[bdeutsch]

My youngest son (now 19) has been playing guitars for about 9-years.
He now has everything from a 12-string Breedlove, to a Les Paul, Fender Strat and Teli, plus a few other accoustics. Music studio set-up in the house, along with 8-track, keyboards, etc. Although he knows he cannot make a living out of it (he is an electrical engineering student), it is his passion.

If your son wants an electric, which to be honest is not the best place to start if he really wants to learn to play the guitar, the Fender Starter-Pack mentioned earlier is the place to start. They contain a Fender Strat (cheaper Asian version as I recall) plus an amp, strap, etc. Package is good enough to see if he is serious and breaks around the $300 mark. Guitar City is a good place to find these as well as any good, local music store.

If he is serious, then next thing to do find a good guitar teacher that focuses on theory versus just learning to bang out songs. It is likely that if you can find this type of instructor, he will also suggest that you get your son an accoustic.

Apologies for giving you more info than you likely wanted...

Bob