Thanks guys for all the input. practicing on both the types sounds good to me. so i am buying a elec now :D after some initial research i have locked on to Ibanez RG 350DX. most of my frnds suggested the same. i would like to know your opinion before i make any purchase. I am not biased towards ibanez but most of the ppl said that its good guitar for beginners and for the type of music (metal) i wanna play.

it would be great if you can suggest other guitar in the same price range ($500). i am planning to purchase guitar on this coming weekend. :D and a suggestion about amp would be helpful too... Thanks. :)