Thank you all for the great advice. After a lot of research, I finally went with a B.C. Rich Virgo Celtic, black in color. I had my hands on a few different strats and Epi's, and although they were very nice, they just weren't the guitar's for me. I was somewhat frustrated and the guy handed me the B.C. Rich, Now I thought B.C. Rich, yeah right, this will cost me a fortune, I was wrong, it was was on sale for $349.99 and he threw in a 15 watt practice amp for free. It was all brand new to... Guitar Center Rocks. (sorry if i'm not supposed to say their name) This guitar just felt right from the moment I picked it up. And the sound is pretty rockin, noticeably different from my first act.