develop calluses.

A great beginner guitar is the Taylor Academy 12n. N stands for nylon strings, which are much softer and more comfortable to play than steel strings. The problem is you can usually only get them on classical guitars with wide necks, which are too big for young hands to play.

The academy 12n is a hybrid guitar. It has the nylon strings but a narrower, rock guitar-style neck.

I bought an Academy 12n for myself about five years ago for $500 but now they are more expensive (as everything is since 2021). I recently gifted it to my 17 year old daughter. She has loved it and plays it almost daily now. She has gotten really good.

As far as where to buy it, check out your local guitar shops. If you buy online, it’s fine to window shop in places like reverb.com but you don’t have to buy from there. There are a lot of guitar stores that offer free shipping nationwide and do not collect tax for out of state purchases that will sell to you directly. I would recommend you find one of them and email their sales department to offer 15-20% below the retail price of the guitar you will get a great deal on a new guitar with a warranty. BM me for more details.

If you want to buy used, I have had success on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, but you have to be patient and be ready to jump when you see a guitar you want or the one that is listed for a good price.

I have bought a lot of guitars over the years and those are some things that have worked for me.

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