what to buy , a 400 dollar guitar or a 4000 dollar guitar ,as the owner of 53 guitars ranging in price of 350 to 4200 dollars it matters little , its really on how they feel to you and your needs, case in point i have an ibanez art-core ( 350 dollars ) and a Gibson custom shop ES355 Blk w/ bigsby ( 4000 dollars ) and to be honest the Ibanez walks all over the Gibson , why that is i have no idea , its just a great axe , and the gibson is cool no doubt , but 4 grand for bragging rights ,, now Fenders on the other hand ,, there i do find a huge difference MIM or USA , save up for the USA ,, i have a MIM Strat i just set that up for slide work , its all there good for , again my opinion , but there still a good guitar and when buying a guitar remember its how it feels in your hands , dont let labels sway you