This particular J-200 was the fourth one made on J(serial number 91953004), and judging from the slight visible fret wear up through the 12th fret or so, it has been played very well and frequently for over 25 years. All of this makes it well worth its MSRP, which currently starts at $5299, and frequently is hundreds more. It also has a bound rosewood fingerboard with mother-of-pearl crown inlays, a rosewood “moustache” bridge with striking mother of pearl double inlays, and an engraved pickguard to add visual impact to its wonderful playability, with a 25.5” scale and a nut width of 1.725”.
The J-200 Standard has generally been available in sunburst and natural finishes, featuring factory electronics, gold Gibson Deluxe (later, gold Grover) tuners, a solid Sitka Spruce top with scalloped X-bracing, figured maple back and sides, and a three-piece laminate neck (maple/rosewood/maple). In 1955 the name was simplified again: from here on, it was mostly called the Gibson J-200. It was 1947 when the tonewoods changed – the back and sides were now being made of maple, which many guitar aficionados prefer as it allows for clearer separation of the notes. Due to the weak post-depression economy and wartime austerity, demand for this high-end guitar was very limited and production quantities were small. From its inaugural appearance in 1937, Gibson’s SJ-200 immediately filled a need for a deeper, more balanced and powerful sound, and gave purveyors of the new American music scene of the 1930s a reliable, well-built instrument, capable of projecting the sound of the guitar well beyond that of any other acoustic on the market- setting a standard others have been trying to match ever since. The SJ-200 was noted for its super-large 16 7/8" flat top body, with a double-braced red spruce top, rosewood back and sides, and sunburst finish. Gibson entered into production of this model in 1937 as its top-of-the-line flat top guitar, initially calling it the Super Jumbo, but changing the name in 1939 to the Super Jumbo 200 to reflect its retail price at the time, $200 note the comparison to the $45 for the early J-45. The J-200 is known as the “king of the flat-tops” for good reason: it is simply the world’s most famous acoustic guitar, and certainly one of the most desired. Elegant and flamboyant even by Gibson’s top-line standards, the J-200 has found fame in the hands of numerous legends: Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Pete Townshend, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jimmy Page, Neil Young, and The Edge, to name but a few.
Ask a guitarist to name the ultimate Gibson acoustic, and many will reply that it’s the J-200.
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