Much as I hate to say it, I've come to the conclusion that a cheap electric guitar is probably a better option for a beginner than a cheap acoustic. The quality of the wood doesn't matter nearly as much, and they're much easier to play, with light strings and low action. The electronics won't be anything special, of course, but the player will be able to get some kind of sound out of the thing, quite easily.

A few years ago, one of our kids wanted an electric guitar even though he had never made any effort to start learning to play. We had already bought him a snare drum for school band class, and he had never followed up on that. For $100, we got a red Silvertone (no longer a Sears product) made to look like a Stratocaster, and it came complete with a dinky little amp. I was surprised at how OK this instrument turned out to be.

I'm glad we didn't spent more than that $100, too, because young Mike never did much of anything with it. He's been a little more serious about learning the drums; he has been able to front a couple of short-lived garage bands as a straight vocalist, and usually manages to get the drummer to let him get in a few licks on the drum kit.

If he had become serious about guitar, though, he could have used that cheapie instrument for a year or two, made some progress, and then made a more informed purchase of a "real" guitar. (Also, he might have exercised the option to upgrade the amp first, and then gotten a better guitar.)

What the hell -- if a Sears Silvertone electric was good enough for Fred McDowell, a Wal-Mart Silvertone ought to be good enough for a kid who may or may not ever learn to play...