I almost bought one of those a few years back. I went for a new amp instead.

Those guitars are pretty nice but like FRICK said, it's the quality control that is generally the problem with Gibson and Epiphone... If it's bad for Gibson you can imagine how bad it is for Epi. It's always a good idea to play the specific guitar that you're going to buy. Unless you're getting a bargain from an online store or something and in that case you better get a warranty or money back guarantee..... So if that's the axe you're going to want to buy try to play the exact one you're going to buy... And if they say "We're going to go grab one in the back that's in a box." Then tell them that you're going to get it out and play a bit befoer you buy it....