Never, ever, EVER, buy a guitar without playing it first, especially if you're gonna spend that much. You could get it and find out its a complete POS, or maybe it just isn't what you wanted at all. It's easy to get excited over guitars you see online (I do it all the time
), but remember, that's not the only place to get them. Plus, if you're serious about playing (and I know you are), the appearance of a guitar shouldn't matter. I know it's cool to have a guitar that you like, and that's visually attractive, but it's the same old concept "function over fashion".
Believe it or not, guitars all do have their own unique sound and feel, even if it's a very minor difference from others. And it'd be a good idea to go to a guitar store and just sit down and play as many guitars as you can. Seriously, it'll open up your eyes to the huge variety of sound and feel that come from different guitars. Some jackasses go to the guitar store and shred on a guitar all day long, trying to show off. Don't worry about your skill, and don't worry about your volume (don't worry about everyone else, it's a guitar store after all, not a library). If you're testing out a guitar for real, you're already 100 steps ahead of those guys who just go there to try and impress people.
Sometimes shops like Guitar Center will order a guitar for you, and let you return it for a full refund if you don't like it. Basically, they will only do this if they know they can turn around and sell it anyways, so ask them first. Sometimes, you CAN order a guitar online and do this as well, but make sure it's from a reputable place, or else you might end up with the short end of the stick.
I really believe that guitars are important purchases, and they should really suit the owner perfectly. Good guitarists know all of their scales and modes, they can play all of their favorite songs, or maybe they can play blazing fast solos. Great guitarists have an understanding as well as a connection with the guitar, they play what feels best to them, not always what sounds best to others, but they ALWAYS have fun while doing it. So, in my opinion, a guitar is a serious purchase, and you should really "get to know" the guitar first (take it into the bathroom at the guitar store and get in there and really feel how tight it is, don't be afraid to blow a load all over it, because the gloss finish wipes clean pretty easily).
PS: The cherry red ones are always the tightest.
