I'm not entirely sure if this is the right forum, since it really covers all the brands. Essentially I've always loved the Gibson Black Beauty aesthetically, and having done some research even with the limited knowledge I have it seems quite plausible the Japanese replicas, whether by Tokai or Greco or whatnot are as good if not better than the originals themselves, not to mention far cheaper.
I prefer the 3 pickup model, which seems a lot rarer on eBay. But I have found:
http://cgi.ebay.com/BURNY-80S-LP-CU...itu=UCI&otn=4&ps=63&clkid=7683580399452769449
To me this seems good, but knowing little about the individual models perhaps you can tell me if this is really what I want. Are there better black beauties made by Tokai or Greco? From the research I have done it seems that the short tenon this one has is quite bad thing. An alternative might be the Tokai Black Beauty posted in the images section of the main page.
So essentially my question boils down to: Are the better alternatives to this guitar (not more than 1300 US$), and if so, am I going to see them on eBay or elsewhere on the net anytime soon?
I prefer the 3 pickup model, which seems a lot rarer on eBay. But I have found:
http://cgi.ebay.com/BURNY-80S-LP-CU...itu=UCI&otn=4&ps=63&clkid=7683580399452769449
To me this seems good, but knowing little about the individual models perhaps you can tell me if this is really what I want. Are there better black beauties made by Tokai or Greco? From the research I have done it seems that the short tenon this one has is quite bad thing. An alternative might be the Tokai Black Beauty posted in the images section of the main page.
So essentially my question boils down to: Are the better alternatives to this guitar (not more than 1300 US$), and if so, am I going to see them on eBay or elsewhere on the net anytime soon?