I've been playing prfessionally for better than 35 years. While I do not own any guitars that are the current crop of Korean-made Epiphones, I have had a chance to play several. In my humble opinion, the Epiphones, especially the more expensive ones in the Korean line, offer a lot of bang for the buck. The pickups are nowhere near the power and tone of their Gibson counterparts, but for finish, fit and playability, it would be hard to justify the 5X cost factor for the Gibsons if you are starting out and are not making a living playing guitar. For the beginner to the mid level semi pro/amateur, these guitars, especially with a pickup upgrade, offer a really good guitar for the money. I have not dealt with the Michael Kelly guitars another blogger suggested, so I can offer no opinion on them. Good luck in your search!