i really like my ec 1000....so much so that I owned a les paul studio and got rid of it and kept my ec 1000. I like the thinner lighter feel of the ec 1000. It comes down to personal tastes I suppose. It def does not have sustain issues. I havent heard one with blackouts but Id like to. Mine has the jb/59 set and shockingly that set is killer in that guitar. then again...im a big passive fan.