Originally Posted by: selluckI know nothing about guitar so far, and I want to get one before I start any lessons on this site

It depends upon what feels comfortable to you, what your goals are & your budget.

You should go to a local music store & and try out some guitars. Just pick it up & see how it feels in your hands; enough to get the feel for each instrument. You are trying to find out which one feels comfortable in your hands against your arms & torso.

Epiphones & Gibsons in general are typically smaller scale (shorter instruments) while Fenders are a little bit larger. This results in a small but important difference in how they feel & play to any given individual player.

Also, Epiphone-Gibsons have humbucker pickups which are typically associated with rock & metal. So, if you want to eventually play rock, you might want a Les Paul style guitar, like a beginner Epiphone:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PPEGENJREBCH/

Fenders typically have single coil pickups which are a different sound altogether. They can be used to play rock, but often a beginner that is trying to get an aggressive Slash or Metallica tone is disappointed with the single coils Fender Squier style. But they are great for bluesy rock (Hendrix, SRV, Black Crowes, etc.).

Also, the Squier & many Fenders have a vibrato bar, while the Epiphone does not! This is great if you want one, but terribly inappropriate if you don't. So, if you want to eventually play blues or country, you might want a Strat style guitar, like a beginner Squier:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StratPkSEBS/

Here is the whole page of their beginner packs:

http://www.sweetwater.com/c594--Electric_Guitar_Packs

Spend a little time thinking about which specific style or styles you want to play, which artists you admire for playing & guitar sound. Hope that helps. Let us know what you decide on! :)