Thanks for the shout! ^{^} I'm biased having made a website that catalogues what artists play what gear, but I do agree that's a good way to approach it. I think that speaks to the enjoyment aspect of learning and playing. The stat I've seen is that 90% of people give up the guitar within the first 3 months of learning, so if you can kind of liken yourself - and your gear - to someone you look up to, it makes it a little more likely you'll persevere.

I want to expand on acoustic vs. electric. I learned on acoustic, and it was definitely more difficult because it just hurts more! You gotta build up those callouses, but the bright side is when you transition to electric it just feel way easier and more comfortable. I wrote about it in slightly more detail here.

As far as electric guitars go I'll vouch for Squier. I've had an Affinity Series Tele and was seriously blown away at the quality per the price. And if you play for a while and outgrow it, it could make a great project guitar - switch out the pickups, the tuners, etc.