My daughter got one for her birthday and wants to learn, OK but I used to play in school (ahermmmm, some years ago) and a lot of it is coming back to me as I help her.
I can't help thinking I ought to have one too and we'll both learn together.
Some in the music shop look lovely but so do their price tags and I can't justify hundreds of "bike part vouchers" on a guitar. So, what is worth the money and what isn't and how much should I realistically budget for. I'm assuming a 20 quid guitar wll be horrible but a 60 quid one will be better and so on until they get into XTR money.
Don't get a £20 guitar. For £70-£100 you could get something perfectly ok. I rate Yamaha personally.
I would be tempted by this though - http://www.northernmusiconline.co.uk/product/lagspring/
I have a slightly more expensive version made by the same people and it's lovely.
Follow grumm's advice
Grumm is spot on.......I agree on the Yamaha, the F310 is pretty reasonable £-wise and will last a long time. I got one 12 years ago to learn on and whilst I have moved up to a Martin now, I still keep the Yamaha as a guitar I can just "throw in the boot" if I'm going to the beach etc.
If you want another option, I've always been impressed by the Fender entry level acoustic guitars, they have great tone and are great to play.
There are lots of good acoustics around for about £100 or so, but, frankly, Yamaha are as good as it gets for budget instruments. There used to be an entry level one I think called the FG160, which it was almost a legal requirement to own if you were a folky touring the clubs. Takamine are the modern equivalent for stage use, well built and not fragile. Martin used to have a budget range, called Sigma Guitars, which were very good indeed. I've got one, but I'm not sure if they're still available. Worth looking for. Seagull are/were fantastic budget guitars as well. Go to a really good music shop and ask for advise on what's available, set your maximum budget and stick to it. Just like buying a bike, really.
I have a Yamaha F310 and it is really good, I am learning, and it has a good sound, one of my friends who knows more about it than I do has said it has a better sound than his £300 acoustic.
Innes
I've just been doing a bit of Googling, and Sigma are no longer made, Seagull no longer do a £100 instrument, but I found a beautiful solid spruce topped guitar made by Richwood Guitars, a far east company. It has Grover machine heads, and lovely mother-of-pearl decoration, and is £159, which for a solid top guitar is a bargain. It's on dangleberrymusic.com (honestly!), and looks the absolute mutts danglies. The Yam F310 is a damn fine instrument, and Washburn and Tanglewood are good, too, but like a lot of good budget instruments they get a reputation for quality then the price starts to rise. Check out the Richwood, looks like an absolute steal, if you can front the extra cash.
