This argument can go in circles for ages. It's one of those arguments, it's part subjective and the objective part is a rare occasion where everyone can be right and everyone can be wrong.
There is a massive placebo effect at buying a genuine Gibson. The Latin origins of placebo are "to please". Many will find owning a genuine Gibson Les Paul "pleasing and reassuring" regardless of any "intrinsic, remedial value"....that's right out of the dictionary for placebo. Gibson makes a good instrument and they have the brand-equity and heritage that appeals to someone wanting to share in that rich history. These days people even argue in favor of poor aspects of a Gibson, like that they ground all the frets level but never crown them afterwards, as being more "authentic." Whatever. But that placebo effect is powerful and shouldn't be ignored, if someone wants a Gibson, they probably won't be happy until they have a Gibson, warts and all.
That said, the LP is an incredibly easy recipe of body thickness and correct dimensions. Get those right, even with a different shape, and it'll stand up to any double blind taste test hands down.
Humans don't hear anything objectively, to be able to process sensory information, we rely on perception to simplify our recognition and cataloging of data. Compare two LP-esque guitars and it's easier for our brain to focus on and enhance the differences between them, compare a dozen LP-esque guitars and it's much easier for our brains to draw the focus and and note the similarities between them. Ultimately, if you compare a Gibson, Huber, Max, Epiphone, Rogue, etc. in a large enough sample size, they all seem pretty damn similar. But, our conscious thought has a massive affect on our perception. If we expect to hear or see something, our brain will comply and say we do. The placebo effect relies heavily on this aspect of "where there is a will, there is a way." That's what lead to all those threads about Sozo caps. Now, everyone wants to believe they are the exception, their ears, eyes, taste buds, etc. are better, their more attuned to subtlety, they have better taste, etc. But they aren't. Two facts that are heavily repeated in market research texts...no one has ever consistently are identified Coke or Pepsi in those famous tastes tests, and no expensive speaker cable has ever consistently won a double-blind listening test (consistent meaning better than the margin of error).
