Plenty of different V's out there. Some with the the '67(?) shape that I have, i.e. with contoured body flanges extending over the neck end, and some with the original shape where the neck starts direct from the body which ends in sharp corners. I'd prefer the latter, but those have the V shaped flat stop-piece vs. a regular gibson bridge on the 67, plus an uglier picguard...I'd love to build me a V some day that would look like a 67 but with the smaller older style body, that'd be a great combination.
As for Epi quality, in the recent years, say 5-6 years back at least, Epi quality was better than Gibson in many ways. I bought me an Epi Explorer at that time, and I went thru a lot of 'em, and every Gibson I played had worse paint or finishing or something wrong with them while the Epis were nigh perfect. I also tested V's but ended up with an Explo then.
V's and Explos however came with regular covered epi pickups then, nothing spectacular if quite OK pickups. I removed the covers from mine and it worked OK, but later swapped to Duncans anyway.
Dee
"When life's a biatch, be a horny dog"
Amps: Marshall JVM 410H w/ Plexi Cap mod, Choke Mod & Negative Feedback Removal mod, 4x12", Behringer GMX110, Amplitube 3/StealthPedal
Half a dozen custom built/bastardized guitars all with EMG's, mostly 85's, Ibanez Artwood acoustic & Yamaha SGR bass, Epiphone Prophecy SG, Vox Wah, Pitchblack tuner plus assorted pedals, rack gear etc. for home studio use.