$500!!!!!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHAT@S THE WORLD COMMING TO?.... My first guitar, which was a strat copy and cost £80 ($116) sounded better (cos for some reason, It had a longer than usaul scale lenght) and was a hell of alot more versatile... the pickups were are little poor, but $70 on picks up, and it'll be a beat....
$500 though, That's a complete rip off...