Look at the following brands and decide the model based on which feels and sounds best to your ear (within the price range):

Ibanez
Jackson
Charvel
ESP

Believe it or not but Yamaha guitars can kick ass too without being overly expensive... Chris Poland plays and records exclusively on a guitar that retails at about $250 - he plays everything from shred to jazz (guitarist from Megadeth's "Peace Sells..." album)