hi layer7...I don't want to preach, but get real...man, if you got $700 to spend on a guitar do yourself a big favor—go to e-bay, or check your local for-sale ads and look at the bids/prices on Gibson les pauls...I'm sure Schecter makes some decent guitars, but a les paul with dual-coil humbuking pic-ups is by far the most versatile and reliable elec. guitar made...aesthetic appeal, however, is largely in the eye of the beholder, although even Hendrix occasionally played a les paul...les pauls have always been the most versatile—notice they can be found in nearly any band of musicians regardless of the genre...hell, I even saw one accompany an accordian playing Danish folk-music in a neighborhood pub in Karyp, Denmark...reliability should also be a concern when you're spending as much as $700...reliability isn't merely the likelihood that your guitar will make it through a gig without breaking down...reliability also is a measure of how well (how easily) the instrument can be maintained over a long period of time...because the materials, design, and workmanship found in nearly every les paul is of exceptional quality they are easier to work on—they consistently “respond” very well to whatever adjustments and repairs that may be needed—for a long, long time...ask any experienced luthier why he would rather work on a les paul than practically any other elec guitar and see what he says...the same is generally true of all Gibson electrics...I’ve owned the same 64’ sg since 76’ and it plays like a dream, never goes out of tune unexpectedly, and the harmonics can be set-up as easily as I can tie my boot straps...if I wasn’t so damn happy with my sg, I’d have scrimped and saved up for a les paul a long time ago (some day I will own one)...spend $500 on a new Schecter today and in 5 yrs or so you might be able to off it for $200...spend $700 on a used les paul today and in 5 yrs it’ll easily still be worth $700; in 10 yrs it’ll probably be worth more, not that you’ll want to part with it...if for some reason you ever did part with I doubt very seriously that you’d trade it in for a Schecter, a PRS, or whatever...
regarding e-bay--you normally won't be able to lay your hands on the instrument before you fork over the cash...you can, however, take a look at the seller's ratings...generally, this is a good indication of his/her integrity...whatever you wind up doing, take a look at the gibsons...dean.
