Whatever guitar you buy, make sure you play the specific guitar for yourself (and, if possible, by a player equal to or better than yourself either in terms of playing or knowledge of guitars). Don’t assume that one particular model or brand is going to be better than another particular model or brand.
The only thing I would tell you regarding brands is please, please, please don’t buy an Ovation. They sound awful, especially if you try to put them through a sound system.
Know if you want to be able to plug the guitar in. If you won’t ever need to plug it in, then you’ll be able to get a better guitar for a lower price. But if you need to plug it in, you’ll be out of luck if you haven’t bought one with electronics (yes, you could mic it, but you’d be a lot better off being able to plug it in).