which guitar for first?

it is getting close to Christmas, and all my son wants is a guitar (of course). he has been playing for only a couple months, but is improving daily.
currently he has a very cheap Fender guitar/amp/everything combo.

If you were 15 and just starting out on guitar, which one would you choose? I want to keep it close to $200. he likes to play rock (AC/DC, Ozzy, Metal).

my boy wants a Warlock ($149) 'cause it looks cool, but i have heard bad things about it.

Tricky.... how cheap is the strat copy?

My suggestion for any beginner guitar is a squire strat - I think they're great for the money, and I've still got one I keep in the back of the car in case of guitar emergencies!

Only reservation is he already has a strat style guitar (and it might be a squire already too!), so it's not very exciting. The BC Rich's seem to be popular with the kids because they look proper 'rock'.... but you can't really play them sat down, and they're not the best - looking cool is all they do, if you lik that sort of thing.

Maybe a squire tele, so it's different from the strat he has but still a decent instrument. Legend has it that SRV used to play squires alot, but had the decals swapped for Fenders to keep Fender happy - not sure if it's true though....

I don't know the US guitar market but unless you look at used kit (which might not be a bad idea) I don't think you'll do much better than a squire for $200 down... I just looked on ebay and saw an Ibanez RG320FM to go in a couple of minutes for just over $200 - that might be a step up, and rock and roll enough to impress the lad....

I second Ren's Ibanez idea; also, see if you can track down a Cort Zenox. I'm not sure how much they cost, but from what I've heard, they're perfectly affordable and they play great. Not to mention, they look rock'n'roll. :D

I am a strong supporter of anything carried by Rondo Music. Their LesPaul-style guitars are great, as is the SG style. (which I have and personally highly reccomend it.) If he likes that kinda rock, LPs or SGs are the way to go IMO.

It sounds like he's already got a good set-up for a beginner. The Strat pack is ideal for a younger kid that wants to get into, or test the guitar waters. The guitar is designed for beginners and the amp is nothing over the top.... Since you're looking at around 200 dollars... unfortunately you can't do much more than what you've got... However, Squire does make a pretty nice deluxe strat for about 170. Since he has a decent setup for a beginner... I'll suggest something slightly different than what the others have... and something that you may not have thought much about...

How about getting him an effects processor... or some pedals... or maybe even a bunch of little things like an instruction video, picks, strap, strings, etc... etc.... There are endless ways that a guitar player can spend 200 dollars.... Here are some:

DigiTech makes a wide range of products from entry level to professional level... You can get a beginner model with an expression pedal as low as 50 dollars for the RP-80..... you can spend about a 100 dollars on an rp-200..... or you can get something that will really allow him to have some fun for anywhere from 150-200 in the GNX2 model.... Here is a link to an ebay auction for one that is used....
http://cgi.ebay.com/Digitech-GNX-2-Fully-working-order-Nice-and-clean_W0QQitemZ330060455259QQihZ014QQcategoryZ41419QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I use to have that exact processor... it allows you to really play around with effects and such and it's great for beginners because it's not hard to operate.... I think he would enjoy that just as much as a new guitar... It will open up a lot more avenues for tones and effects than just a new guitar... When you're at a beginner stage it's important to look at the "bang for your buck" motto... and Digitech offers some of the best "bfyb" out there... bar-none. So I suggest checking those out! If you can get one used for a cheap amount then you can even spend some of the extra cash on some picks... and if you get him an effects processor... you'll need an extra cord! Overall i think it's the best option... but it's up to you!!!!

I second that, Aschleman....
Effects are next and Digitech is a great place to start. I had (still have,
actually) the RP 200 which gives a whole lot of options like Wah-wah, huge disturtion, flanging, acoustic sounds, and much, much more. If nothing else, it will take him a month just to figure out everything it can do..but he can use it right out of the box.

Hey why not a subscription to GT full access? Haha just a thought. I'm with aschleman on this one. It sounds like he already has a "beginner" guitar. What I would do is get him some cool toys to play with like a multi-effects processor and a subscription to here. Then by the time next christmas rolls around maybe you guys can come to some agreement if he can save up half and you put in half and get him a nice intermediate guitar.

I'm with Adam as well.

If you get him another beginner guitar, he'll just out grow that in a few months...I say rather get him a nice effects pedal...(I would have said a multi-effects unit at his age, but now i'd say get him a really nice distortion...he'll thank you one day...) and send him on his way.

Personally, I have bought all my guitars myself, my parents never bought me a guitar, and I like to think Ilove all my instruments so much more for it...he'll be wanting a better guitar in the next year anyway, rather he saves up for a while and buys himself something nicer to play through his killer pedal that he got for christmas.

come to think of it, Adam may be more on the right track with a Digitech multi-effects processor...that'll do him for a few years, and has way more posssibilities than a single stomp box...he'll find his way to a really nice dirstortion on his own in a few years, but t this stage its all about how many different noises you can make...and how cool you look making them...

I agree, another beginner guitar won't be substantial. Getting him a processor is definately a great idea if he is serious about playing the guitar. If he insists on getting a new guitar I would suggest raising your price range a little bit to about $270? ESP makes some great guitars for their price range and their sound is full-bodied and heavy.
This is probably the best bargain with ESPs:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ESP-LTD-EC100QM-Electric-Guitar?sku=516637

Well I'm going to give a different option than the others here. My guess is that if it's a starter pack he already has it's more than likely a squire. Squires are outstanding guitars for the money so I wouldn't change that for now. My suggestion is to upgrade his amp. For about 200.00 to 300.00 you can get him a nice amp (probably much better than he got with his starter pack with already built in effects. the Line 6 Spider III is a good place to start looking. A nice amp can make all the difference in the world and it will be a while untill he outgrows the Line 6 series.

yeah, the amp idea is not a bad one at all...I have never seen or played a Spider III, being in South Africa and all, but I know theSpider II's were awesome for the price...It's an idea

thank you all for your input.

I ended up buying him a digitech rp250, and a nice BC Rich (not the warlock). he has been plucking away with his new pedals since he got it. due to y'alls advice, my boy had a GREAT day. it will be a long time before he tires of playing with his new toy.

I also told him to save his christmas money ($250 from the grandfolks, inlaws, and outlaws) for a new amp, 'cause dad ain't spending no more.

thanks again for all the comments. i love this site, and you ppl know what ur talking about.

damon

i own a bc rich, and my suggestion is stay away from the Bronze series (150-200$) bc rich's. My B.C. rich cost me about 600$ and its a pretty damn good guitar, but yea stay away from those cheap B.C Rich's, they look cool, but are nothing but trouble and sound like S***