[stuartj]

IMHO- Get an accoustic. Anything by Yamaha for example, in their lower or midrange end. May as well get a steel string and earn your callouses. Id find a guiatr playing friend and find a good 2nd hand one. There is always a ready supply of good instrumnents from people who buy them and then realise it takes time and application, and after all, the Simpsons is on TV.

Dont get caught up on solid timbers, just find one that plays nice. All solid wood guitars are very expensive, and uneccessary for a beginner. Two of my fav guitars are from Yairi (JPN) a maker that specialises and prefers laminates with solid tops.

Dont learn on an electric. It teaches bad, lazy habits. You can tell when someone has. They struggle with acoustics, and attempt to cover a multitude of sins with distortion, volume and and dodgy Warrant licks.

The acoustic is just a box with strings. You must learn to use your hands, or the sound just wont come out. Those skills translate directly to the electric guitar- the opposite aint neccessarily so....

Lessons are recommended. Starting can be frustrating.