Find one where the neck feels comfortable to you. Some necks are thicker than others, some have higher action (meaning the stringer are higher and harder to fret) than others, and the tone and feel of the guitar varies from guitar to guitar, so just look for something that feels and sounds good to you and fits your price zone. Try asking the music shop owner about it, they can usually give you recommendations for a good brand.

bring a friend who knows something about guitars shopping with you. buy him lunch if you have to.

If you're new, just buy any guitar that's more than $300, and any amp that's more than $150, and it will be improvement enough for you to be satisfied with your instrument and learn how to play it. Honestly, how the guitar feels doesn't matter for shit at this point. You probably don't even know what the hell these guys are talking about, and with good reason. Every guitar is going to feel awkward, and any guitar that's not cheap-as-hell is going to be fine. You're looking for functionality, not customization.

What I mean is that some guitars just feel better than others when you're playing them, and that's a preference from person to person. So find something you like, and don't buy the bottom-end if you think you're going to stick with it, but don't go for anything that expensive unless you know you're going to make it worth it.

Look for a cheap Alexes acoustic/electric. I got mine for $120. It's got blah sound, and it's not amazing, but it's got decent action.. and it's acoustic/electric for only $120!!! They had the non-electric one for $80.

I love acoustic guitars. Don't think of it as just a substitution because your amp doesn't work properly - the acoustic guitar is a whole different beast in its own right. The fundamental techniques and whatnot are the same, but it's a whole different feeling and vibe. The rule of only buying something you've played and tested out is even more crucial for acoustic guitars than it is electrics - acoustic guitars will have individual personalities, and you need to find the one that fits you.

My dad bought me my first guitar ever, a [url=http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,6373,CNTID=354&CTID=221000,00.html]Yamaha F-310[/url]. There's some chips and dents in it by now, it's been dropped and accidentally dinged on furniture a couple times, but it's still holding together well. I first got it ten years ago I think, and after taking it to a shop for an initial setup, I haven't had to do more than change the strings up until a few weeks ago (high e was buzzing - had to adjust the truss rod a bit to make it better). Cheap, and thus far pretty reliable. They might be discontinued, though.

That looks like the acoustic my choir director had. Sort of smallish in comparison to some acoustics?

Oh man, you did NOT just call my guitar small. That's a hell of a thing to do to another guy.

Sorry, when you're guitar is as huge as mine is, everything else just seems tiny. (literally, my acoustic is a monster of a guitar. I think this link shows a pic of the same model, though mine's pick guard fell off http://www.coog.com/harmony.htm)

[quote="Marekenshin"]That looks like the penis my choir director had. Sort of smallish in comparison to some penises?[/quote]

[quote="Joyeuse"]Oh man, you did NOT just call my penis small. That's a hell of a thing to do to another guy.[/quote]

[quote="Marekenshin"]Sorry, when your penis is as huge as mine is, everything else just seems tiny. (literally, my penis is a monster)[/quote]

Oh what a simple substitution can do.

The only thing wrong with that is that I've never seen my choir teacher's penis.

-_-

bring a friend when you're shopping for a nice penis.

This conversation turned pretty homosexual in a hurry.

My acoustic is a typical dreadnought style body. I don't think it's especially small; pretty much it's my idea of the average size for an acoustic guitar body.
[img]http://a186.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/21/l_1a0f65bb8bf138c973140df54694b5e1.png[/img]

Wow, your hair is...cyan?

Only some of it.