We appear to get Gibson rejects in this country at the high end, similar Lucille and Epiphones seen at the supplier at the same time had a better finish than the custom ones so do not feel dissapointed that they are a rarity in this country, we are better off without them if they are being produced like this. It has taken three years to eventually get to see a fairly decent one sent over to this country and when we did it fell short of expectation. The Epiphone Sheraton/Gibson 335/ Lucille are the alternatives so we may as well give these serious thought, especially as they cost a third of a 355. At least if they get knocked or damaged we do not have to worry about replacing them. We are still interested in purchasing a 355 because they are so attractive but not until we see one that has been made with care. We are talking about the ES Custom Shop 355 not the recent 2006 limited edition, which is cheaper. Gibson UK, Europe and USA are aware of these comments but they consider that I am a 'difficult' customer instead of trying to solve the problems in production. We still have the photographs as proof! With rubbish like this who needs them!