Ahh, but it's next to impossible to ignore the linkage to Gibson, seeing as they were the originators of classics like the LP and the SG.
I think that, in terms of matching up sound-wise against a high-end Gibson heavywieght model, with a high-end Epiphone and some carefully-chosen hardware upgrades you can get about 95% there. After all, after you hit a certain price point with Gibson what you are really paying for are exotic/expensive finishes, woods and hardware... in other words, lots of flash... and, of course, there's the over-inflated brand factor. Gibson milks it to the hilt - why not? - and those who can afford their most prestigious gear to buy into the myth will continue to do so. Gibson long ago entered into the pantheon of classic guitar originators. That creates its own kind of awe and attendant market value.
But there's tons of amazing gear out there all the same. Thankfully we all don't have to drop large coin to get cool stuff.