RCT....
I'd disagree on at least some of the "lawsuit" guitars. Gibson in the '70s didn't have all that good a rep for quality. Ibanez at their higher end came in with stuff that was as good as, although slightly different, from Gibson designs and were quite clearly marked as "Ibanez." I've got one myself, and frankly wouldn't trade for a current model Gibson of the same configuration. It's that good. Were you closer, I'll wager you'd agree. I also have an excellent Eastman single pup ES175 clone from a couple of years ago that is an exceptional instrument I'd play anywhere it would be practical or appropriate, but not in the class of either a current Gibson or some of the old Ibanez offerings in the "lawsuit" era.
I'd suggest that Guild also had some instruments in the '70s that were of equal or better quality than similar Gibson models. I'd not trade my old 1970s S100c "SG" type for a current similar Gibson, either, and at that point of time, the S100c was IMHO preferable to Gibson SG models. Some 40 years later she still plays as if moving to make our music as a duet rather than she as only an instrument.
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