In my experience if you are a really good guitar player then you should get a Gibson because they just sound and look/feel better and you can pull it off. If you are a beginner or really poor or anti expensive crap and want to look like a true punk then go Epiphone. The one thing I can't stand about Epiphone is that the headstock looks like "something unappealing". But I got the Epiphone Korina Flying V so I don't have that problem. Also, Gibson will hold its value better. If you could purchase a $10000 vintage Gibson and resell it for $10000 or more down the line vs buying a new $350 dollar Epiphone and reselling it for $150, then who has won at the end of the day? In Japan this is called "buying cheap and losing money for it". But of course real life doesn't always work out so well...