Wait what? A 5$K PRS with a 10 top (AAAAA for Gibson crowd) is a cheap machine manufactured axe? =-o I wish that people would come off this notion that 'completely hand crafted' is better than using a machine for some tasks, such as complicated routing and cutting fret grooves. This is the same as saying a completely handwired amp is de facto better than a PCB one. Machines do some things better and people do other things better. Besides, a solid body guitar is a hunk of wood, where resonance is the most important attribute. It isn't a complex design, like a Cello or an Acoustic guitar. I bet even VOS Gibson instruments are at least partially made by machines.
When I was shopping for a #1 axe, it was quite the standoff between the Les Paul Standard and a PRS Singlecut. The Les Paul won because of the rich buttery cleans and the huge beefy gain, but it was a tight battle to be sure. The PRS was no slouch, with an aggressive, crunchier distortion, great action, AND perfect cosmetics. It is obvious to me that more work and care went into that instrument, but it just didn't ROAR like a Gibson. It is kind of like Mesa vs Marshall here. At least Mesa doesn't compromise on quality for their amplifiers. All the testimonies of techs at this forum suggest that Marshall is cost cutting everywhere possible but if you gas for that crunch, you get that amp, not a copy. That was my dilemma. Basically, a Gibson sounds like a Gibson and you have to deal with the 'risks' associated with purchasing one if you want that sound. I don't claim that a good Les Paul sounds or plays bad, I just think there is a problem when you have a 1 / 50 chance of actually acquiring the 'pick of the litter' so to speak. This is within the $3k budget.
The orange peel is a symptom of a larger problem. Ceramic disc caps, cheap grover tuners, poor fret work, frets popping out, etc = negligence. Whatever, MY Les Paul HAULS and it is a 2002 Standard Premium Plus. 3A maple top, 60s profile neck and one of the best playing / responding necks I have tried on a Gibson. With the electronics upgrade, it sounds awesome and it has always held its tune very well. This summer I tried it next to a stock Les Paul Standard and it positively destroyed the other guitar. An employee at a local Long and McShaft could not believe that I took a Les Paul over a PRS Singlecut. What can I say, since I upgraded my axe it absolutely destroys most stock production level instruments.
It is just a problem that I had to put new pickups AND electronics in it to make it come alive. . . and what about the 50 or so other Gibsons I tried and didn't buy?? Sure my guitar is great, plays well, sounds amazing, but is it worth $3k even before the money I dumped into it? I am a huge advocate of tone and playability over everything else, but this poor Quality Control at Gibson smacks of a larger problem. The fact that GIbson released a VOS line for even more money INSTEAD of simply reverting their specs back to the original and not altering their prices sounds like a huge cash grab to me.
I am not disputing that the architecture of a Les Paul is fundamentally flawless. The blueprint is fine. I just have issue with what Gibson has been doing with that design as of late.