Hello all! I am a new member of this tribe (lurked a bit and joined it recently), and just picked up a guitar for the first time in this here 2006. A longtime promise to myself to learn it is now a reality, as I struggle with frets and sore fingertips and stretching my stubby little fingers for a simple Cmajor.

In my eagerness to get started (getting Guitar Hero for Christmas set it all in motion--funny, eh?), I swiped up a cheap guitar on Ebay. I picked the most intriguing color, paid no attention to brand or quality of any kind, and figured, "I just want to see if this is something I even want to do/invest in." Within a week I had my blue no-name guitar in hand.

The strings *hurt*. My hubby advised me (he was long ago gifted with a vintage electric he has fiddled with on and off over the years) that I should have waited to get a decent guitar, but that at this point, at least new strings would make a difference.

And he was right. I got myself some D'Addario silk n' steel, and instantly I was having an easier time playing. But still, this cheap guitar had a lovely buzz to it, and the full-sized body was giving my petite arm a rough go of it in the comfort department. But I was still determined to work at it with this cheap one, and "someday" I would get a better acoustic to replace it. Every day, two or three times a day, I would work on some simple chords and progressions. Ice the fingers, ache as I typed on my computer in my everyday work, file down my beautiful nails in order to get better contact with the strings-to-frets...only a couple weeks, but I was hooked in a big way.

When at the store purchasing the new strings, the man behind the counter had strolled me into the acoustics room and handed me a guitar. It was a small-body guitar, but will full size neck. It fit beautifully under my arm, and took little to no effort to get a beautiful sound. No buzzing. Lovely tone. I melted a little. When I got to my car I called my hubby immediately and told him I wanted to get that guitar. I knew we couldn't afford it that day, but I had high hopes that in the coming months...

But last night, he bought it for me. I took him to the store to show it to him, and he proffered it as an early Valentine's gift. He had planned to get it in February, but, as he said, "why wait a month when you could be playing it now?"

I HAD NO IDEA what a different a quality guitar makes. You don't have to spend a fortune, but a little attention to the recommendations here and other places online, and you can have yourself a sweet little guitar that will make playing not only sound better, but *feel* better.

My lovely little Cort Earth 72 is on its new stand right next to the fireplace. Her name is Marilyn, because she is blonde, curvy, and has a little beauty mark (tiny wood knot) on her "face". I shoulda listened when I was told a decent guitar would make playing easier, but luckily, the nature of "cheap" guitars is that I am not out much money. I am keeping Old Blue (the first guitar) as a back-up guitar, and for friends to play when they visit. Marilyn is aaaalll mine, and I am so grateful to my husband for gifting me such a beauty.

Moral of the story: don't cheap out on your guitar. Spend a little more, get a LOT more.