GDC Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Sorta wanting a J-200. I had one a few years back that I liked a lot but stupidly sold off. I played one at a store over the weekend and, well, was underwhelmed. It had great tone, but it was quiet and lacked the rumble, the shimmer I guess, that I was expecting. Just couln't figure ir out. The one I had was a boomer. Is this common to J-200s now? What are yall's experiences with the new J-200s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I find J-200's to really vary model to model, probably more than any other Gibson guitar I've come across. Some have that wonderful bottom end and maple sparkle, others can come across flat as a pancake. Best to try out a few and cherry pick em, there are some great ones out there. Remember, it could also be the strings. Once they wear in the J-200 can sound a bit mellow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 . I have a 2008 J-200. I played quite a few during the time I was looking. I agree with EA. Whether it's the sound variance between specimens or the wear/dirty/quality of the stings, you're going to have to play a few. I'll add that this is not uncommon. New Gibsons tend to take a while to open up all the way. I liked the sound of mine when I bought it, but I could tell it was tight, somewhat as you explained: "great tone, but it was quiet and lacked the rumble, the shimmer". It took quite a while (over a year, which is longer than usual) for it to open up all the way. Some would advise you look until you find the sound you're completely happy with. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I bought a 200 model a few months back, the SJ-200TV to be exact. Like others I had played a few J/SJ-200 variants, like others I had also noticed some were tighter than others. The model I bought was resonant and had a pleasing sound that I enjoyed but I too could tell it was still a little tight, to be fair it was very new, after about a month of daily play and an estimated week out of the case on & off it started to sound a bit more open. One thing I would add though, the larger body size is no guarantee of increased volume, I have louder guitars which are smaller, a unique tone yes, but a huge volume is not always part of the recipe. Good luck with your tests and the guitar you eventually settle on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanCarlosVejar Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I have a lefty SJ 200 TV and it also took a while to open up ... maybe you should take home the one you tried and play it alot to open up =D JC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Or you could buy a used one. I bought a 10 year old J-150 ( J-200 minus neck / headstock binding) and it had a very warm, rich tone from 10 years of play. I think maple, being such a hard wood take longer to open up than rosewood or mahogany. But when it does, lordy its nice ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Or you could buy a used one. I bought a 10 year old J-150 ( J-200 minus neck / headstock binding) and it had a very warm, rich tone from 10 years of play. I think maple, being such a hard wood take longer to open up than rosewood or mahogany. But when it does, lordy its nice ... The Maple used on Back/Sides of most acoustic guitars (& Gibsons) is the softer maple which is about as hard as American Walnut( moderate hardness)..Hondurous mahagony is softer than this maple but Rosewood is much harder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanCarlosVejar Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 The Maple used on Back/Sides of most acoustic guitars (& Gibsons) is the softer maple which is about as hard as American Walnut( moderate hardness)..Hondurous mahagony is softer than this maple but Rosewood is much harder. Nick , sell him your J 200 prototype or are you going to keep it ??? JC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanCarlosVejar Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Gary you might want this exact guitar : JC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Maple does have higher damping than say rosewood. It is used on violins exactly because of its ability to mellow out the sound. But rosewood is certainly harder and more reflective. At one time Gibson got around this by building J-200s with nice and stiff laminate maple back and sides (they made their own laminate back then which actually cost more than using solid wood as it required more wood and labor to produce). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-1854Me Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Gary you might want this exact guitar : JC I think they should all come standard with one of those shirts! Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDC Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 Thanks for the input, guys. I'll keep looking I suppose, but there are so few Gibson dealers left and their stock is so limited that it's difficult to find any to play. Guess I'll just try to forget the idea. JuanCarlos - Man that git in the vid sure seems like what I'm looking for, but at 6K - dang. I just wouldn't pay that much. Would probably have Collings build me an SJ for that number. Thanks, guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Nick , sell him your J 200 prototype or are you going to keep it ??? JC Thanks Juan You are a very nice chap : ) I was discussing it with my wife today for the first time in a while as the things I had on ebay sold. The day before yesterday someone bought my autographed Meet the Beatles album which I had since I was a kid. One day I looked at a poster from Sam Goodys and realized the signatures looked the same, and they WERE the same..But turned out they were the Beatles secretarial autographs...It seems they used the secretarial autographs on the poster as well..ha ha! Too bad $60 instead of $30k..oh well(I loved that music & wore that record out) And yesterday after two rounds on US Ebay I put my Studer Revox Reel to Reel for sale internationally and a gentleman from Ireland bought it right away to put in his recording studio. I bought it new in 91' & it cost as much as a Rolex Date Just back then...I put 20 minutes of recording on one channel,never really took the time to use it, had it covered on a cabinet with a clear plastic, never used it...and people wanted it for like nothing! There's been a revival in analog recording these days as people are realizing digital recording is lacking something, and if this thing was made today as it was then (in Switzerland/Germany) it would sell for double that. Anyway.. I say this cause today I was discussing possibly selling the guitar with my wife since that sold & the Lowden guitar is what I should be playing when I play acoustic (but overall electric guitars are more like my thing). Id like to put an ivory saddle on the J200 as there is a wood shim under the original saddle now..but I just can't bring myself to do it. If I paid double & got one that was gotten naturally after the creature passed away Id do it cause I think this is the thing for an acoustic. Especially THAT acoustic guitar. Anyway once I send the Revox to Ireland Ill probably put a couple of carved mahagony chairs for sale next & if they sell maybe buy a used small S Lowden. Im tempted with that super fancy Vine for sale in Japan..but its almost certain it will not sound equal to the Prototype. To me the J200 is about the looks & that one is like the best looking of them all. They told me due to the inlay it is a heavy guitar,usually not a good sign for sound. I don't think the gentleman who started this link is interested in a rare guitar that should be kept at home. Keep us posted on your guitar.All the best. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Maple does have higher damping than say rosewood. It is used on violins exactly because of its ability to mellow out the sound. But rosewood is certainly harder and more reflective. At one time Gibson got around this by building J-200s with nice and stiff laminate maple back and sides (they made their own laminate back then which actually cost more than using solid wood as it required more wood and labor to produce). You would not happen to know why Gibson back then (end of 30's) switched over to maple on J200's Like the down home real reason. I think company went into crisis & changed ownership but I vaguely may be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerohead Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 All I can say is my SJ-200 Custom is by far the loudest and sweetest sounding guitar I have ever heard! I was extremely lucky I guess since I was not able to play it 1st. I live in the remote northern town of Sault Ste. Marie Ontario and the Gibson dealer in town only stocks at best 1 guitar of the best selling models and the next closest high volume Gibson dealer is 100's of miles away! I've never been happier with any other purchase I've made in my LIFE, BAR NONE! Here's a short sound clip made on the day it was delivered. My wife says it sounds like I'm fixin to mount it during my description LOL! Gotta love those Texas women and SJ-200'S LOL! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkqmG_HPXUo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDC Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 Now that's what I expect a J-200 to do. Maybe the comments above about maple are accurate. I'd always thought maple was harder than RW and provided better projection.... I've played soem outstanding maples. I suppose I'll keep looking. Great guitar AERO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerohead Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Now that's what I expect a J-200 to do. Maybe the comments above about maple are accurate. I'd always thought maple was harder than RW and provided better projection.... I've played soem outstanding maples. I suppose I'll keep looking. Great guitar AERO Thanks! I would have to search long and hard to find a better one but my search has ended and I am in SJ-200 heaven! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR GIBS Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I have a Gibson SJ200 Custom Elite. Much of the members here know I call him M-R GIBS Spruce/maple. This is still the one and only SJ200 in my country. The guitar is just brilliant. Sound exemlpe: http://tochkabg.bandcamp.com/track/if-you-start-believing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanCarlosVejar Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I have a Gibson SJ200 Custom Elite. Much of the members here know I call him M-R GIBS Spruce/maple. This is still the one and only SJ200 in my country. The guitar is just brilliant. Sound exemlpe: http://tochkabg.bandcamp.com/track/if-you-start-believing Krassi , great guitar . love the vocals too =D JC P.S have you heard from Buc ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR GIBS Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Krassi , great guitar . love the vocals too =D JC P.S have you heard from Buc ??? Not lately. I know he is somewhere arround. Sure he is doing well! Right, Buc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDC Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share Posted June 24, 2012 Thanks for all the replies and input... very kind of y'all. I found one today :) Just what I thought it was suppose to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 Thanks for all the replies and input... very kind of y'all. I found one today :) Just what I thought it was suppose to be. Great News. Hope you can get where you want to be with it. I have an '04 SJ-200 I bought when it was a year old. Previous owner wanted to dump it and get a Martin. I believe he only played it an hour a week on Sunday morning.... I played it much more than that, and it improved from very good to fantastic over a period of six or eight months. Like you, I always thought maple was 'harder' than rosewood - but that was based on thinking it was louder, based on comparing maple b/s guitars to rosewood. Doesn't matter - it the Jumbo you found has the sound your looking for, you are lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchristo Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 congrats on your new guitar, how about some pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanCarlosVejar Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 Great News. Hope you can get where you want to be with it. I have an '04 SJ-200 I bought when it was a year old. Previous owner wanted to dump it and get a Martin. I believe he only played it an hour a week on Sunday morning.... I played it much more than that, and it improved from very good to fantastic over a period of six or eight months. Like you, I always thought maple was 'harder' than rosewood - but that was based on thinking it was louder, based on comparing maple b/s guitars to rosewood. Doesn't matter - it the Jumbo you found has the sound your looking for, you are lucky. the same goes for me ... this lefty SJ 200 had been laying in Fuller's for 2 years straight ... after it arrived at my house I played and played it ... until it really opened up nice and this really is my favorite guitar .I I could only have one it would be this one. JC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 the same goes for me ... this lefty SJ 200 had been laying in Fuller's for 2 years straight ... after it arrived at my house I played and played it ... until it really opened up nice and this really is my favorite guitar .I I could only have one it would be this one. JC Yeah. Funny. I was going to say the same thing - the SJ200 I've got is aces. I would get rid of my 2010 H'Bird TV first. And I absolutely love that one! So, we have a similar frame of reference. But my "beater" is a Cordoba GK, not a Yamaha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.