UNRESERVED. The SJ-200 is Gibson's equivalent of the Martin D-45-a top-of-the-line model with elegant, fancy appointments that is highly prized by players and collectors alike. Developed during the mid-1930s as Gibson's competitor to the D-45, the Super Jumbo 200 (as it was initially called before the SJ-200 name was officially adopted), quickly found favor with professional guitarists, particularly cowboy and Western screen stars like Gene Autry, Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Tex Ritter, Roy Rogers, Jimmy Wakely, and Ray Whitley.

This 1950 SJ-200 is a visually stunning guitar, featuring the model's distinctive engraved floral pattern pickguard, curvaceous rosewood moustache bridge with four semi-rectangular mother-of-pearl inserts, and "pineapple" or "rising sun" fretboard inlays, which mirror the crown headstock inlay that made its debut on this model. This example's sunburst finish glows on its top and sides, and the curly maple back is exquisitely figured. The top is surrounded by 7-ply binding, while the back features a decorative wood marquetry center strip. Anyone looking for the highly desirable 1950s era SJ/J-200 is well advised to consider this example.

The J-200 remains a favorite of countless players today. Guitarists who have regularly recorded and performed with a J-200 include Bob Dylan, the Edge, Emmylou Harris, George Harrison, Jimmy Page, Tom Petty, Pete Townshend, and the man who made his J-200 sing and holler like nobody else-blues legend the Reverend Gary Davis.

VG+