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Originally Posted by Mike Anderson
But wait, we have a serious situation here, Christian just told us he doesn't have a guitar with a P-90. That's like a painter who doesn't have RED!
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11-29-2017 03:42 PM
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Never heard of Cowjazz, but Cow Bop has a first-rate guitarist. As does Hot Club of Cowtown. Western swing is mostly carried these days by the Time Jumpers and Asleep At The Wheel. Ray Benson even has his own Eastman model. I don't know of anyone using the Epi Century stuff, but it would certainly work. Almost anything works. Eldon Shamblin famously used a Strat.
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Mr. Christian, how do you answer to the charge of mutiny? (he said, carefully concealing the fact that he's never had a guitar with a P90 himself)
In my defense I'm going after a Godin Fifth Avenue Kingpin, and even if Epi supplies us with this miracle of "properly recreated vintage archtops" and I buy one, on the evidence I doubt I'll ever want to lose the Godin.
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Originally Posted by Mike Anderson
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Originally Posted by sgosnell
As for Eldon Shamblin, he really broke the mold taking up the Strat, for sure. I have the excellent "S'Wonderful: 4 giants of swing" album, and the very obscure but brilliant "Eldon Shamblin: guitar genius" album, and I have to admit I tend to find the tone of the Strat a bit meh. But his playing is jaw-dropping. Always liked Ray Benson's Tele tone though and will have to figure out where the Eastman comes in. Seems it was introduced 2014, so maybe it's on "Still the King."
Here's a couple of earlier shots of Eldon, pre-Strat:
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You can see the Eastman on YouTube videos. He's had it for a few years, and it's listed on the Eastman site, FWIW. Eldon used Gibsons until Leo Fender gave him a very early Strat, and he never looked back, AFAIK. It had a plastic case covering the body. It's the only one I've ever seen, but I admit I haven't been looking very hard.
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Eldon's Strat is one of THE iconic Fender guitars to me. Possibly because of my affection for Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys. Finished in metallic gold, the guitar had a white plastic protector added by Eldon that covered the back of the instrument, so it looks like a two-colour instrument in photos. I has a chance to play it last January, when some kid in a baseball cap brought it into Norm's Rare Guitars to show it off. Lovely instrument, well-played but still in decent condition. Lots of "greening' to the gold finish, similar to that on old Goldtop Les Pauls.
Last edited by Hammertone; 07-18-2019 at 06:09 PM.
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Originally Posted by Mike Anderson
I would actually go for a 175 with a P90 if one came up... Does that assuage you?
Or I could buy a Century...
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Originally Posted by Hammertone
Like Luther Perkins's Esquire. Mercy!
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I saw a recent article in a Guitarist magazine with an interview with top UK session player Adam Goldsmith. Apparently he's bought one if these new Epi's and loves it.
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Think I found the relevant bit, from an Australian site called Pressreader:
This guy has an amazing list of album, movie, and TV credits so is worth listening to. Definitely going to try one in Toronto at some point.
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Thanks for hunting that down
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I tried the Deluxe version of this and I thought it was awful. I was of course comparing it to my 1949 Epiphone Blackstone. This guitar is NOT for Jazz. Its for guys in bands who look like they would smell to play to look cool rather than use a flattop acoustic...THUS the piezo pickup. The arch on these is pretty shallow. My Blackstone is like a cello! Save a few more dollars and get a REAL old Epiphone if you want one but these IMO are really not made for Jazz guys as far as I can tell. You are better off with a Godin 5th Avenue...
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Originally Posted by jazzjames
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Originally Posted by jazzjames
John
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This (favourable) review just showed up here in the UK.
www.musicradar.com/reviews/epiphone-masterbilt-century-zenith
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"We of the Gibson Corporation really enjoyed these new Epiphones that we will enjoy the revenue from"
Why of course, that sounds like an in-depth analysis.
Spoiler alert: online "user reviews" are seldom just honest real user reviews, they're bought, hth.
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Seems like a lot of old threads are getting resurrected so apparently no shame in that, so I'm de-lurking to say - I got me a Century Deluxe, natural finish, with case, for $700, and am over the frigggin' moon! This is far and away the nicest guitar I've owned. Yep, I know, that puts me squarely in the category of "poor sad bastid with no money," but no shame in that either IMO.
Got it on eBay from a guy in a small town in Texas, and he certainly knew his stuff - he put a D'Addario 80/20 bronze light set on it, and intonation was dead nuts after shipping all that way. Included two more sets of strings, and although they didn't have their boxes, the interwebs tell me they're .11 - .53. Might well try a heavier set, but for now I'm happy with the volume. One of the tuners had broken at some point, and wonder of wonders he was given a whole new set by the dealer, so the other 5 were included as well. You can't find these anywhere I know of, so one hell of a bonus.
So to the nitty-gritty: basically everyone here was right about the guitar, by their own lights. NO, it is not a vintage archtop, nor should anyone have expected it to be at that price point. YES, it is a beautifully made guitar with outstanding fit and finish. NO, it was not meant to have a pickup put on it, nor does it sound any better through the piezo - I know because I am also in the camp that grabbed the Electar Century "reissue" (let's call a spade a spade: it's a cosmetic tribute with a modern circuit), and the tone stank, even leaving aside the amp itself, which picked up a local FM station loud and clear. Not worth my time and money to have it overhauled so back it went, and this guitar shouldn't be plugged in anyway.
But above all, and everyone here who said it nailed it: YES, with the right strings it is a very nice acoustic rhythm machine! It will never stand beside a vintage carved archtop, and probably - never had the chance to try and not going to spend the dosh - not a Loar or Eastman, but it is a sweet guitar for a guy like me who needs to accompany voice, and here's the real kicker: it has a GREAT neck. Can't think why this hasn't been mentioned, but I've found that everyone's mileage differs in this department, maybe the most subjective thing in the guitar world after tone. I have big-ass hands, and it's funny because looking at photos over the years I thought, "damn, that guitar is a 17" lower bout, and that fretboard looks really wide!" But it ain't, not a bit, and the satin finish makes it feel great and is super fast.
So: good acoustic strings, no pickup, no piezo, and you have a great guitar at a stupidly low price. This thing goes for $1400 Canadian new, and the case, if you can find one, is $150 USD, so I found what ended up being the deal of my lifetime. If I play out, and I hope to, I'll mic it, no question. If I want to get really snotty I might have a tech remove the thumbwheels and battery box and put a Stewmac archtop bridge on instead of the uncompensated one with the piezo and get a new setup, but it's fine for now. Just really happy I cast aside my reservations, because I've wanted one since I found out (here) and couldn't be happier. Let the lavender suit and black nail polish crowd do what they will with it, it's just right for my Western swing thing.
EDIT - a few pics:
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Thanks for the write up Mike! Good to have someone describe this model from a somewhat different perspective.
I’d still be tempted to hack a CC-pickup into it. Or maybe better, find a McArty pickguard pickup and turn it into a Grant Green machine.....
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I have an old Epi Century made in New York in ~1953. Not my birth year, but the year I started school. The Century was a student-grade model, single plastic binding on the body only, with the bullet screw-on plate on the headstock. Mine has been through the mill, refinished, with pickup, pickguard, bridge, tuners and possibly the tailpiece replaced. But it's a nice player, with sentimental value since it was a gift from my sister, bought I suppose from a pawnshop in Lubbock, TX. Even as a bottom of the line plywood box, and I do mean plywood, it has good volume and not a bad tone. I haven't even looked at the new models, because i don't need one. But laminate archtops can sound decent acoustically.
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@Little Jay - Sure, I think it'd make a great platform for modding, kinda hard to lose at that price point.
@sgosnell - my own experience with laminate (Godin 5th Avenue) showed me that yeah, laminates can be pretty good acoustically. Worth noting again though that the new Epiphones are solid tops, even if the arch isn't very prominent.
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I wouldn't discount the potential for this guitar if you like the neck and feel.
First of all a good preamp and acoustic amp can do wonders for a piezo pickup.
Second, you can add a floater like the RC1000/1100 RI for instance and use it instead of the piezo or mix it in.
I think the Deluxe Classic looks pretty cool, and at $650 it's not a stretch to afford.
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Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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Well, I did it: took the guitar to a tech and had him rip out all the electronics and replace the bridge with a StewMac compensated ebony archtop bridge. I had some concern about the battery box and the big hole it would leave behind, and also wondered if the thumbwheels might be glued to the top, but nope – the controls were stuck on with little 3M sticky pads, and he fabricated a cover for the battery box hole out of Kyvex.
Fresh setup and minor tweak to neck relief, 60 bucks all in. So a total investment of $760 I have a spruce over maple acoustic archtop with hard case, and am just ridiculously happy. We’ll see about maybe heavier strings at some point, as I woodshed my way through the cold season and get ready to play out come spring. This should keep me distracted from making controversial statements in this forum.
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I still think Epiphone should have put the Frequensator on these. Almost a dead visual ringer for the old Triumph.
I still kinda want one, but I don't *need* one...lol
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Grant Green, What is This Thing
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