Im pretty sure your talking about semi-hollow bodies, but the Gibson Les Paul doesnt fall into that catagory. If this is your first electric, unless you can find a nice used one, I dont think you should think Gibson. They are wicked expensive. Gibson bought Epiphone and turned it into thier lower priced instrument brand, so you should definatley check them out. But just go onto a music site and look for SEMI-HOLLOW BODY guitars. This is the site i always use, and i can tell you they ship very quickly and they are very reputable.

www.musiciansfriend.com