Data point: I bought a used mandolin on craigslist for my first instrument; it had such a high action that it was literally unplayable unless you were a robot with clamps for hands, but I didn't know know that because I was a newbie.
Re:It's Never Too Late to Learn Guitar
by Sohcahtoa82 on Monday August 14, 2017 @05:56PM
(#15013359)
> I don't think that's true for a beginner who can't really tell the difference
Yup. My first (and only!) guitar is an Ibanez Gio. I paid $55 for it and a practice amp. The amp sounded like garbage, but piped through a $100 Peavey Vyper or through Rocksmith and it sounds pretty good.
But I'm an extreme noob. I imagine an experienced player could pick up on all the shitty sounds it produces. The only time I ever notice it sounding bad is when the strings need replacing and the pitch of a note wobbles all over the place and they go out of tune in 15 minutes of playing.
I don't think that's true for a beginner who can't really tell the difference, and I think that's also a discouraging sentence for people who are wondering if they should try learning guitar.