This has been my experience over the years with the exeption of the very few "$100 sweet deals"......
$200 and less = never going to stay in tune. The intonation (sp?) will never be on. Pick ups with have static from day one, all the hardware will rattle and may eventually fall off. An example of these are any guitar you find in Kmart, walmart, most guitars in pawn shops or Fenders made in Japan.
$200-$400 = stays in tune with new strings once they get stretched out but the intoneation will never be spot on and the pick ups will still buzz, though maybe not at first. IMHO these guitars make the best first guitar purchase. As long as you stay in an climate controlled environment your axe should stay in tune for the most part. Humidity hurst the worst with staying in tune. A good example of this type is the Mexican made Fenders good guitars but no craftsmanship when putting them together and they use substandard parts.
$400-$700 = ok now your getting into the good stuff. There is still some garbage to be purchased in this price range but most of what you see is higher quality. Guitar will stay in tune intonation can be put spot on. All the hardware is of a higher quality. Examples would be Jackson guitars, some fenders and some gibsons. These are good "live" guitars.
$1000 and up = now your getting into the best of the beasts. All hardware will be top quality and you can really feal the diference in that too. Craftsmanship will be top notch too in assembly of the instrument. This price range is my next purchase

Examples of these would be Gibson - Les Paul, Fender - strats and tele's and custom guitars. These are great studio guitars...
There are so many guitar makers out there it can drive you batty. I have mainly stuck with the big 2 Gibson and Fender and I have always been happy with them. But there are many other and better guitars out there if your willing to pay the price
