The affinity Tele deluxe is a great starter. No need to worry about single coil hum. I remember the neck pickup sounding really good if you raise the pole pieces slightly. I’ve had a lot of fun with mine, modding it and trying different wirings and switches to get a single coil tone out of cheap AliExpress humbuckers I put in. Great for learning if you don’t feel too precious about it.

Shielding. I don’t think they use shielding paint for the cheap guitars. I live close to a radio mast and it has always made a huge difference adding aluminium tape in the cavities and pickguard.