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Differences in these guitars J200, J185, J150 and the J100?


suburude63

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I ave a J-200 & a J-150. In theory choice of wood has to be #1. But both mine are plain finish maple body and spruce tops. I see or hear no difference. Only cosmo difference is no neck and headstock binding on 150 and single side saddle inlay. Pickups suck on each. Mine look and sound exactly the same beyond that. I like the jumbos. You'll get some pics, more particulars and stronger opinions soon, I'm certain. Next one I get will be a Custom Shop and dark burst. The J-200 up and down the frill line is my favorite Gibson acoustic.

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If we are looking at the Modern Classic series:

 

J185 is short scale with a mahogany neck, maple B&S, binding on the neck, parallelogram peal inlays, pearl on the headstock, reverse belly bridge, plain pickguard

 

J100 is long scale with a mahogany neck, bubinga B&S, no binding on the neck, dot inlays, gold decal on the headstock, moustache bridge with no inlays, plain or no pickguard

 

J150 is long scale with a maple neck, maple B&S, no binding on the neck, crown inlays, pearl on the headstock, moustache bridge with inlays, plain pickguard with engraved border

 

J200 is long scale with a maple neck, maple B&S, binding on the neck, crown inlays, pearl and binding on the headstock, moustache bridge with inlays, fancy pickguard

 

All have pickups

 

Hope that helps

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Perhaps the biggest difference that distinguishes the most honourable J-185 model is that it is a 16" or "small" jumbo, while the J-100 J-150 and J-200 are all 17" jumbos.

 

You can, like Arlo, get the J-100/-200/150 in purt' near anything you want, from koa to rosewood, maple to bubinga to mahogany -- although by default the J-200 and the J-150 are maple-bodied guitars, and the J-100 this year is a bubinga guitar.

 

The J-185 is similar, in that it is typically maple. But lest there be any confusion, the J-185 is a sixteen-inch jumbo. That is a major distinction.

 

Fred

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100's have been made with maple b/s at some points past. The hog neck seems a constant.

 

I asked the differences between 100/150 just a couple weeks ago, you may want to check that thread out. Someone suggested bracing was different, IIRC

 

I should have a maple b/s J-100 in my mailbox by Monday. I'm anxious to compare it to the 150 I played once.

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The J-200 should have bracing unique to that model. A foward shifted, wide angle Double X Bracing - not the dreaded Norlin Double X bracing but a second brace just under where the board ends). But Gibson has so many flippin' variations out there it is hard to tell what is what these days.

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