When I bought a Les Paul in 2008 (I think that was the year), I tried a ton of Gibsons and Epiphones, and the one that had the tone for me was a $650.00 Epiphone. It just was unbelievable. If I were to buy a single cut guitar these days I'd prioritize the upper fret access, which really started to hurt my wrist on my Epiphone. For that, I'd go for a CMG Ashlee or a Schecter Solo-II, which has a carved neck heel. By saying this, obviously I'm not a traditionalist, but I do believe you can get equivalent tone out of other brands, with better playability.