Gibson has announced the new Tom Petty SJ-200 Wildflower signature acoustic guitar. The beautiful instrument is inspired by the Gibson acoustic commissioned by the late rock legend in 1996 and used on the Wildflowers album — hence the guitar’s name.
“It is so incredible to see the SJ-200 design our Dad worked on so long ago, lovingly brought to fruition with his longtime guitar tech and friend Alan Weidel and the craftsmen and women at Gibson guitars,” commented Tom Petty’s daughter Adria Petty in a press announcement.
“There has been much effort made to make certain this guitar lives up to Tom’s musical standards and the specs he wanted for a best-in-class instrument,” she continued. “Alan Weidel has put this instrument through its paces as he has with all Tom Petty signature guitar models.”
The guitar boasts a AAA Sitka spruce top, a highly figured quilted maple back and sides, and flamed maple neck. It’s outfitted with Grover Imperial Tuners and an LR Baggs VTC under-saddle pick up with soundhole-mounted volume and tone controls.
Aesthetically, the guitar is personalized with the Wildflower logo in mother-of-pearl on the headstock, a lyric decal on the back of the headstock, and Tom Petty’s signature engraved on the pickguard.
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“Tom played the SJ-200 while writing and recording Wildflowers and to us it is an honor and a privilege to have Gibson launch this instrument to celebrate his musical masterpiece,” Adria said. “That way others can make what my Dad called ‘the big jangle’ a reference to that gorgeous, big, SJ-200 acoustic sound he loved.”
Gibson labeled the initial run of SJ-200s “rare and collectible” — only 100 will be available at the staunch price of $9,999.00. As of this article, they are still in stock via Gibson’s website. You can also browse for standard SJ-200s via Reverb.
Watch a video of Tom Petty producer and associate Greg Drakoulias with the new Wildflower SJ-200 below.
