Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

What are the chances of being disappointed...J200 Question.


merseybeat1963

Recommended Posts

Lets say..one has as good an early Bozeman Sycamore Maple J200 as ever was...

And this person is considering buying a 2004 J200 Vine (Maple) ..without playing it..

Maybe someone here has sampled these two (in general) species..

 

May I ask what is the chance of being disappointed in the 2004 guitar?

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a 2001 J-150 which is identical to J-200 except without neck and headstock binding and the tone and finish is outstanding. I think you just have play it or take a chance with it. I bought mine unplayed but the seller did provide sound samples which sounded great and they were true when the guitar arrived.

 

Having said that, I personally have found the J-200 to be the most inconsistent model in the Gibson lineup. Ive played some crackers but also quite a few duds, even in the TV line.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It would be nice to have a crystal ball wouldn't it.

 

Buying any guitar - and I don't care what it is - you have not held in your sweaty little hands is a roll of the dice. Then again, I don't believe playing one for an hour in a store before you buy is any guarantee that six months down the road the luster will not have worn off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that 90% of the time one has to take an instrument home and live with it a while to determine if it is a fit. So do it and get off of it if you are disappointed. At worst it will cost a few bucks and at at best you could fall in love.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree. Taking it home and playing it for a while is the best way. If the guitar is what I truly need, I'll bond with it quickly. Then, the worries are over. For me, if it's a clunker, I'll kind of know it after a few days, because if the sound doesn't draw me in, I won't reach for it very often. It may turn-out to be a real boomer for someone else who buys it, but all of this sound stuff is totally subjective. I have to admit that a "vine" model is very attractive to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree. Taking it home and playing it for a while is the best way.

 

Ain't it the truth. Every guitar I own I got to take home - sometimes more than once - before buying. Thing is most everybody who knows me knows that that is the only way they have any hope of selling me something.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My brand new 2012 J200 TV was great right out of the box. Fit, finish and tone all A+. Worth every penny and exactly what I hoped for. A welcome and important addition to my collection of vintage and Bozeman made Gibsons. A keeper. The guitar of a lifetime. Made better only by the excellent communication and consideration of the folks involved in its construction. Can ya tell I'm a happy guy?

DSC01367.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My brand new 2012 J200 TV was great right out of the box. Fit, finish and tone all A+. Worth every penny and exactly what I hoped for. A welcome and important addition to my collection of vintage and Bozeman made Gibsons. A keeper. The guitar of a lifetime. Made better only by the excellent communication and consideration of the folks involved in its construction. Can ya tell I'm a happy guy?

 

Looks beautiful

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Regarding this thing about Gibsons sounding like they are stuffed with rags: I don't find that to be true. For me, it's an exaggeration. I play Martins and Taylors too. Like Gibsons, some sound better than others, but they're all pretty decent instruments. Maybe they're not all guitars I could bond with, but they're all good. Some simply sound better to me. Besides, this sound issue all depends on who you are asking. A guitar that I feel is decent/okay may become a truly sweet instrument with a few months of playing. Someone else might hear that sweetness from the start and take the guitar home.......Maybe the lesser Gibsons are sent to other stores. I simply haven't found many of them around here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have my M-R GIBS (Gibson SJ 200 Custom Elite 2007) from e-bay. Before I receive it from my internet dealer I have never played and even never seen this guitar.

Had many problems with this same guitar. Resolved them with the big help of my friend master-luthier Galin Penev.

But I have never regret for a moment that I have this guitar.

This is my guitar and I knew it in the moment I decided to have an SJ 200.

This model is not for everyone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Being an owner of an early Bozeman J200 I would think the chances of being disappointed by the 2004 would be pretty high.

 

Thanks Ryan. Have you owned any other J200's from the later years where you really had a chance to spend a lot of time with both?

If yes what did you find in the comparison. Many Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It would be nice to have a crystal ball wouldn't it.

 

Buying any guitar - and I don't care what it is - you have not held in your sweaty little hands is a roll of the dice. Then again, I don't believe playing one for an hour in a store before you buy is any guarantee that six months down the road the luster will not have worn off.

 

That's definately true

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1337180955[/url]' post='1199182']

Regarding this thing about Gibsons sounding like they are stuffed with rags: I don't find that to be true. For me, it's an exaggeration. I play Martins and Taylors too. Like Gibsons, some sound better than others, but they're all pretty decent instruments.

 

I too find the 'dogs' thing quite odd, I certainly have been drawn to a particular guitar over an alternative similar model, even recently when originally trying to buy a HB and ending up with a j-50. Not sure I subscribe to it being a 'Gibson thing' though. Like yourself I've found as much variance in other brands.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My 2001 SJ-200 had no tone, poor and sloppy paint at fret board body joint, paint that went bad even tho it was kept polished and humidified to 50%, the pick guard designs came off within two weeks of playing (the guitar cost $3500), and the pick guard then started to peel off after two years. Junk. I dumped it to some Gibson lover who thought Gibson walks on water. Had two other Gibsons..AJ Mahogany Southern Jumbo and also an AJ Rosewood. Sold them. Both junk. Bought two Epiphone Masterbuilts. Both are better than the Gibsons and together they both cost only $1000. Your choice here on the J200. Never again for me...three poor quality Gibsons in a row..strike 3...they're out!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fear not new Gibson fans my new SJ-200 is anything but filled with socks!!! It sings like no guitar I've ever heard in my life! I was worried when I read this thread but thankfully at least in my case it was not true.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fear not new Gibson fans my new SJ-200 is anything but filled with socks!!! It sings like no guitar I've ever heard in my life! I was worried when I read this thread but thankfully at least in my case it was not true.

 

Congrats..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

May I ask what is the chance of being disappointed in the 2004 guitar?

I'd subscribe to the 50/50 notion. I've played many outstanding, and I mean outstanding, Bozeman acoustics from early in the last decade (and still own two), but at the same time there were many mediocre or tone dead examples. The J200 series was as susceptible to this as any other Gibson model. My rule of thumb is that I will not buy any guitar sight unseen without full & straightforward return rights. I can find a million reasons to dismiss an instrument from consideration, so it seems quite unwise to put all your eggs into one hope-and-a-prayer transaction without being able to fully undo it. Conversely, the chances of finding a keeper are inherently multiplied when sampling a large inventory first hand, as might be found in a weekend tour of big city shops.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My 2001 SJ-200 had no tone, poor and sloppy paint at fret board body joint, paint that went bad even tho it was kept polished and humidified to 50%, the pick guard designs came off within two weeks of playing (the guitar cost $3500), and the pick guard then started to peel off after two years. Junk. I dumped it to some Gibson lover who thought Gibson walks on water. Had two other Gibsons..AJ Mahogany Southern Jumbo and also an AJ Rosewood. Sold them. Both junk. Bought two Epiphone Masterbuilts. Both are better than the Gibsons and together they both cost only $1000. Your choice here on the J200. Never again for me...three poor quality Gibsons in a row..strike 3...they're out!

 

Troll

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...