With the new Gibson 1957 SJ-200 VSB, the traditional American manufacturer is expanding its custom shop historical collection with the largest flat-top acoustic guitar in the company's history, which is based on the original from the 1950s in its detailed construction. Famous for its loud and deep sound, the guitar is still used today by numerous artists worldwide for powerful strumming and in the singer-songwriter field. Due to a thermo treatment of the wood, the guitar sounds as authentic as an instrument that has been played for years, taking the player back to the good old days. A custom-fit case and a Gibson Accessory Kit are included in the delivery
Sitka spruce wood is one of the most popular materials in guitar building due to its fine structure and its extraordinarily clear sound. It produces very set and clear mid frequencies which are able to express every single tone in a very differentiated and clean way. The SJ200 gains a very fast response through a thermo treatment of the wood, which is further enhanced by a Scalloped-X-Bracing and a wafer-thin nitro lacquer. Easily recognizable by the slightly flamed and evenly narrow grain, the North American spruce wood also leaves a very good optical impression and with its light appearance it fits perfectly to the other woods used. The large pickguard with floral ornaments and the bridge in elaborate moustache shape with integrated inlays are another highlight of the flat-top classic and give the soundboard a noble and timeless look that makes the instrument so incredibly popular.
Due to the huge super-jumbo construction, the guitar produces very powerful bass frequencies, which color the whole tone warm and rich, making the instrument perfect for vocal accompaniment and strumming. The strikingly grained maple wood of the body intersperses the whole sound with a soft note, which enriches the clear mid frequencies in a very subtle way and rounds them off in their balance. Strong flames shimmer lighter or darker depending on the angle of view and thus form the even bars in the grain, which are the name givers for this stunning wood and give the instrument a unique appearance. Cream-colored bindings form a gentle transition between the light woods of the entire body and separate the individual components with faint lines, thus emphasizing the exciting and even structure of the grain. The open back of the guitar is separated by a fine backstrip which emphasizes the symmetry of the two back parts and runs straight through to the headstock.
Despite a long scale length of 647.7 mm, the guitar can be played very easily in all 20 frets. The reason for this is a two-piece maple neck with a round profile, which allows a comfortable grip even in the higher frets and allows the player to elicit a clean tone from the instrument without much effort. The noble rosewood fretboard is decorated with Mother-of-Pearl inlays, which with their unusual crown design emphasize the value of the material and prove that the craftsmanship of the manufacturer is not without reason known worldwide. On the large top flap are the company logo and a fine inlay, which in combination with the bell-shaped trussrod cover form a colorful contrast to the black background. Typical for the old super-jumbo models, the guitar is equipped with tuning stable Gotoh Keystone tuners, which fully embody the spirit of the 1950s.