Yes, this topic has appeared on this forum several times. Dun buy. And btw, i can't believe ur guitar teachers says LTDs are lousy. Its totally not true. Maybe he's had bad experiences b4 but most ppl wld say that they are value-for-money. And he seems to be very brand-conscious, an Ibanez Prestige is already a high-end axe, short of a custom. For more info on LTDs, u can go read the reviews subby has posted. No offence to ur guitar teacher of course.