"There really are people who have picked up the notion that singing and making music is not for the likes of them, or at least not unless they can buy a lot of expensive equipment."

"You made it sound that some people would only make music if they boughg expensive equipement and it sounded like a put down."

Can't see how you got that meaning out of it, Ron. I was regretting the way that some people pick up the notion that you can't make music without spending a lot of money and getting expensive equipment, so they get put off the idea. I'm not putting them down for that, there is enough pressure around to make them feel that way, about music and about a lot of other things.

Obviously, as has been pointed out, you can spend as much or more on acoustic instruments as on electric, even allowing for the amplifiers and such. But generally people, especially in the folk context, don't do that until well on in their playing, and they start off with relatively low price instruments. Which can produce pretty good music.