The Gibson Brian May SJ-200 12-string features an AAA rosewood back and sides, an AAA Sitka spruce top with a vintage sunburst finish, and a 2-piece AAA maple neck with a rounded profile, walnut stringer, and a rosewood fretboard with Agoya shell 8-point star inlays. The headstock also features an 8-point Agoya shell star inlay, along with the Gibson logo in mother-of-pearl and gold Grover Mini Rotomatic tuning machines. The bridge is solid rosewood with four 60s-style Agoya inlays. The planetary-themed pickguard was designed by Brian and further reinforces the astronomy motif. The strings are mounted in reverse order, with the thicker strings at the top, followed by the octave strings beneath, giving it a distinctive sound that’s unlike other Gibson 12-string acoustic models. Electronics are Fishman Matrix. Only 100 instruments will be made by the Gibson Custom Shop located in Bozeman, Montana.
https://www.gibson.com/en-GB/p/Acoustic-Guitar/Brian-May-SJ-200-12-String/Vintage-Sunburst
“The idea for this guitar came when I needed a twelve string on tour, and the one I was accustomed to wasn’t performing right on stage. The guys at Gibson very kindly said, ‘We’ll make you something special that you can use on the tours.’ One of the things I asked for was for the octaves to be placed around the other way from where it is normally done, because I like to pick upwards and hear the top notes when I’m playing. I like to hear the high octave coming through as then I can play tunes on it. If you look at this guitar, the beauty of it, and the beauty of the sound, and look at the science in this guitar, look how much technology and craftsmanship has gone into this guitar. Gibson was able to put the universe on it in a figurative way and the planet Mercury is here, and that is a little nod to a friend of mine that is always with me.”
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