Okay, that Telecaster is a “MODERN PLAYER TELECASTER® PLUS” according to a serial number search from here. No idea if Modern Players have a good rep.
Zakalwe: one other thing I’d point out re acoustic vs electric: electric guitars are much easier to play for a beginner. Lighter strings that don’t hurt your fingers, and a slightly narrower neck for small hands.
People have been talking about price. I cannot disagree more with the assertion that you should spend more than $300 or similar. I bought this Epiphone Special II guitar, brand new for $150. It sounds almost as good as my Les Paul Custom, plays well, and is quite nice. It is of course different than the Fender. Definitely buy as much as you can afford, though.
I strongly suggest you find someone in person who plays and can advise you. Not that I am putting down the esteemed dopers who have weighed in. This is just my experience. 
The really inexpensive electrics sometimes have poor necks. The fret ends stick out and cut the players hand. I’ve experienced that on several Squires. It can quickly discourage a beginner from playing.
A good guitar tech can file down the sharp edges. That’s easily $50 or more. But, it makes sense to spend a little more for a better guitar.
Oh, there’s no doubt that there can be issues. Hence finding someone in person who can spot them.
Agreed, but you don’t really need a tech in most cases for improperly dressed fret edges. Rubbing them with steel wool does wonders; I’ve done it myself and been pretty happy with the results.
I like Reverb because you get such a nice selection of used guitars. Sometimes at a nice savings
I remember in high school the local music store only offered new and perhaps two or three used models. They weren’t interested in making any deals. It’s so much better now.
The Mexican Fenders are really nice. I’ve played several and liked them.
This guy seems to know what he’s talking about. Among other things, and I’m sure I’m getting the numbers wrong, is that he says if you buy a Mexican Strat, upgrade the pickups and whatnot to what you would get on an American-made Standard, and you will end spending only $800 instead of $1,300, and have essentially the same guitar.
Upgrading the electronics is a nice option. Something many people can do themselves.
Sweetwater has started offering a Plek machine option on guitars they sell. It’s fairly expensive but it’s another way to take a mid-priced guitar and make it play like a $2K one.
I need to check around and talk to people that had it done. See if they think it’s worth it.
https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/sweetwaters-plek-pro-system-the-perfect-upgrade-for-any-guitar/
I wouldn’t turn it down if they offering the service for free. I’m reminded of something a friend said when I jammed for the first time on electric guitar and I was spending a while getting tuned perfectly. He finally said to me, “that’s close enough for rock and roll.” My frets have always been close enough…
Yeah, I can’t disagree strongly enough against saying you have to spend more than $300 for a good guitar. The guitar my guitarist uses for 90% of our shows these days is a set-neck LP Jr. copy that he got new for less than $300, IIRC. He’s changed the pickup, but he really didn’t have to. It was already a pretty great guitar.
If you’re willing to peruse reverb.com for awhile, a nice playing guitar can easily be had for $100. I’ve often been tempted to pick up a bunch of Squier basses just because I can get them for $100 right and left, but I like being married. Heck, if you have the right acquaintance, you might get it for free. Sticker price and country of origin are both terrible methods of measuring how good a guitar is.
One option for electric is to look at Harley Benton guitars. They go for between 90 to 300 euros. They are (usually, not always) well made, cheap copies made for a German store called Thomann. Be sure to check the fingerboard wood, don’t buy a guitar with a blackwood fingerboard. Roseacre is good, it’s just heat-treated maple. They have a full 30 day warranty, so if you don’t like the guitar you can send it back, get a full refund and order another one. In the US I think there will be an additional shipping charge though. IMO the best thing about these copies is that while they usually play great, they also look fantastic. A pretty guitar is often more enticing for a beginner than an ugly one.
Thanks for all the great advice, guys! Yeah, I think that one she was looking at is a Squier, not a true Fender.
Lots of food for thought here. We might just go a different direction this year and see if she sticks with it through the year, then go big next year. Next step is finding someone to give her lessons and listening to their advice.
Totally hadn’t thought about used guitars…that’s definitely something I’ll look into if we get there.
Re: used guitars - I started out with a new Epiphone SG. Then I got a deal on a used Ibanez Roadstar 2 for about one third of the price of the sg. Which guitar do I still play?
I agree with scabpicker. I posted a photo a bit up this thread showing my electric guitars. The Squier Classic Vibe Tele was made in China and is excellent quality. The fret ends are great. The G&L bass is made in Indonesia and is again great quality (not sure what these cost new but it was $200 on Craigslist).
I’m guessing the lowest level of Squier would have lower finish quality, but just because it’s made in China or Indonesia doesn’t mean it is shit. Japanese manufactured guitars used to be lower level and Korean made even below that. That Hondo hanging on my wall was made in Korea.
http://danelectro.com/all-guitars/
What about a Danelectro? They are light, popular with musicians and cheap. I bought a 12 string for $400 just to have. Jimmy Page used one for slide stuff. They will always be cool somehow.
Danelectros are great. I’ve got more than one (my 12 string is a purple sparkle :D). The neck profiles are a little strange, with fingerboards that are unusually flat compared to most others, but they still play really well. With their metal nut, they’re actually very durable compared to most guitars.
The only thing I would warn a buyer about regarding modern Danelectros is to be wary of the ones with the popsicle stick bridges. The ones on the older guitars are fine, but the ones that were equipped with them beginning in the early 2000s came with one that is aluminum instead of brass. When you tuned it to pitch, they would bow. I had this happen on my Longhorn bass. It’s easy and cheap to swap it for a brass unit from Allparts (or you can just put a few pennies under it), but it’s something to consider when shopping. It looks like everything they’re producing now uses their “pro” bridge, which has normal saddles and doesn’t bow - except the Longhorn bass, which still has the popsicle stick.
I have the Squire Jaguar short scale bass. Love it.
Do you know the LP Jr copy brand?
It’s apparently a Vintage V130CRS. (Wow, “Vintage” guitar is a bummer of a brand name).
At the studio today, the owner had bought a Epiphone Les Paul SL for $119 at Sweetwater. There’s nothing at all wrong with that guitar. It does have a very flat fretboard, similar to the Danelectros, but it was a shitload of fun to play and sounded great.
Thanks for the brand.
Yeah, I got this Epiphone Junior used from Guitar Center for $60. Put in another pickup, a Gibson P-90 style that fits in the humbucker space, for around $120, and have great guitar for under $200.
I have this Parker PDF30 guitar for $200 new from Reverb com. It’s a cheapest guitar made by Parker and it’s amazingly well made. Mahogany body and Maple neck makes a good tonal set. I play it with my Vox VT40+ amp (with the British Mullard vintage tube in it) and they sounded creamy together.
I wrote to Parker Co and asked what pickups are they? They said Duncans (not Duncan Design). They are unmarked so no idea where they’re made but they sound friggin good. I’m thinking Tone Riders.