Gibson J200’s Which Ones Are Great? Which Aren’t?

tele69 · December 2022

I fancy one, I have for years... which ones are great? Which one’s do you avoid?
thanks guys!

surfguy13 · December 2022

Like you I had never owned one but always fancied one so bought a standard US J200 about 15 years ago. I have to say that I was underwhelmed and found the body shape/size just too big, even on a strap.

Soundwise it was quite loud but, to my ears, a little on the brittle side. Also not enough bass response. I ended up selling it.

However, I recently watched a clip on Utube from Andertons comparing the various Epiphone by Gibson range of acoustics and was very impressed with the Hummingbird and the J200. I think the 2 guys doing to test concluded that the J200 was definitely the best of the bunch with the Hummingbird a close second. This range from Epiphone are all solid woods and stupidly good value for money. At around £700 for either of these 2 models new you get a huge amount of guitar for your money although there is no case or gig bag. They seem to hold their value used and sell for around £500 (ish) so also a great option. I narrowly missed a mint Hummingbird for sale recently for £400 with an epi hard case!

I would definitely be happy to invest in the J200 if one came up used. This is, I think, the aforementioned video and there are quite a few on Utube as well:

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surfguy13 · December 2022

Sorry, wrong video clip!! Hopefully this one is the right one:

Cryptid · December 2022

They're not particularly loud guitars (if you want a really loud and projecting maple jumbo go for a Guild JF-30).

Many find SJ-200's dead - dry and unresponsive with little sustain. All the things that make them the perfect rhythm / strumming guitar for recording and live use IMO. They tend to come alive with a firmer touch, and 'go to sleep' if they've not been played for a while. Mine is more sensitive to humidity changes affecting the tone than any other acoustic I've owned.

They don't have the bass boom of dreads, but a good one with a sensible action sounds huge and balanced when strummed with dry woody mids, perfect for vocal accompaniment. None of the ones I've played sound particularly good with single note runs tbh - a bit brittle and thin.

My advice would be to go for one that's been played in for a good few years. If you're not bothered by the complete bling of the standard model, have a look for a J-100 XT, J-150 or a 2009-2012 SJ-200 Studio (before they started using walnut/rosewood and a shallower body depth).

The maple SJ-200 Studio seems to be the best value used considering it's essentially the same guitar as a standard, but with plainer aesthetics. It's the model I have.

ICBM · December 2022

The only way to tell a great J-200 from a bad one is to play them - the same as with any Gibson acoustic. Two identical models can vary as much as that.

Mellish · December 2022

There's no way to give an answer.

Two Studio, two Standard J-200, two SJ-200 - it makes no difference. They won't both sound the same cos they can't. Each one is unique in that way.

All you can do is try 'em, as @ICBM there says, and make up your own mind.

ICBM · December 2022

Mellish said:

Two Studio, two Standard J-200, two, two SJ-200 - it makes no difference. They won't both sound the same cos they can't. Each one is unique in that way.

Even more so with Gibson than any other make I can think of. It's not just 'poor QC', I don't really know what it is, they're just hugely variable.

I once worked for a shop which ordered two new J-45s from Gibson, and when they arrived they had nearly consecutive serial numbers. One was great and one was a dog! The dog was badly set up too, but sorting that didn't make it sound good. My guess was that whoever was responsible for doing the set-up at Gibson realised as soon as they played it that nothing was going to help, so just didn't bother.

Someone bought it anyway...

Dave_Mc · December 2022

ICBM said:

The only way to tell a great J-200 from a bad one is to play them - the same as with any Gibson acoustic. Two identical models can vary as much as that.

Yeah. I haven't tried that many, but I've tried enough. I've probably said this before, but one of my favourite acoustic guitars I tried was a J-45... I then tried another one in a different shop and it was very middling indeed. I'd probably have rather had a £300 Faith!

Not super-helpful here in Northern Ireland where you're lucky if the shop has one of the thing you're looking for (in fact I don't think we have any Gibson dealers here any more)...

(I haven't tried any J-200s.)

Mellish · December 2022

@ICBM said "Someone bought it anyway..."

Oh they do. I've seen some real shockers that have still found homes

Caffeine_Vampire · December 2022

The Epi IBG range are stupid good. I have a J200 and a Hummingbird and I wouldn't bother with a Gibbo.

dallcorp · December 2022

Try one the True Vintage J200s if you can find one?

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Gibson J200’s Which Ones Are Great? Which Aren’t?

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