right-track

Solid advice.
Go to the guitar shop more often and test play as many guitars as you want within your price range.

Only this way will you find a guitar that suits you and the sound you are looking for. Take into consideration the width of the neck and how it suits your hand size. One of the reasons you may have sounded better was probably because the guitar you tried was better suited to you.
Don't be put of by Yamaha, their higher price generic electric guitars are every bit as good as the big name originals ie; Fender/Gibson and at a fraction of the cost.

If you find an expensive guitar that is out of your price range and feels so much better than any other...wait and save up the extra money to buy it.

If it's a Fender or a Gibson it will retain a good price and will be easier to sell on should you ever want to in the future.