The Epiphone Sheraton II is an extraordinary guitar for just under $600. It has a (quite big) semi-hollow body with a 5-piece Maple neck with "Tree of Life" Inlays that look pretty cool.
The guitar features Alnico Classic Humbucker pickups that sound good with a large variety of styles - from classic rock to jazz. With it's fast neck and low action, this guitar is playable out of the box.
Most owners of this guitar can't stop talking about how gorgeous the thing is. This instrument has a classy look with a beautiful and balanced finish. The gold plated hardware is a nice additional touch that adds to its attractiveness.
In Summary this is a terrific instrument that will give you more value for your money than just about any guitar in this price range.
Here's a video of Gregory Hilden from GregsGuitars playing along some bluesy melody with a smooth backtrack on this baby. He starts off with the guitar on clean sound and later (after 2 minutes) kicks in with some mild distortion: