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Gibson Custom 1952 J-185
Gibson SJ-200 Standard
VS
Playability
78
Sound
85
Build
87
Value
68
Score
83
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Playability
73
Sound
88
Build
94
Value
70
Score
85
FIND IT ON:
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Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 vs Gibson SJ-200 Standard

Reasons to Get
Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 over Gibson SJ-200 Standard

Release Year
2019 vs 2016
From a more recent year
Neck Profile
Acoustic V vs Acoustic Rounded
Great if you like to hang your thumb over the fretboard
Scale Length
24.75'' (628.7mm) vs 25.5'' (647.7mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone

Reasons to Get
Gibson SJ-200 Standard over Gibson Custom 1952 J-185

Neck Profile
Acoustic Rounded vs Acoustic V
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Pickups Brand
LR Baggs vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm) vs 24.75'' (628.7mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Value Score
70 vs 68
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 vs Gibson SJ-200 Standard

Saddle Material
Bone vs Ivory Tusq
Different Saddle Material
Bridge Material
Belly up, holes at rear, open slot vs Two bar SJ-200 Moustache; Rosewood
Different Bridge Material
Nut Material
Bone vs Ivory Tusq
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 vs Gibson SJ-200 Standard

Back Material
Flame Maple
Same Back Material
Sides Material
Flame Maple
Same Sides Material
Body Wood
Spruce
Same Body Wood
Neck Wood
Mahogany
Same Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood
Same Fretboard Wood
Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Hollowbody
Warm tone, lighter and acoustic sound
Switch Positions
0
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
0
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
0
Same tone control
Number of Frets
20
Same maximum octave
Nut Width
1.725'' (43.8mm)
Same string separation at the nut
Paint Finish
Nitro
Thin finish that creates aging marks faster
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Fretboard Radius
12'' (304.8mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Type of Frets
Medium
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • High-Quality Nut
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Locking Tuners
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Gibson SJ-200 Standard is probably the better product overall with its final score of 85 compared to the Gibson Custom 1952 J-185's 83 score, although not by a lot.

The Gibson SJ-200 Standard wins when it comes to sound, build quality, value for the money. On the other hand, the Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 has the upper hand when it comes to playability.

If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Gibson SJ-200 Standard.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

Both meet 3 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.

New Player Friendliness

Gibson Custom 1952 J-185
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Gibson SJ-200 Standard
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 Overview

  • From Gibson Custom's 2019 Historic Collection series
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 24.75"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Thermally Aged Sitka spruce top
  • Solid Flame Maple back
  • Solid Flame Maple sides
  • Mahogany neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: (/)
  • Belly up, holes at rear, open slot bridge
  • Acoustic V Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Gotoh Keystone tuners
  • Weight around 4.05lbs (1.8kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Gibson SJ-200 Standard Overview

  • From Gibson's 2016 Modern Acoustic series
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid AAA Sitka Spruce top
  • Solid AAA Flame Maple back
  • Solid AAA Flame Maple sides
  • Mahogany neck
  • Indian Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: LR Baggs Anthem (Preamp/Active)
  • Two bar SJ-200 Moustache; Rosewood bridge
  • Acoustic Rounded Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Grover Rotomatic tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .

Woods Used in Both

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood
Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
Spruce
Flame Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Flame Maple

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.

This wood has beautiful patterns only found in specific types of maple.

Winner: Tie.

Electronics

The Gibson SJ-200 Standard comes with a preamp that allows you to connect it to an amp, unlike its competitor. This allows it to have more versatility and sound quality if you want to record with it or play live.

Winner:Gibson SJ-200 Standard.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Gibson Custom 1952 J-185
Sustain 90
Versatility 80
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 85
Gibson SJ-200 Standard
Sustain 95
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 88

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 compares to the Gibson SJ-200 Standard.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in United States.

The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

Winner: Tie

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

The Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 has a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.

On the other hand, the Gibson SJ-200 Standard comes with a Ivory Tusq nut. Ivory used to be considered the best material for guitar nuts due to its beauty, durability, and the rich harmonics and sustain you could get from a guitar with it. However, the way to obtain it is simply unethical. Enter TUSQ ivory nuts, which are made synthetically to imitate ivory. Technically, it's better than ivory because it is consistent piece-to-piece, while natural materials can vary a lot, even if they're made from the same.

Winner: Tie.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The Gibson Custom 1952 J-185's are Gotoh Keystone while the Gibson SJ-200 Standard's are Grover Rotomatic

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Gibson Custom 1952 J-185
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Bone Nut
  • Bone Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Electronics
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Gibson SJ-200 Standard
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Ivory Tusq Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • Ivory Tusq Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Gibson Custom 1952 J-185
Quality of materials 96
Features 65
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 87
Gibson SJ-200 Standard
Quality of materials 96
Features 85
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 94

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 Nut Width
Both Guitars Have The Same Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 43.8mm (1.725'').

This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

Scale Length

Gibson Custom 1952 J-185's Scale Length
Gibson Custom 1952 J-185's Scale Length
Gibson SJ-200 Standard's Scale Length
Gibson SJ-200 Standard's Scale Length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

The Gibson SJ-200 Standard has the longest scale: 25.5". The Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 is only 24.75" long. This is a 0.75'' (19.1mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 Neck Profile
Gibson Custom 1952 J-185's neck profile
Gibson SJ-200 Standard Neck Profile
Gibson SJ-200 Standard's neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

In this case, both have different neck shapes:

The Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 has a V type of neck. This neck shape was more common during Fender's early years. Some people like it because they use their thumb over the edge of the fretboard to press the lower strings. It's rather thicker than most modern necks, so it's not usually used for playing fast solos.

The Gibson SJ-200 Standard, on the other hand, has a C neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

Fretboard Radius

Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 Fingerboard Radius
Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard Radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

Both the Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 and the Gibson SJ-200 Standard have the same fretboard radius of 12". This is the radius used in most Gibson guitars. It gives you a good balance for playing chords without muting, but also good comfortability for playing single notes and bending.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 favors large hands more than the Gibson SJ-200 Standard.

Gibson Custom 1952 J-185:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Gibson SJ-200 Standard:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 and Gibson SJ-200 Standard Frets Size
Both have a similar Medium fret size

Both have a Medium fret size. If you like feeling the fretboard when you play, but also appreciate some easiness to press down the frets, this size offers a good balance for that.

Final Playability Scores

Gibson Custom 1952 J-185
Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 70
Playability 78
Gibson SJ-200 Standard
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 73

Specs Side-by-Side

Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 vs Gibson SJ-200 Standard
General Gibson Custom 1952 J-185 Gibson SJ-200 Standard
Brand: Gibson Custom Gibson
Year: 2019 2016
Strings: 6 6
Made in: United States United States
Series: Historic Collection Modern Acoustic
Colors: Sunburst Red
Left-Handed Version: Yes No
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Thermally Aged Sitka spruce Solid AAA Sitka Spruce
Sides Material: Flame Maple Flame Maple
Back Material: Flame Maple Flame Maple
Bridge: Belly up, holes at rear, open slot Two bar SJ-200 Moustache; Rosewood
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Gotoh Keystone Grover Rotomatic
Fretboard: Rosewood Indian Rosewood
Neck Material: Mahogany Mahogany
Decoration: Mother-of-pearl Parallelograms Mother of Pearl Graduated Crowns
Scale Size: 24.75" 25.5"
Shape: Acoustic V Acoustic Rounded
Frets: 20 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 12" 12"
Nut: Bone Ivory Tusq
Nut Width: 43.8mm (1.725'') 43.8mm (1.725'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: LR Baggs Anthem (Preamp / Active)