Hi John
You can argue this until the cows come home. Sometimes it's not about tone, coolness, the name on your headstock etc. it's about, 'Hey, you muthafunker, look at me, I've got a Gibson and it sounds amaaaaazing.'
I know in these politically correct days, where everybody has to win a prize (even if you're the fat kid who comes in last - and believe me, I've come last a few times), a world where it's frowned upon to brag about what you have or where it comes from, but just this once, just this once, I want to give these people the finger and shout, 'Look at me. I've saved damn hard to buy this and it sounds better than great, it sounds awesome, and hey, look it's a Gibson, a real one, not a copy with a Gibson truss rod cover.', rather than standing in the shadows afraid to say anything in case you upset the guy from the support band who is playing an Affinity Precision bass.
Is a Gibson five times better for five times the price? No, of course it's not. It's infinitely better for five times the price!
P