maiden69.. i saw what you did to your epi les paul and i must say i'm very impressed!! couldn't really look any better...
there's an all mahogany epi sg at the local music store and it's IMO one of the best quality guitars i've ever seen. i'm talking about the acoustic tone alone here.. i don't know about the pickups and stuff, but the tuners seem to be reliable in that particular instrument. also the pots and switch seem to be high quality parts.
i agree that it totally sucks when some manufacturers use plywood for their bodies!! i've seen some epi les pauls with alder bodies and they sound great. alder is very good body material for electric guitar, though it may not bring the desired les paul tone, it still can produce pretty good sound. same thing with maple necks.
it is true that expensive pickups won't make a bad guitar sound great, but if the guitar is decent quality instrument, good electronics can make it a very good choice for those who are on a budget.