I was in your position not long ago...I was between Fenders, Yamahas, Ibanez..etc... and looking at a lot of starter packs. I can tell you I've played the one that comes in the Fender pack(the DG-8 I believe) and its a really nice guitar for the price(around $200-comes with gigbag, tuner, strap...all the goodies). Yamaha has a gigmaker pack that comes with either a laminated top for around $150 or a solid top for around $200.
Another brand you might want to check out (somebody gonna choke me now) is Mitchell. I haven't seen them anywhere other than Guitar Center, however they are 'individual' meaning I've picked up more than one of the same model and got different sounds, six and twelve strings alike. I would imagine with a proper set up, these guitars can be a very good beginner rig as the solid top six string is around $130-150(the former if it is on sale, which it tends to be often).
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