Guest, in answer to your questions about differences: an acoustic, or acoustic/electric, is a hollow body guitar that produces most of its sound by capturing the vibrations of the strings in the body of the guitar and then projecting that sound back out of the sound hole. You will find most hollow bodies have the hole right in the middle (or almost in the middle) of the top, but some have the hole(s) in other places on the top. These modified acoustics are virtually always amplified, and are typically used for jazz, or blues type music. When amplified correctly the acoustic sounds just like an amplified acoustic. If you use a typical "rocker" amplification system on an acoustic the end result is that it will sound like neither one. However, even acoustic setups have controls for reverb, tone, etc. which will allow for some modification of the sound.

"Rocker" guitars, as you put it, are solid body guitars. Their sound is virtually all produced by electronics: both the electronics built into the guitar and the electronics you choose to feed the guitar into. There are all sorts of pedals, amplifiers, and special effects that you can use to get the exact sound you want.

In terms of ergonomics, acoustics are much wider at the body, solid bodies are very thin. Acoustics can be played anywhere, solid bodies don't do very well at all without their electronic cohorts. I would agree with B-W-L above that, at least initially, it would be better to get an acoustic to learn with for the first few months. Then, once you or hubby decides a little bit better what you want (sound, looks, etc) you can move to the solid body. You can either keep the hollowbody for sentimental reasons or sell it and get some of your money back. If you start out with the solid body you have a heck of a lot more start up costs (electronics are not cheap) and depending on the guitar, you might end up with a lot of stuff you will have to replace if you decide to get another type of solid body. In terms of differences between solid bodies, a lot of the differences are very technical, and you kind of have to know what you are looking for, and then talk to a very "with-it" salesman who is going to steer you to the exact type of guitar you want, and not just the most expensive. Acoustics tend to be a bit more "cut-and-dried", at least in the student-beginner-low end side of the market. You do not want to spend a lot of money in either case for a beginner's model - then you can really wind up and break the bank when you have a better idea of what you want in terms of sound, musical style, appearance etc.

Good luck, and any man who has a wife that will buy him a guitar is a lucky man indeed. Just be aware. One guitar very often leads to a near fatal condition known as GAS (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome). I hope you know what you are doing!! ;-)

Freightdawg