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A Super Jumbo Thread About Super Jumbos
I got to play a Gibson True Vintage Red Spruce SJ-200 today, and all I can say is WOW. I don't know what they have been doing lately, but the new arrivals that my local GC has been getting from Gibson lately have been some of the best I have ever played.
Does anyone use an SJ (Gibson or otherwise) as their primary fingerstyle guitar? I love that characteristic "thump" that they have, and it seems like it would add a lot of depth to fingerstyle playing, but I don't recall ever having seen one used in such a fashion. Is there a reason that most SJs have maple back and sides? I know that rosewood might make them a little too bass heavy, but it seems to me like mahogany would make a great b/s woods for such a large body. If you own a super-jumbo, especially if it's by a builder other than Gibson, I'd love to see pics and hear about it. |
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I believe Gibson refers to the SJ200 as a "Southern Jumbo". I've never heard the phrase "Super Jumbo" in reference to the Gibson range.
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Grabbed his jacket Put on his walking shoes Last seen, six feet under Singing the I've Wasted My Whole Life Blues ---Warren Malone "Whole Life Blues" |
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Try listening to Rev. Gary Davis. He favored the J-200. Among lesser lights, Dave van Ronk fingerpicked one.
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"Still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest." --Paul Simon |
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CC,
Tommy Emmanuel sometimes uses a jumbo Maton to play fingerstyle during his concerts. This You Tube video from a radio interview in June, 2008 shows TE playing that guitar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ8ds...eature=related I think I can hear you reacting, though -- this is not quite like a Gibson SJ-200, and I agree. But I can't think of anyone else that has used a jumbo design for fingerstyle. The jumbo design does bring a little more bass to the sound and if the guitar has a red spruce top, that is going to add some very nice upper midrange and high end. If you liked this particular Gibson SJ-200, I gotta think they've come up with a good combination there. Interesting to hear something good about Gibson for a change! - Glenn |
#6
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Thanks for your response. There aren't going to be many guitars that are quite like an SJ-200 besides the real deal, but there are quite a few out there with similar dimensions. Tommy's Maton looks like one of them. The True Vintage I played today was incredible, but about twice my budget. I have always loved OMs, but the few truly great SJs that I have come across have had my absolute favorite sound. I'd say the best one I ever played was a Chevrolet edition...the whole thing was god-awful looking, though. The fingerboard inlays and tuners were both the Chevy symbol, and the whole thing was candyapple red. But man, did it sound great. |
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BTW- The Rev. actually preferred the sound of Martin D's (he loved my '63 D-28) but opted for the Gibson because he thought they were physically stronger and would hold up to his playing better.
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Rick Ruskin Lion Dog Music - Seattle WA |
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Rev. Davis is, of course, linked with that 1942 natural SJ-200 he called "Miss Gibson." When asked why he played it he said "so they can hear me in the back of the church." I know he owned a 1950s Martin 000-18 but am not sure about a dread. He also owned a couple of 12 string guitars which I think he liked because he found them easier to play as he got older. In his later sessions, Rev. Davis pretty much played new guitars - including another J-200 with a tune-o-matic bridge on it.
The "Southerner Jumbo" (not "Southern Jumbo") is the SJ not the SJ-200. I have always heard the SJ stood for "Super Jumbo" -if not than Gibson would have had two very different guitars with the same name up to the mid-1950s. Possibly no guitar in the old Gibson catalogs has been through more structural changes that the SJ/J-200. They were always considered a custom guitar and made in relatively small numbers. The tone bars were hand tuned for each individual instrument. Gibson thought so much of this guitar they stopped production during WWII because they did not want to make it with inferior or substitute materials. I have only owned two - both made under Ted McCarty and have never held a guitar with a more peanut butter smooth response. Mine (both maple body, double X braced models) exhibited a thumping bass that decayed more like an archtop that a flattop. Full tilt saturated mids with a high end that is crisp but not what you would call bright. Very warm sounding with a real crackling edge. Only downside - not the easiest guitar to play sitting back in a big old easy chair.
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"You start off playing guitars to get girls & end up talking with middle-aged men about your fingernails" - Ed Gerhard Last edited by zombywoof; 10-18-2009 at 07:22 PM. |
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#10
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I guess my Klein M43 might qualify as a super jumbo. The SJ-200's lower bout is 17" and the Klein's is 16 7/8".
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Steve _______________________ Cornerstone Genesis - Curly Macassar Ebony / Sinker Redwood Klein M43 - EIR/Spruce Tony Vines Baritone - Walnut/Adi Joel Stehr 8 String - Figured Myrtle / German Spruce Kammerer 8-NNG - Maple Chrisman guitar 1934 2-Russian made classical - Rosewood/Spruce Mervyn Davis Smoothtalker - Cedar/Kiaat Kinnaird Student Build SJ Sitka Spruce / Black Wanunt |
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An interesting variation on the Super Jumbo theme is Eastman's Archback Jumbo series. They have the same dimensions as an SJ-200, but with a carved, arched back. This gives them some extra projection - I guess so folks can hear them outside the church! They come with maple or mahogany backs and rims. Nice price, too.
-Arch |
#12
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Big Jumbo Sound.....
Here's my Takamine 365s (Oct 1976) which is essentially a copy of a Guild F50R.
I've played this along side quite a few jumbo's including J200's and it has a richer, fulller, deeper and louder sound whilst still having a clear top end. I wouldn't trade my 365 for anything, it sounds good 365 days a year! |
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I have a a KAY acoustic which is a copy of a gibson J-200
Its such a HUGE BODY but it has a great sound
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- MY ACOUSTICS - -1930's Kay Kraft model B -1937 Gibson L-00 -1941 Gibson Roy Smeck Deluxe -1950's Harmony (for slide) -Late 1950's Stella(warped for slide) -Late 1950's Kay Jumbo -1990's Ibanez 12-string -2012 Jasmine SC43 |
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Man, this thread is enough to make me want to change my Horton order to a small jumbo.
The increased size should add a little of that "thump" I want, but it's still small enough to be manageable and not overly-boomy (only a 15.5 lower bout). Hmm...decisions, decisions. It sure is a fine looking guitar.... |
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Nothing Quite like a Gibson Super Jumbo 200!!! They are for sure my favorite Gibson acoustic guitar!!! I've owned a few of them in the past! I was thinking of having John Mayes build me a copy of one a while back since he's big on the Gibson thing but I decided to go with his smaller J-185 style guitar.
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