Epiphone introduced the Century electric guitar in 1939 as part of the Century series of instruments (which included a banjo, mandolin, lap steel and an amplifier). It was a hollow bodied, single pickup archtop that was eventually replaced by the Epiphone Century E422T in 1958 when Gibson took over Epiphone. The body width of the Century gradually increased following its introduction: from 14.75" wide in 1939, to 15.25" in 1941 and 16.375" in 1946. The Century guitar was also available in Tenor (4-string short-scale) and Plectrum (4-string long-scale) configurations.

The Epiphone Century E422T model was introduced in 1958 following Gibson's purchase of the Epiphone company (although the Century model had been around since 1939). It was a thinline hollow bodied electric. As with other Epiphone electrics, the peghead style changed over the course of the 1960s: in 1961 the plate was removed from the headstock. The pickup was also changed in 1961 from the NY humbucker pickup to a P-90 and the pickguard color changed from tortoiseshell to white. A three-quarter sized Century was also available from 1961 to 1967.