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Monday August 20th, 2001
Back on the trail with the Gibson J-200
by Timm Kummer for www.marsmusic.com
"By the early 1960s, the J-200 was entering it's second phase of popularity, largely because a certain rock and roll artist from Memphis with the first name of Elvis was playing one..."
The 1920s were a party. Despite prohibition, people were drinking and spending money without a care. Suddenly, with the stock market crash in October of 1929, the party was over. The majority of companies that had enjoyed huge growth in the past decade were drastically reducing their workforces, resulting in lots of unemployment and, eventually, an economic depression that had its hold on the entire country. Men humbly stood in soup lines, and those lucky enough to have jobs barely made enough to survive. Historically, when things got this bad, there was only one thing to do - get a little entertainment. Both the music and motion picture industry were ramping up to meet the demands of a nation "down on its luck." The singing cowboys were the Backstreet Boys of their day, and for a nickel you could escape by spending a Saturday afternoon watching Gene Autry or Roy Rogers.
Out in Kalamazoo (Michigan, that is), the Gibson guitar company was looking for a way to compete with the Martin guitar company (of Nazareth, PA) and their D-45, which was in the hands of Gene Autry, and therefore all over the silver screen. While the Martin dreadnought was large, there were some even larger guitars at the time. For instance, Washburn, Lyon and Healy, and the Larsen Brothers all built bigger models (one as large as 22"). Gibson understood that bigger was better and knew that if they could build a flattop that could compete in the woodsy venue of the great outdoors (maybe, the ultimate campfire "sing along" model?), and if they could get it in the hands of a cowboy movie star, they too could grab a little of the depression era loot.
The mustache bridge was such a fashion statement that as long as I can remember, I've identified this feature as uniquely Gibson.
At just under 17 inches (16 7/8"), the then-new Super Jumbo (SJ) was quite a sight. The very first models were 12-fret with 26" scale, but most were 14-fret with 25 " scale. The most striking feature was the "mustache bridge." The earliest of these had individual string height adjustment, but by 1941, the typical single saddle had been introduced. The mustache bridge was such a fashion statement that as long as I can remember, I've identified this feature as uniquely Gibson. It was so strong that Gibson used it on many of the other "higher end" models such as the J-100 and J-55.
The SJ-200 featured Brazilian rosewood back and sides and a spruce top. I have seen a few with maple from the period, but these are rare. As far as finishes go, I've only seen sunburst, and I assume no true natural finished originals were made. If any were made, they are rare indeed. Since Gibson was (and is) conscious of style, the rosewood back and sides would have looked a little odd with a blond top. The only model I can think of that has this look is the L-2 of the early 1930's. Not the Argentine Grey model with banjo style binding, but the later version with trapeze tailpiece. But by 1948, blond was optional and the name SJ-200 was substituted with J-200 in Gibson's catalog, although the white labels in the sound hole still read SJ-200 until the early 1950's. The label changed to Orange in the mid-1950s --this was the last of the "good" changes for awhile.
By the early 1960s, the J-200 was entering its second phase of popularity, largely because a certain rock and roll artist from Memphis with the first name of Elvis was playing one both on stage and in the movies (seeing a pattern here?). Like the cowboys of the 1930s, Elvis' endorsement had a huge influence on the youth of America and in turn, the interest in guitars began to rise.
The early 1960's models are not as revered as the earlier J-200s, since the bridge now sported a gold tune-o-matic bridge and the guitar began to take on a more metallic sound. About the same time the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan and officially invaded America, many major guitar companies were in the middle of corporate turnover and the new owners responded quickly to meet the demands of the new "younger" guitarist. This change resulted in downsized necks and cuts in production costs in order to make the guitars more affordable for the youth market. Gibson, too, followed this trend and started to have thinner, (narrower at the nut) necks to accommodate the younger player's smaller hands. While these guitars are quite nice, they fall short in many crucial areas, including tone.
The years from 1966 to 1986 were some dark times for American guitar builders. The average guitarist was not out buying a lot of new equipment; therefore, the manufacturers produced mediocre products. Consequently, the vintage guitar market began to take off, and the guitar manufacturers took notice. When the customers were willing to pay ten times the current price for a 20-year-old guitar, the manufacturers reacted by producing more vintage style instruments.
In 1986, Henry Juszkiewicz and Dave Berryman purchased Gibson and set the company on a course towards profitability with a renewed commitment to quality. By 1989, Gibson had their J-200 models are a nod to the SJ-200 of the early 1950's. Most are blond with the back and sides constructed from the finest curly maple. The sound is smooth, with a slight tip towards the bass side and a balance that has long been missing. When you fingerpick one, the response is incredible. If you take a pick to it, the volume is unequaled. Bottom line - you won't find a better jumbo, unless you're willing to spend $10,000+ for an early one.
"Bottom line - you won't find a better jumbo...." 
Also, now available are the prewar style SJ-200s with rosewood back and sides and extra "cowboy-type" trim. Named the Western Classic, this guitar is an exceptional instrument and well worth the money. It's about 10% of the price of a 1930s Gibson, if you can find one. The sound is somewhat warmer than the maple guitars and the overall tone is more complex. This model requires a little more "warm up" time, so if you buy one, you must play it every day - jeez, that'll be hard to do!
Also available exclusively at Mars Music, is the SJ-200 Q. It has all the normal features of the SJ-200, but the back and sides are quilted maple. There are only 46 of these available and they are some of the sweetest sounding Gibson's I've recently had the pleasure to play. The maple is so fine on these that if you hold the guitar up to a light and look through the sound hole, you can see the light reflecting through the back.
The Gibson J-200 is easily the most identifiable flattop guitar of all time. Some years are better than others, but the current line of Gibson flattops is easily the most consistent of any period. The guitar buying public, now more discerning and better educated about tone woods and construction, has raised the bar for all manufacturers. Gibson has kept one step ahead by not only leading the historic re-issue market, but also by moving forward with new, innovative products such as the Workingman's J-200, which delivers great quality at an affordable price.
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