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These two cost-effective goldtops each offer versatile voices.

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As we write, the second-biggest brand in the guitar universe finds itself at the mercy of mixed fortunes.

Having survived and rebuilt following the disastrous Nashville floods of May 2010, Gibson's biggest headline-grabber in recent months, the Firebird X, is still awaiting release following more delays as a result of the exploration of "additional functionality".

However, for all the hype surrounding a rare $5,570 'bird, at the other end of the price scale - and with much less fanfare - Gibson has launched some very interesting guitars of late.

Alongside the sub-£500 maple-bodied Melody Maker series that debuted at Frankfurt Musikmesse, comes this pair of affordable Goldtop Les Pauls: the Epiphone Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Goldtop and the Gibson Les Paul Studio '60s Tribute.

Epiphone Joe Bonamassa LP Goldtop

"The public have been screaming for a more affordable Gibson Les Paul for a long time now, and this delivers it."

The thinking behind this guitar is straightforward: in this economic climate, few can afford to drop three-and-a-half grand on Bonamassa's aged Gibson Custom signature model.

Sure, it's an absolute beauty, but it's the same price as a serviceable used car...

Back in the real world, your £499 buys a well-appointed Epiphone version with solid spec where it counts. The BurstBucker pickups, genuine Grover tuners, LockTone tune-o-matic bridge and stud tailpiece, straplocks and a pink-lined Epiphone hard case are all welcome improvements tothe basic Epiphone Les Paul Standard template.

In addition, the cosmetics have been 'Bonamassa'd': a black-finished back, mixed control knobs plus black plastic pickup surrounds, scratchplate and toggle switch ring. Like the Custom Shop version, these features are all based on the heavily modified '55 Goldtop that came through Joe's father's shop when he was 11 years old.

The black plastic parts won't be everyone's cup of Earl Grey, but we like them, and although the metallic gold hue here isn't '50s-accurate, it's not unappealing.

We have always felt that a dark back offsets a goldtop finish more effectively than the mid-brown hue sported by the Gibson '60s Tribute model also on test. Indeed, enough people agree for Gibson to offer a dark back option on its Custom Shop '57 VOS model.

That said, it wouldn't be unreasonable for the JB Les Paul's high-gloss polyurethane finish and virgin nickel hardware to carry a 'sunglasses required' disclaimer. Next to the worn satin Gibson Studio model it almost looks and feels like a guitar encased in plastic, albeit a very resonant one.