 There are many kinds of guitars but the two most popular categories are acoustic and solid body. Which one is for you?
Acoustic guitars are identifiable by the fact that the body of the guitar is hollow allowing it to be played in a living room for a party or for practicing. Nylon strings are recommended so that your fingers do not hurt, restricting your practice time and delaying your learning drastically. Also if you learn on an acoustic you can easily play a solid body. Those who play acoustic guitars but who perform publicly will play in front of a microphone on a floor stand or many acoustics today have the electronic pick-ups built right into them. All that is needed is an amplifier.
Solid body guitars have the body made out of one piece of solid material. In order to be heard any distance they have microphones, called "pick-ups" built into them and are then plugged into an amplifier so as to be heard. Solid body, misleadingly referred to as electric guitars must, for technical reasons, use only steel strings. This can slow down your learning considerably as those strings cut into your fingers, even to a point of bleeding. The way you learn to hold a solid body will require learning a different technique if you want to play an acoustic.
The guitarist who plays a great deal builds calluses on the fingers so that they are not too bothered by steel strings. It takes time. I recomend an inexpensive nylon string acoustic to start. It will always be useful. Also if , in a month or two, you buy a solid body you'll have a better idea of what your looking for and can make a more knowledgible and wizer purchase.
 When I played professionally, more than six hours a night, often as much as seven days a week, I found
it helpful and more comfortable, to use my acoustic guitar for part of my practice time. I had both an acoustic and a solid body. One for practice and one for performance. When I started I had only the acoustic and used a microphone on a stand. Later I selected, and still use, an acoustic with built-in amplification.
I recommend a nylon string acoustic for beginners. Get a relatively inexpensive one, or rental for starters. After you become proficient (within a month with my method) and begin, if you wish, to get paid for performing you can look to buying an amplifier and guitar that will provide what you need. By then you will know better, exactly what you want
If you are dedicated to becoming the next big rock star...go for it. A solid body with an amplifier will get you the variety of sounds more readily than an acoustic. I still think you should start with, and keep, an acoustic.
Sound differences. Solid body guitars can, with the aid of the amplifier and all sorts of foot pedals that change the sound, can provide an unbelievable variety of sounds that are essential to some contemporary music in particular.
Acoustic guitars provide a more mellow sound, particularly with nylon strings. Amplified they can also provide a wide range of sounds but are more limited than solid bodies in this regard. Steel string acoustic will come closer but not equal to a solid body.
 Other concerns: The one issue that most people seem to know about is to make certain the neck of the guitar is not twisted. Look down the length from the head of the guitar to be certain there is no twist.
Make certain the neck is not "bowed" as in a bow and arrow. Sight the neck from the side of the guitar at eye level.
"Action" This is very critical. It refers to the height of the strings above the neck of the guitar. Remember you will be pushing the strings down with the fingers of your left hand until they reach the neck of the guitar. Quite often the distance, particularly at fret positions closer to the body of the guitar on bad instruments, gets so high that you will actually make it play out of tune trying to push those strings against the fret board.
Two solutions. One: ask to see the cheapest guitar available. Sight the neck for twist and bow, as described above. Then look at the action. Then ask to see an expensive guitar available, it should be worth over $1500.00 preferably over $3000.00. Sight it in the same way. Look for the lowest price range in which the action is as close to the expensive guitar as possible. Many times the store can adjust the action. DON'T BUY A GUITAR WITH BAD ACTION. I have seen guitars with great action, recently, for a price of about $125.00. You may have to shop around. You will be very unhappy if the action is bad. Better to spend a few dollars more than buy a guitar that cannot be played.
SOLID BODY Electric guitars, as used by rock musicians and others, have necks that are much narrower than most acoustics. This allows you to wrap your hand around the neck of the electric and use your thumb to press down on one of the strings. This is essential if you want the look of playing the guitar hung very low in front of your body. Acoustics are usually played held up higher with the thumb always positioned on the back of the neck (not covering any strings.)
NOTE: CONSIDER RENTING A GUITAR FOR A WEEK OR MORE AND YOU WILL BETTER UNDERSTAND THE POINTS MADE ABOVE AND BE A MORE INFORMED BUYER. USUALLY THE COSTS OF RENTAL WILL BE DEDUCTED FROM THE COST OF A NEW GUITAR.
Remember also that a few weeks from now you will have a much better idea of what you want in and from a guitar.
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