Go into music stores that deal in vintage guitars or just start playing other people's electrics any chance you get & you should start to get a feel for the type you want.. You can't go wrong with a Gibson; but a good guitar is a good guitar whether it's a Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, etc. A good one will feel right while you're playing it and will sound good if the amp that you're playing through is decent enough. The quality of a guitar (electric or acoustic) depends a lot on the type of used to make it.
Make sure the machine heads are the kind that are enclosed (like Grovers).