[jeffc]

My 2012 Epi LP Custom Pro Plustop is from China (Quongdong or some such place). Excellent build quality for a mostly computerized robot build. Honeyburst, but it looks more like a caramel burst to me. Beautiful guitar and sounds great with the ProBucker pickups.

I haven't played it in months. I much prefer my 2018 PRS SE Custom 24, which (I think) is made in Malaysia.

[MikeSteelBe]

PRS guitars are about the only ones that have the universal popularity to be ranked with top Strats and Pauls. I have had Gretsch and Dean Paul clones I liked about as much as my Epi. There are a number of good brands that make nice guitars.

I like the sound that you can only get from an archtop, but I had had a number of Strats I liked. I have no musical ability and guitar skill to argue with bolt on neck players like Hendrix, Eric Johnson, and Satch. The solid body/neck, short scale, and angle of the Gibson strings relative to the body just feel and sound better to me. The bonded neck is supposed to have more sustain.