I play Strats, but you can’t go too far wrong with a used Mexican made Telecaster. Even a Chinse or Indonesian made Tele would probably work for you. Couple of years from now, you can outgrow it or sell it for about what you paid for it, so the cost of ownership is minor.
If you like the shorter scale length, the Epiphone-branded Les Pauls would work well. I’d reco a 2-pickup one, eg; NOT a Les Paul Junior.
Craigslist. Look for a seller whose kid got interested and then lost interest.
Good advice.
I bought an Epiphone LP Custom Pro in the Koa finish a couple of years ago for about 20% of the cost of a “real” Gibson LP. I am still amazed at the quality of the build and the electronics.
PS - My next buy will be a Telecaster.