Gibson L-200 Emmylou Harris Acoustic Electric Guitar with Hardshell Case
The big sound and classy look, but in a smaller package.
Legendary singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris’s love of Gibson Jumbo acoustics is well documented. From her duets with country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons and his 1960s J-200—which she still owns—to her custom-painted pink J-200 which she used exclusively on her 1985 album The Ballad Of Sally Rose, Harris’ career has been distinguished by her close association with Gibson. That friendship endures today with the L-200 Emmylou Harris acoustic guitar, a model that captures the big sound and classy look of Gibson’s SJ-200, but in a smaller package designed to meet the performance and travel demands of any artist. First introduced in 2002, the L-200—the inspiration for Gibson’s CJ-165 line—features a body design that is smaller and thinner than the SJ-200, but braced to produce the powerfully balanced, natural sound so closely associated with it.
Gold Gotoh Pearloid Keystone Button Tuners
Gibson’s L-200 Emmylou Harris features Gotoh’s pearloid keystone button tuners. With a gear ratio of 15:1, these Gotoh tuners deliver precision tuning in a durable housing that provides maximum protection for the gear and string post. All moving parts are cut for exact meshing, eliminating the possibility of slippage, with a special lubricant inside the gear box for smooth and accurate tuning stability.
Crown Peghead Logo
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 today’s L-200 Emmylou Harris . 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.”
Pickguard
The tortoise pickguard for the L-200 Emmylou Harris 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.
Rosette
A rosette is the beautiful, hand-crafted circle around the soundhole, and can be one of the most ornamental elements of any acoustic guitar. It is also one of the most subtle and complicated woodworking decorations on any acoustic guitar. The rosette on the L-200 Emmylou Harris is a double-ring rosette, with the main ring consisting of seven-ply binding, and the second ring three-ply binding, adding a stylish, understated elegance to the L-200.
Rosewood Fingerboard with Rolled Edges and Graduated Crown Inlays
The fingerboard of Gibson’s L-200 Emmylou Harris is constructed from the highest grade rosewood on earth, which is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson’s team of skilled experts before it enters the Gibson factories. The resilience of this durable wood makes the fingerboard extremely balanced and stable, and gives each chord and note unparalleled clarity and bite. The L-200’s graduated crown inlays are made of genuine mother of pearl, 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 Acoustic’s rolled edges are slightly beveled for an extremely smooth and comfortable feel, enhancing the playability of the L-200.
Body Tonewoods (back, sides and top)
The body of the L-200 Emmylou Harris was the inspiration for Gibson’s new CJ-165 line—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 L-200 Emmylou Harris 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.
L.R. Baggs iMix Acoustic Pickup System
Gibson Acoustic’s L-200 Emmylou Harris comes equipped with a custom-voiced iMix system from L.R. Baggs, which combines two of the company’s best acoustic pickup systems—iBeam and Element—to form one of the finest dual-source pickup systems on the market today. With a soundhole-mounted volume control, the iMix is engineered for players in constantly changing situations and environments. iBeam delivers the fidelity of the world’s best studio microphones, while the Element delivers performance not previously attainable from an undersaddle pickup. The class-A preamp/EQ is designed to naturally support the pickups’ unique characteristics, and features contour controls that deliver even more life into the natural sound of the L-200.
Bracing
Every acoustic guitar made by Gibson features hand-scalloped, radiused top bracing inside the body, a feature normally found only in limited run, hand-made guitars. By scalloping each brace by hand, the natural sound of the acoustic is focused more toward the center of the body, enhancing the instrument’s sound projection. The bracing pattern inside the L-200 Emmylou Harris acoustic is a smaller version of the design used for Gibson’s legendary Super Jumbo acoustics—a distinctive “X” pattern that allows the top to vibrate with less restraint, thus projecting the L-200’s powerful and balanced sound. This exceptionally balanced tone, combined with the bright sound of maple, spawns one of the finest sounding instruments of the famed Gibson acoustic line.
