Epiphone Sorrento E452T
Thinline semi acoustic

Epiphone Sorrento

1961 full line catalog Now in Royal Olive - a striking new color, rich and luxurious in appearance.

1962 full line catalog Outstanding in features, especially the powerful humbucking pickups that provide greater sustain and tonal clarity while reducing hum and noise. Models available with single pickup, located for best overall response... or two pickups, located for contrasting treble and bass

1964 full line catalogue This is the first catalogue to show the Sorrento in colour

1966 full line catalog Today the electric Spanish guitar is found everywhere... orchestras, combos, jazz bands and as a featured solo instrument. Epiphone electric Spanish guitars suit the need of every player, from the top professional, to the semi-pro, to the amateur.

The Sorrento was the Epiphone equivalent to the Gibson ES-125T; many Gibson Instruments had an Epiphone equivalent, and some, like the Sorrento, were very similar indeed.

It sold moderately well in the first half of the 1960s (although nowhere near as well as the ES-125TC and TDC), with 1966 the peak year. Sales dropped off considerably in the later part of the decade. The published shipping figures are reproduced below, with several inconsistancies, and unknowns included.

The model numbers have the following meanings T - thinline, N - natural finish, D - double pickup, 3/4 - three quarter size, V - vibrato. A lack of colour code implies a Royal Olive or Shaded/Sunburst finish. Traditionally C stands for cherry finish, however the statistics list E452TC and E452TC Cherry as separate instruments. Why this is the case is unclear.

The grand total of 2631 Sorrentos shipped in the 1960s corresponds to just under 10000 ES-125TC and ES-125TDC guitars over the same time period

The Sorrento had a brief come-back in the 1990s.