Meet the Reigning Steel-string Monarch
Bold, bejeweled, and unabashedly big, the Gibson SJ-200 has ruled since 1937 as Gibson’s “king of the flat-tops.” It’s the definitive cowboy chord strummer. It’s stood as a standby for rock, country, and pop songwriters for nearly a century. Now, it can be yours with the Gibson Acoustic SJ-200 Standard. Designed to deliver maximum volume at a time when electrified amplification was still developing, the Gibson Super Jumbo’s cannon-like projection and cavernous depth all but ended the argument of “just how loud can you make a steel-string guitar?” with a royal boom. This SJ-200 Standard delivers that same level of acoustic authority, boasting a AAA Sitka spruce top and stunning AAA flame maple back and sides. Supported by traditional hand-scalloped X-bracing, these tonewoods deliver a sound laden with chest-rattling lows, rich treble snap, and enough volume to stand tall in any ensemble, especially when you factor in the guitar’s stage-ready LR Baggs Anthem electronics. Furthermore, the 2-piece maple neck, comfortable Rounded profile, and 12-inch-radius Indian rosewood fingerboard ensure that this big-bodied Super Jumbo drives with graceful performance and optimal playing comfort. Crowned with luxurious appointments — including an inlay-laden “mustache” bridge, gold Grover Rotomatic tuning machines, a floral pickguard, and mother-of-pearl graduated crown inlays — the Gibson Acoustic SJ-200 Standard rounds out your acoustic arsenal with the timeless tone and majestic aura of a true American icon.
Related Videos: SJ-200 Standard Acoustic-electric Guitar - Tri-Burst
King of the flat-tops since 1937
Introduced in 1937, the Gibson SJ-200 arrived at a time when the most common “electric guitar” was a lap steel played with a slide. In fact, Gibson’s first electric Spanish-style guitar, the ES-150, had just debuted in 1936. At the time, acoustic guitar makers were all chasing the same elusive goal: more volume — a challenge that electric amplification would soon address. In jazz orchestras, folk groups, and country ensembles of the era, nearly every other instrument easily overpowered the acoustic guitar, even with innovations like Gibson’s larger “Jumbo” dreadnought introduced in the late 1920s.
Guitarists continued to crave more volume from their instruments, leaving Gibson with only one choice: to make the big-bodied Jumbo even bigger. The resulting instrument, the Super Jumbo, boasted a massive 17-inch-wide lower bout, dishing out a volume that to this day stands unsurpassed in the world of acoustic guitars. Moreover, as the guitar was intended as Gibson’s “king of the flat-tops,” the model was graced with attention-demanding trim, abundant inlays, floral patterns, and binding galore to match the model’s regal reputation.
Nearly a century after the SJ's inception, the model continues to reign as one of the most iconic examples of American design — guitar or otherwise. The storied instrument has shaped the sound of recorded music through the hands of legends such as George Harrison, Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and countless stars of the country music canon.
Tonewoods inspired by the SJ's most iconic iteration
Like many of Gibson’s historic acoustic guitars, the SJ-200 has gone through a plethora of spec and tonewood tweaks over the years. In fact, while the model is now best known for its flamboyantly flamed maple body, the original 1937 SJ-200 was built with rosewood back and sides. After all, the SJ-200 was originally envisioned as a replacement for the brand’s rosewood-clad Advanced Jumbo.
Instead of mirroring that model, the Gibson Acoustic SJ-200 Standard replicates the Super Jumbo’s most legendary post-war formula, utilizing AAA flamed maple back and sides that beam with fine figuring and ring with a clear, crisp, and balanced character. Topside, you get a AAA Sitka spruce top with traditional hand-scalloped bracing that leverages the SJ’s 17-inch-wide surface area to boom with deep bass and unparalleled unplugged power. It all adds up to a seamless blend of power and balance, combining thumping low-end depth that’s more than matched by the fullness of the treble strings’ projection — in short, a sound that’s equally adept at filling out the mix in the background or standing front-and-center with its crisp, commanding tone.
What makes a Standard?
Gibson Acoustic produces no shortage of SJ-200 offerings, spanning ultra-accurate vintage re-creations to acoustic-electric showcases of modern performance. So, what makes this SJ-200 the “Standard”? A potent blend of tried-and-true and new elements that respect the SJ-200’s illustrious legacy while smoothing over a few vintage quirks. For instance, the SJ-200 Standard’s 2-piece neck sports an easy-playing Rounded profile, which is a far cry from the chunky SJ-200 necks of yore. Plus, rock-solid kidney-style Grover Rotomatics facilitate superior tuning stability. Finally — and arguably most importantly — the SJ-200 Standard comes equipped with LR Baggs Anthem electronics, giving you the power to perform with an acoustic-electric voice that retains the model’s rich, dense, and powerful character.
American craftsmanship at its finest
While the Gibson Acoustic factory in Bozeman embraces modern construction technologies where necessary, guitars such as the SJ-200 Standard remain largely handcrafted by a seasoned team of skilled craftspeople. Gibson is rightly celebrated for the sound, style, and performance of its iconic “flat-top” guitars, though the term is something of a misnomer. From the company’s very beginnings, Gibson non-archtop acoustics have featured subtly radiused tops and backs, not truly flat surfaces. To honor that legacy, today’s Gibson acoustics continue the tradition with 28-foot-radius tops and 12-foot-radius backs shaped by carefully curving the hand-scalloped bracing. Why go to such lengths when a true flat-top would be easier to produce? That curvature adds stiffness to the back and sides, marking an integral element of the classic Gibson steel-string sound and contributing to its clarity, resonance, and signature note-to-note definition.
From binding installation and fingerboard fretting to neck setting and the painstaking finishing process, the Bozeman team’s expertise guides every step. They even bend the sides using traditional presses, a technique used for generations. Across every detail, Gibson Acoustic guitars represent the spirit of a traditionally crafted American instrument, built using time-honored methods that forged Gibson’s legendary reputation throughout the 20th century.
Built in Bozeman in the handcrafted Kalamazoo tradition
For more than eight decades, Gibson’s acoustic instruments were crafted in the historic Parsons Street Factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan — only a few hours’ drive from Sweetwater’s Fort Wayne, Indiana, campus. Gibson’s acoustic and electric guitars were built side-by-side there for much of the company’s history. Subsequently, production was relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, over the course of several years between the late 1970s and the early 1980s. Although this change of scenery worked brilliantly for Gibson’s electric lineup, it was quickly discovered that the hot and humid climate of the American South was perhaps not the ideal setting for acoustic guitar building.
Gibson’s acoustic division ultimately packed up its side presses and chisels and journeyed off to the picturesque city of Bozeman in 1989. The move was preceded by Gibson’s purchase of the Flatiron company in 1987; the latter’s immaculate mandolins demonstrated that The Treasure State’s semi-arid climate was the perfect setting to craft Gibson’s historic acoustic instruments. More than three decades down the line, the Bozeman factory comprises a well-seasoned workforce of master craftspeople — many of whom are multi-decade Gibson veterans — and produces what many musicians consider to be among the company’s finest creations.
Gibson Acoustic SJ-200 Standard Features:
- A subtly modernized spin on Gibson’s legendary Super Jumbo model
- Massive Super Jumbo body style features a 17-in.-wide lower bout, dishing out an unparalleled degree of punch and projection
- AAA Sitka spruce top with traditional hand-scalloped X-bracing tempers this SJ’s power with sweet and responsive character
- AAA flame maple back and sides resound with a crisp, defined timbre and exceptional balance across the sonic spectrum
- 2-piece maple neck shaped into a comfortable Rounded profile
- 12-in.-radius rosewood fingerboard flush with gleaming MOP graduated crown inlays and elegant binding that wraps up to the headstock
- Iconic “mustache” bridge, inlaid with MOP bars
- Floral-themed pickguard is sure to garner many a glance
- Stage-ready LR Baggs Anthem under-saddle electronics combine an under-saddle piezo with an internal mic to deliver an authentic acoustic-electric tone
- Nitro lacquer finish will age over time, just like a vintage Gibson
- Gleaming gold Grover Rotomatic tuning machines
- Built in the handcrafted Gibson tradition with hot hide glue and a compound dovetail neck joint
