trust me, I would like nothing more than owning a gibson, but the price is what made me look into epiphone. I have looked at the Gibson voodoo sg and les paul, and decided that I really would not mind having either, but the price of the sg is $950, and I was not looking at spending that much, eventually one day in the future I'll be able to get a guitar that costs that much, but for now, I kinda wanted to stay in the $400-500 price range. I did check out the faded flying V, and it does have the pickups that I want (496r and 500t) I also like the fact that it has a mahogany body and neck, and though I would prefer an ebony fingerboard, rosewood is my second choice. I heard that gibsons were made with superior wood than epiphones, and went through a much more difficult paint job, and that that was the only reason for the increased cost.

I dunno, I'm still looking around, and I'm really in no hurry to decide because I don't actually have any money for one, I'm just looking at what I should be saving up for.