Bang on about audiences, Stu. They just want to hear the racket we make (or "made" in my case) and wouldn't know a Gibson from a Harley Benton.. I've got a couple of Gibsons and a lot of other guitars. Some of my cheap guitars sound just as good, as far as I'm concerned, as the
posh gear does. I buy stuff because it does the job, not because it might impress somebody.
My two Gibsons are the two most expensive guitars I own. The first one I bought was a
cheer-Paul-up present after my wife died. My first
real Gibson Les Paul, at age 64.
The second one was bought a month or so ago to fit a "
back-to-basics" itch I wanted to scratch. I was looking at cheaper guitars that fit the mould but it came up, and I could afford it, so it's what I bought. It was even the colour I wanted.
Funny thing is, the guitar I keep next to me most of the time. for those moments of inspiration, is an old Washburn. The neck is slick and wafer-thin, I can switch the pickups between single-coil and humbuckers, and I think it's one of the cheapest decent guitars I ever bought. It even looks good. It's still my
go-to guitar.
When I was playing out I couldn't afford the stuff to impress other musicians (because let's face it, they're the only people who might be impressed) and now I can afford something a bit more high-end I've got nobody to impress any more.
A lot of solid-body guitar bodies are made out of tonewood too, by the way, and it covers a multitude of sins. The name just means wood that sounds good, basically, and includes soft and hardwoods. Check it out
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonewood
Of course, it's all about sustainability these days, which is why some of the more exotic woods that used to be used for guitar making have been replaced.
Sorry, mate, I just rambled all over your thread.
I'll get me coat.