Try `em all, and then ask the store if they have a good return policy. What you want is the ability to take the guitar to a good independent repair shop, and have them look it over. Remember, most new guitars need to be setup, so while the feel is important, it can not be your overriding concern. Most important is how it SOUNDS. A good repair shop can make anything play well, but we can not change the basic sound of a guitar with out significant expense.
At any rate, you should look for a neck which is not twisted. Fret at the first fret, and somewhere between the twelfth and the fifteenth frets on the low E string. Look at the gap around the middle of the length of string you are holding down. Do the same on the high E. The gaps should be about the same, and if they are wildly different you probably have a warp (twisted) neck. This is NOT something you want to try and deal with. Sometimes it is not a problem, and can be played that way. Frequently it is a problem. Don't risk it. With new guitars, this should not be a problem, but it is easy to check.
The thing you do need to worry about with new guitars is loose frets. They are actually fairly common, and most warrantees do not cover the repair, even when it is an obvious flaw in materials and workmanship. Run a chromatic scale up and down each string, listening for buzzes (so this through an amp, as electric guitars usually buzz when they are unplugged, and these buzzes can not be heard through an amp most of the time). There are a number of reasons why a guitar will buzz, but if it is limited to one or two frets, a loose or tall fret is a real possibility. Again, you don't want to deal with it. If you really love the guitar, take it to a good shop and see if what they have to say, but if the guitar does not other wise blow you away, don't bother.
Personally, I don't buy the "play without plugging in" thing. Who cares what it sounds like unplugged? I have played some guitars which were crap unplugged, but when they were plugged in had a sound that could not be found anywhere else (Mosrites come to mind, or most Rick's and every Hofner ever made). The pickups are so important to the sound of an electric that listening to it unplugged gives you no relevant information. But hey, I only play a couple thousand guitars a year, so what do I know.
It is always best to play through an amp which you are familiar with, preferably the one you have. But that is only really relevant if you like your amp. If you are getting by with a beginner’s guitar, you are probably using a beginner’s amp as well. So, play through a lot of different amps. Find a COMBINATION of guitar and amp you like. That way, when you decide to get a new amp, you know what you are after. The other thing to remember is; it is easier to bring a guitar when you shop for an amp than it is to bring an amp when you shop for a guitar. Unless of course you are a fan of the
Pignose.
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
