these guitars were constructed using different woods (generally only distantly related to true mahogany), were fastened with epoxies rather than wood-glues. gibson and epiphone guitars all use titebond resin glue, which is simple carpenters' wood glue, and were finished in hard, quick-to-apply polyester resin rather than the traditional nitro-cellulose lacquer used by gibson epiphone guitars assembled or made in the us use lacquer finishes unless its a san lacquer(sl for short), but those made outside of the us use a poly urethane finish because of pollution requirements. these particular budget considerations, along with others such as plastic nuts and cheaper hardware and pickups, allow for a more affordable instrument.