SJ-200 CS Montana Gold

GIBSON

Instrument Description

In 1998 Gibson decided to pay high tribute to the grain fields of the state where their acoustic factory is located, with the Montana Gold model, with nothing but the highest level of craftsmanship. Produced from 1998 till 2012 only, the Gibson press release in 1998 was stating: "This stunning acoustic guitar was designed by Gibson Acoustic’s master luthier Ren Ferguson, and is a testament to the skill and spirit of the Gibson’s guitar builders in Bozeman, Montana. The simple elegance of the Custom Montana Gold is evident in every detail, including its AAA-grade Sitka spruce top, with matching AAA-grade Eastern curly maple back and sides, releasing a rich, full, and balanced high end and grand projection. The traditional Super Jumbo body delivers a deep, rich tone, while hand-scalloped top bracing offers added strength and a lighter top, enhancing the guitar’s sonic projection".
The labor intensive process meant no more than around twenty a year were completed. From the AAA-grade timbers to the gold Grover Imperial tuners, (exact reproductions of the originals), the Montana Gold SJ-200 is premium everything! Ebony fingerboard, with rolled edges and genuine mother-of-pearl block inlays; meticulously hand set dovetail neck joint; a hand tuned top sheet, radiused in-concert with the hand-scalloped braces, effectively turning the whole top of the guitar into a sonic projector, especially boosting the mids, for a perfectly balanced acoustic spread. The previously mentioned top braces - every one hand-shaped for each individual guitar - follow the same pattern as the original 1937 SJ, lightweight and hand-tuned to deliver a rich, full, and balanced high end, plus the powerful, deep lows and monster projection that Gibson Super Jumbos are renowned for. The custom designed headstock inlay, showing the Montana Gold banner logo against a bounteous wheat-sheaf, is hand-cut gold and white mother-of-pearl. The scratchplate similarly features hand-engraved and hand-painted clusters of wheat bearing the Montana Gold banner logo. Finally, the guitar is fully hand-finished in 9 coats of nitro, then hand buffed to an almost glass-like lustre, this meticulous and costly finishing process replicating the same process that Gibson began way back in 1984!