Well to be honest the way I'd do it would be go on a tour of your local stores, see what they have got and give 'em a play.

They will all sound and play a little different. Keep in mind the sound you want and go for it !

Something to avoid is plugging them into a JCM900 and maxing out the overdrive.

I have found that it is often more productive to listen to both clean and distorted channels (took me a while to work that one out !)!!