Epiphone Masterbilt Excellente

I like the sound and feel of this guitar. Keep in mind it is heavy and relatively quiet. The sound is compressed, but in a way that I like. This is the opposite of an open sounding guitar with clarity and sparkle. This is more like a brick of sound. Not a lot of separation between notes, but a balanced interesting sound. Just what I wanted.
Sadly when mine arrived I found a few surprises. There was a piece of sanding paper stuck inside the guitar, Im assuming from the factory in Indonesia. Strange but no big deal. But then I saw that the bridge looked like it was not glued correctly. I did the paper test of trying to slide a piece of paper around the bridge and found that there was a big space in a few places where the paper slid right under, indicating a bridge that is in the process of detaching from the body. Not good. I took it to my luthier to see if it could be saved but he said "this guitar sounds nice now but might not be around on 10 years". What he means is it's a cheaply made knock-off of a good guitar and I shouldn't expect too much from it, or expect it to last through the years.
So sadly I had to return this guitar. Will I order another Excellente and hope for better luck, or move on to another brand that might be a bit more expensive but higher in quality? That is the question.