2009 Gibson SJ-200 Standard Jumbo Guitar

How could one not like a J-200? They've got countrified glam in spades and are excellent workhorse instruments for stage players or "band" leaders. Their sound -- up-front, a bit rumbly, but with a lot of note separation, clarity, and punch -- is perfect for keeping a group together via a heavy-handed folk strummer. In the '50s, the "shung, chuck, shung, chuck" chop patterns led all sorts of country stars to various forms of victory while fronting a band.

This one's a Standard from '09 and it has a good amount of light/medium playwear throughout and lacks a pickguard. The sunburst looks great on it, however, so aesthetically it's winning. It's not as heavy as some of these can be and the maple neck is slick, fast, and stable. Its tone is as I described above -- punchy, a good bit of bass rumble, but clean and clear. It sounds full but still has a good amount of Gibson woodiness in the upper-mids to keep it folksy.

I only needed to give it a light fret level/dress and setup, but post-work it's playing bang-on and is ready to go. This had a factory pickup installed at some point, but a previous owner yanked it out and plugged the jack, so it's pure acoustic at the moment. That let me shim-up the saddle with a bit of rosewood -- so... a win/win as it sounds better overall because of it. I'm not a huge fan of undersaddle elements.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, setup, and light cleaning.

Setup notes: it plays perfectly with low, 3/32" EA and 1/16" DGBE action at the 12th fret. The neck is straight, the truss rod works, and the frets have lots of life left in them and are in good order.

Scale length: 25 5/16"

Nut width: 1 11/16"

String spacing at nut: 1 1/2"

String spacing at bridge: 2 3/16"

Body length: 21"

Lower bout width: 16 3/4"

Waist width: 9 7/8"

Upper bout width: 12 3/8"
Side depth at endpin: 4 7/8"

Top wood: solid spruce

Back wood: solid flamed maple
Sides wood: solid flamed maple

Bracing type: x-braced

Fretboard: rosewood

Bridge: rosewood, synthetic saddle

Neck feel: slim C-shape, ~10-12" board radius
Neck wood: flamed maple, synthetic nut

Condition notes: there's pickwear to the side of the soundhole and minor scratching and dings here and there throughout the guitar, though not too obvious at a glance. There are a few small white marks on the back/sides, presumably from bumping it into walls. All bracing, etc. is in good order and it's crack-free. The finish shows weather-checking mostly on the top but a little on the back and sides as well. It makes it look friendly and a bit "vintage." Plusses to me!

It comes with: a Gator hard case.