Hey come on guys give the guy some advice. Think before you ink. Hate to say it but do what the guy at the music store does. Ask the right questions!......Ok so what style do you play, where do you want to go from there. How much do you play, do you make money out of playing in which case look at a superior guitar thats more then US$1200. Can you pick the difference between a great thin neck and a "in your hand" bulky neck? Do you need to go active or passive pickups, single coil or humbuckers(two coils on one pole in reverse hence no hum they cancel out) traditional body of freak out shape, 3 way, 5 way switching (i.e number of pick ups and in phase/out of phase, combination routes etc. Now once you work that out, find a guitar retails at US$2000 then forget the new one and buy it on E Bay for under US$1200 get someone with knowledge and experience during buying process and take the gamble. You will be surprised how many honest musos are out there willing to sell their pride and joy axe for a song (No pun intended)