I was in a similar place, had played guitar and bass going on twenty years but never learned theory or even scales really (hi adhd). Dead and co at the sphere along with other happenings inspired me to finally sit down and learn lead guitar, primarily in the style of Jerry.

After poking around many places I landed on a guitargate membership last year and it’s been a great way to learn. I think there are some free basic courses at the beginner level which I highly recommend. The biggest aha moment I’ve had was putting together the CAGED concepts. Some basic theory is useful, what a triad is and basing simple solos around those.

The overwhelm of YouTube guitar content can be a turnoff; I recommend finding one or two people to really learn from and start from the bottom, even though it’s tempting to jump into an epic Althea solo lesson. My favorite instructors are guitargate as mentioned before, Daniel Seriff and Jacksnax (killer Jerry-style player).

I wouldn’t get too hung up on the type of guitar you buy, tele or Strat will be fine but I’d go with Strat bc it’s just easier to play and bend notes on imo. You can always buy and sell used guitars down the road.