SJ-200 Historic Collection?

[solving]

Does anybody here know the story of SJ-200 True Vintage models?

 

When where the first produced? Where they called Historic Collection prior to the True Vintage-series?

[Motherofpearl]

As far as I know the historic collection is just looks does not have the adi top but has the red pickguard. The tv j200 came out in a ltd run in 2007 along with the j45 and hummingbird.

[Old Neil]

Historic Collection is just the old marketing name for what Gibson call the Standard series now. Same spec.

 

The 'origin' of the True Vintage J-200 came out as the J-200 VOS ('Vintage Original Spec.') featuring the Adirondack top and vintage bracing etc. It was like a special release a few years back. Its current form is the J-200 TV so it can be aligned with the rest of the TV model line.

 

So, you didn't get the TV you played a while back?

[solving]

Historic Collection is just the old marketing name for what Gibson call the Standard series now. Same spec.

 

The 'origin' of the True Vintage J-200 came out as the J-200 VOS ('Vintage Original Spec.') featuring the Adirondack top and vintage bracing etc. It was like a special release a few years back. Its current form is the J-200 TV so it can be aligned with the rest of the TV model line.

 

So, you didn't get the TV you played a while back?

 

Yeah I played the TV. And again... And I also played the Doves In Flight again which didn't impress me the first time. But I played it for a while and now I love it too.

So now I'm ambivalent . Don't know which one I should choose.

 

 

The reason I asked about the SJ-200 Historic is that theres one from 2005 for sale and I was thinking maybe getting one later and go "all in" with the DIF since the economy is good at the moment. Therefore I would like to learn more about the story of the SJ-200.

 

And after your info about the Historic I'm a bit wiser

[merseybeat1963]

The original Historic guitars just about 1993 had a round Historic stamp behind the base of the headstock/top of neck ..at least the Les Paul 59' & L5CES 58'...And were expensive ,well made, reasonably accurate reproductions of the originals.

On 48th Street they used to put those behind a glass showcase.

Later as they became more common, the name changed to VOS or something ...but although really good..and along the way they added long neck tenon..BB caps..aluminum tail piece ..& pafs a little closer..they still aren't original wood species.,

In electrics they were not comparable to todays Standard Series guitars.

[rar]

Historic Collection is just the old marketing name for what Gibson call the Standard series now. Same spec.

 

The 'origin' of the True Vintage J-200 came out as the J-200 VOS ('Vintage Original Spec.') featuring the Adirondack top and vintage bracing etc. It was like a special release a few years back. Its current form is the J-200 TV so it can be aligned with the rest of the TV model line.

This is roughly right, but the first SJ-200 TVs were built in 2007 and had Sitka tops. There was a limited run 167 of SJ-200 TV VOSs in 2008, which had Adi tops. (Who but Gibson would call their first-ever production run of Adi-topped maple-backed J-200s "Vintage Original Specs"?) These turned out so well that Adi tops became the standard for subsequent SJ-200 TVs.

 

Looking at the Modern Classic/Standard SJ-200s as the successor of the old Historic series is reasonable. Each was the standard-with-a-small-'s' model of it's day. In particular, the 2006 MC was essentially the 2005 HC with the Kluson keystone-repros replaced by Rotos. The whole point of the MC/TV distinction was to allow some "historically inaccurate" changes to be made to the HC models without generating too many complaints about "wrong" tuners and such from us fanatics. Most buyers want good tuners on and a good pickup in their SJ-200, and don't really care that SJ-200s "should" have Kluson keystones or exactly which pickup is in there. TVs exist to satisfy the picky.

 

-- Bob R

 

P.S. Edited because I was off by a year on the VOS run. (Which I should know, given that I have one.)

[fortyearspickn]

I think the answer might be viewed from a specs standpoint, but the rationale from a business standpoint. There are frequent posts here, probably reflective of the market, of folks who have GAS for an H'bird, J45, etc. but who expect they will be saving up years to afford one. So, like the WM-45 which was a great, cheap version of the J-45, it might have occurred to someone that creating high end versions of the model, and low end versions would significantly expand the potential market, and increase sales. Folks can get the H'bird they want in an economy version - or they can get the gold standard version TV. If there were only a 'standard' both the high roller and the low roller might not have bought. Gibson discontinued the WM-45, but now has a low end and a high end J45. And the low end cost more than the WM did. Some here couldn't see how Gibson made any $ on those, and possibly they didn't. So, now you get what you want PLUS a sunburst! Same concept as auto manufacturers apply different versions for the same model. You can pay $20k or $40K for the same model, only one has AWD, twin turbos and twice the power!

[Old Neil]

As a side update for Solving: I was in Hellstones, Stockholm with some visiting musicians from Argentina giving them some local music shop 'culture' and got to play the J-200 VOS there. Mmmm, its getting better with time. The higher price over the similarly specified J-200 TV (with the exception of the Sitka tops on the first year run mentioned above - thanks for that Rar) is that they were a limited run release. As Rar mentioned, only 167 were made. Lovely Adirondack top and light as a feather for such a large guitar - a good sign usually.

 

OK chaps, carry on.