I agree Slim...the only thing a 200$ peice-o-shit will do for you is teach you how to deal with frustration and failure...it'll have unfixable dead spots, it won't stay in tune, the scale (fret placement) will be imprecise causing all kinds of problems, it'll have very little sustain/resonance, shitty wiring--including poor insulation and shielding--which, under certain conditions, will allow you to shock yourself really badly after playing a few hours while your trying to "crank" it up to actually "force it" to perform...oh sure, if you pussy-foot around the house and be very careful with it, you might teach yourself a few songs....but, don't be stupid enough to try to play in the "garage" with the boys, let alone gig with it.