Originally Posted by: richray01Hi,

Good questions! I have been playing for about two years and started with an acoustic. I now have a Seagull Original 6 that I paid $429. I can't see me ever changing that out. I started with an Epiphone SG 400 Pro and I really liked it. I think it was about $345, probably cheaper now. I sold that after I started actually playing music and got a Fender Strat American Standard. That's about $1300. You don't need to spend that much. You can get a great Epiphone or a Mexican Strat. The Epis can go for about $300 or more. I wouldn't get cheaper. The Strat Mex starts at $500. If you can swing $500, get the Strat. Very versatile but you can't go wrong with either. With the Strat, as you get better, you can always switch out to better pickups.

Thanks, I'll look into those! That definitely gives me a place to start looking, which is what I needed.

I see some used Mexican Strats for $350 on Ebay - is there any reason not to buy a used electric? I mean, if there are no obvious problems? (obvious to the untrained eye...)