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Gibson Announces Johnny Cash SJ-200 and Rosanne Cash J-185

August 27, 2024

Introducing the Johnny Cash SJ-200 and Rosanne Cash J-185 from Gibson Custom, a tribute to two American music legends.

NASHVILLE, TN (August 27, 2024) As it celebrates 130 years of music history, Gibson, the iconic global instrument brand, is proud to announce the Johnny Cash SJ-200 and Rosanne Cash J-185 from Gibson Custom. A powerful limited edition long coveted by collectors and music lovers around the world, the Johnny Cash SJ-200 offers a rare, handmade version of Johnny’s distinctive signature late 1950s SJ-200. The new limited edition Rosanne Cash J-185 was made in close collaboration with Rosanne Cash and the expert luthiers at the Gibson acoustic craftory in Bozeman, Montana. The Gibson Custom Johnny Cash SJ-200 and Rosanne Cash J-185 deliver the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own these exceptional handmade acoustics from Gibson Custom. Both limited edition Gibson acoustic models are available worldwide now at authorized Gibson Custom dealers and on www.gibson.com.

“Guitars were always around in the house and my Dad would always have a guitar in his lap, even if he wasn’t playing it. It speaks to…personal, professional legacy…it is so essential to my family. I have known that guitar, my Dad’s Gibson, for so many years. That guitar is part of Dad.

The instrument is not just a vehicle, instruments have different songs in them. I think great art lasts forever and I do hope these get passed down to children, grandchildren, and on and on and on.”

-Rosanne Cash

Watch/share the interview with Rosanne Cash-shot on location at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville-as she talks about the history behind Johnny’s SJ-200, a late 50s acoustic model that he had significant design input on, as well as the personal touches on her own new Gibson J-185 acoustic guitar HERE.

Above: the Johnny Cash SJ-200 from Gibson Custom in Vintage Cherry Sunburst.

Johnny Cash profoundly impacted multiple genres, including country, rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly, blues, folk, and gospel music. He sold over 90 million records and was inducted into the Country Music, Rock & Roll, Gospel Music, Rockabilly, Nashville Songwriters, and the Memphis Music Halls of Fame. He received 13 GRAMMY® Awards, including a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999 and 9 CMA Awards, and was a recipient of Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts.

In the late 50s, Gibson made two SJ-200s for Cash that featured his name inlaid in mother of pearl on the fretboard and a distinctive pickguard designed by Johnny Cash himself. Gibson Custom is proud to release recreations of these guitars to honor his legacy. The Johnny Cash SJ-200 from Gibson Custom recreates his beloved and exceptionally rare signature model from the late 1950s with its striking Vintage Cherry Sunburst finish, a Johnny Cash Custom hardshell guitar case is included. For this remarkable limited run, only 100 of these beautiful and highly requested instruments were handmade by the expert luthiers at Gibson Custom in Bozeman, Montana.

Explore the legendary Johnny Cash SJ-200 from Gibson Custom: HERE.

Rosanne Cash is one of the country’s pre-eminent singer-songwriters, as well as the author of a bestselling memoir, Composed. She has released 15 albums of extraordinary songs that have earned four GRAMMY® Awards and 12 additional nominations. She is one of only a handful of women in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and is the 2021 recipient of the prestigious Edward MacDowell Medal, awarded to an artist who has made an outstanding contribution to American culture. She is the first woman composer to receive this honor. Her music incorporates elements of folk, pop, Americana, rock, and blues, so she requires a very versatile guitar that can follow her in any direction that her muse takes her.

Above: Rosanne Cash photographed at the Country Music Hall of Fame with her Gibson Custom J-185 acoustic in Heritage Cherry Sunburst.

The new Gibson Custom Shop Rosanne Cash J-185 was made in close collaboration with the legendary Rosanne Cash and delivers exceptional versatility. It features a flame maple body that is slightly thinner for superior playing comfort, a thermally aged Sitka spruce top, and a SlimTaper™ 24.75” mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard that’s outfitted with 20 standard frets and mother-of-pearl parallelogram inlays. The Gibson logo and Crown are also mother-of-pearl, as is the Cash logo on the unique-to-this-model pickguard, designed by Rosanne and her husband, John Leventhal, with inspiration from her father’s iconic SJ-200 pickguard shape. An L.R. Baggs™ VTC under saddle pickup and preamp system makes this guitar ready for any stage or studio. The Gibson Custom Rosanne Cash J-185 arrives in a stunning Heritage Cherry Sunburst finish, and a Custom Rosanne Cash hardshell guitar case is included. For this very special limited edition run, only 100 of these beautiful instruments will be handmade by the expert luthiers and craftspeople of Gibson Custom in Bozeman, Montana.

Explore the new Rosanne Cash J-185 from Gibson Custom: HERE.