When you first decide that you'd like to play the guitar, it's aways tempting to just jump in and buy a bargain cheap "Beginners" guitar off the internet . However more often than not it's a bad idea, Why? Read on....
Guitars bought online for what seems like a great price are often sold straight "out of the box" this usually means they certainly wont be in tune, and definitely wont be "Set-up" correctly. This means that the distance between the strings and the guitar neck (Referred to as the 'Action') will be high, meaning that to actually press down the strings to make a sound is much more difficult and is more likely to deter you from playing rather than encouraging you. To get this corrected usually means taking the instrument to a guitar shop to get it fixed, the cost of which is more than likely going to be more than you saved by buying it as a bargain in the first place!
So, if you are going to buy a guitar, get it from a proper shop, not only will you actually save money in the long run, you're helping yourself by getting an instrument you can play from the very first strum!
As well as a good tutor, some good guitar books are a great idea check out our books for beginners or grade books to make sure you get off to the best start.
Best of luck and happy strumming :)