Verified answer

You can't go wrong with a les paul. I wouldn't go as far to say an Epiphone sounds as good as the top brands, but it sure holds its own. The Ibanez will probably play faster with a thinner neck, but I personally prefer the les paul. Have you played both? You should try to go to a store and play them as long as possible (if you have not already). Play them through an amp you have or plan on getting. It doesn't necessarily help you out too much playing through something you won't be using!

Your preference. Both are very good guitars. I have the Epiphone Les Paul custom and it is as good as any that I've ever seen bar none. The sound is also equivalent to any of the more famous brands. The amp etc is more of a concern for you I would think.

Get the LP Standard. It has a fatter sound and as far as playing faster on an Ibanez neck is FALSE. You can shred on any LP Standard and this depends on the guitar player, not the instrument.

Epiphone is a good buy, reliable and more versatile.

I would test out both guitars first. The differences are uncanny.

I recomend the ibanez becasue i have one and its awesome