I've got a pair of SGs in my stable - a "real" but cheap Gibson from about 2011 and a really deluxe looking, playing, and sounding Epiphone SG.
The Gibby is really worn. It's got the ceramic pickups which gives it a great "bright" sound that sits nicely in a mix next to the Fenders and Gretsch I usually play. Here it is...
On the flip side, the Epi is a glossy sunburst, in pristine condition, with the batwing pickguard and 2 really great Bare Knuckle aftermarket pickups, upgraded tuners, and the piece de resistance, a Vibramate Bigsby unit. Also, unlike the Gibby, the Epi has the trapezoid inlays instead of boring dots. In actual performance, it is a better guitar. In looks it is a better guitar. But it just doesn't say Gibson on it.
This is it without the Bigsby:
So why do I bring it up? Well...to get you guys thinking and talking about whether you would "condescend" to playing an Epiphone...and I know that some won't...and also - would you choose a better Epi over a slightly less-good Gibby of the same model?
I played the Epi in church yesterday for one song - it's in open G and set up for slide, which there is literally one song in our repertoire where I play slide.
And it looks great under stage lighting. I'm thinking about making the Gibson the "slide" guitar and making the Epi into a more regularly-used axe. Not sure just yet tho.
So what do you guys think?