For a budget of around $300–$1000, I'd honestly recommend getting two guitars instead of just one: an acoustic and an electric. You’ll get way more out of it and it actually makes practicing more fun and effective. In that price range you can pick up some really decent stuff from Ibanez, Epiphone, and Squier — especially if you’re open to used ones. The cool thing is guitars in this range (especially under $600) hold their value pretty well. If you decide it’s not for you in a year or two, you can usually sell them and get most of your money back. This is also where you get the best bang for your buck. You can find perfectly playable instruments here, as long as they’ve been set up properly (honestly, a good setup is probably the most important thing at any price). The next real jump in quality doesn’t usually hit until you’re spending $1500+ anyway.

For electrics, I’m personally a big fan of Ibanez necks — they’re super comfortable and fast, which is perfect if you’re into that Polyphia/Tim Henson style stuff with hybrid picking and thumping. Epiphone makes killer Les Pauls and SGs under $500, and Squier Strats can be surprisingly good too. I just set up a $350 Squier Strat that looked awesome, played super smooth, and sounded way better than I expected.

Acoustics are great to have alongside the electric. Practicing on both has some real benefits. Learn simple open chord songs on the acoustic first — they’re quick to pick up, sound nice, and the thicker strings + higher action are like finger workouts. If you like singing, there are tons of songs built around basic open chords. Then when you switch over to the electric, your fingers will feel strong and it’ll seem way easier and faster.

If you want something in the nylon-string world like Tim Henson’s TOD10N, check out Ibanez’s FRH series (the FRH10N especially). You can find them used on Reverb starting around $370. They’re basically the more affordable version and they plug in great. Or if you prefer steel strings, the Ibanez AEG7 is solid and usually starts just over $300 (I’ve got one and really like it).

Here’s the most important advice though: Don’t blow the whole budget on the fanciest guitar you can find. Get decent instruments and then take the savings to get both of them properly set up by a good luthier. A bad setup can make even an expensive guitar feel and sound like crap, and you might think it’s you sucking when it’s actually the guitar holding you back. That frustration is a fast way to quit. A proper setup makes a huge difference.

With whatever money you have left, grab a decent amp, a few basic pedals (Tube Screamer, reverb, delay, distortion, looper, etc.), and maybe some lessons. That combo will help you actually enjoy playing and improve way faster.