^ edwards is kinda for the japanese market. I think grassroots is the really budget line, Edwards is inbetween. Subjective, but IMO they're better than LTDs, but perhaps not quite as good as full-on ESPs. However, you have a bigger choice of vintage-style models with edwards. I think they're started off in china too, not 100% MIJ as used to be claimed/as was supposed by the customers. Very nice guitars, though they're nowhere near as good value as they were because of the pound's fall against the yen recently- a japanese-made tokai or similar which you can get here in the UK more easily, plus get to try first, is probably a better bet at the moment.
regarding the eclipse versus the gibson- the gibson will feel and sound a lot more vintage, the esp a lot more modern, especially if you go for the EMG model.
doesn't esp use african mahogany? I'm not certain, but i'd have thought so. Could be wrong, of course. And doesn't gibson use african for its non-CS models? Again, not certain, but what I've been hearing.