've sold on youtube if you want a sense of the sound. Happy hunting!
 
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