I don't know about the custom shop, especially in the Epi line, but generally I'm happy with the Epiphone I bought last year. The main complaints as a player's guitar are the stock pickups and pots. The pots suck because the range isn't very consistent on them, and the pickups are toned decently but don't seem to capture and deliver the sound like a better pickup does. For the price, the mid-level Epiphones seem pretty decent for what you get.