so where do I vote?

I think you should lay your hands on a guitar before you buy, always with an acoustic. But there are exceptions to the rule. Electrics lend themselves to be easily transformed by changing pickups and coil tapping and the like. I played a few Jackson's and figured I liked the DKMG model but hated the pickups. So I snagged one off EBAY and saved myself enough cash to upgrade the pickups.