Hello,

So I just recently started playing guitar, and I've been using this acoustic Squier that my friend let me borrow from his own instruments. Acoustic is great for learning it seems since it's a little less forgiving and lets you know when you're doing something wrong, but I'd like to get an electric guitar and a small amp just for my house.

Just looking for suggestions as far as either a decent electric guitar and a small amp. Either what I should look for / specific products would be awesome - the songs I'm wanting to play will be more along the lines of hard rock / maybe some metal, and my budget is probably just going to be a few hundred on the guitar ($400 tops) and the amp I guess just a couple hundred is what smaller ones run for. Suggest away... thanks!

i would go to the store and check some out if y our able to

i dont know shit about electric but i can say when i was starting guitar, i like rock so i thought eletric would be the way to go, but i like playing with acoustic alot more :/ I have an electric also but i never play it

$400 can get you an intro level fender easily. You can get a used one for probably around $300.

Amps...I can't remember names anymore been awhile since I looked at electric guitar stuff. Look for 5 watt tube amps with switches to cut power.

make sure you don't get a guitar with any kind of single coil pickups if you plan on playing rock or metal. grab a cheap ibanez or some thing with humbucker pickups.

Thanks for the advice so far. I think I've narrowed it down to a few as far as just reading goes. I'm going to go into a couple of the local music stores here and see what I can find as well.

You could get a strat for 400 or maybe a decent set neck epiphone. IMO id either go with a start or les paul (/epiphone if you cant afford a real LP)

Fender do some nice electric models for under 500, I hate Epiphone but I guess you can get one of them too.

IMO - Squire with new strings and a setup will be fine. Look at some of the Box amps out there - some are very nice and reasonably priced.

A Start eh?

With a budget of $400 a Mexican Strat is plausible.
An actual Gibson? Perhaps a garbage SG that's been beaten up a bit willl get that price point.

Legitamately, for a beginer, to learn the ropes, and have some freedom of experimentation, I'd say an Ibanez RG, and a Line 6 Spider 10-15 watt amp.

Though I'm not pro modeling amps, they save you a crap-tonne of money from buying pedals that you may find you dont utilize.
That and you're not just stuck with one overdrive switch.

http://www.zzounds.com/item--IBAGRGA32T
new from 299 used @ 219 for minor blemished factory seconds.

Amps should run you about 120-150 used and 199 for NIB.

For your playing style mentioned (OP) then I would recomend the more versatile Ibanez.

My opinion, is that Fenders are great starting guitars as they are comfortable and true to tone. That said, I don't find them versatile (enough). Plenty of tonal capabilities, but short of changing pickups your not getting a value/fun ratio that I enjoy.

Epiphone make better quality guitars in the 4-600 dollar price range. Anything less, and you've got a temp guitar that will be firewood in a couple of years tops.

Ibanez at that pricepoint, can get you a good set up, with a floating bridge and nut lock, to keep your axe tuned, and future ready for dive bombs!

I mean hes only beginning honestly a frontman or a cheap ass peavey would be good enough for around $50-80.

as for a guitar, it really depends on you, I'd say to go to a shop and just try some out figure out what sounds good to you in your hands.

You can get a decent guitar to start with for around $400, Like people said, a squire, mexican made strat, sg are all good guitars to start with

If you want a more metal sound ibanez art 90's and 100's as well as the grg series run around 200-300. You can also get a cheaper les paul(made by epiphone) for that price.

But really its up to you, gl and rock on.

Thank you guys. So after some feedback from here and other forums. I did end up buying a squier: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Squier-Deryck-Whibley-Telecaster-Electric-Guitar-519757-i1275952.gc

And then literally 2 days after that came in the mail I won this ESP in a contest: http://www.guitarcenter.com/In-Store-Used-USED-LTD-ESP-KH202-KIRK-HAMMETT-BLK-ELEC-GUITAR-107384926-i2372632.gc?&source=4WWRWXGB (New) - Should come in a week or so

And for the amp I ordered a Peavey VYPR30 - Probably a little louder than I need but a lot of people and friends that play seemed to favor that one, and it's not a huge leap in price.