of course it does, doesnt apply in the EU but certainly with the states.

yeh someone told me something like that once too.
BUT a takai les paul copy these days, even on ebay, costs more than new gibson!
I saw a used one in nice comdition for only 11 thousand dollars on Ebay recently. (11 thousand!)
- I think this is out of your price range, unless your last name is Trump or Hughes?

Epiphone is nice.
its a shame you have a mexican strat and dont like it. some people like them.
if it plays ok but you dont like the pickups, you could maybe find a cheap humbucker to put in there, and that might suit you.
pickups sure do change the whole way a guitar sounds. just an idea. in general, the mexican strats disappoint me, they dont seem to be even as good as the Korean Squires were.

however, if you really want to buy another guitar altogether, and can afford it, of course any fool would tell you a gibson Les Paul is a lovely idea.
les pauls are really nice, but cost alot.
there are many many types of brands of guitars out there, with alot of nice features and sounds.
I would suggest you try them out, get aquanted with them yourself.
no one hears things quite the way you do, and no one else on this planet will have the same exact tastes and opinions.

An epiphone guitar is usually built very well, some even have gibson pickups on them.
generally, choose a guitar by the quality of the sound, the pickups, the tuners, the bridge, the wood, and the craftsmanship.
there are many places you can find guitars to buy at reasonable prices, just have to look around and see whats out there.

Some of the Epiphone les pauls are very very similar to the gibson les pauls, but be aware their cheaper ones do not have a bevelled carved cut top, or the same quality pickups, or some even have bolt-on necks, not set-in necks like the gibsons do.
look at www.gibson.com to see the epiphones and the gibsons, and since gibson makes them both, see what Gibson has to say about them and how they are made.
Some of the Epiphones are VERY nice, and made of the same woods, with the same features, the same pickups and everything, but they cost less than the gibson version.
sometimes, the reason is the type of finish, or the type of wood, or where the guitar was made.
anything made in the usa always costs more than things from other countries.
this does not always make sense either, since some of them do very good work.

the Epiphone Les paul standard or the epiphone les paul custom is definitely a nice guitar, and definitely worth the money. these might be too much money even still. i dont know your price range, but,
their G400 model SG is also very nice. made of the same woods and materials as the gibson, same finishes, same gibson pickups.
not a bad deal considering is costs less than half the gibson's price.

but i'd still say to just go round, and try out different guitars, try stores, try pawn shops. try flea markets even. just be sure to be very picky about what you buy. dont want to buy anything you'll decide you dont like later on, like you did with your Squire.
trust your own ears about the sound quality, dont get pushed around by salespeople or friends, buy to please yourself.
good luck, and happy hunting!

--dan

: So, Lee, you're telling me that a Tokay would be better than an Epiphone? And what would be the right price for one of those guitar?

: Thanks A Lot
: Boldrok