My little guy wants an acoustic guitar for Christmas. He's nine and a complete beginner. If it was for me I would get a GS Mini, still might. I don't want to spend more than $200ish on his until I see solid interest and I definitely don't want to buy him anything that will discourage him from playing. I can head over to GC to test drive a few. Any recommendations for something that plays decent at this price point. Thanks.
 
Rocky

The little martins and Taylors sound good, but they may be more than you want to spend.  I think it's called a baby taylor, used they'r around $200 here.

FWIW , I happen to like Parlor sized acoustic guitars for lot's of reasons .
 
Here's a list of whats out there ...Lot's of them may fall into your price range .
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Parlor--Acoustic-Guitars.gc
 
Kenny
 

Thanks guys. So far the Yamaha JR2 looks promising.
 
Rocky

Rocky, I got my 3 little ones (7-11) one of these Yamaha's and it's quite a nice build/plays very nicely. I also had the same thoughts when buying a guitar for them (their interest, the price, getting discouraged etc...).
 
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Yamaha/7-8-Size-Classical-Guitar.gc
 
Since they were also beginning to learn, I decided to go with a nylon string (so they won't get discouraged quickly with the pain from playing a steel string). It's been a few years since we got this and they play it "somewhat" regularly....I actually play it a lot more than they do (it's always handy being in the living room).  

Mesh
Rocky, I got my 3 little ones (7-11) one of these Yamaha's and it's quite a nice build/plays very nicely. I also had the same thoughts when buying a guitar for them (their interest, the price, getting discouraged etc...).
 
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Yamaha/7-8-Size-Classical-Guitar.gc
 
Since they were also beginning to learn, I decided to go with a nylon string (so they won't get discouraged quickly with the pain from playing a steel string). It's been a few years since we got this and they play it "somewhat" regularly....I actually play it a lot more than they do (it's always handy being in the living room).  

That is definitely something to consider. Thanks Mesh!
 
Rocky

kennywtelejazz
FWIW , I happen to like Parlor sized acoustic guitars for lot's of reasons .
 
Here's a list of whats out there ...Lot's of them may fall into your price range .
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Parlor--Acoustic-Guitars.gc
 
Kenny
 

 
I always liked the sound of Ian Anderson's parlour guitars, on stuff like Skating Away.

I have a Dean parlor guitar. Sounds great, records well, well-intonated, low action and never seems to go out of tune. It was $400, however. More than I'd spend in your situation. Unless, of course, it's an instrument you wouldn't mind inheriting in case the kid abandons it.
 
I've watched many kids fail at guitar. They start out fine but I think what ultimately turns them off is the physical effort and pain involved. You're a guitarist, you could hammer nails with your fingertips. But for kids starting out (and for us delicate keyboardists, too) it's literally painful. Once they realize just how many hours they'll have to put in, they give up.
 
If it was me, I'd seriously consider an electric guitar as a starter for that reason. And consider the parental benefits, too - mainly the ability to practice with headphones.

Lol...."practice with headphones".
 
Good thing they're not taking up the violin.

bitflipper
 
If it was me, I'd seriously consider an electric guitar as a starter for that reason. And consider the parental benefits, too - mainly the ability to practice with headphones.

I should have mentioned that he already has 2 Peavy Marvel super hero electric guitars his Uncle Mike bought him. They are not bad at all after cleaning up the frets some. He plays them, I showed him a few simple chords and single string melodies. I let him use my 70's Champ for an amp. Thanks for all of the input. I'm glad I asked.
 
Rocky