Been wanting to get a new guitar since I've been lacking one for a while now.

Into metal, preferable brands such as ESP/Schecter.

I'm wanting to know if there is a vast difference between a 300 budget or 600 budget? I've always had a cheap basic squire to fiddle with, so either or will be a big improvement.

Also, which guitars should I aim for under those budgets? Not able to hit a Guitar Center daily to test things out sadly, looking for recommendations.

I will say Ibanez lower tier guitars are trash and I have a huge dislike for them.

Thank you!

I loved my Mexican Strat, great for blues and if you run it through the right pedal would sound great.

PRS make great guitars too, but they're probably on the higher end of your budget.

http://prsguitars.com/

I find this a good idea. Extend your budget to 800$ or so and you can get a proper Strat. Within the $600 range, you won't find many guitars that are significantly better than Squiers.

PSR's are another brand I've been meaning to try out.

Still looking for a solid answer, I know there's plenty of great Schecter and LTD's under 600 I just don't know which to look for.