Re: Looking for an electric guitar. Help me!
I really dig the Ibanez Artcore, I played one just the other day when I was picking up some strings and picks and I will say it sounded great, I had plugged straight into a Fender HRD and it really growled when I pushed it and sparkled when I let up... I also played a Epi dot, which in this particular case did not impress me much but I believe it was the individual sample not the model as a whole, was just a really dead guitar...
Also Schecter was brought up as well, I don't think you should look past them either, they make great guitars for the money and their Semi-Hollow model is pretty gorgeous (I have never played that particular model though myself but others I have played have always played and sounded great.)