:-? I don't know, maybe I got caught up in this "Buy American" wartime crap. I own 2 of Mike's Love Rocks which I have been upgrading over time & they have been working out very nicely. However, I always had this doubt that "maybe they're not as good as a real Gibson"Since I have never OWNED one I had no basis for comparison . I E-mailed Yoshi about ordering an LS75 with a goldtop. I did not want to wait 4 months but I'm sure it would have been worth it. In the meantime, I came across an UNPLAYED thin neck black LP Standard from the year 2000 [I did not believe it at first, but it's true] for close to $1500. I plugged it in to my Marshall rig today & let it rip. Bottom line: Did it sound good? Yes. Better than Mike's Tokais? After the mods I have been making to them, the sounds are nearly indistinguishable. Are Gibsons worth the price? OH HELL NO! I bought TWO Love Rocks AND FOUR Seymour Duncans PLUS cloth braided wire & new pots for less. Did I make a mistake in buying one? Kind of, but aside from the prohibitively expensive price, I can always sell it if I decide not to keep it.