It follows from what has been said below that the most sensible type of guitar for a beginner to buy is a reasonably priced steel string acoustic model similar to that shown in Illustration A. The tone of such an instrument can be surprisingly good and satisfying, especially if you have never had the pleasure of making your own music before.
If you'd like to hear the acoustic guitar at its ultimate, listen to the recordings made by Diango Reinhardt with Hot Club de France in the thirties, many of which are now available on re-recorded LPs. This may sound a rather prehistoric kind of reference, but in my opinion and that of many other guitarists, those performances have never been equaled since.
You should be able to pick up a reasonable second hand acoustic guitar for around $60, which is pretty cheap for the amount of pleasure it can give you.
If you're really stuck on the idea of an Electric Guitar will probably cost you 90$ or 100$, and then there's the amplifier to think about , so you're going to be committed to around $200 before you start. But do read the chapter on Electric Guitar in Section 3rd of this site before buying. A Semi Acoustic would cost you rather more, say $90 or $95 for the instrument, and here again you would probably want to but an amplifier as well.
You should be able to buy a reasonable second hand Spanish Guitar for about the same price as an Acoustic Guitar. Cheap Spanish Guitar used to be known as Valencianas, after the city where so many of them were made, but today they are just as likely to be Japanese and none the worse for that, I hasten to say. Admittedly it is rather above the Valenciana class, but my own Takamine is a delight to play and beautifully made.
