| I got myself a Gretsch 5440 last November, after much comparing with a Gretsch 5123 and a Jack Casady: it's all down to personal preference, of course, but firstly I felt that the Gretsch build quality was marginally better than the Epiphone (both are Korean, so don't expect perfection on either!) and secondly, the Epi didn't offer the same extent of upper fret access than either Gretsch (I noodle a lot up there, so it matters to me!). I also found the Epi neck a bit too fat for my liking - my norm is a Ricky 4001, so slim is my preference: the Gretsch 5440 has a slim neck with no taper (thickness-wise), although it's a little wider than the Rick. I ultimately preferred the 5440 over the 5123 again because the 5440 has better upper fret access and I liked the more piano-like tone the longer scale gives; also, more bang for the buck! Hope this helps? | 
