Number 6 you're right, I was refering to my disappointment with Gibson Doves and Hummingbirds and Jumbos, and the small bodied Gibsons built in the last 30 years or so.

Because I have a '54 J45 and still take it out to play, people hand me their Gibsons to try. The Gibson flat tops made after the 50's don't seem to improve with age (in my experience), and I don't understand why. Tone woods? Inferior veneers? Cheap wood bracings?
Modern glues? They say they copy the dimensions and bracing, but they don't obtain. In my ear they sound thin when new and remain so.

I have never played an Epiphone flat top and know nothing about them.