If it wasnt for Epiphone, Gibson wouldnt be as big as it is today,maybe not even existant--Corporate Gibson needs Epiphone to survive and its in Gibsons best interest to make Epis as good as possible, maybe even better in some circumstances than Gibsons--Gibson has THE NAME and the reputation from the 50s,60s and early 70s---the forming years of rock,modern blues and jazz--Epi is known as a budget brand and it is Gibsons bread and butter:poke: