Here is a nicely restored 1954 Gibson Century lap steel guitar. It was purchased as a stripped-out husk (see photo), and has been expertly rescued and rebuilt with premium components.

Gibson produced the blue Centuries from mid-1951 until mid-1956 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

The instrument was purchased with its fragile molded Plexiglas pickup/bridge cover (aka "fingerrest"), its white plastic-buttoned Kluson Deluxe tuners, its P-90 pickup, all its electronics, the knobs, jack and jackplate, the solid brass, chrome-plated nut and bridge, and its Masonite back control cover plate long gone. All that remained was the well-used body and its attached plastic fretboard.

I obtained separately (at considerable cost) the appropriate original 1950s Gibson nut and bridge. I fabricated a new control cavity plate from Masonite (like the originals). I painted the screw nails that double as position markers at the 12th fret to match the position markers at the 24th fret. I installed a new set of white plastic-buttoned Gotoh SD90s -- replicas of (and vastly superior to) its original Kluson Deluxes. The pickup is from Christine and Jerry Sentell in Sacramento, California. The repro speed knobs and jackplate are from StewMac. It has CTS pots, orange drop caps, and a Switchcraft jack.

The 1954 Century sports Gibson's standard lap steel scale length of 22-1/2". It is approximately 32-inches long and a tad over 8-inches wide at its widest point on the lower bout. The Century tips the scales at 4 lbs 9.8 oz.

The instrument comes complete with its original dust and dirt as well as some recent accumulation. As seen in the photos, this is not a pristine instrument destined for a museum, or for any serious collector's display.

It definitely exhibits some bumps and bruises, some dings and dents, and the blue paint has faded and discolored a tad through the years. But it has not "greened-out" quite to the extent as some Centuries and Century Deluxes that have been observed. There are a few places where a previous owner had attempted to touch up a ding or two with some blue ink. It's noticeable, but not overly obtrusive (in my opinion). Sometimes a well-worn patina can enhance a charming old instrument. The body (maple?) is solid, and free of any visible cracking or warpage. (More than one postwar Gibson lap steel with a warped headstock has been observed.) The original clear lacquer topcoat is heavily weather-checked, like on most old Gibsons. 

What it is, however, is a great-playing, great-sounding vintage instrument with all new guts that should be good to go for another 71 years or so. I would consider this one to be "Player Grade Excellent." It's akin to the Fenders and Gibsons that have been given the "relic" treatment, but this one came by its relic'd look naturally, not artificially in a 21st Century guitar factory.

More important, it plays and sounds like a million bucks! With its single Sentell P-90 and Gibson's classic circuitry, depending on one's choice of amplification, it's fully capable of nailing everything from sweet Hawaiian tones, to classic country twang, to smokin' bluesy slide guitar. The 1954 Century is currently set up with roundwound steel strings in gauges appropriate for A6, B11, and C6 tunings (and many others as well).

Players will be impressed with the sound and playability of this classic 1954 Gibson Century lap steel guitar.