I've heard good and bad about Ibanez RG's. Some folks love 'em some hate 'em. Alot of "my neck is bad" stories out there. There are alot of guitars out there in that price range - Yamaha, Schecter, Epiphone, ESP, Jackson (now owned by Fender), Fender. You need to find a guitar that you like - alot of 'em sound alike, but play (feel) different. Only advice I can give (as another metal player) Is 24 frets will come in handy...Floyds are nice - if you use the trem - if not, save the expense - Floyd's run about $179.00, if one is on a $300.00 guitar, you know what your paying for.