Here's a rare and exceptionally cool early '60s Epiphone hollowbody: a 1961 Epiphone Sorrento E452T in its original Royal Olive finish, built at Gibson's legendary Kalamazoo factory. This early model features the short-lived and highly sought-after metal "bikini" headstock badge - a quirky and collectible design that was phased out in 1963. 

This is a second-year example and features a stunning Royal Olive finish that pairs beautifully with the single-ply celluloid tortoiseshell guard and nickel hardware. This one has seen some honest use but remains full of vintage character. 

The single PAF mini-humbucker delivers a beautiful, articulate tone - brighter and tighter than a full-size humbucker but with more harmonic depth and warmth than a single coil. It's a brilliant match for this fully hollow, laminated maple body - chiming cleans, warm jazz tones, or vintage rock 'n roll growl, it's a tonally rich and versatile pickup. The wired ABR-1 bridge and original nickel trapeze tailpiece complete the setup, with reflector knobs in place and a set of reproduction Kluson tuners installed. There's a stable crack along the treble side tuner line, and as you can see from the pics an additional truss rod cover screw hole has been added at some point. 

Neck-wise, it's got the comfortable early '60s Gibson-style profile, somewhere between a medium C and slim taper. The rosewood fingerboard is in good condition with plenty of life left in the frets. 

If you're after something a little different, with vintage Gibson DNA, standout looks, and a rich, warm hollowbody voice, this early Sorrento is a fantastic choice. Rare to find in the UK - especially in this finish and with the bikini badge intact - this is a proper vintage sleeper that delivers tone, vibe and collectability in spades!