Good First Electric for an Intermediate Beginner

I dont have any advice but its your first post so I wanted to say WELCOME TO GN!! Jeremy Camp is awsome. Good luck on finding your guitar.

Geoo

First off , Welcome to GN gatesofrocknroll.
This is a topic that comes up frequently here, so you can find a lot of opinions with a simple search.

Assuming you've done that let's narrow the field of choice.
Is this the total amount for just the guitar or do you need an amp also?
assuming you can spend all of your budget on the guitar there are many to choose from in the $350-$450 range.
$500 is a step up point for a lot of manufacturers but i don't think you need to spend that much for your first electric.

this link (if it works) will take you to the MF pages (9) for solid body guitars in the $300-$500 range sorted highest first
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitar/navigation?page=1&N=100001+306241+10&Ns=P_Price%7C1

this link will hopefully take you to the MF pages (2) for hollow body electrics in the $300-$500 range
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitar/navigation?page=1&N=100001+306242+10&Ns=P_Price%7C1

this link will take you to the MF pages (4) for acoustic/electrics also in the $300-$500 range.

p.s. check your PMs
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitar/navigation?page=1&N=100001+306251+10&Ns=P_Price%7C1

as you can see the choices will make your head spin. It's not that bad tho because there are great choices reguardless of which type you prefer and lots of people here that will give you insight on nearly every brand.

once you decide on the bodystyle/pickup configuration issue it will be a lot easier to find one that you really want.

hands down. get a strat. one of the most versitile and playable guitars ever made.
get the most expensive strat you can afford.
you will never be dissapointed.
you will find playing a strat are great experience.
its like five guitars in one.
flip the pickup switch and you can go from mellow jazz tones to ripping surf treble.
the neck is very playable. the weight wont tear your shoulders apart.
can you surmise I like strats?

I second DogBites suggestion,

$499 plus tax can get you this at MF

A special Strat® to honor Fender's first 60 years.

Celebrate Fender's anniversary with this special version of the Standard Strat. It has most of the Standard Series features while incorporating several key features not normally found in the Standard Strat®: overwound high-output Tex Mex Strat pickups (the same as on the Jimmy Vaughan Strat), a distinctive Blizzard Pearl finish, engraved 60th Anniversary neck plate, and a special anniversary gig bag.

Fender® 60th Anniversary Commemorative Standard Stratocaster® Electric Guitar Features:

Standard Series
Alder body
Maple neck with modern C shape
Maple fretboard
Chrome hardware
Cast/sealed tuning machines
Vintage-style synchronized tremolo
3 Tex Mex single-coil Strat pickups
5-way pickup switching
3-ply parchment pickguard
Master volume
Tone 1 (neck pickup)
Tone 2 (middle pickup)
Blizzard pearl finish
Engraved 60th Anniversary neck plate
Satin tinted neck
60th Anniversary gig bag

You could get a Godin Exit-22 for $300- $400.
Godin's are excellent guitars, possibly the best bang for your buck.
Atleast try them out before making your decision, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

http://www.godinguitars.com/godinexit22p.htm

Hi! I'm in the same situation as you - looking for my first electric (actually in the same price range, too)! So far I've narrowed it down to the 60th anniversary strat that TwistedLefty suggested, and I'm also looking at a couple of Daisy Rock guitars... They're made with smaller necks and less bulk just for us girls! I'm hoping to check out a couple of stores over spring break cause I haven't tried playing one yet. Just thought I'd point out that option, too!

With your small hands it might make sense to look at what's called scale length on the spec of any guitar you choose. Fenders (and of course their cheaper cousins Squier) have 25.5", whereas Gibsons (and so Epiphone, their cheaper brand) Godin and several other makes including Daisy Rock, have 24.75".

Scale length is the distance between the nut - the slotted bit at the top of the neck just under the headstock - and the bridge. That 3/4" might not seem a lot, but believe me it makes a difference, not only in the frets being a little closer together - so easier to finger chords for small hands - but the string tension is significantly less, so easier to fret, quite a bit easier to bend notes, and so on.

Daisy Rock are good guitars, if you can live with their very girly appearance, but so are Epiphone. And Godin - rather expensive here in the UK - are just lovely instruments. Vic's right - but check out their whole Performance range (their less expensive guitars) - the Exit-22 not the only one. The LG series are really gorgeous, subtle, understated but very capable.

Have fun - and play everything before you buy - some perfectly good guitars just won't be right for you. Les Pauls, f'rinstance, are legendary - but I'm kind of allergic to them! Give me a Fender Telecaster any day - yet some people just would never be happy with a Tele - and so on! :D :D :D

Thanks guys. I'm definitely going to check out those Daisy Rock guitars. Is there anything that I should be looking for when I try an electric at the store? About all I know about it is that if you plug it in sound should come out of the amp. Also, is it worth it to get one with a tremelo? I've read around that they can make your strings go out of tune.

If you prefer to fingerpick, I would go for a hollowbody or semi-hollowbody like this.

Oscar Schmidt OE30

For a very inexpensive guitar, this gets rave reviews. Excellent starter electric.

A semi-hollow like this sounds beautiful fingerpicked. They have a very warm acoustic guitar like tone that would probably be ideal for use in church.

Of course, you can play some harder stuff with these guitars too. :D

try a telecaster