First Guitar @ 60! SJ-200 VOS and Great Story

[KickReefer]

Hi Gang,

An old friend called me a few days ago and said an old friend of his wanted to liquidate some old rock posters. Upon looking at pictures I noticed several items that looked interesting including a Gibson guitar. I forwarded a pic of the Gibson to a friend who identified it as a JS-200. I did some research based on it being an Original Acoustic Collection and negotiated a deal for the JS-200 and a few other items. The seller was out of the public's eye (another story here!) for close to 12 years and had placed the guitar in storage. The serial number identified it manufactured at the  Bozeman Plant, MT, USA on July 24th, 2008. Per the certificate of authenticity only 167 were made in 2008.

Upon  further inspection that evening I noticed the orange sticker had initials VOS after the model #, and True Vintage Limited Edition on the border. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised to find out its a 1957 SJ-200 from the Acoustic Custom Shop Historic Collection.  Subsequently I emailed pictures and serial # to Gibson for complete specs.

I showed it to a neighbor who's an avid player who, over the next 30 minutes, played several songs for the neighborhood kids and me. He had never played anything like it, and was blown away at the bass it put out. 

So now it's time to teach an old dog new tricks. I've never taken a lesson in my life, and I'm looking forward to learning the ropes (strings...). I'm also looking forward to interacting here and learning more about the community.

Feeling Fortunate in the Bay Area,

Rick K

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jdgm]

Hello...and that's a beautiful guitar.

Plenty of learning resources on the net these days - you'll be able to learn some basic chords etc without shelling out for teaching immediately.

Good luck!

[tx-ogre]

Welcome aboard.  Sweet looking guitar you have there.  Enjoy your stay.

[kidblast]

Well that's a beauty.  How's the back and sides look?  I can see it a bit in the photos.  The maple figuring/flaming on the natural finished J200s is always more intense then the burst ones.

As person who's been playing for 50+ years and as an owner of a SJ200, (See avatar to the left) these are special instruments.

You are starting out pretty much at the top in regards to what you are going to learn on.  Something you wont ever regret.  Good luck, and don't be afraid to ask questions.  Lots of veteran players and Gibson historians hang out here.

 

[KickReefer]

Hi Kidblast,

Thanks for your reply to my post. 

As mentioned, shortly after the original owner purchased the guitar he went on an extended vacation for close to 12 years and stored it  property while away.  This guitar has spent very little time out of the case and is beautiful. No cracks, scratches or surface wear. The sound that flows out of it is absolutely Heavenly. 

I've had purchasing a guitar on my mind for some time and really didn't know where to start.  Then this one came to me serendipitously,

Now it's time for more practice!

Rick

Edited August 20, 2020 by KickReefer

[KickReefer]

Here are the original specs:

http://legacy.gibson.com/Products/Acoustic-Instruments/Super-Jumbo/Gibson-Acoustic/SJ-200-True-Vintage.aspx

And I hope to play like this some day! 

 

And here is Greg Lake talking about his affinity for this guitar:

 

Edited August 19, 2020 by KickReefer

[kidblast]

Holy crap.. that guitar is stunning!

I'm also a big fan of Greg Lake, and know that he was a HUGE fan of the SJ200.  had had a truck load of em.   and another monster talent gone way too soon.

I have too many acoustics, but my SJ200 is one of the irreplaceable ones.