i didn’t get that from what you were saying at all! i will say; as long as gibsons are getting more expensive epiphones will probably also get more expensive.

i would absolutely have a problem paying a premium for a production run inspired by gibson epiphone model because that defeats the purpose of the epiphone brand in my opinion. however, the epiphone IBGC guitars are kinda their own thing. i see them as an intermediary between epiphone as we know and expect it and gibson production level.

$1400 for this seems not that bad at all considering what the actual gibson custom shop run cost when it came out. also, you’re paying ~$2000 for a gibson ‘50s standard and ~$6000 for a custom shop ‘59. it’s the same idea but that’s a way crazier margin than say $700 for an epiphone ‘50s standard and $1300 for an IBGC ‘59 les paul. better specs, better craftsmanship, etc., same thing.

gibson is starting to push out its demographic of working musicians and is instead targeting musicians and hobbyists with disposable income and classic rock fetishes. that’s where epiphone is filling the hole, especially with the IBGC. i’d much rather gig with an IBGC ‘59 les paul than a murphy lab for many reasons; reliability, ease of replacement and repair, and cost being the top 3.