The Gibson SJ200 Sound - Still The King of Flat Top Guitars?

Ah the iconic Gibson SJ200 - the King of Flat Top Guitars if the 1938 Gibson catalogue is to be believed.
It has certainly enjoyed a storied history in the hands of legendary musicians such as Pete Townsend, Emmylou Harris, Jack Bruce, Tom Petty and Elvis Presley.
But it’s a rare sight amongst fingerstyle guitarists - why is that?
In this video I look in detail at the Gibson SJ 200 and find out if this whispering giant has what it takes for the modern fingerstyle player!
This guitar was on loan from The Guitar Showroom - you can buy it here - you should in fact, it’s really nice! theguitarshowr...
I’ll see you in the next one
Until then, stay tuned
Michael

[@picksalot1]

Exceptionally good tone, balance, and responsiveness - rich and full. I bet that was a joy to play. It recorded really well. Thanks for demoing it. 👍

[@MichaelWatts]

@@picksalot1 It was a lot of fun! Thank you for listening!

[@badscrew4023]

Listened this episode on my studio monitors. Shivers! That quite some guitar, love the sound.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@badscrew4023 that’s good to know! Thank you so much for listening!

[@stanby2712]

Further to Robert Newell’s comment, another story from Stefan Grossman… when asked why he liked the Gibson, rather than sound , volume, playability etc, Rev Davis’s answer was “ they hold up real well in the rain and if you have to take a swing at someone, it don’t break”. Clearly important but long overlooked criteria😀

[@jacksondemarre8057]

Reminds me of another Gary story with the SJ-200 that Dave Van Ronk once told. He said that Gary claimed they were the best because of their durability, and he exemplified it by dropping the guitar on its bottom and it bounced back up into his hand.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@stanby2712 this is exactly the sort of incisive detailed commentary that I come here for

[@MichaelWatts]

@@jacksondemarre8057 god I wish I had the balls to try that

[@robertnewell5057]

@@MichaelWatts Garn! You know you want to.

[@paulheartsongs]

Love those 200s. My old 185 is beautiful and has tone all the way up and down the neck. IMHO all guitars have a place in the mix. My mate wanted to record a song and the tone he chose for the rhythm was a guitar I found on the side of the road. Never can tell!

[@MichaelWatts]

Nice!

[@ellenrik]

A wonderful guitar and very informative run down as well as some great playing. Thanks for the review.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@ellenrik thank you!

[@snowfiresunwind]

Has a lovely warm tone.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@snowfiresunwind it does indeed!

[@malcolmwatson3009]

Having played most models of Gibson J200s over the decades, I think this custom-shop prewar model (with Indian rosewood body and adirondack spruce top), is perhaps the best one for fingerstyle, especially when compared with the more standard mid-range forward, maple-bodied versions of their amazing jumbo.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@malcolmwatson3009 thank you Malcolm! I think you might be right

[@leelossi1257]

Wow.....that Gibson rumbles!! Stuff started falling of my shelves! great video as always.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@leelossi1257 it does doesn’t it? Glad you enjoyed it Lee

[@alastair6356]

Love the guitar flourishes and tapping great imaginative playing. What a big bruiser the Gibson SJ200 is , nice subtle tones , not what I expected from such a big guitar. The pick guard decoration and bridge has always put me of this type guitar but now I will have to try one out .

[@MichaelWatts]

@@alastair6356 it’s always nice to try something new!

[@michael4930]

The SJ200 sounds exceptional when played fingerstyle. The only problem, as a guitarist who plays mainly without a pick, I would have to dislocate my shoulder to play that thing regularly. It's just a huge guitar and would become rather uncomfortable after a while of playing. But what a guitar it is. Truly legendary.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@michael4930 I know what you mean - the tighter waists does drop it a little so I actually found it more comfy than a traditional dread.

[@simoncross1677]

There's something about the jumbo Gibson acoustic, and love the way you make it sound.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@simoncross1677 thank you Simon!

[@johnf991]

Michael Chapman played an SJ200 on his "Rainmaker" and "Fully Qualified Survivor" albums in 1969/71-ish - or at least he's photographed using one on the album covers. It was this influence that drew me to Selmer's (remember them?) in Charing Cross Road around that time to play a real one which cost around £450 in those days. In 1974 I settled for a very good Antoria J200 ( seem to recall the Gibsins were branded J200 in those days rather than SJ, but I may be mistaken - or is that another model?) for around £100 from Guitar Village, then in Shaftesbury Avenue. Happy days!

[@MichaelWatts]

@@johnf991 lovely stuff John!

[@robertnewell5057]

Nice guitar. Sounds fine fingerstyle. I cannot remember if you ever did an SJ back to back with a Martin J40. If not, that would be a nice test like the ones you are currently doing. I note they are around the same price new. I have the latter and use it extensively for fingerstyle. Rosewood SJs are really rare! I may have mentioned on your channel that a mate of mine asked Stefan Grossman what Rev Davis's was like. Stefan said it sounded 'like a washing machine', but I doubt Rev Davis was super-picky about changing strings. Apparently he had several of the back in the 50s and early 60s. As an aside, if £5k is a bit steep, a well-known guitar shop is selling the Epiphone J 200 variant in ALL solid woods (flame maple/sitka) at under £800! If I didn't have too many guitars for my personal safety, I'd get one tomorrow.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@robertnewell5057 great stuff Robert thank you for sharing

[@jacksondemarre8057]

At one point in time, acoustic blues guitarist Andy Cohen played a 1954 SJ-200. Also, Townes Van Zandt played one later in his career as well.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@jacksondemarre8057 yes indeed

[@szabolcsmezei4088]

Peter Hayes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club played fingerstyle on a natural SJ 200 in a live setting, and it worked well.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@szabolcsmezei4088 nice catch! Thank you for tuning in!

[@enigmabletchley6936]

Great exposition of a wonderful instrument. I must admit to being biased against rosewood instruments in the Gibson line-up but that one sounds fantastic. I had an early example of a natural finish maple one shortly after Gibson opened the Montana factory and it was one of the best guitars I ever owned. And you could play pretty much anything from Jazz standards to 60's Folk Club tunes on it. Much more versatile than you would think.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@enigmabletchley6936 absolutely! Thanks for watching!

[@nickroth7446]

The epiphone j200 is a very good option to dip one’s toes into the instrument. I purchased a bursted one and a few months later a natural. I absolutely love them and don’t have to baby them

[@MichaelWatts]

@@nickroth7446 very true!

[@nickroth7446]

@@MichaelWatts Thanks for another great video! I love your content and playing. I’m probably going to get the Gibson version at some point.And thanks for the reply!Super Cool!

[@maltesetony9030]

Fascinating video: I had a (maple) 1950 SJ-200N, but sold it & bought a 1963 Martin D-28. In terms of sheer power & volume, the D-28 wins hands down, and the tone (Brazilian rosewood) is (to my ears) "better" too. That said, the 1 & 11/16 nut width is "tight" on both - oh, for an extra 1/16 of an inch! The SJ-200N, incidentally, was worth nearly half as many ££ again as the Martin. But that's collectors for you! May I ask, Michael, what make & gauge of string you use? I've tried 13s (too heavy to bend); 11s (too thin to "drive" the top); & 12s - a necessary compromise? Given that the nut width is fixed, might a slight re-configuration of the string-spacing ease fingerstyle playing? I'd be interested to know your take on this.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@maltesetony9030 hi Tony! Thanks for tuning in - very interesting comment. I use Elixir 12-53 PB wherever possible

[@cognoscenticycles4351]

I have always wondered who dreamt up that bridge shape. That pick guard is pretty off the wall as well. But aesthetics aside, it has that big bold tone that some are chasing. I believe Jimmy Page used a borrowed one from a session guitarist friend to play "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" on Zeps debut album.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@cognoscenticycles4351 Oh that’s very cool, I always assumed I was hearing a Martin on those early Zeppelin records

[@mariodriessen9740]

Jealous man here (not envious though - I think there’s a difference 😅). The SJ-200 is probably the most desirable guitar I can think of. I’m not the best fingerstyle type of player though. I started on a classical guitar when I turned thirteen. It was a gift from my parents. So even though I did learn how to use my fingers to play in a classical style, I bought my first electric guitar when I was 14 and I started to play using plectrums almost exclusively. That was 43 years ago. Believe it or not, but I bought my first acoustic steelstring guitar 12 years ago. I always spent all my money on music gear and I took my electric guitar playing very seriously, so it just never happened, because I’ve always known that my first acoustic steelstring should be a high quality instrument that I wanted to play all the time. And that’s when my addiction started. My addiction of needing to find and buy more and more beautiful acoustic guitars. I never thought it would be so bad, but acoustic guitars just bring me to a whole new level of satisfaction (and addiction). Unfortunately I don’t think I will ever have enough money to afford an SJ-200, unless I’m willing to sell the two of my most expensive acoustics (or my most expensive acoustic and a good electric - …. I might do that one day). YOU ASKED ABOUT A FINGERPICKING J-200 USER. I know one. He’s the reason why I would prefer an antique natural finish. I know he used many more acoustics, but I also know that I’ve seen him play a natural finished SJ-200 in his later years, so I decided to do some research before I would comment on your video. And what I found out was that Gibson struck an endorsement deal with Townes van Zandt (because he is the guy I’m talking about) to play an SJ-200 in 1991. Townes played this instrument exclusively live until he passed away in January 1997. I only knew Townes by name, but apart from that I never heard anything of him until I joined a band in which we would play cover songs that were all related to country music in one way or another. And because of the fact that I absolutely didn’t like country music at all I started a journey on KZbin into the unknown world of country music. I learned about Townes and other artists like Steve Earle after I watched the brilliant documentary movie called ‘Heartworn Highways’. It’s on KZbin. I can recommend this movie to everyone, whether you like country music or not. Townes van Zandt was a great poet (even Bob Dylan thought he was one of the very best) and his songs were a mixture of country, Americana and what we now call ‘singer songwriter music’. Whatever it is, I fell in love with his work, the raw nature of his music and the dark, yet beautiful lyrics. He's not the most refined fingerpicker and he uses those finger plectrums (is this the right word for them?), but he doesn't strum his SJ-200 as much as he uses his fingerpicking technique. so…., there's one. 😅 I'm genuinely sorry, but for reasons I can't explain I can never keep my comments short. I'm really very sorry about that. Loved the video! 🧡🧡🧡

[@MichaelWatts]

@@mariodriessen9740 nothing wrong with a well considered comment Mario - thank you very much for sharing your thoughts!

[@kaushalsuvarna5156]

An interesting thing just dropped, the LR Baggs AEG-1 Hope you get your hands on it

[@MichaelWatts]

@@kaushalsuvarna5156 oh wow! Just saw the pics - that is very interesting!

[@eladh.brooke5460]

Beautiful sound quality !!! What mics did you use for recording?

[@MichaelWatts]

@@eladh.brooke5460 thank you! I use a pair of Gefell M300s

[@terrywright7893]

I’ve heard some strummed that sounded lovely but I’ve been disappointed by the ones I’ve fingerpicked. Maybe a rosewood version would be more satisfying, particularly a 12-fretted…

[@MichaelWatts]

@@terrywright7893 that’s been on my mind!

[@maxwirt921]

I would’ve loved to have heard you also play the maple version with the torrified Sitka top. I’m surprised you preferred the rosewood, given your signature model MDW.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@maxwirt921 I hope I’ll get the chance to feature a maple version soon. Although the SJ200 and the MDW are V E R Y different guitars!

[@AnthonyMonaghan]

I think Bob Dylan can be seen holding one on the cover of Nashville Skyline. Not exactly a finger style guitarist. Great video Michael.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@AnthonyMonaghan thank you Anthony! Yes, Bob was on my list

[@lordofthemound3890]

Dylan was a great fingerpicker early in his career! Check out “Girl From the North Country” and “Don’t Think Twice,” both from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.

[@AnthonyMonaghan]

@@lordofthemound3890 I agree. His guitar playing is overlooked as much as his harmonica playing is mocked, both of which are excellent. His overall delivery is fantastic on those early solo recordings.

[@DeltaJazzUK]

Lonnie Johnson played the budget version, the SJ100, and later on upgraded to the SJ200.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@DeltaJazzUK ah very cool

[@aubreygreen4268]

I believe Dave Van Ronk used a guild jumbo at times? He kinda had a big Gary Davis type of sound as well, to be fair...

[@MichaelWatts]

@@aubreygreen4268 Van Ronk! Of course! Good catch Aubrey

[@scoggers1628]

Townes Van Zandt played an SJ200 live sometimes, although it’s debatable how you’d classify his style of play.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@scoggers1628 that’s true! Love a bit of TVZ!

[@EJK1965]

That's sooooooo last year, I've got an app that does all that!

[@MichaelWatts]

@@EJK1965 😆

[@69spook]

Rev. Gary Davis was a great performer on his J200.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@69spook yes he was!

[@LairdDavidson]

I wanted a SJ200 since I first saw and heard Emmylou Harris playing one. It looked and sounded so cool. Now many years later when I could afford and justify buying one I went for a Taylor instead. Please don't hate me LOL

[@mariodriessen9740]

Hahaha…., me too!!! 😅 I was about 9 years old when I saw her on TopPop. I think this was in 1977. She had one hitsingle here in the Netherlands with “c’est la vie”, but on you Tube you can actually find two really great short gigs she recorded in the TopPop studio. I’m pretty sure she played with the Hot Band, but in two different lineups. Anyway, the reason why I remember so well was because of the fact that Emmylou Harris was this tiny, skinny, unbelievably beautiful young woman in a long black dress, playing that HUGE black coloured SJ-200. Now, the 200 is a big guitar anyway, but on her it looked so gigantic that it always made me giggle back then. Of course back then I had NO idea what guitar she was playing. I didn’t know anything about guitars. But because it was so big and because of its recognisable shape, by the time I started playing acoustics myself (I must say I was late to the party, unfortunately), THAT was the guitar I wanted to have. It was a dream and it will probably remain a dream for a very long time, if not forever. Looks do matter, don’t they? Rodney Crowell who was standing next to her during that performance was playing a Martin Dreadnought. Even if I had never seen that performance again, I could most probably figure out what guitar Emmylou Harris played back then. But a Martin Dreadnought has been copied by so many brands, even in the seventies. He could’ve played any guitar. Of course I would have assumed he had been playing a Martin. Same thing when The Rolling Stones made their video playing ‘Angie’, both Keith and Brian used Hummingbirds. When you’re young, you’re like a sponge, you see something once and you’ll never forget. You can tell a Gibson Hummingbird from miles away. I haven’t seen that footage for decades now. I would be surprised to find out that they DIDN’T play Hummingbirds. O, ow… now I’m getting curious. 😅

[@LairdDavidson]

@@mariodriessen9740 On the cover of her Angel Band album she's sitting with pink cowboy boots and an SJ200 on her lap. I'd look at that image and think what a beautiful woman and guitar making beautiful music, I want to do that.

[@mariodriessen9740]

@@LairdDavidson : I don’t blame you. 😊

[@MichaelWatts]

@@LairdDavidson no judgement here!

[@slicksalmon6948]

It has a unique tone.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@slicksalmon6948 it does!

[@andrewbowen6875]

Gibson do a really nostalgic Gibson thing for me. Lefty Frizell and Melba Montgomery who paired up with George Jones to the Everly Brothers that were more percussive with their pick guards. This J200 is something different

[@MichaelWatts]

@@andrewbowen6875 very true! No double pickguards around here!

[@benmorrison2416]

Kris Kristofferson played an SJ200 for years. Sounded pretty good the way he played. SJ200s are pretty cool

[@MichaelWatts]

@@benmorrison2416 of course he’d did! Thanks for the comment Ben!

[@kelvinpell4571]

I saw this guy playing a J200 fingerstyle on You Tube.... What was his name again?..... Ah! It was Michael Watts.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@kelvinpell4571 never heard of him!

[@BrianTruesby]

Nothing like a good Gibson. The SJ200 vintage was my first “why is this incredible?” experience with a modern day Gibson acoustic. Then came the J45 Vintage…

[@MichaelWatts]

@@BrianTruesby there you are! Thanks for tuning in dude!

[@jeffhildreth9244]

Surprisingly, sounds good in spite of the tone killer pick guard.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@jeffhildreth9244 ha ha ha it’s a tone enhancing plastic bracing reflector isn’t it?

[@jeffhildreth9244]

@@MichaelWatts Correctly, it is a framulator reduction plate.

[@clintspoon3765]

Michael Chapman used to play one around the time of Fully Qualified Survivor. Naked Ladies and Electric Ragtime👍

[@MichaelWatts]

@@clintspoon3765 did he? Thats very cool! Thank you!

[@Barracuda24-f3w]

Midnight Blue? 👍

[@mhz9003]

Not sure if you really consider him a finger style player but Cat Stevens used them.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@mhz9003 that is true!

[@RoyPortel]

Do you have any videos or opinions on Guild (jumbo) guitars?

[@jimmyhay47]

They’re beautiful. Especially the ones in the middle of the 20th century.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@RoyPortel I’ve played some great examples

[@victorbeebe8372]

According to Greg Lake the SJ 200 is the only guitar you need or something to that effect. Probably a misquote.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@victorbeebe8372 ha ha ha probably!

[@mickymillersson4376]

The J200 is at its best when finger picked or gently strummed. That’s when that big body takes over and becomes a mellow almost organ like tone.

[@MichaelWatts]

Very true Micky!

[@Kalamazoom]

❤❤❤

[@brucecall1595]

Oh other than any model dreadnought. Martin. Gibson flat tops are all copys.

[@MichaelWatts]

@@brucecall1595 I don’t know, the SJ200 was pretty revolutionary at the time, and original too

[@brucecall1595]

@@MichaelWatts yes to just beat copyright. Don't get me wrong at all. Gibsons are original and different. The contrast works well.sj's are great .I love a j-50 personally I own a sweet d-18. Love mahogony warmth

[@WysteriaGuitar]

No worries I can get one, I do not tap on a J-200. In fact, I cannot tap on any guitar...LOL

[@MichaelWatts]

@@WysteriaGuitar off you go then, grab yourself a lovely jumbo

[@PMM4JC]

SJ200 is NOT King. If it works for you great. But so many other instruments put it to shame. 1939 Gibson J35 is about as good as it gets. I have a 68’ SJN that sounds amazing without all the gaudy bling. 58’ D28 seriously better. Bedell has some BR & Adirondack top models that are world class. It’s all preference 🎸

[@MichaelWatts]

@@PMM4JC that is true - The guitar came out with the slogan King Of Flat Top Guitars in the 1930s

[@PMM4JC]

@@MichaelWatts Still a great guitar in my opinion but not a top ten to me. But the player makes the instrument so others can make it rock better than I. 55 years playing mostly acoustic and my problem is I love them all! Also…praying for flood victims in USA and war victims in Middle East. Tragic🙏🇺🇸🎸

[@davidwellings2783]

Lust, pure lust……! 🥰🥰🥰

[@MichaelWatts]

@@davidwellings2783 behave!

[@davidwellings2783]

@@MichaelWatts always lusted for a maple one, since I saw Greg Lake in the 70’s..! 😊😊🎸🎸🍷🍷

[@cugir321]

Nope.

[@adriansummers3462]

👀👀👀👀👀