I love my Gibson but whenever I check the price these things are selling for lately it scares the poo out of me!
Having played it live in many venues without worrying too much about it (including bars) I suddenly find myself tip-toeing around it and being tentative every time I pick it up lest I do something stupid and damage it!
That said, I hear ya about the cost versus play-ability and how it makes you feel. I get great satisfaction from my Mats guitars, Ovations, Danelectros, and Parker, and I don't have that awful feeling of potential disaster when playing them that the Gibson label injects into me now.