It completely depends on what kind of Ric sound you're after. For the jangly
sounds I would definately consider a Danelectro. For rockier sounds it's
hard to say because Teles are definately in the family but so are some SGs
depending on if you're referring to Toaster or Higain Rics.
As for the Gretsch (Electromatic) I don't think that these sound anything
like Rics. I realize that the look of a Gretsch and a Ric together is
familiar since there was this nothern UK band that used to play these two
brands a lot but otherwise they don't have much in common.
The best advice is to see if you can find the money and buy a secondhand
Ric, they keep value very well while Squire and Epiphones certainly don't.
If you're going to buy any of these get a used one, they are difficult to
sell so they are often very cheap.