i'm a fender guy but schecters are beautiful guitars for those who want something more specialized. unfortunately the decent ones aren't within your price range. a lot of these entry level guitars boast similar specs to the point where a beginner wouldn't really be able to tell the difference, but they will set the stage for your preferences later on. on that note, you really can't go wrong with fender, schecter, carvin, and ibanez. you should also drop the pod and get a saffire instead