One thing to watch out for. Alot of shops that sell Epi v. Gibson will setup up the gibson all nice and easy to play, even going to great lengths in the setup to make the guitar have very little if any fret buzz.....The epi will come out of the box and go on the shelf.

When you play the two you think the Epi sux and the Gibson is all that...and thats reinforced by the drooling sales kid looking to make more money on the Gibby.

I bought an Epi from an online retailer after trying a few out around town (all played fairly crappy, yet I know several big name guys who use EPI's so I said, WTH.) I bought the epi and out of the box it played ok, after a good full day of setting it up, tightening the truss rod, adjusting the bridge etc...a friend of mine who plays professionally and uses only Gibson or Fender said he couldn't tell a difference at all and when I told him how much I paid he was shocked.

Sure all instruments play differently and everyones tastes differ. Just make sure you can tell a good axe from an axe that has been set up like crap.

Cheers!