The ideal for a working musician is a 2nd hand slightly beat up but playable Gibson
at a reasonable price, that you can try before buying...

But even then there are still too many negative variables and unknowns...???

A decade ago there were scare stories about counterfeit Gibsons that looked fine in ebay photos,
but were made from plywood or even paper mache...

Recently there was a growing enthusiasm for 'Chibsons' - Chinese counterfeits costing a mere couple of hundred quid delivered,
that were reputed to have better quality control
and play better than the real thing after minor component modifications and set up.
Some rumours were that the best were made in Chinese Epiphone factories 'off the records'..
But UK customs officials have been alerted, so that's the end of that.

But anyway, official Epiphone copies have now gained a reputation for superior value for money.
Undermining and undercutting the sales of USA Gibson parent company
to the extent they started making relatively inexpensive entry level made in USA guitars to compete
with their own off shore guitars.

These 'cheap' USA Gibsons have a reputation for being shite.