2001 GIBSON J-200 ELITE

Stunning Gibson J-200 Elite from 2001, in excellent condition.

We find on this jumbo model all of the elements that make it probably the most iconic among the pantheon of Gibson flat-tops: the first appearance of the Gibson Super Jumbo dates back to 1937, when it was presented to Hollywood star Ray Whitley, omnipresent in film productions featuring singing cowboys against a backdrop of intrigue set in rural American life. Through his aura, Whitely promoted the Super Jumbo as the largest and fanciest acoustic guitar available at the time, and will arouse envy among his peers in the Californian studios, like Roy Rogers or Gene Autrey, who will be quick to grab a SJ of their own. From then on and over the following decades, the model continued to attract attention in the hands of the greatest, from Elvis Presley to Noel Gallagher and Neil Young, especially since 1947 and the introduction of the Natural finish: this option reveals in all its splendor the grain of the spruce top and the patterns of the figured maple on the back and sides of the instrument.

It is in this form that we find the guitar presented here, the prefix Elite also indicating a choice of the finest materials among those available at Gibson: to the wood species previously described is added a splendid ebony fingerboard decorated with abalone inlays, the typical mustache-shaped bridge, also made of ebony and decorated with abalone, and a wide pickguard. This J-200 is equipped with a Fishman Prefix Plus amplifier system that appears to have been factory installed by Gibson. Finally, we focused on fully optimizing the guitar’s playing base, with fret planimetry, action and intonation adjustment, in order to obtain a perfectly adjusted and comfortable playing base.

Sold in its original Gibson case.