I've had my Century Zenith for about six months and it just keeps growing on me. Definitely doesn't sound like a modern flat top and I have no experience with a vintage Archtop, so I can't comment on that.
It's got a solid mid-range that just sounds like it wants to be played hard, which I'm happy to oblige, but it softens up real nice for the lighter stuff. I find the height of the bridge to be a lot less ...confining for hard strumming.
Acoustically, it's a dream. The Shadow electronics leave much to be desired. A bit of finessing and an extended sound check are definitely in order before playing plugged in. I'll probably replace that when I get around to it.
I was a bit hesitant about the chunky neck, but my hand took to it right away. Sweetwater did a nice setup on this, including PLEK, so it plays like butter.
Quality Control on the cosmetics is not stellar, but that's not entirely unexpected on a Chinese Epi. Lots of tool marks on the fingerboard binding, which I'm learning to ignore, and a bit of unfinished wood - missing both stain and sealer - under the floating part of the neck. But it's subtle, so I'm not going to sweat it. My biggest gripe is that the case Epiphone markets for this guitar doesn't fit. It puts downward pressure on the bridge and distorts the top of the case when it's closed. I swapped it under warranty, but its replacement is also going back.
The cherry on top is that it's gosh darn pretty! It definitely turns heads.
