LP Standards are the best. Tried them all. The Deluxe's and stuff are pretty much a waste of money and don't even sound like a LP due to having different woods, etc.
Agreed... But coming from a prospective builder's perspective more than a player's. All current Gibby's except the Standard and the custom shop examples have the short neck tenon. Here is a bit of a horror pic to illustrate why that may not be an awesome thing:
This is just one example of the fact that you get a whole lot less than what you pay for with most Gibsons nowadays.
For some, they sound good enough and the name is enough to sell the guitar. For others, you have to search long and hard to find one that both feels and plays right for you.
I'm very happy with my "cheap" ripoff copy (the '73 Ibanez 2350 Custom), thank you very much. Got it for a steal, too. Almost literally. I lent out my Strat copy which got "misplaced" and the borrower replaced it with this for me. Wouldn't replace it with anything from Gibson's current lineup except perhaps for a custom shop job.