First Class All the Way: Gibson SJ-200 Elite Custom Guitar
Written: Jun 20 '06 (Updated Jun 21 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Top quality, playability, deluxe appointments, just beautiful
Cons: I wish more people would learn to play guitar
The Bottom Line: The Gibson SJ-200 is a legendary guitar that will grow with you to provide a lifetime of musical enjoyment.
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| George_Chabot's Full Review: Gibson Sj200 Acoustic Guitars |
Gibson SJ-200 Elite Custom
When I set out to buy an acoustic guitar to use for my bottleneck playing I didn’t know whether I would take the new guitar and use open tunings or would retune my Alvarez-Yairi and use it for slide. It depended on the sound of the new guitar as to which I would choose.
I came to Firehouse Music and told Mark I was looking for an acoustic, all the time eyeing the beautiful display of Gibson electrics; “Les Pauls” of various stripes, a “Firebird VII,” “SGs,” even an “Explorer.” That’s not to mention the stacks of Fenders all over the place, “Telecasters” and “Stratocasters” in every conceivable configuration.
But to get to the point, I had brought my Alvarez acoustic guitar with me to make sure I was getting an equivalent level instrument. When Mark saw my guitar, festooned with more pearl and abalone accents than the sparkly things on a Las Vegas showgirl's panties, he immediately pulled down the “Gibson SJ-200.” I had given him a little sample of my playing and he handed me the big Gibson and I reduplicated my licks.
The Gibson fit my hands perfectly. What I mean is the string spacing and scale length allowed me to put my fingers down with authority, just as if I were playing my own guitar. Hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, and bends were easy and in tune. I didn’t have to adjust anything and my picking hand found each string unconsciously. The fit of the instrument is one of the things I look for when shopping for a guitar. I must admit having your arm around the Gibson “SJ body” (for “Super Jumbo”) is akin to having your arm around an extremely buxom woman, and almost as much fun. So much for my tactile impressions...
I went over the guitar visually and found it flawless, in keeping with Gibson’s sterling reputation for quality. The SJ-200 is a wooden guitar, meaning no plywood or pressed board, but each piece is hewn from natural wood. This is the difference between a good guitar and a great guitar. Being made out of natural wood can also add another “zero” to the price. If you are a serious player, you will feel and hear the difference though. I might also add that a high quality wooden guitar like this will only get better with age and the more it is played it will only sound more wonderful.
The two-piece back is of Koa wood and joined with a beautiful piece of marquetry down the middle. The sides are also of Koa, a wood I understand comes from Hawaii. The grain is fabulous, with dark and light stripes, swirls, and fiddleback highlights. J-200s also come in rosewood and maple versions, each having different sound characteristics. The Koa wood has a warmer tone that brings out the midrange of the guitar better than the other woods. The top of the guitar is selected spruce with tight even grain. The neck is figured maple and the fingerboard is ebony, as is the tailpiece, which is shaped like a mustache with pierced fretwork and pearl inlays. The bridge and nut are ivory or bone.
This particular model has pearl position markers that mimic the pearl Gibson “flame” or “flower” that is inset into the headstock of the guitar under the “Gibson” pearl logo. The position markers are at all the usual places along the 20-fret fingerboard with the base end flat and going almost the entire width of the fingerboard. The end towards the neck of each marker is scalloped like a flame or flower motif; very striking and perfectly inlaid into the ebony fingerboard. Other SJ-200s have trapezoidal position markers, split trapezoids, blocks inlays, and so on. They’re all pearl and they’re all good.
The whole guitar, including the neck, is bound. Binding consists of strips of celluloid that cover the corners and edges of the instrument. Besides being decorative they also serve the useful purpose of protecting the guitar from the occasional hard knock. Wood will split if hit just right and the binding acts as a bumper to avoid the impact damage. The binding is in several contrasting layers so the thin stripes of black and white add a nice finished appearance to the instrument. The SJ-200 has a bound tortoise shell pick guard of asymmetrical shape covering the area between the bridge and the forward lower bout of the guitar. The Gibson literature says it is “inlaid” with a flower and vine motif. It looks like paint to these uneducated eyes, but whatever it is, it is nicely done.
Let me sum it up; this guitar looks like a million dollars, with gorgeous wood, pearl accents, deluxe appointments – metal parts are gold plated and include Grover Imperial machine heads (tuners). The strings are Gibson phosphor bronze round wounds. For the price ($3,600.00) Gibson includes a hard shell fitted case with the SJ200 in its various configurations.
Let’s just say the sound is full – you have a good bass response and nice treble, with emphasis more on the bright side. With the Koa wood you will notice a warm midrange tone that balances the highs and lows. Which one is right for you? I’m sorry; you’ll have to play it and hear it for yourself.
I didn’t buy the Gibson SJ200, because I was looking for a little more “bottom” in the sound. Although the price is steep, you are getting what you pay for when you buy a Gibson SJ200. Apart from the feel of the instrument, which is superior, the sound was the governing criterion with me, but the sound of this Gibson may be just what you like to bring out the best in YOUR music.
Those who want to learn more can check out Musician’s Friend for the specifications, or better yet, go to your local music store and try one yourself.
Also recommended is the more modestly priced Gibson SJ-200 Reissue, a replica of the vintage instruments of the 1950s.
Thanks for stopping by!
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