There's often an unwillingness to make the financial commitment to a good instrument when "I don't know if I'll stick with it" (or much worse, parents saying that about the child getting their first guitar!). So you're supposed to learn on a "beginner guitar" (i.e. a shitty guitar). It's so much easier to learn on a good instrument.

And good instruments don't have to cost a fortune, either. If someone wanted to learn electric, I'd say just buy a new Squier (by Fender). They're crazy good guitars. And at the $500 or so mark, modern Chinese-made acoustics start getting really, really good.

> I'd say just buy a new Squier (by Fender).

I second this, a buddy of mine ended up selling his American Strat because he was playing his custom vibe so much.

The higher end squiers are very solid.

Used mexi strat is a pretty great option too.

Yes, there's also the (incorrect) assumption that decent gear costs bucket loads of money. In fact, you can get used decent gear (not great, but playable) for about the same cost as a new junk starter kit.

When you are just starting, it's really difficult to tell why you sound bad. It is really discouraging that even when you are doing it right, it still sounds terrible.

My rules of thumb:

1. Start with a decent guitar. Good tuners, action, and intonation are much more important than pick-ups, pedals or amps. A lot of times a used $80 guitar with brand new quality tuners is good enough.

2. Before you even learn to play, learn basic maintenance. E.g., how to change strings, how to tune.

3. Buy a tuner. It takes time to learn to tune by ear. Help yourself out by doing this tool assisted. Also, learn to tune all the time. Many beginners make the mistake of only tuning at the beginning of practice. The act of playing detunes your guitar--especially on cheaper instruments. Re-tune frequently.

>There's a weird kind of asceticism around the notion of paying-ones-dues on an acoustic first

This is probably mostly financial. Just about everyone knows someone with an old acoustic they can borrow. Picking up even a budget guitar like an entry-level squire and a budget amp is easily a $500+ commitment. Worse, if you end up not liking guitar playing, the resale value is especially terrible. Doubly worse, that 15 watt practice amp isn't going to cut it when you want to jam with a buddy who owns a drum kit or a real bass amp, so now you've sunk $250+ on something you keep in your bedroom and shortly will need to start pricing out 'real' amps and eyeballing pricetags at $1,000 or more with cabinet.

Don't get me started when you outgrow that Squire. Suddenly, $1500+ Fenders go from 'who buys that expensive stuff' to 'I should get one.'

> There's a weird kind of asceticism around the notion of paying-ones-dues on an acoustic first

So true. They are really two different instruments due to the avaliability of much more sustain on the electric, and the dimensions of the neck and frets. Also on the electric the use of a pick is pretty much a given if you want the most speed.

I started on the electric and can play acoustic correctly, however if somebody wants to play electric, should start with electric, and viceversa.

Totally. I ran into this just recently. A friend of mine's girlfriend is starting to learn. Someone gave her an acoustic to learn with. It had: mile high action, old strings, shitty tuners, and the fretwork was awful. There is no way she's going to learn or stick with it. Not with that piece of crap.