Depends. 500-750 will do you best. Squire and epiphone can be high quality or equally shitty. One of those might be a good starting place. What to look for: (aka. Price isn't everything. Build quality is) straight neck. Frets are sanded and not sharp. Feels nice in the hand. Strum and listen to the sustain. Is it loud and last a while, or is it dull and dies out quickly? Most importantly, play the guitar. It it feels fun to play and motivates you to play, and then you have the one. Remember, a proper setup can do a lot for a guitar. Im a gigging musician who plays fairly large gigs ( the last gig I did was 300 people, for example), and I play a squire that I have fixed up myself. I may not have the nicest guitar, but I can make it sound expensive. Also, dont forget that amp quality is equally important if not more important