I have a (just turned)14 year old son who started playing about 4 years ago. He now mostly plays electric guitar but will pretty much pick up anything with various numbers of strings and play it. There are 5 or 6 guitars knocking round the house so there is a choice.

We started him with a Spanish guitar which was recommended by school where he started learning (because his friend was doing it - he had earlier said he wasn't interested!). We still have the Spanish but I tend to play it more than him now.

I have a Squier Strat that I had bought in a moment of middle aged yearning and he increasingly moved towards playing that once he knew what sort of music he wanted to play (he is a Steve Vai - Joe Satriani fan). I would say that he now plays the electric guitar 90% + of the time mostly trying to play faster and more accurately (if your son is interested he has a site at here which has some of his music on).

The Spanish guitar wasn't a barrier to him learning but the availability of the electric was useful at the right moment. I haven't played it very much since... The thing that has made a difference to him is the enjoyment he gets from it and the motivation to get better - without that it doesn't matter what guitar you get. Whhe plays every day and has started getting involved with a couple of bands as well as humouring his father by playing with him sometimes.

The right teacher I reckon is really important - but the right teacher for a beginner may not be the right teacher in a year or two's time. When my son started he was taught at school along with others. When he left primary school we found him a teacher locally who was ok at first but increasingly I felt was not really thinking about Zander's development as a player; he would come along do a lesson jam a couple of twelve bars and go. The teacher decided at Christmas that we would give it a rest for a while and my son could keep teaching himself (via his ears and Guitar Techniques magazine)!!

He has his first lesson tonight with a new teacher who has been recommended and who specialises in electric rock guitar and seems much more tuned into to what he is doing and seems enthusiastic (as well as being a mean guitarist himself) - we will see what transpires

I hope your son enjoys himself and gets through the inevitable frustrating plateaux that he will encounter and comes out the end still loving to play.