Many of you out there will be wannabe electric guitarists. Whether your specific guitar hero is Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, BB King or Matt Bellamy, you'll want to find the best guitar for you to be using in order to be able to emulate them (well, do your best at least!). So how do you find the right electric guitar for you?
Well, at the outset, you need to set a realistic budget. You'll want to get the highest quality guitar for the money you have available, as the sound will almost always be better than just going for the least expensive you can find. Bear in mind, too, that you'll also need an amp, a lead for the guitar to the amp, a shoulder strap for wearing the guitar round your neck, and a plectrum for picking the strings. An electronic tuner is also recommended, as they're inexpensive and easy to use for keeping your guitar in tune.
You'll want to decide what style of guitar playing you'll be adopting. Rock and heavy rock playing will generally dictate that you want a solid body guitar (eg such as made by Fender guitars). If you want a more acoustic feel, you might look for a semi hollow version. And if you're looking for a more jazzy sound, you'll be after a hollow body guitar.
The size of your hands will dictate the sort of neck that is best for you, with guitars coming in a range of neck sizes to suit every size of hand and length of finger. In terms of the length of the neck itself, almost all electric guitars will have 22 frets (each of which is based on a particular note), though you can choose a 24 fret neck if you wish to play very high notes.
A main factor in all of this, of course, is how the instrument sounds. There's no way you'll ever really understand this without testing it for yourself. However good a particular guitar sounds in the hands of your favourite player, you should realistically bear in mind that they're likely to be a lot better than you at playing it, and can make it sound very different from what you might be able to do!
So the ultimate recommendation for choosing your guitar - once you've fixed a budget you can afford - is to visit your local guitar shop and start playing. They should have a range of styles to suit every pocket, and a couple of hours alongside an experienced guitar salesperson will be very beneficial for the choice you make.