6string Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 I purchased a royal olive burst 50th Anniversary Sorrento a few weeks ago and am loving this thing. The attached image is the guitar I purchased from Sweetwater. It's got exactly what I wanted… Hollowbody Thinline Single Cutaway Floating Wooden Bridge Mini Humbuckers I have an Eastman AR371CE so the thinline/mini's make for a nice contrast. The Sorrento is a very nice instrument. The fit and finish are good and above what I've seen on standard Epi's, but not as good as the Elite/Elitists I've had in the past. The neck plays very comfortably and the pickups/electronics are top notch. The only mod I plan to do is install a bone nut. When I put that on I'll switch to some flat wounds and she'll be good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Koegh Penrod Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Bone nut and flat wounds +1 Does it have a sound block ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6string Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 Bone nut and flat wounds +1 Does it have a sound block ? No sound block; the Sorrento is a full hollowbody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nad Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 I purchased a royal olive burst 50th Anniversary Sorrento a few weeks ago and am loving this thing. The attached image is the guitar I purchased from Sweetwater. It's got exactly what I wanted… Hollowbody Thinline Single Cutaway Floating Wooden Bridge Mini Humbuckers I have an Eastman AR371CE so the thinline/mini's make for a nice contrast. The Sorrento is a very nice instrument. The fit and finish are good and above what I've seen on standard Epi's, but not as good as the Elite/Elitists I've had in the past. The neck plays very comfortably and the pickups/electronics are top notch. The only mod I plan to do is install a bone nut. When I put that on I'll switch to some flat wounds and she'll be good to go. +1 to that. My royal Olive Sorrento is my go to guitar for Jazz. I love those minihumbuckers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott0 Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 congrats! hard to find the words to describe how beautiful that royal olive is. i bought one and gave it a good whirl but i play several songs that have leads in the upper register and being new to guitarin, i struggled with getting my digits on those frets. consequently, i had to return it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6string Posted December 10, 2013 Author Share Posted December 10, 2013 congrats! hard to find the words to describe how beautiful that royal olive is. ... Thanks. I really enjoy the royal olive as well. I'm glad they offered it in that color as it was one of the original colors of the E452TD Sorrento. I almost bought a Gibson ES-125C locally a couple of years ago but passed due to some damage I feared would get worse. The Sorrento is very similar aside from the pickups (mini's vs. P-90's). The Sorrento scratches that itch. The playability of this neck is amazing. Truly a great player. That's so hard to find sometimes, especially when shopping online. I've returned many a guitar over the years because it wasn't something I would have taken home from the store if I had been able to try it out before purchasing. I decided to put a Tusq nut on it for now and leave the bone blank for another day. The Tusq nut will be here tomorrow and I'll get that installed. I've got some TI Swing 13's on hand and some Chrome 11's on the way. I'm going to hold out for the Chromes and use the lighter gauge on the thinline, saving the TI's for the AR371CE. They really shine on there. I figure the differences between humbucker/mini's, big box/thinline, wooden bridge/tune-o-matic, nitro/poly, and 13's/11's will make for 2 totally different animals with lots of diversity. I'll eventually play around with capacitors too. My setup is uncluttered with either the Epi or Eastman running through a TC Electronic HOF Mini Reverb into a ZT Lunchbox. For acoustic requirements I have a Godin 5th Avenue in cognac burst which is headed back to Canada for some repairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Your statement about the neck on his guitar is right on. Maybe I don't get it, but the upper neck access seems fine to me. I wonder if a double cut Sorrento style might allow access to the higher bass strings. Who manufactures a double cut, full hollow, similar to the Sorrento ? This is one of my all time favorite guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Who manufactures a double cut, full hollow, similar to the Sorrento ? This is one of my all time favorite guitars. Gibson's new ES-390 comes to mind. Smaller body, but hollow with mini-humbuckers & 19 frets clear of the body. Otherwise, the recent (but now discontinued) Gibson ES-330L gets pretty close to the desired criteria, being a full sized (P90 equipped) thin hollowbody & also sporting 19 frets clear of the body. I'm fortunate enough to have a 2010 version of the 330L in Beale Street blue, and it's a real sweetheart. Got to say, these recent Gibson/Epiphone hollowbody releases are incredibly cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabar Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 A double cut similar to the Sorrento? Um … Casino. Unless you're dead-set on mini-hums, in which case you might have to replace the pickups to get the equivalent. The body and neck dimensions are pretty much the same, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6string Posted December 11, 2013 Author Share Posted December 11, 2013 I prefer the look of the single, sharp florentine cutaway. I've had both, but much prefer the single and have no trouble reaching notes. I suppose it's all in how you approach the neck. If you have to keep your thumb wrapped around the top of the neck to support it, a single cutaway wouldn't work for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott0 Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Your statement about the neck on his guitar is right on. Maybe I don't get it, but the upper neck access seems fine to me. I wonder if a double cut Sorrento style might allow access to the higher bass strings. Who manufactures a double cut, full hollow, similar to the Sorrento ? This is one of my all time favorite guitars. i'm finding i struggle with those frets on the les pauls now also. that heel! but as i've mentioned, i am new to guitar playing. it doesn't make sense to make things more difficult for myself at this stage of the journey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott0 Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 I prefer the look of the single, sharp florentine cutaway. I've had both, but much prefer the single and have no trouble reaching notes. I suppose it's all in how you approach the neck. If you have to keep your thumb wrapped around the top of the neck to support it, a single cutaway wouldn't work for you. i don't have to keep my thumb wrapped around the neck. nevertheless, it's much more difficult for me to access these frets opposed to a guitar that has direct access. others mileage may vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6string Posted December 11, 2013 Author Share Posted December 11, 2013 i don't have to keep my thumb wrapped around the neck. nevertheless, it's much more difficult for me to access these frets opposed to a guitar that has direct access. others mileage may vary. I use to have a habit of keeping my thumb wrapped around the neck, that's why I said that. Once I quit doing that I have better access to the higher register and less overall fatigue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 A double cut similar to the Sorrento? Um … Casino. Unless you're dead-set on mini-hums, in which case you might have to replace the pickups to get the equivalent. The body and neck dimensions are pretty much the same, though. Yes indeed. I did not reference the Casino above, but rather the ES-330L (19 frets clear of the body), because maximum upper fretboard access seemed to be the goal. When Casinos are added to the mix, there are the import versions with 17 frets clear, along with the traditional 16 frets clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott0 Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Yes indeed. I did not reference the Casino above, but rather the ES-330L (19 frets clear of the body), because maximum upper fretboard access seemed to be the goal. When Casinos are added to the mix, there are the import versions with 17 frets clear, along with the traditional 16 frets clear. that 330l looks nice. i sought out and bought an early mik casino just to snag that one extra fret! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 i sought out and bought an early mik casino just to snag that one extra fret! A little bit of extra room can be nice to have, and most of the Korean Casinos are very well made. An '04 Peerless Casino was my first 330/Casino style guitar. Each time I've purchased another of this type, selling the Peerless crosses my mind, but I can't ever seem to let it go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 One of my students, Shelley, digs it, a lot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 She's still coming to lessons, learning...slowly She was kind enough to allow me a few pictures. ... I must be doing something right...lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott0 Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 nice pics, crust. that sorrento would look as cute as that young lady if ya took that foam out from under the bridge! \:D/ i keed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkuss Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 If they did this in sunburst I'd be all over it. Don't know why the promos had vsb but was never produced :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 nice pics, crust. that sorrento would look as cute as that young lady if ya took that foam out from under the bridge! \:D/ i keed. I was thinking of doing that...then I thought the more mellow, "cushioned" tone that the guitar produces with that pad in place sounds really nice...so I left it there...is that so wrong ? :unsure: Also, no pressure or "witness mark" on the top of the guitar from the pressure the bridge exerts on the top surface and intonation after inital adjustment and saddle/bridge set up is OK, no problems there. Also, I do have other guitars that produce a sharper (not sharp as in out of tune) tone...like the LP's and 335 pro. The foam rubber cushion/pad raises the bridge slightly. I do like low action, but too low doesn't allow me to "dig" into the strings when bending, which I do a lot when I try to play. Too low and the strings tend to roll under at times. Has any one else noticed that when they play ? Also, I did take a couple of the stickers off of this one...happy ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 If they did this in sunburst I'd be all over it. Don't know why the promos had vsb but was never produced :( That would be quite awesome actually Epiphone...get with it please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott0 Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 bends are my current nemesis, crust. and i do scoop the string to get a bend going, it's crossed my mind that might be part of my struggle. i don't know if tht is right or not but i have wondered how more experienced players go with crazy low action and still bend the strings because any lower for me and i can't get traction for said scoop. :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6string Posted December 13, 2013 Author Share Posted December 13, 2013 I started my setup this evening. Polished the frets, oiled the fretboard, put on a Tusq nut, and strung up with D'Addario Chrome 11's. I'll wait until tomorrow for things to settle in before I make any adjustments to the nut and glue it in, neck relief, action, pickup height, etc. Truly an awesome instrument. No sharp fret ends to file, oh so comfortable to play, the pups sound amazing…I just can't get over this guitar. It's the best I've taken to a new instrument in a long time. I've found a new favorite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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