I'd stay away from Rogue and all mail order, for now at least. I have a Rogue acoustic/electric that I bought for $300 from MF and its one of the worst playing/sounding acoustics I've ever played. I've played Takamines, Yamahas, and Ibanez acoustics that were in the same price range or lower and they simply felt and sounded better. Maybe other models by Rogue (which I'm sure are all made at the same Korean Samick(?) factory) play a little easier. Just remember, if the guitar doesn't feel good, you won't want to play it.

Definitely go to Guitar Center and feel the different necks and action (string height) to get a feel for the differences. Don't be fooled by cosmetic crap like flashy mother-of-toilet-seat-cover inlays, binding, etc. You want something that feels good in your hands, stays in tune, is comfortable to hold while sitting down and standing, is easy to fret, and sounds good too. Keep in mind that minor adjustments are possible for acoustics, like changing out the string gauges and raising/lowering the nut and bridge height (although those are much harder to do than on an electric guitar). It might be hard to tell the difference in all this crap if you're a beginner, so I would recommend bringing a more experienced friend with you to the store. As a last resort, you can get one of the salesmen to "show off" for you, but again, they probably just want to unload whatever bargin of the month they have sitting by the truckload in their warehouse.

Ugh, I could go on and on but I'm too tired... Good luck!

Actually, don't go to Guitar Center... a lot of their salespeople are pathetic. Try going to Guitar Showcase in Campbell. They're a large enough dealer where you won't get screwed to badly by prices, but they're small enough where you can probably get a decent salesguy to help you out. And no, I don't work for any guitar company or store or whatever. I'm just a dude who plays guitar... If I have to plug one manufacture though, it'd be ESP. They're models (not the LTD line... the real thing) are way better than any USA made Fender or Gibson I've ever owned. But I digress... ESPs are an electric (only?) manufacturer.

Oh yeah, consider buying used.. I'm sure you can find a decent model for cheap off craigslist.

 

Okay... uhm.. that Rogue beginner guitar may only be 50 bucks online, but it plays and sounds and has tonal quality close to much higher priced guitar. And this isn't my unprofessional opinion... this is the opinion of my sister-in-law, a Master level violinist who also plays sax, piano, clarinet, upright bass, and guitar. I think she would be able to tell the difference

 

That's cool that your Rogue sounds and plays good AND was super cheap... I wish mine was like that. I'm not necessarily knocking cheap/import mail order guitars... a lot of my guitars are just that. But I think we've run into the exact problem that I'm trying to steer Stock Y-gon away from... being unable to try out different makes/models in person first, seeing what works for him, and then making a decision later. You might think my Rogue is actually super playable, but its really just a matter of opinion. Heck, what I do is play as many instruments that I can at various stores, then figure out if I should buy online vs. local store based on cost and other factors. I think Guitar Showcase gives a couple of free lessons if you buy a guitar above a certain price point... that might be worth it over buying something online. Oh well, I'm getting off my soapbox. If you can't tell, I'm passionate about guitars... maybe even more so than Subys! heh.

 

hehhe, well nothing wrong with being passionate. I also agree that it would do to try out guitars... but again, this is a new purchase for the express purpose of learning... and at 50 bucks plus a little shipping, the Rogue is a good quality guitar with good sound for a great value, so I don't necessarily think he will make a mistake going this route. I think, if he sticks with it, that his first "big" guitar purchase SHOULD be done in person, at a store, where he can try out different guitars to find one that "fits," ESPECIALLY if he wants to transition to electric, but for a lesson/beginner guitar, I don't think he will be making a mistake going the Rogue acoustic guitar route online for a great price.