Very inexpensive guitar?

Here's my answer as somebody who's played guitars for the past decade in gigging bands. Feel free to show this to your mother: I'm fully supportive of buying cheap equipment for people who are just getting into music, but $40 is too cheap. Last Christmas one of my cousins bought a guitar very similar to this one for her son. I played around with it as did my father (a better musician than I am). Neither of us could even play it. We'd tune it and within 30 seconds it would be dreadfully out of tune. Even perfectly tuned the intonation on all the notes would be wrong and chords would sound completely out of tune. And it would only get worse the more we strummed and the further out of tune it went. It's not my first experience with $40 guitars. It's not just that they're bad guitars. They're not even playable for a pro, let alone a beginner. Send it back or it'll end up doing nothing more than being a wall ornament. It's very unlikely to be a playable instrument even if you are a pro. Inexpensive playable guitars tend to run between $100-$200 new. You can sometimes find great deals on Craigslist, but I'd stay away from $100 Craigslist guitars. Too often that's somebody trying to get rid of a defective and unplayable guitar. A $200 used guitar is generally going to outplay a $200 new guitar substantially though. Cheap musical gear generally runs at nearly half the price used as it does new. (The expensive stuff is nearly as expensive, sometimes more, than it is new on the other hand). If you want to get your son a guitar that is actually playable, $100 is a bare minimum and even that will have defects so troublesome he won't actually be able to play in a band. Maybe around $200 for a used guitar he'll get something inexpensive that will be quality enough to use for awhile. In music you really do get what you pay for. $40 gets you a wall ornament.

Your mom bought you a toy shaped like a guitar. It's not even full size so it's a child's toy at that. It's also a classical guitar which is intended for playing classical music. If you're not interested in playing classical music it's the wrong guitar for you. Return the guitar and see if you can get a mom who's smarter and not as cheap. Beginners' guitars cost $150 - $280.

I think it's fine for just learning. It's not going to keep you from playing as well or not learning as quickly. Be thankful you have something to learn on, and when/if you get good, you can invest in something nicer. It's a student guitar, and that's what you are -- a student.

Oh geez read the description: "Remember though, new guitars do require frequent tuning." In other words, this "instrument" is incapable of staying in tune and will be completely worthless for learning music on. The sellers KNOW this and include that line to forestall complaints. Your mother needs to understand that trying to save money buying a cheap instrument is actually wasting money; that is $40 down the drain for an instrument that will not get played. If you have a guitar teacher, have him or her make a recommendation to your mother. NO guitar teacher would recommend the thing in your link. www.rondomusic.com sells cheap instruments that are at least really instruments. You might try one of theirs, their acoustics start around $70. I haven't played one and can't vouch for quality, their SX basses are not bad. Generally, though, a decent starter guitar would be in the $100-200 range. If she's concerned about the expense, consider taking up bassoon, or harp... that will teach someone to appreciate how cheap guitars are, even decent ones.

Your mom bought you a toy shaped like a guitar. It's not even full size so it's a child's toy at that. It's also a classical guitar which is intended for playing classical music. If you're not interested in playing classical music it's the wrong guitar for you. Return the guitar and see if you can get a mom who's smarter and not as cheap. Beginners' guitars cost $150 - $280.

Oh geez read the description: "Remember though, new guitars do require frequent tuning." In other words, this "instrument" is incapable of staying in tune and will be completely worthless for learning music on. The sellers KNOW this and include that line to forestall complaints. Your mother needs to understand that trying to save money buying a cheap instrument is actually wasting money; that is $40 down the drain for an instrument that will not get played. If you have a guitar teacher, have him or her make a recommendation to your mother. NO guitar teacher would recommend the thing in your link. www.rondomusic.com sells cheap instruments that are at least really instruments. You might try one of theirs, their acoustics start around $70. I haven't played one and can't vouch for quality, their SX basses are not bad. Generally, though, a decent starter guitar would be in the $100-200 range. If she's concerned about the expense, consider taking up bassoon, or harp... that will teach someone to appreciate how cheap guitars are, even decent ones.

I think it's fine for just learning. It's not going to keep you from playing as well or not learning as quickly. Be thankful you have something to learn on, and when/if you get good, you can invest in something nicer. It's a student guitar, and that's what you are -- a student.