Gibson Elvis Costello Century of Progress Signature Model

Amazing sound, really bright and quite unique sound which I presume is due to the pearloid fretboard. I've tried a few different strings and conclude that Martin's 'Clapton's Choice' Phos Br Lights suit my requirements best of all. It's a small guitar but with a big noise. I've had a Fischer Matrix Blend pick-up and mic professionally fitted and it is beautiful when amplified. The complete deal.

Factory set up was not to my taste so I had my chap set it up just how I like it. He told me the truss rod was not even tight which is alarming considering I had it flown to UK for me and the sudden cooling and pressures in flight could have caused me huge problems. Luckily I had it seen to very soon so all was sorted out but if it had been hanging in a shop window for a few weeks I don't know what might have happened. All the beading, mother of pearl, and laquer work is really good. No complaints with the finish.

It has the feel of a guitar that is built to last but I'll report back in 20 years! Lots of stiffening inside the body and the waverly's are really firm. I had to travel on business for 8 weeks and when I got home I pulled the guitar from it's very strong case and it was in perfect tune. I wouldn't see the need for a back up guitar if I were gigging it.

No experience of this so can't offer an opinion.

Most of my guitars are electric or semi electric 6 & 12 strings but I have a guild acoustic as well as this and I just don't play the Guild now I have the Century of Progress. I hope I get the chance to play an original; 1930's one some day..... dream on. Guess it was a lot of money so not sure the 'value for money' question applies but lets just say I wouldn't have paid such a lot for it if I didn't have big expectations and I haven't been disappointed at all.

As the first reviewer who had such a bad experience with this guitar, I just want to reiterate that as the other reviewers state, it is a great sounding guitar. The first on I recieved looked breathtaking . It was too bad the neck was out of alignment. I would have gladly kept it otherwise. Maybe next time I'll buy a Gibson. But right now I'm happy with my Martin OM45RR.

awesome construction, excellent woods, superb craftsmanship, I dont know what went wrong with the other guys guitar.

terrific sounding guitar!!!! mine is not even broke in good yet and it still sounds sublime.

I love it!!!!

my set up had absolutely nothing to complain about. ver happy with the action, the feel, and absolutely no flaws. again, I dont know what kind of bad luck that other guy had, but this as near a perfect blues guitar as you can get!

everything is solid on mine! would not bring a back up. tuners are waverlys, of coarse they will last!!!!

no need as of yet...

cant give it a 10 because to me paying 3 to 4 thousand dollars is not a tremendous value but it is an astounding guitar in my opinion. I just coul not believe what the other review said, it does not even seem possible that we are talking about the same guitar.

Unlike the previous review, I got a hold of #50 and it is beautiful. The woods are sublime, the craftsmanship excellent. Waverly tuners are awesome! Nice fat neck with the pronounced V profile, fantastic for fingerstyle, blues style. A pleasure to play.

The sound is magnificent straight out of the box and with the adirondack spruce top, as well as solid wood construction throughout, maple back and sides mahogony neck, the sound will only get better and better as time goes by. I was very pleased.

The set up it came with suited me perfectly. I have not had to make a single alteration. The action was perfect, intonation dead on, bridge, nut and angle all spot on. I could not find anything to complain about.

I have not played live with this but Im sure it would be absolutely fine without any back up guitar. My Century is solid through and through and I dont forsee any issues. I suppose if you played it like Pete Townsend and went bowling with it you might have some finish issues cause it has that thin finish like the old days for optimal sound quality.

I have never had to contact customer support.

I have been playing since I was 12 and Ive played a lot of crappy guitars so now that Im older and can pay for quality I would not go back to inferior products. The only reason I did not put a 10 for this catagory is that I find paying 3 to 4 thousand dollars for a guitar to be WAY too much! If you think about Gibson guitars in the 30's they were like 27 dollars at the store which cant translate to more than 5 or 6 hundred dollars in our time (I dont know, Im not a financial/inflation ratio expert) but the prices of great guitars these days seems over the top! Lastly, I want to say that I chose to review this guitar in response to the other review that slammed it. I dont know what happened with the couple of guitars he got and sent back, but mine is wonderful. If stolen or lost Id sure want to replace it but at the price dont see how Id be able to. Bottom line is, my Century Costello is exactly what was advertised and I love it! I also have a Gibson L-00 and a Gibson J-200 and to me there are no better made guitars. Id take mine over any Martin any day!!!

Limited edition reissue of century of progress model . Figured (not) Hard Rock Eastern maple used for the back and sides to the Adirondack spruce , vintage-style glue, and pearloid fingerboard. The neck is crafted from one solid piece of Honduras mahogany, and hand-sanded to form a pronounced ???V??? profile.

sounds great very open . great fingerstyle blues sound

Ok. i bought # 33 of the limited edition, The neck was 16th off square!!! the low E was off the fretboard at the neck joint. Too bad is sounded good and the wood was nice. Returned it and replaced it with # 35. ugly seam right down the front of what looked like a badly bonded three piece top. Absolutely no figure to the maple and a blemish on the pearloid fingerboard that the store tech tried to sand out. I refused this guitar.

What does there label say "guaranteed for workmanship and materials" Yeah Right. ??????? How could anyone sign off on a guitar so obviously flawed?

I emailed the gibson support, and received an email saying he would look into it. Three and a half weeks and no reply. I think he was eaten by the seeing eye dogs outside the quality control department.

Custom shop, hand built, fancy case, fancy certificate . I took a refund that my wife promptly spent. I sold a custom Bouergeois for this what the @#$$% was I thinking. My last Gibson EVER!!!!!