+1 on this. Avoid the cheaper Squiers with the plywood bodies.Any Strat (with a swimming pool). The top loading electronics means you can pretty much fit a lot of interesting stuff under that pickguard and all you need is something to cut the pickguard to your liking. If it's nothing too crazy, you can probably get it precut. Hardtail gives you more options to rout out a bridge of your choosing, but in that case I'd just get a custom body routed for it from the very beginning.
If you get a Squier, try to get a Classic Vibe.
+1 on this. Avoid the cheaper Squiers with the plywood bodies.