Having placed my order on 13th September with GAK in Brighton, who were recommended to me by a friend, serial # 10101511874 was finally delivered to me yesterday. Having seen all the broken necks and twisted headstocks I had thought about picking it up myself, however, I was told that as I’d placed a mail order it would have to be sent to me – very odd. The guy I placed the order with told me that GAK had received only two of the 20 Epiphone JB Gold Tops they ordered from Gibson and they wouldn't be getting any more, so it seems for those in the UK the early bird catches the worm.
I asked the guy who I placed the order with if he’d check it out before sending it and, of course, he jumped at the chance to have a little play. I couldn’t stand the suspense of not knowing if it was ok or not so I called him back in the afternoon and thankfully he said it was fine. It wasn’t until after it was despatched that I saw the posts above suggesting that the strings should be slackened off before sending by courier, so I had another thing to worry about.
It was therefore with not a small amount of fear and trepidation that I carefully opened the cardboard box that FedEx had delivered and took photos at each stage of the process just in case ……
Clearly the couriers in the UK are more respectful of property as, despite there being no additional padding or protection, it arrived safely and I’m pleased to say that, as you can see here, it all looks fine. If I were ultra fussy I could say there is a very slight twist of the headstock but, like ivbluesboy’s, it’s hardly noticeable. The protective plastic covering the pickguard is heavily scratched and I hope it hasn’t gone all the way through. The fretboard isn’t at all dirty as some have been in the States.
Not sure about the serial numbering. If others are in the range 090**, how can mine be 11874 and the run limited to 1,000?
Like Josh’s, my neck pick up 'floats', while the bridge pu is fixed. Thanks for answering this Q Spider as I was wondering about it myself. I guess the protective plastic covering the pick ups should be removed asap?
Having been mad on music all my life I thought I’d buy my first guitar before it’s too late! Now all I need to do is learn how to play it! 
Phil
Ars Longa, Vita Brevis
“The guy who has helped the blues industry the most is Joe Bonamassa and I would say he is more rock than some rock stuff, so to me blues is whatever you want it to be!”
Simon McBride in my interview with him in Blues Matters! Issue #56