As quoted by the Fool:
Just a curious question, if the type of wood matters more than the grain of wood, why does an epi les paul (even if you replaced every electronics and hardware with Gibson stuff) with a mahogany body and maple top sound different than a gibson les paul that has the same mahogany back/ maple top material?

Ok here is the explanation for this... Gibsons and Epi's both use the Mohogany bodies and Maple Tops BUT the tops on the Gibsons (correct me if I am wrong I don't personally own either, but due to the price differences this would make sense) are slightly thicker and are of better grade than the Epi. As a matter of fact, it wouldn't surprise me one bit to find that the Epi probably has a maple veneer top or a photo finish on it. I mean in the real world to buy a decent grade maple cap would run somewhere between 100-250 bucks depending on grade, and you can buy an Epi with a cool looking top for just a little more than that. Also, if they were exactly the same just with different parts, then why the hell is a Gibson over a grand?

There is my explanation on this...