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Century of Progress RI

JuanCarlosVejar

By JuanCarlosVejar
in Gibson Acoustic

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j45nick

j45nick

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JC,

There are some good videos on youtube featuring Elvis Costello describing his original Century of Progress, including its sound. The L-C is basically just an L-OO box with maple back and sides like the NL, but with the shallower L-OO body rather than the deeper NL body.

 

The question is whether and how the MoTS fretboard impacts on the sound. I have never played one of these, as you don't see a lot of them. It strikes as more of a novelty guitar, if only because of the banjo-like look of the fretboard.

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JuanCarlosVejar

JuanCarlosVejar

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JC,

There are some good videos on youtube featuring Elvis Costello describing his original Century of Progress, including its sound. The L-C is basically just an L-OO box with maple back and sides like the NL, but with the shallower L-OO body rather than the deeper NL body.

 

The question is whether and how the MoTS fretboard impacts on the sound. I have never played one of these, as you don't see a lot of them. It strikes as more of a novelty guitar, if only because of the banjo-like look of the fretboard.

 

NIck ,

 

thanks . I am looking into small bodies . the mother of toilet seat doesn't really bother me .

 

 

 

 

 

 

JC

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j45nick

j45nick

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NIck ,

 

thanks . I am looking into small bodies . the mother of toilet seat doesn't really bother me .

 

JC

 

 

Just don't confuse the fretboard of your guitar with the actual toilet seat it resembles. The results don't bear thinking about..... [biggrin]

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bobouz

bobouz

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I am looking into small bodies.....

There was a B25 reissue that was released about the same time as the Century of Progress model. Imho, that would be well worth checking out, as well as vintage versions of the LG2, LG3, B25, and Epi Cortez. All have the same body with X-bracing, and good examples are wonderful for fingerpicking.

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JuanCarlosVejar

JuanCarlosVejar

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There was a B25 reissue that was released about the same time as the Century of Progress model. Imho, that would be well worth checking out, as well as vintage versions of the LG2, LG3, B25, and Epi Cortez. All have the same body with X-bracing, and good examples are wonderful for fingerpicking.

bobouz ,

 

sadly I would love a vintage gibby . but I am a lefty so not many out there. Reissue's is my only chance / and is as close as I can get to vintage.

 

 

I really like the 30's style gibsons with firestripe guards .

 

Jeremy said that they don't build these Elvis Costello model in lefty but he will do it as a favor to Fuller's .

the MOTHER OF TOILET SEAT is different and worth looking into at least for me .

 

 

 

 

JC

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rar

rar

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I'm looking for info/opinions on this guitar ?

I have one (EC Sig #3). This is the first small Gibson I played that seemed to really nail '30s small Gibson tone. (My wife's lefty Legend L-00 is a great guitar, maybe the best brand-new guitar I've ever heard, but it doesn't sound much like a '37 L-00 to me.) I've had a chance to A/B my CoP against some originals, and it is pretty much sonically indistinguishable from them (except for the "newness") -- however, none of the originals I've played are as good as the repro. (Another reminder that only a minority of old guitars are great, just like only a minority of new guitars are great.) The characteristic tone of these CoPs is quite different from an L-0/L-00 of that same era. The brightness and clarity provided by the maple is part of it -- but not all, since they don't sound like maple NLs either -- but they have a kind of "zingy-ness" to them that makes them just super well-suited to rags and other poppier material, and less well-suited to playing the blues. (Which is just as well, I guess, given their appearance. But that's appropriate. If you had the money for a CoP in '34, you were probably pretty darn happy.) Listen to some high-quality sound samples and you'll get a pretty good idea whether a CoP is what you want or whether you'd be happier with an L-1 or something.

 

Speaking of appearance, I know you said you were okay with it, but a lot of people who thought they hated the appearance of CoPs based on photos turn out to like them fine when they see them in person. The usual photos make the MoTS look really nasty, but in-person the color is warm and subtly varies in a vary organic way, so that it looks sort of like vintage ivory. Goes very well with the wood. Something along the lines of "Oh! That actually looks nice!' is pretty common when people see one for the first time. Surprisingly (at least to me) it feels fine under the fingers too, much like wood: it has a nice, very slightly grainy, wood-like texture, and is not at all reminiscent of the the cold and plactic-y feeling Maccaferri plastic fretboard.

 

-- Bob R

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Red 333

Red 333

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Jeremy said that they don't build these Elvis Costello model in lefty but he will do it as a favor to Fuller's .

the MOTHER OF TOILET SEAT is different and worth looking into at least for me .

 

JC

 

I think the CoP is a striking of not beautiful guitar. But don't worry what we think--go for it of you like it. You're the only one you have to make happy.

 

Red 333

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JuanCarlosVejar

JuanCarlosVejar

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I have one (EC Sig #3). This is the first small Gibson I played that seemed to really nail '30s small Gibson tone. (My wife's lefty Legend L-00 is a great guitar, maybe the best brand-new guitar I've ever heard, but it doesn't sound much like a '37 L-00 to me.) I've had a chance to A/B my CoP against some originals, and it is pretty much sonically indistinguishable from them (except for the "newness") -- however, none of the originals I've played are as good as the repro. (Another reminder that only a minority of old guitars are great, just like only a minority of new guitars are great.) The characteristic tone of these CoPs is quite different from an L-0/L-00 of that same era. The brightness and clarity provided by the maple is part of it -- but not all, since they don't sound like maple NLs either -- but they have a kind of "zingy-ness" to them that makes them just super well-suited to rags and other poppier material, and less well-suited to playing the blues. (Which is just as well, I guess, given their appearance. But that's appropriate. If you had the money for a CoP in '34, you were probably pretty darn happy.) Listen to some high-quality sound samples and you'll get a pretty good idea whether a CoP is what you want or whether you'd be happier with an L-1 or something.

 

Speaking of appearance, I know you said you were okay with it, but a lot of people who thought they hated the appearance of CoPs based on photos turn out to like them fine when they see them in person. The usual photos make the MoTS look really nasty, but in-person the color is warm and subtly varies in a vary organic way, so that it looks sort of like vintage ivory. Goes very well with the wood. Something along the lines of "Oh! That actually looks nice!' is pretty common when people see one for the first time. Surprisingly (at least to me) it feels fine under the fingers too, much like wood: it has a nice, very slightly grainy, wood-like texture, and is not at all reminiscent of the the cold and plactic-y feeling Maccaferri plastic fretboard.

 

-- Bob R

 

Bob ,

 

what other lefty's does your wife have ??

 

 

thanks for your input about the Costello and the MOTS.

 

 

 

 

 

JC

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