I've owned 3 different Epi 339s, liked them,, sold both. And, two different Gibson 339s. Loved them. Have one now.
The Epis are very nice. Especially the price point. But, I could never really get the Epiphones to sound or play like I wanted them to. They always seem to need fret leveling somewhere. They are not that comfortable to play standing up (for me).
The new "Inspired by Gibson" are very nice and seem to weigh around 8 pounds, while the Gibsons are around 7 pounds. This means a lot to me when gigging.
The Gibson 339 (to me), is a much more refined ($$$) instrument that plays and sounds better. It is comfortable to gig with and holds its value as a used instrument.
With anything else the more refined the faster the jump in cost.
