It may look and sound like a Gibson, however this is a 2001 Epiphone Flying V.
I did quite a bit of work to make it sound good. The pick ups were replaced with Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates. I lowered them quite a bit to get a more vintage sound and to take away some of the harshness. The tuning pegs, pick up selector, and bridge are replaced with Gibson parts. The steel saddles were replaced with graphite for added sustain. I changed all the pots. The finishing touch is the Gibson emblem I added on the headstock to give it a vintage look.

This is a 2001 American Series Fender Telecaster. I changed the pick ups to DiMarzio Twang Kings. The steel saddles were also replaced with graphite. Of all my guitars, this tele is the brightest. It sounds best plugged direct into an amp without any overdrive or distortion pedals.

This is a 91 Fender Squire body and a USA Custom neck. I wore the frets of the Squire neck, so rather get a fret job I had a neck built by USA Custom. The neck has Dunlop 6105 frets, a 9.5 radius, and it’s finished in satin. The pick ups and saddles were also replaced. I have DiMarzio Blue Velvets in the neck and middle, and a Red Velvet in the bridge. This strat has an exceptional feel and tone.

Strings
My string gauge is very important. Guitars with 9’s or 10’s are virtually unplayable. Not only do the strings break much more often, bends and vibratos become difficult to control. Also, with light gauges, you lose that thick, heavy tone I want. Stevie Ray Vaughan used 13’s tuned down a half-step. That’s why his tone was so extraordinary.

I use D’Addario strings and here are my gauges:
For Fender guitars - .012, .015, .018, .030, .040, .052
For Gibson guitars - .012, .016, .019, .030, .042, .054

Amplification
Right now, I’m using a 1974 Fender Super Reverb. This amp has a great vintage sound. Most new Fender amps, like the Devilles or the Deluxe reissues, have a thin, compressed sound. The Super Reverb has a warm distortion that’s very natural and sounds great with my ES 335.