As a starter, if you have that price range, I would highly reccomend either the Epiphone Les Paul Standard (which I own and love), or the Gibson sg special with the faded finish. Both give you great tone. I would sort of lean towards the Epi LP for you because then you could buy a smaller Spider III amp. Those are awesome. If you are just starting out then there should be no reason to change the pickups right off the bat. By the way, for the wood thing, I believe the Epi LP has a maple veneer top, alder/mahogany middle, and a mahogany back and neck.