NGD: 1966 Epiphone Sorrento

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Telliot
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NGD: 1966 Epiphone Sorrento

Post by Telliot » Sat Jan 27, 2018 5:20 pm

Welp, it’s finally here. I played this in a local shop about a month or so ago, and fell in love with it.

It’s hard to find a lot of info on these, but from what I’ve gathered, they were made in low volume at the Kalamazoo Gibson factory, and share the same body as either a thinline ES-125 or ES-225 (not sure which). It was available with either P-90s or mini HBs, and fully hollow. The pickups are super strong and punchy; very full and warm without a hint of muddiness. I finally have that Western Swing tone I’ve been pining for all these years. Part of me wishes it had a Bigsby, but it’s a good neck wiggler for sure. It’s in fantastic condition, all original (not 100% sure on the pickguard, but I suspect yes), and the oliveburst is checking quite nicely. Unfortunately it didn’t come with a case, but the price reflected that. If anyone knows more about these, please chime in!!

The good news is I was able to swing it without selling my ‘54 ES-125. :-*



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Last edited by Telliot on Sat Jan 27, 2018 5:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: NGD: 1966 Epiphone Sorrento

Post by zhivago » Sat Jan 27, 2018 5:55 pm

Wow! This looks amazing! I love the florentine cutaway!! 8)
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Re: NGD: 1966 Epiphone Sorrento

Post by Ursa Minor » Sat Jan 27, 2018 6:40 pm

Oh my oh my oh my! :-*

(I'm sure sook will chime in with some wonderful Epiohine love and lore soon enough.)

Classy. I love it. :-*

PS - I don't think I knew these also came in two-pickup configuration.
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Re: NGD: 1966 Epiphone Sorrento

Post by Larry Mal » Sat Jan 27, 2018 6:46 pm

So the Gibson isn't for sale anymore, then?

That'll be a relief to me.
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Re: NGD: 1966 Epiphone Sorrento

Post by sookwinder » Sat Jan 27, 2018 8:12 pm

As predicted I am chiming in ;D

Todd ... yes yes yes ...awesome.
The photos show a Sorrento in extremely good condition, especially (as you say) it came without a case.
I wonder whether the original owner (or owner at some stage) sold the case separately ... while the Sorrento is the same body at the ES125 TC (the ES225 TC also had the same body but was discontinued 2 years prior to the Sorrento being released), it was always at a higher rung that the ES125 TC. From what I have read over the years, essentially it was a up market level guitar and one would have expected that it was usually sold with a case, especially given that the headstock is longer than the ES125 TC and the Sorrento will not fit in a ES 125 TC case. Interesting...

You asked whether the guard was original... well (just from the photos) I would say yes and no. My evidence for this is
- The "E" on the guard is the first version of the "E" , plasticised paper decal, rather than a 3-D plastic part. the change between the decal and the plastic "E" was 65 into 66. I have seen 1966 Epiphones with the earlier plasticised paper "E", but other evidence causes me to think this guard is a replacement. High quality repo decals are available these days
- The cut out for the PUPs in your Sorrento have a very square corner. There was a difference between the radius of the corner of the cut out between the Epiphone guards and the Gibson guards ( even given they are from the same factory back in the day). The Epiphone cut outs have a smaller radius than the Gibson... but obvious anything can happen back then. (my 65 Casino, with a factory Gibson varitone, has a white guard cut out using the ES 330 die rather than the usual casino die). But looking at your pics, the corner radius of the PUP cut out looks too small even for a 60s Epiphone.
- I think though that the guard bracket is genuine .. it has an extra bend in it, which is a dead giveaway for being a 60s Epiphone bracket. Gibson usually had a single bend, as do modern Gibson/Epiphones.
- The bevel on the guard looks incorrect, the angle is too sharp ... the angle of the bevel in the 60s was quite shallow. Also the thickness of the black layer was thinner back in the 60s.

All of these are trainspotting points, but it does seem to indicate that the plastic part of the guard maybe a replacement, but the bracket is genuine. My 67 Riviera had a guard that had deformed so much that the lower back edge was cutting into the finish of the body. I bought a replacement guard, a modern plasticised paper "E" that some after market people produce, and fitted that to the guitar. While some guards stay in shape for 50 years, other seem to warp as the years go by.

Again just circumstantial evidence, but given that the two pickups are facing the correct way I would say the electronics have not been played with.

Early Epiphone Sorrentos had a small plastic spacer between the guard and the body at the neck screw location. Typically the Epiphone guards angled out and were less parallel with the body than say a Gibson thinline. (the double bend bracket, a throw back to the archtop styles accentuated this feature). I find that the guard does not warp as much with this spacer. You may wish to locate a small plastic spacer to add into your set up.

The hardware looks like it is Chrome, confirming post 1965.
The fitment of the black top hat knobs is also common on these even though at the time the Gibson models had gone to the black witch hat knobs. Maybe the "old" knobs were just being used up on the Epiphone models.

Notice the Sorrento has individual kluson tuners, where as the ES 125TC had 3x3 plate tuners.
Love the checking of the finish ... it has that classic mid 60s Epiphone/Gibson checking without the "turn into dried mud flats" and flake away finish that sometimes is seen in 67/68.

Now Todd, more importantly how does it play?
What is the nut width?
What is the neck shape like?
Aren't they so damn light! It is like you are playing an acoustic !

Those mini HBs are awesome PUPs ... the odds are that those mHBs were manufactured in the very early 60s. And if not PAFS, they are certainly Patent PUPs using the same materials that PAFs were made of. Those pups can be chimey and also really great to OD.

These Sorrentos came in both single and two PUP models, but unlike the ES125 where the single PUP model had the PUP in the "middle", the single PUP version of the Sorrento had the single PUP in the normal neck position... most likely because the mHBs have that chime and sparkle that the P90s don't.

Welcome to the (secret) society of 60s Epiphone thinlines.

I am also happy that the 54 Gibson 125 also is close by on not on the chopping block.

One last point.... if you set the guitar up and locate the floating bridge in the correct position, a simple way of ensuring you know where to locate the bridge next time is to use a water based very thin marker and draw some corner marks. Impossible to see even when playing the guitar, but damn handy when changing strings. My luthier suggested this ... but make sure it is a water based marker and not a permanent ink type.
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Re: NGD: 1966 Epiphone Sorrento

Post by antisymmetric » Sat Jan 27, 2018 8:55 pm

:-* :-* Florentine cutaway + minihums :-* :-* . Plus you get to keep the Gibson- that's just all kinds of good.
When will we be hearing the soundclips? :)
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Re: NGD: 1966 Epiphone Sorrento

Post by Telliot » Sat Jan 27, 2018 10:49 pm

Thanks, all!!

I’m absolutely in love with this guitar. I’ve only had it 24 hours, but I’ve probably had it in my hands for at least 5-6 of those hours.

David, as usual your knowledge is unparalleled. I knew some of that stuff, but whollyschmolly, are we lucky to have you around.

The nut width (string to string) is bang-on 1 3/8, which matches both my Tele and JM. The profile is somewhere between a full C and slim D, for lack of a better description. It’s quite full and extremely comfortable. I tend to like fuller necks, so it’s an easy guitar for me to get along with in that regard. It’s set up fairly well, and rings clearly up and down the neck, but at some point in the future I’ll have it gone over to make its structurally sound and properly done up.

One thing of note (which I’m sure many here can relate to), my wife is a good sport about my GAS — she’s supportive and tries to be open minded when I say I’m selling this or trading that or want some new piece of gear. Most of the time, after my purchases, she’ll say something like ‘I’m glad you love it’ — something like that — but when she heard the Sorrento, she made a point of coming into the studio, sitting with me, and listening. She said she couldn’t believe how beautiful it sounded, which is the first time I think she has ever ‘heard’ a difference, from my other guitars. So that was cool. 8)
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Re: NGD: 1966 Epiphone Sorrento

Post by shadowplay » Sun Jan 28, 2018 1:36 am

Beautiful and elegant. I'm feeling something I don't often feel...tinges of envy.

Lucky you, I hope you both have many happy years together.

D
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Re: NGD: 1966 Epiphone Sorrento

Post by jimboyogi » Sun Jan 28, 2018 2:38 am

Sookwinder, thanks for the extra info, but keep quiet about the mid/late '60s Epis, I haven't scored a Riviera yet!!


Todd, please let me join in the chorus of appreciation - your Sorrento is beautiful!

I was lucky enough to grab a '65 of this same model a few years ago. It's superb, and I'm sure yours is also.

They have fantastic feeling necks no? Quite narrow at the nut, but a really full C shape that fills the hand.

And those Epi mini-hums!

Congratulations.

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Re: NGD: 1966 Epiphone Sorrento

Post by kapepper » Sun Jan 28, 2018 5:18 am

beautifull! I always feel that these original epihones have a lot of class....

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Re: NGD: 1966 Epiphone Sorrento

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Sun Jan 28, 2018 6:09 am

The checking on that top is gorgeous, as is the rest of the guitar. Congratulations!
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Re: NGD: 1966 Epiphone Sorrento

Post by cestlamort » Sun Jan 28, 2018 10:50 am

Absolutely lovely. What a classy guitar.

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Re: NGD: 1966 Epiphone Sorrento

Post by Maggieo » Sun Jan 28, 2018 4:51 pm

Your Sorrento is absolutely beautiful and I cannot wait to hear what beauty you spin out of it. It looks like a guitar with many, many good songs inside it.

As David said, I am envious.
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Re: NGD: 1966 Epiphone Sorrento

Post by MechaBulletBill » Sun Jan 28, 2018 5:11 pm

What a stunner

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Re: NGD: 1966 Epiphone Sorrento

Post by Venice Lockjaw » Mon Jan 29, 2018 1:13 am

They have one of these in a shop near me; I think it's one of the best looking guitars I've ever seen. Fairly inexpensive, too, for a vintage Epiphone.

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