The J-200 mini is a design that is smaller and thinner than the SJ-200, yet braced to produce the powerfully balanced, natural sound so closely associated with it. The top is made from AA-grade Sitka spruce, while the back and sides are constructed from AAA-grade Eastern curly maple, giving the J-200 mini  the resonance and punch expected from a much larger guitar, with a perfect balance of sound and playability. Selecting the right wood, and the formula to dry it out, are two of the most central procedures to Gibson’s guitar-building process. Beginning with its first catalog in 1903, Gibson has assured its customers that every guitar would be built using woods with “the most durable, elastic, and sonorous qualities,” and today’s guitars from Gibson Acoustic are no different.

The fingerboard of J-200 mini is constructed from the highest grade ebony on earth, which is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson’s team of skilled experts before it enters the Gibson factories. The Ebony gives each chord and note unparalleled clarity and bite. The J-200 mini also features graduated crown inlays are made of genuine abalone, and inserted into the fingerboard using a process that eliminates gaps and doesn’t require the use of fillers. The fingerboard also sports a rolled edge—instead of the usual right angle where the fingerboard surface meets the neck, Gibson acoustics rolled edges are slightly beveled for an extremely smooth and comfortable feel, enhancing the playability of the J-200 mini.

Gibson put the first crown peghead logo on an ES-300 back in 1940, and it has graced the headstocks of many legendary Gibson guitars ever since, including this limited edition . Over the years, it has also been called a “thistle” because of the group of flowering plants with the sharp prickles, though Gibson has preferred to call it a “crown.”

The tortoise pickguard for the J-200 mini is Gibson’s standard jumbo-style shape, with a beautiful cream floral and vine design and 10 mother of pearl dots. As with all of Gibson Acoustic’s pickguards, the coloring, inlay, and binding are all done by hand.

This gorgeous version of a J-200, also features an exquisite red Nitrocellulose finish that shows off the curly maple perfectly!