Originally Posted by: JohanSA

Any practical advice for choosing a guitar?

Seems fairly definitive given your stated parameters..

1. The obvious. Buy a Classical guitar. Also fine for campfire singalongs.

2. My take is that the learning instrument needn't be high end of the range nor necessarily a prestige brand. In fact better it's not unless you're loaded. Why?

When starting out, one doesn't really know much about personal preference or fit 'n feel. And that's something you simply can't research in a book or anywhere online. That takes time and hands on. Just buy something basic but decent. Later when you buy your second with the benefit of experience under your belt, the first can be that campfire hack, because you wouldn't want to tote your pricey Martin or Taylor and hand it around at the campsite would you?

Taylor are a highly accoladed brand, but that comes with a price ticket. Regardless, you have so much choice in the US, it's easy to find something both inexpensive and decent. Save the $$$ for the Martin or Taylor once you've proven committment to yourself and can better spend it knowing precisely what you want.

For most of us, what we save on the first guitar, we can spend on the second et al. And trust me, if you get into guitar, there will be a second, and a third .......well, you get the idea. GAS.