Epiphone 1957 SJ-200 Reissue Acoustic-Electric Guitar, Vintage Sunburst

For something large and in-charge, we have the Epiphone 1957 SJ-200 Reissue. Gibson's SJ-200, a veritable classic and the proclaimed "King of the Flat-Tops," became a hit among musicians upon its debut in 1937. Depression-era market shifts and wartime scarcity made Gibson transition the SJ-200's rosewood back and sides to maple. The resulting guitar we see before us became a classic in its own right and today's 1957 SJ-200 Reissue joins in Epiphone's Inspired by Gibson Custom series of guitars for the players of today to take up and create with. They don't call it "The King" for nothing, after all.

Today's 1957 SJ-200 Reissue throws it over to the SJ-200 model history is most familiar with. This Epiphone model sets out to bring the experience of vintage SJ-200s to modern players by recreating the model that sustained past Depression-era trends.

Today's 1957 SJ-200 Reissue begins with the classic big-bodied shape that made it a star. Thermally aged solid Sitka spruce makes up the top wood. This careful heat-treating process the spruce is treated to imparts some welcomed age to the look, feel, and tone of the guitar overall and gives it a lived-in character usually reserved for much older models. Scalloped X-Bracing lines the Sitka top for bringing the best of balance and projection out of the guitar. The element that makes this SJ-200 distinct, its solid figured maple back and sides balance out the Sitka for a totally impressive audible profile.

The experience continues on with a two-piece flame maple neck with a walnut stringer affixed to the body with a dovetail neck joint. A stringer, a thin strip of wood that geometrically divides the back of the neck, appears along the length of this SJ-200's neck. This SJ-200 features a sleek C-shaped neck profile that inspires smooth moves from lower to higher registers alongside a rich, bound Indian rosewood fingerboard bearing twenty frets and adorned with Mother of Pearl graduated crown inlays.

Across this SJ-200's 25.5" scale length, we have a number of fine features that elevate the playing experience to the next level. For one, a bone nut and Epiphone Deluxe tuning machines align at the classic Gibson "open book"-style headstock for quick stringing and stability. The scale's opposite end features a rosewood SJ-200 two-bar Moustache bridge that doubles as a sturdy string base and a regal visual element. Mother of Pearl bar inlays push this presentation further. For the stage, this Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom model features L.R. Baggs Element Bronze VTC electronics to translate its commanding tones from acoustic to amplified performance. A Red Line-inspired hardshell case travels with this Epiphone model with Inspired by Gibson Custom graphics.

As one of the guitar world's most enduring Jumbos, the SJ-200 is a classic in every right. This Epiphone model has some pretty big shoes to fill, care to take it for stroll?

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