Advice for beginner on first electric guitar

somany necroposts lately

Well, since it's been brought back from the dead, I'm'a throw my two pence in as a former salesman and occasional instructor of the absolute basics:

Budget guitars are better now than they've ever been before. You can get a kickass budget guitar for under $200 that absolutely rocks. I just snagged a Firefly FFTH Telecaster Thinline knockoff, that thing wails. The MSRP is $130. You can find 'em for that sometimes, but usually they're marked up a bit because people buy 'em then resell 'em to the people who really want 'em.

But seriously, the quality of budget guitars today is not what it was back in even the early 2000s. So yeah. You've basically got your choice of a lot of decent instruments for not a lot of dosh.

As to amps, the Vox Pathfinder 15R is about the best damn practice amp that's ever been invented. Not only that, it's a pretty fine gigging amp as well. Hell, if it's good enough for Feist to use on tour...

Whatever feels right in your hands, has a reputation for quality, and can be traded in when you get better at your local guitar store is the advice I'd give. You don't want to spend too much in case you don't stick with it, and you want something that will stay with you for a while if you do, and until you really know where you're headed with your playing.