For a guitarist, guitar shopping is often like dress shopping for a prom queen, the right choice is crucial for us yet no one else will know the difference. The hunt for the perfect axe is a relentless quest and can drive any guitarist into obsessive compulsive tendencies. There are a few things to remember that can make the quest little less intense and more fun at the same time.
     First we need to know that buying a guitar is not an irreversible decision. For example, I personally don't like Strats. How do I know this? I bought one and played it for a year or two. Now I can definitely say that I am not a Strat guy. Buying, playing, selling, or trading guitars and equipment is a real part of the fun of learning what we, as guitarist like and don't like. And don't worry if you'r not rich no one else is one one hundredth as bothered by the guitar that you no longer like as you are. Just try and be patient, save your pennies and sell the offending axe when you have enough to buy the next one you want to try.
     Second, remember you are not your hero. What ever your hero plays is not nessacerily the guitar that you will like playing the best. It is a good place to start for the obvious reason that you like the sound that your hero gets from this kind of guitar. Just try to be open minded and look at all your options. There are an amazing amount of great guitars available these days and all of them deserve a look.
     Third, once you find a guitar that feels good, plays good, and looks good you are ready to go. Now what if it doen't sound good, or sound right? That is what after market pickups are for! I am going to be honest here, I am not a big fan of many stock pickups. Sometimes you get lucky and find a guitar that comes stock with some nice Seymour Duncans or something else along those lines that sounds really nice out of the box. But the point is, that if a guitar has everything but the sound you are looking for, that can be remedied. 
      It is important to know that when you buy a guitar that some very important things can be changed to suite your needs and some can't. For instance, string size and action can be changed, but the shape and size of the neck is a much, much more difficult change. Also changing a pickup or bridge is usually fairly easy, but changing the body color for instance is a lot of work. So look for the guitar that has the features you want that are not easy to change and the rest can fall into place later.

Happy hunting.

David Allmon