Epiphone 50th anniversary/ 1962 Sorrento

[TKO]

Ok, this will be a sort of an anti-climax at this point, because I haven't taken any pictures yet (I have now, see below!). Also, this will read a bit long so apologies beforehand..

But anyways, this purchase was the result of me thinking about getting a more "Jazz-oriented" guitar. I recently got rid of some excess gear and started looking for suitable candidates (Loars, other Epiphones, Dupont, Yamaha, Ibanez...) - after a while a natural version of this popped up used:

Epiphone 1962 50th Anniversary Sorrento



It ticked most of the boxes I was after, such as 24,75" scale, cutaway and a fully hollow thin body - as a bonus I got USA pickups and a cool case (and a certificate of it being a limited edition model). So I got it.

To sum up, the pros:
- Plays good (even though it needs a bit thicker strings and a setup for my taste)
- Sounds good (mini humbuckers, yes!)
- Overall build quality and hardware is decent/good enough for the price
- Loud enough for late night living room playing + sounds surprisingly "alive" unplugged (must be the maple)

...and the cons:
- Some decisions regarding the construction and wood choice (here's where you actually see the price point). Pics (my other recent music related purchase can also be seen peeking around the guitar):


Overall I'm pretty satisfied. The previous owner had taken care of the fret ends so it's comfortable to play and the setup is almost where I would put it also. Maybe a bit thicker string set (and to flats from rounds) and a tad lower action. The USA pickups sound good, bridge has enough bite and the neck is not muddy at all so basically I could do with just that if I wanted (Methenyising this guitar came to mind, but most likely I'll pass that).

The part where I was surprised and sort of disappointed you could so obviously see the price point (even though I think these were around 1000$ / 800€ originally?) is the construction. Not that it's not solid - but for example the neck. If you don't count the fretboard, the neck itself is a combination of 4 pieces - and not as laminates lenghtwise, but the headstock is a separate piece, the block bottom a separate piece and the part overlapping the body is a separate part (then there's the main part of the neck also, obviously). I'll snap some pictures later so that you can see what I mean - basically they take the smallest pieces they can and glue them to form a neck. I know in the end it is a cheap mass produced guitar and all that etc., but as a limited edition from an established manufacturer I kinda expected... more? better somehow? It will be fun to compare this to the Byrdlandish copy that I impulse bought via eBay.

Another thing is the neck grain (above, first pic) which might be an issue if the neck is not fully settled yet.. this is the most crooked grain I've seen on a neck in a long time. Looking at the grain my assumption is that IF it starts moving it will twist neck like a corkscrew... again, not something I'd expected. It is straight now and the guitar is a few years old already (you can see some shrinkage in the neck heel block join) so knock on wood there's no issues ahead.

That's it for now, pics will come later.

[feet]

it's essentially a single cut casino return minis in it. which is to say, it's probably cooler. don't know why the minis are overlooked, because they are magical. must be user error. my #1 has the very same pickups. took me a while to figure them out, but they're the best.

was really hoping for an mij version of these, with slightly different aesthetics. I periodically consider picking up another casino and dropping some minis in there; maybe some filters.

don't be shy with the photos. maybe a clip or two? the demos for the always sounded really good. this one Russian shop did some great ones.

[ptchristopher3]

I would be very surprised if you ever have neck trouble with this guitar.

Type multi-piece neck construction is a perfectly good way to build. At the scale that wood is consumed, the reduced waste of this method is a significant factor.

If you live in a dry climate, there can be static electricity sounds from the pickguard (PG). If so, then copper tape on the back of the PG (a big single piece) works great. Stick the copper tape on, then pinch a ground wire between the bracket and the PG and run it down through the F-hole to ground.

I am sure you will be very happy with this remarkably low cost guitar (about $550 was the “real” new price in the USA when they were sold).

All in my opinion.

Chris

[powerwagonjohn]

Nice guitar, reminds me of my ES-225T. I am sure you will have a great time with that one. Enjoy!
Thanks John

[neatomic]

nice guitars...played a few... light weight with nice acoustic tone..."62 sorrento" is one of my fave modern epi's...

they weren't available for too long..and got blown out for low $$$ at the end...like many limited run epi's are

congrats & enjoy

cheers

[electricfactory]

Someone mentioned comparing the Sorrento to an ES 225, which is a guitar I love. What trips me up are the mini's, meaning i'm not sure how they differ from normal size PAF's and what they were made to do/ be.
If someone has a Sorrento clip which shows this pickups off I'd be grateful, the Sorrento looks like a winner to me, congrats OP!

[citizenk74]

I think you have a very cool guitar in the Sorrento. I've often thought of getting one myself, but the opportunity has not arisen and there is no room at the inn. Do not underestimate the mini-hums. They have their particular charms. Congratulations, and play it in good health!

[electricfactory]

With P90's..

[lammie200]

it's essentially a single cut casino return minis in it. which is to say, it's probably cooler. ...

Ha ha! I didn't want to admit it but I just purchased a Casino Coupe au natural. I have better guitars and I haven't even played one in a store because any kind of Casino doesn't stick around in the Guitar Centers that are close to where I live. Not sure if I will keep it, but I was intrigued enough to give it a try. If I keep I will have to resist modding it I am sure. I also may consider selling my Godin AAA Flame Sunburst Jazz. I like it but I really want a 25.5" floater. Not sure how I can make that happen.

[neatomic]

gibson mini hums are good pups...they have the high upper midrange bite of single coil p90's, but with humbucking..ie no noise...(today there are other ways to achieve this, but back then it was pretty ingenius!)

they were on the les paul deluxe when gibson started making les pauls again in 1968...lot of players used them in the 70's rock era

that 62 sorrento is killer guitar (for the $$)...just dont confuse it with the regular epi sorrento issue...that uses asian made p90's



cheers

[cosmic gumbo]

Someone mentioned comparing the Sorrento to an ES 225, which is a guitar I love. What trips me up are the mini's, meaning i'm not sure how they differ from normal size PAF's and what they were made to do/ be.
If someone has a Sorrento clip which shows this pickups off I'd be grateful, the Sorrento looks like a winner to me, congrats OP!

This is one side of the personality of these USA mini-humbuckers. Hard to believe it's coming from a hollowbody.

I have a 50th Anniversary Sorrento, and you can also dial in a nice jazz tone similar to what a tele can do. I like it better than p90s. Very different than a paf. All in all, a well made, light, comfy, thin hollow, with classic looks. It does big band to hard bop to rockabilly and more, very versatile. Might catch me chugging some dirty George Thorogood slide riffs on it. The neck is one of the nicest I've played, I think these guitars will eventually become fairly desirable. At today's prices, modding one with paf or p90 if desired, would turn it into whatever you might want for cheap.

[electricfactory]

Does anyone know if the size of the pickup cut-outs in the Sorrento body are of a standard size to allow a pickup swap to P-90s or even to humbuckers if so desired ?

[cosmic gumbo]

Cut outs for mini-HB are smaller than P90 and PAF. These wouldn't be drop in mods, they'd require cutting.

[TKO]

After some days, I'm still digging the feel of this guitar. It's large, but thin. Seems to stay in tune pretty well and I do like those mini humbuckers. Like someone stated, the best qualities of P-90's without the noise.

I also got information that my random eBay guitar is also on the way, so will be comparing these in a couple of weeks (hopefully).

[diminix]

Does anyone know if the size of the pickup cut-outs in the Sorrento body are of a standard size to allow a pickup swap to P-90s or even to humbuckers if so desired ?

I have set a humbucker into the neck position of my Sorrento. It didn't fit into the hole, I had to cut it larger.

Robert

[va3ux]

My 1996 Epiphone Sorrento

[mr. beaumont]

Cool guitars!

[feet]

these are so cool, i wonder why they haven't taken off as much as they should have. i hope that one day there is an mij reissue, with some nods to the vintage ones. though i am more drawn to the modern ones because they don't have that skinny nut and for some reason, i just hate the oval inlays on the sixties versions.

i thought that minis and p90s had the same routes, they just use rings. guess it depends on dogear vs soapbar, but i always thought the hole was the same.

[va3ux]

They are cool and I too have wondered why they aren't more popular. Full hollow, thin body (like a 335) making them comfortable, florentine cutaway for that 175-ish look. Satisfies a lot of my favorite wants in a guitar. Mine was made by Peerless.