Plugged in the latest love of my life, Johnny A #110, an antique natural, bigsby-tailed beauty into the trusty Mark IV, and wondered how it would compare sonically to my CS356. To be fair, I A/B'd them with identical settings and adjusted the pickups to the same heights, and both were strung with a new set of 10's. Both are great players, similarly carved mahogany backed, maple-topped, semi-hollow gits with Classic 57 p'ups. The JA goes one step further with the flat inside carve however. It was the more powerful sounding of the two during my un-scientific comparison.
The biggest difference is the JA's 25.5 scale length vs. the 356's more standard 24.75 scale. This gives the JA a more tight, articulate, almost Fender-meets-high-end-archtop feel. It can do jazz if you string it with heavies or flats, but it shines best with...well...any kind of music! It can be bright, but never harsh sounding to me. All three p'up positions produce lively variations of gorgeous sound through the 57 Classics.
The CS356 can be coaxed into some harsh tones, but if you back off the volume and/or tone, it calms it down to a mellow roar. This axe LOVES the blues! Moreso than the JA to me, and leans more towards a 335-meets-Les Paul tone. It is a bit less woody sounding than the JA, and both produce mild, balanced midrange tones. This 356 neck has the fat 50's rounded carve. The JA has a custom shape as per Johnny A's preference, but feels great as you progress up the neck. I prefer the fatter 356 neck of these two. Both gits could crunch close to a Lester, but that's not their forte. I preferred the JA for heavier rock stuff since the flat bottom produced such a quick sonic response to each note, distorted or clean. The 356 could get a little muddy in the neck position unless EQ'd properly. The JA can also squawk almost like a solid body! Very cool sounding!
These two seem to be brothers, not twins, but definitely related...one with a longer scale, more plush, and slightly different personalities. Both are incredible examples of the best I've ever played or owned from Gibson.
This comparison was a lot of fun and lasted over two hours. Something I'd recommend anyone in the market to do prior to purchasing a new guitar. I did it a year afterwards...but with no regrets. Both are keepers.
Your comments are welcome!
__________________
Gitfiddler
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum