[OrangeCat]

Buy used.

Tone is in the fingers. The fact is, an experienced player can get a good tone for any style with just about any guitar by using the right amp/pedal combinations. Do not get hung up on stuff like “Jerry used a Les Paul and a Soldano amp so I need that gear to sound like him.” bullshyte. You could come pretty damn close to “man in a box” with a strat, blues jr and a good pedal like a fulldrive 2 or a soul bender.

Tube amps are the best, no doubt about it, but you have to crank them to sound good. Even 15 watt amps are way, way to loud for an apartment. You are best off getting a Vox Valvtronix. Second choice would be a Fender Blues Jr. The guy who said get a 5150 is nuts. The paint will be coming off the walls before you get it half way up.

Most of a guitars playability comes from the setup. A good tech can take a piece of crap hondo or samick and turn it into a really good playing guitar. Almost any new guitar needs a set up. Even expensive Gibsons and Fenders. You would be best off getting a used Squire or Epiphone and spending $50 to $100 for the best guitar tech you can find to give it a good setup. This would include leveling the frets, rounding the edges, setting innotation, adjusting nut height, straightening the neck and so on. After that, your $400 copy would probably play better than the $4000 Paul hanging on the wall at Guitar Center.

Go to the biggest store in town and play a bunch of guitars. Note things like the shape of the neck and the shape of the body. See which feels best to you. Then buy used.