Acoustic or electric?
What kind of music do you play?
No matter what go used

Yamaha is safe. Seagull if you're in Canada

>>64170083
Accoustic, my bad. Pic related sorta

I'm still very new to playing so right now just mostly basic chords but I want to learn finger style and focus on that

used Yamaha

>>64170064

With a budget of $400 you have fairly good options.

My main recommendation: BUY USED. SOLID TOP.

Buying used will get far more value that way. I would check out reverb.com, thegearpage.net, (maybe ebay.com).

You want to get the best that your budget allows, since a good sounding and easy playing guitar will be more likely to keep you motivated enough to make progress, whereas a cheap shitty guitar will frustrate a beginner due to poor tuning stability, poor tone, etc.

Yamaha is a decent brand for the price range you'll be looking at, but what you really want to look for is the specs: something with a SOLID TOP (i.e. not laminate). I would also suggest you get something that includes a hard shell case.

Make sure you get one of those clip-on tuners. Early on this is important as you begin to develop your ear. I'd also recommend you get a capo.

A lot of people will tell you to play heavier gauge strings, but honestly I think a beginner will have a better time starting with thinner strings, like .10 gauge for an acoustic. As you start developing muscle hand strength you can move up onto thicker gauges.

There are plenty of free lessons, resources and whatnot on the internet, but if you are starting from complete ignorance of musical knowledge, I would suggest spending the money on at least a month or two of guitar lessons to get you started.

Practice, practice, practice. Seriously, so much of it is just developing muscle memory and building up strength in your finger and hand, which is only possible by routine, daily repetition. Take a break if things start to really hurt. Eventually you will get used to it. One of the first major hurdles that a beginner will face is having the strength to play barre chords, and this is only achievable with time.

Good luck and have fun. You don't have to set out to be the best guitarist in the world, just having fun on your own and/or with other musicians is worth it. l

>>64171554
This is excellent advice. Definitely make to sure to purchase a clip-on tuner because tuning it on your own will be disastrous if you don't know what you're doing.

Good luck!