I got an epi. Sure its not exactly the same as the real les paul. It wieghs less, the fret board is a little more 'plastically feel' which doesnt mean it is worse, the turners tend to stay less in tune more then the real les paul (no big deal), but the worse difference is the pick ups. The are awful! Go with the Epi and with the money left over get some real humbuckers, i prefer seymour duncan alnico 2 pros. The guitar is a solid axe and is worth the $499 canadian i payed for it.