Originally Posted by: Andre518Thanks Rick when I was at the Guitar Center I thought to myself that the Jackson just had a better quality feel to it.[/quote]

At that price point, that was my same feeling. Jackson felt better.

[QUOTE=Andre518]
But I was under the impression that Gibson, Les Paul, Epiphone, were the top choice and would out shine almost anything

Well, it's all about personal preference. There are some people who are going to stand by a brand and swear by it. Some like Jiffy, some like Skippy, some even like Peter Pan...

Check this out... of my guitars, I'll tell you about two of them. A mentioned above, I have a Jackson DXMG. I also have a Kramer Striker. My Jackson was almost twice as much as my Kramer yet, I prefer the Kramer over the Jackson hands down.

Why? I just like the overall feel of the guitar better. Jackson is a much bigger name today than Kramer is. That wasn't always the case. Back in the 80's Kramer was the BIZ!

Find what's right for you despite what name is on it. :)