I got my RG(cant recall the model)in a beautiful violin brown quilt top for 300 bucks...exellent guitar.I'm dead sick of the floyd bridge,but for what I paid cant complain."pricey" and "expensive" arnt with the Ibanez name IMO,unless your shooting for a $800/$1500 prestige or signature model.The RG's are great for pretty much any style.The different models have varied pickup configurations so theres plenty of choices.

Schecter are great guitars for the money
After I got my ESP Viper 301 I thought "For $50 more I could have got that schecter stealth Ive wanted".
In the end a little patience and that little bit more money can get you the guitar you wished you had got.