After the Gibson SJ-200 was launched in 1937, it quickly earned the title "The King of the Flat-Tops" due to its superior sound, physical size, outstanding projection, and majestic appearance. The earliest model years of the SJ-200 used rosewood for the back and sides; this was switched to maple in 1947. Due to the harsh realities of the post-Great Depression economy, there was limited demand for the top-of-the-line SJ-200, and consequently, relatively few were produced. The rare, rosewood-bodied pre-war SJ-200 models have become highly prized by today's collectors, driving up their resale value significantly on the vintage guitar market.

Now, Epiphone has partnered with Gibson Custom to create an Inspired by Gibson Custom recreation of this vintage iconmaking it more readily available for today's players to enjoy. The Epiphone Pre-War SJ-200 Rosewood Reissue is replete with vintage-inspired details, including solid rosewood back and sides, a thermally aged solid spruce top with traditional scalloped X-bracing made from quarter-sawn solid spruce, and a two-piece maple neck with a rosewood stringer. The Round D-profile neck is attached to the body with a glued-in dovetail joint.

The ebony fretboard is adorned with mother-of-pearl graduated crown inlays and equipped with 20 standard frets.

The SJ-200style pickguard features vintage-style graphics, and the ebony SJ-200 open two-bar Moustache bridge is inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The nut, compensated saddle, and bridge pins are… read more all made of bone. The Gibson "open-book" headstock sports a vintage Epiphone logo and a Gibson crown inlaid in aged mother-of-pearl, along with a stinger and an Inspired by Gibson Custom Double Diamond logo etched on the rear.

In a nod to the needs of modern musicians, it comes pre-installed with an under-saddle L.R. Baggs Element Bronze VTC piezo pickup and active preamp, complete with soundhole-mounted volume and tone controls making it stage- and studio-ready straight out of the included Red Line inspired hardshell case, which features Inspired by Gibson Custom graphics.

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