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Of the three epiphones I've had, two of them had a kind of feel I can only describe as quot;hardquot; or sharp. Not stiff, but different from gibsons I've played in stores and my mom's e135. With the gibsons, the thicker strings have a kind of rubber feel. They're just easier to press and bend in a way I can't really describe. I think it's to do with the shape of the neck because it's not the size of the strings.

So after adjusting the truss rod for this epiphone special I have laying around.... it has that rubbery easy kind of feel that I associate with the Gibsons. Makes me happy.....

Are you sure it's not just the short scale length combined with a decent setup?

That feel has to do with the nut slots, truss rod, action, neck thickness, fret size, strings, and wood quality.

The best guitars you can play are the ones where all those variables fall together perfectly.

I'm wrestling with a guitar right now that is awesome in some ways, but I just can't get it dialed in 100% to my liking. I think my final option is to cut a new bone nut and a complete fret leveling. Unfortunately, I'm a little afraid of messing with the frets, since I don't have enough experience with fret dressing.