SJ-200 True Vintage
The SJ-200 True Vintage acoustic guitar delivers the look, feel, and sound of Gibson’s original Super Jumbo as it first appeared in 1937. Gibson Acoustic’s master luthiers in Bozeman, Montana have recreated a legend. The SJ-200 was originally built to cut through the loudest acoustic ensembles, but ended up defining the new American music scene of the 1930s on its way to becoming the world’s most famous acoustic guitar. The SJ-200 True Vintage captures the deep, well-balanced tone and powerful sound of these celebrated guitars, and are almost identical in makeup and structure as the most popular 1950’s versions including an Adirondack red spruce top and VOS finish
Gibson True Vintage SJ-200 Features:
Gold Gotoh Green Button Tuners
Gibson’s SJ-200 True Vintage features Gotoh’s green button, Kluson-style tuners. With a gear ratio of 15:1, these Gotoh tuners deliver precision tuning in a durable housing that provides maximum protection for the gear and string post. All moving parts are cut for exact meshing, eliminating the possibility of slippage, with a special lubricant inside the gear box for smooth and accurate tuning stability.
Crown Peghead Logo
Gibson put the first crown peghead logo on an ES-300 back in 1940, and it has graced the headstocks of many legendary Gibson guitars ever since, including today’s SJ-200 True Vintage. Over the years, it has also been called a thistle because of the group of flowering plants with the sharp prickles, though Gibson has preferred to call it a crown.
Pickguard
The tortoise pickguard for the SJ-200 True Vintage is Gibson’s standard Super Jumbo shape, hand-engraved with the SJ-200’s traditional floral and vine design, surrounded by a cream-colored border with yellow and orange dots exactly as it appeared in 1937. As with all of Gibson Acoustic’s pickguards, the coloring, inlay, and binding are all done by hand.
Rosette
A rosette is the beautiful, hand-crafted circle around the soundhole, and can be one of the most ornamental elements of any acoustic guitar. It is also one of the most subtle and complicated woodworking decorations on any acoustic guitar. The rosette on the SJ-200 True Vintage is a double-ring rosette, with the main ring consisting of seven-ply binding, and the second ring three-ply binding, adding a stylish, understated elegance to the SJ-200 True Vintage.
Rosewood Fingerboard with Traditional Binding and Graduated Crown Inlays
The fingerboard of Gibson’s SJ-200 True Vintage is constructed from the highest grade rosewood on earth, which is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson’s team of skilled experts before it enters the Gibson factories. The resilience of this durable wood makes the fingerboard extremely balanced and stable, and gives each chord and note unparalleled clarity and bite. The SJ-200’s graduated crown inlays are made of genuine mother of pearl, and are inserted into the fingerboard using a process that eliminates gaps and doesn’t require the use of fillers. The fingerboard also sports traditional binding over the fret ends, which was a staple feature of many classic Gibson acoustics for many years.
Body Tonewoods (back, sides and top)
The top of the SJ-200 True Vintage is made from beautiful AAA-grade Adirondack Red Spruce, while the back and sides are constructed from AAA-grade Eastern curly maple, giving the SJ-200 True Vintage all the deep, well-balanced tone and powerful sound of Gibson’s celebrated Super Jumbos. Selecting the right wood, and the formula to dry it out, are two of the most central procedures to Gibson’s guitar-building process. Beginning with its first catalog in 1903, Gibson has assured its customers that every guitar would be built using woods with the most durable, elastic, and sonorous qualities and today’s guitars from Gibson Acoustic are no different.
Bracing
Every acoustic guitar made by Gibson features hand-scalloped, radiused top bracing inside the body, a feature normally found only in limited run, hand-made guitars. By scalloping each brace by hand, the natural sound of the acoustic is focused more toward the center of the body, enhancing the instrument’s sound projection. The lightweight bracing pattern inside the SJ-200 True Vintage is the same pattern used in Gibson’s first Super Jumbo in 1937 constructed to support and strengthen a very large surface, thus allowing the top more freedom of movement to vibrate and project sound. The placement of the braces inside the SJ-200 True Vintage also creates powerful, deep lows with full frequency range. The result is the incredibly balanced, huge sound that Gibson’s Super Jumbos are so noted for.
- 100% American-made quality Gibson handcrafted construction throughout
- Adirondack red spruce top and Maple back and sides
- Rosewood fingerboard with mother of pearl crown inlays
- Mother of pearl bar mustache bridge with bone saddle
- Gold Gotoh tuners with 15:1 tuning ratio