This article was last updated on May 27, 2022
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By Stephen Pate – Greg Koch of Wildwood Guitars waxes eloquent about the Gibson Bob Dylan SJ-200 Player’s Edition Acoustic-Electric Vintage Sunburst in this video.
“Its got this deep resonance and reaches down in the very fabric of your being.”
“It’s got the Bob nob what more do you need. When you play it I think you’ll know what I’m talking about.”
You can take some things people say with a grain of salt. I 100% agree with Greg.
Forget for a minute the guitar is designed by Bob Dylan and Gibson. The Gibson J-200 itself is unlike any guitar I have ever played.
Obviously, I am intrigued by the Bob Dylan SJ-200 Player’s Edition guitar but skeptical as well. I have a very nice guitar collection that includes a 1980 Martin D-35+ Sunburst, a Martin 000-28VS, an 1893 Bay State Banjo and my prize a 1969 Martin N-20, the same guitar as Willie Nelson’s Trigger.
This week a friend, who works for a guitar store, brought in his Gibson J-200 Standard for me to play. It blew me away. The sound was so bright, so clear and so deep compared to any other guitar I’d played before. Now I know why they call it the “King of Flattops.” Two other guitar players tried it and we were all wowed, impressed beyond expectation.
“It’s got the Bob nob what more do you need. When you play it I think you’ll know what I’m talking about.”
You can take some things people say with a grain of salt. I 100% agree with Greg.
Forget for a minute the guitar is designed by Bob Dylan and Gibson. The Gibson J-200 itself is unlike any guitar I have ever played.
Obviously, I am intrigued by the Bob Dylan SJ-200 Player’s Edition guitar but skeptical as well. I have a very nice guitar collection that includes a 1980 Martin D-35+ Sunburst, a Martin 000-28VS, an 1893 Bay State Banjo and my prize a 1969 Martin N-20, the same guitar as Willie Nelson’s Trigger.
This week a friend, who works for a guitar store, brought in his Gibson J-200 Standard for me to play. It blew me away. The sound was so bright, so clear and so deep compared to any other guitar I’d played before. Now I know why they call it the “King of Flattops.” Two other guitar players tried it and we were all wowed, impressed beyond expectation.
The salesman’s guitar was a J-200 Standard which is a notch below the SJ-200 Dylan has his name on. The Dylan SJ-200 has Adirondack spruce top and a better grade of tone woods, plus the extra bling and finish.
I heard three YouTube videos of the guitar before going to the store. I’m like ‘so what?’ That’s the trouble with YouTube videos: they compress the sound and you lose overtones and nuances.
Then I played one in the store and it was like – where did this guitar come from? The sound blew me away.
The neck is long like a Strat but modern and not fat. The neck felt great in my hand.
The sales guy said it was a great strumming guitar which is true. I had tons of fun fingerpicking bass lines as well and then complicated finger picking patterns. The neck had lots of room and good if not a tad high on the action. It was simply an awesome guitar and the best one I’d ever played.
I thought a J-200 would be fat, too big but the guitar’s waist is tiny and it sits nicely on your leg, even though the bout is about an inch wider than a regular jumbo. The guitar is no thicker than a J-45 which I played for comparison.
Where to find a Bob Dylan SJ-200
If you are interested, try to find a store with a J-200 or the Bob Dylan SJ-200 Player’s Edition to try. If you are near Wildwood in Louisville CO, check them out. They have one guitar in stock. You can order it online from them.
There were 3 left at Amazon.com. You can also order the Gibson Bob Dylan SJ-200 Player’s Edition Vintage Sunburst online from Amazon.com with full return privileges. Amazon.com are dedicated to building the Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company.
In Canada, LA Music carries Gibson Bob Dylan SJ-200 Player’s Edition for a really decent price and their customer service is very good as well.
“The SJ-200 Player’s Edition is a high-performance model based on Bob Dylan’s personal guitar. This model is constructed with Adirondack red spruce and hand-selected AAA flamed maple. Featuring vintage style hide glue top bracing.
The headstock features the artist’s eye logo with a Bella Voce Mother-of-pearl inlay on the fret board. Double pick guards feature an engraved design, with mother-of-pearl dot inlay.”
| Brand: | Gibson |
| Model: | SJ-200 Bob Dylan Player’s Edition |
| Finish Type: | Nitrocellulose Lacquer |
| Top Wood: | Adirondack Red Spruce |
| Bracing: | Traditional scalloped x-bracing |
| Back & Sides Wood: | AAA Flamed Maple |
| Neck Wood: | 2-Piece Maple |
| Neck Joint: | Compound dovetail secured with hide glue at the 14th fret |
| Neck Shape: | Rounded |
| Neck Dimensions: | .790 1st – .850 9th |
| Fingerboard: | Rosewood |
| Fingerboard Radius: | 12&Prime |
| Fingerboard Inlays: | Mother-of-Pearl Bella Voce |
| Scale Length: | 25 1/2” |
| Width at Nut: | 1.725” |
| Nut Material: | Bone |
| Binding: | Multi-ply Body |
| Electronics: | LR Baggs Anthem |
| Bridge: | Rosewood Moustache with 4-bar Mother-of-Pearl inlay |
| Tuners: | Gold Gotoh |
| Pickguard: | Double Tortoise |
| Case: | Black Hardshell Case |
| COA: | Yes |
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5 / 5 stars
By Stephen Pate, NJN Network
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