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For a while now Gibson's overseas division Epiphone have been making quality guitars at a very reasonable price. Part of the price is they don't have to deal with U.S. regulations on things like imported wood. Part of it is they are exploiting low-cost labor in countries like Indonesia and China. And a part of the low price is the sometimes less-than top quality components.However, Epiphone have for several years been releasing foreign-made guitars with real Gibson USA pickups. My first Epiphone was the first-year Nighthawk reissue (with the ebony fingerboard) made in Indonesia, and I was very impressed with the quality of the workmanship. My second was the Les Paul Tribute with Gibson pickups, switches, and pots. Again the quality was excellent, although there was an issue with the mounting of one pickup that I fixed in a few minutes. Other than that, and a bit of staining on the fingers from the "rosewood" fingerboard, it's tough to tell the difference from a real LP, especially given this model has no body chambers and no belly scarf.So when I saw the '62 Sorrento for $600 w/case I pulled the trigger. I'm not disappointed. The Indonesian build is very good, and the Gibson mini-humbuckers are excellent.

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I wasn't planning on purchasing an electric guitar any time soon. Then I saw this one by chance and had to investigate. It was the appearance that got my attention but when I saw zZounds had a blemished model for $529. I couldn't help myself. I just love translucent vintage yellow over maple plus that amazing 1962 Sorrento body style. I also realized only 1962 guitars in this model will be produced. I actually wanted a Gibson ES 175 ever since I borrowed a friend's for a couple days 10 years ago. But who am I kidding? I will never have $4000. to get one. I also checked out the Ibanez Artcore single cutaway hollow bodies but nothing really jumped out at me. There are not many guitars of this style out there actually. Especially for under a grand! So if you've ever wanted a Florentine style guitar you should grab one of these now. There were 2 blemished models when I bought mine and the other one sold the next day too. Other sites I checked were also selling out. By the way, I have yet to find the supposed blemish on this beautiful guitar. I believe it may have been purchased and restocked but I see no scratch, ding or defect whatever. This guitar is awesome. I took it over to a friends last night and he was equally stunned by it's beauty. But looks matter little when you plug an electric guitar. How nice could a $529. hollow body guitar play and sound though. When I first tuned it unplugged it was acoustically loud and alive in my hands. I immediately found some new Chuck Berry style licks that my hands just went to. I was pickin' and grinnin' immediately. There was a slight buzz, but I was able to adjust it out with the floating bridge in a minutes time. The action was a little low at first but the neck and fretwork were very comfortable with nothing weird,uncomfortable or cheap feeling. The Wilkinson tuners are also precise, solid and smooth. No clicks or pops or slop like cheap tuners. You can feel the quality in the tuners and floating bridge which is so nice. Plugged in was a problem though. I can't seem to put it back in it's case! I don't want to stop playing it. It is so much fun and feels so good I'm in heaven. Lightweight, resonant. Has the best electric clean sound ever but of course that's what you want it to sound like before you crank it up!! Final word; I don't think you could find more guitar for the price. I don't think you would be any happier spending 5 times as much. There is nothing cheap about the way it feels, looks or sounds. I love it. GET ONE.

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I own a bevy of guitars, ranging from vintage Gibsons and Fenders to Danelectros and Harmonies and everything in between. I am amazed that Epiphone can put out a guitar this nice for this price. This is one of the only guitars I've ever bought new that required virtually no work other than normal setup. The fretwork is outstanding, the rosewood bridge fits very well against the body and the mini humbuckers sound great. Sounds great clean or overdriven. The bridge pickup has a quasi-Telecaster spank that surprised me - I love it! The neck pickup is very fat and round. I did replace the rattle-trap wire retainer bridge with a Gotoh (I always do). One of the reflector knobs was stripped and would just spin on the pot. They seemed a bit flimsy upon further inspection, so I replaced all four with knobs from Allparts. I went with the Olive Burst and there are a couple of very minor flaws in the finish, at the neck joint, that my friends didn't notice until I pointed them out. Certainly nothing worse than a lot of modern Gibsons. The finish is poly, but is well done and is reasonably thin. The binding is nicely done. The case is not great - in keeping with all Epiphone cases, but is acceptable enough. I do like the grey / blue color scheme. It seems Gibson may never re-issue the ES-125TDC (I don't believe they ever have), so this seems a very nice substitute as a modern re-issue. I absolutely love this guitar and I gig with it. The biggest bang for the buck I've seen in a long time.

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I received this guitar a couple of weeks ago and it is awesome. I feel lucky that these are still available from 2012. I had to have a set up done, but it was well,worth the extra money. The fit and finish is quite elegant. The sound has that great hollow body tone. The price was matched by the guys at zzound making this an outstanding deal.if you are in the market for hollow body, just buy it.....

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It's difficult to add what has already been praised by other reviews. Know that I am a player of over 40 years and can honestly say this is a great playing and sounding guitar right out of the box. The factory setup was excellent, and the fret work is superb. The only thing I did was change the factory strings, and slightly lower the bridge/action to my personal taste. I have yet to find a single flaw in the construction or finish. BTW, it was made in Indonesia, not China.

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This guitar looks like an old vintage guitar and sounds even better with the Gibson electronics. Mini humbuckers sound great and the case is a very cool grey color with a nice Epiphone blue interior. This guitar is an awesome buy.

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This guitar has really surprised me for playability. Nice fretwork, nice crowning for easy chording and smooth slides. Low action with no buzz, no dead notes. Acoustic tone isn't bad; I even use it for acoustic practice. The Gibson mini-hums are sweet -- especially the neck. Holds tune, decent response from pots, and it's beautiful. I'm really pleased with this Epi.

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The guitar is beautiful and the sound is really nice. It's not very mellow with the mini hum buckets so it's not a jazz box, at least not for the typical jazz sounds. It does blues very well. The neck is a bit on the thin side for me but if you like thin necks it is very comfortable and plays well. The binding and finish are beautiful. The case is very nice, especially at this price point. If you buy this guitar be sure to look it over very well. The nut was too large for the nut slot and was driven in on mine, deforming the wood and cracking the lower layers of the finish. The top layers seemed to be unaffected because you could not feel the cracks, but they were very visible. Otherwise the workmanship seemed very good.

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