For the money your better off with an acoustic. If you get an electric, you will also need an amplifier. As far as an electric being easier to play, a good acoustic will have the strings as close to the fret board as any electric. However, if you want effects like distortion etc, electric is the way to go.

Take a look at these packages offered at Musicians Friend. There are quite a few in your price range. I would personally look at the Fender Stratocaster packages. A friend of mine at work who was starting out bought one of these and I was quite surprised at how well it played for an inexpensive guitar:

Shop Guitars, Electric Guitars, Value Package Electric Guitars | Musician's Friend

Also try this out:

Locations - Guitar Center

This is the Guitar Center of San Antonio. They are owned by the same company. You can probably get a good starter set there for the same price, and have a guitar tech at the store change the strings and set up the action for you. Good luck!

John

i got an esp like that other one for sale. its not the signature series but its got the pickups and everything. ill sell it for 150$ and im in killeen. just pm me

can u get pics of it?

and what kinda model is it?

Let me know, I've still got a 1960's Decca 3/4 electric.

Fun little promo guitar. Willing to sell pretty cheap.

If you're looking for a cheaper started guitar you could check out the Celebrity Ovation line. They are shallow bodies acoustic/electrics. You get the same work done to move the strings closer to the fret board and it's a decent beginner setup.

I think they are only a couple hundred bucks new, so you might be able to find one on ebay or something for cheaper. They hook up to an amp so you can always get an amp later, throw in a pedal and act like it's an electric. No, it won't play the same but it would be a nice start. I bought one of those to start out on, then got a Washburn a while later. I love the sound of the washburn but I still find myself playing that Ovation occasionally just because of the shallow body.

Here is a link to see what they look like. Celebrity Center Soundhole 6 String Acoustic / Electric Guitar - CDX24 - Ovation Guitars

-William