Gibson J-200 Review
By MNJ
| Posted in Guitar
The Gibson J-200 has been around for over 70 years and is one of the most popular flat-top acoustic guitars ever made. It’s also one of the biggest, measuring a full 17″ across the lower bout, and as a consequence produces more volume than a regular-sized guitar. Currently there are three choices of appointments for the J-200 - Standard, Studio and Custom. They all feature triple A-grade Sitka spruce tops, but the Standard has Eastern curly maple back and sides while the Studio has a plain maple back and sides. The Custom is a much fancier affair, featuring gold Grover Imperial machine heads and a ‘script’ Gibson logo on the peghead. All three models feature the Fishman Ellipse Aura electronics package including the Aura Acoustic Imaging Technology. Loaded onto the system are four ‘images’ that best match the instrument’s natural tonal characteristics. You can make adjustments to any of them using the system’s pickup/image blend or volume controls, or use the switchable ‘natural I’ and ‘natural II’ low frequencies for tone shaping. You can also control feedback with the Phase switch and automatic anti-feedback device control. The pickup’s soundhole-mounted design puts slider controls at your fingertips, so you can maintain a natural playing position at all times
When Martin introduced its dreadnought flat-top acoustic in the early thirties, Gibson had nothing to put up against it. Although the company’s big semi-acoustic archtops and jazz guitars were sizeable affairs, they were no good for anyone playing country music, which was all over the airwaves at the time. It took Hollywood singing cowboy star Ray Whitley to custom order a new guitar from Gibson, which would eclipse rival Gene Autry’s big old Martin. So the SJ-200 was born (the S was dropped from the name after WW2) in late 1937 with a $200 price tag. Since then, the Gibson J-200 has been used by some reasonably well known, sorry legendary, artists. Elvis and Pete Townshend – who currently have Artist models – and Emmylou Harris, have elevated the guitar to iconic status, and it has become a bit of a legend in itself. Back in the sixties, the Everly Brothers had some J-200s made in black with star inlays on the fingerboard and oversized double pickguards (which somewhat ruined the tone). If you have the Love album Forever Changes, that’s an Everly Brothers J-200. If you have any Who records, the acoustic guitar is a J-200. I could go on.
When you pick up a J-200 for the first time, the sheer size of it is surprising and it takes a while to settle into a comfortable playing position. However, the necks are surprisingly slim, and the actions are always easy going – at least on all the J-200s I’ve played – new and old alike. It is iconic, and I don’t think I’m out of place describing the guitar as one that’s firmly established at the heart of the acoustic tradition and one of the most important guitars ever. What’s more, I don’t think Gibson are going to be discontinuing the J-200 anytime soon.
Tags: fishman ellipse aura, gibson acoustic guitar, gibson j200, gibson super jumbo