Masterbilt Century Collection Zenith Archtop Acoustic-Electric Guitar

The Masterbilt Zenith Acoustic-Electric Guitar is a medium-sized archtop with an arched solid spruce top with traditional Longitudinal bracing, a laminated flame maple body, and a round sound hole. Inside the sound hole is a 1930s-era replica Epiphone label. The Zenith is available in traditional Vintage Natural and Vintage Sunburst aged gloss finishes, each with unique color tones inspired by Epiphone’s priceless vintage collection in Nashville, Tennessee. The tortoise-style pickguard comes unattached. Pickguard hardware comes included.

Like Epi’s first generation of archtops, the Zenith has a unique body profile with a 16” lower bout, a 11.6” upper bout, a 9.4” waist, and a body length slightly over 20”. Many archtop collectors consider a 16” archtop the ideal size for its concentrated sonic punch and overall tone. With its round sound hole and Solid Spruce top, the Zenith is an ideal rhythm instrument for singers and soloists with a fuller tone than most archtops. And flattop guitarists will discover it can easily cut through a mix better than most any other acoustic. Both the body and top feature 3-layer ivory and black color binding while the ebony fingerboard has single-layer ivory color binding. The 5-piece hard maple and mahogany neck has a full-rounded C profile that is glued to the body with a dovetail joint for a precise fit so the Zenith will resonate as one piece of wood. The ebony fretboard has 20 medium frets, a 25.5” scale length, and pearloid "Falling Snowflakes” inlays modeled after the original Masterbilt Zeniths.
Epiphone’s Masterbilt Century Collection
Epiphone’s first Masterbilt arch tops quickly rose to popularity during the 1930s “Big Band” era and were renowned
for their warm woody tone, wide tonal range and punchy volume.  However, with the invention of the electric guitar pickup, archtop acoustic guitars quickly became equipped with magnetic amplification and were for the most part, forever transformed into “electric” guitars. Until now…

Epiphone, a leader in affordable professional archtop guitars, reinvents the archtop again by combining their original, time-tested designs with 21st century guitar electronics to bring you the Masterbilt Century Collection. The collection of arch top “acoustic-electric” guitars designed to be played amplified as true acoustic instruments. Just play one and you will immediately feel and hear the difference between today’s common “flat top” acoustic guitar and the unique voice of a Masterbilt Century.

Now with the eSonic HD preamp and Shadow NanoFlex HD Under-saddle pickup, you can plug in any Masterbilt Century archtop acoustic/electric into an amp or any PA and hear your guitar’s beautiful and dynamic true acoustic tone on any size stage.  For flattop guitarists who have only played old plywood archtops, the sound of a Masterbilt Century guitars will be a revelation.