Re: Gibson vs. Edwards
Although my experience is limited with edwards, and other japnese manufacturers, I would not hesitate to say that a well built Gibson (regardless of price) is in a whole other league (this point was driven home to me, hard just a couple of days ago).
That said, I think $ for $ your chances of getting a better "finished" instrument are with Edwards or Tokai. Meaning, you prolly will get a much better cut nut, fretjob, finish appplication, etc etc. It will be "tight".
But there are intangibles..that I cannot accurately put into words..... that bug the crap out of me with the Japanese/Korean/Chinese guitars. I guess the simplest way to say it is..they just don't feel right or play the same as a (well built & setup) original Gibson. Some are pretty close, like my Tokai, others are just all wrong from the get-go, like the Edwards....which felt and played like an ESP/Ibanez shredder axe more than a Les Paul.
So if you're a stickler for aesthetics & details..you're probably better off with a Japanese copy.
But considering the availabilty nearly everywhere and pricing is similar for the axe in question (double cut w/ P90s), I'd peruse every local faded Gibson DC I could find, and get the one that sings.