This is a secret passion I've had for quite some time now, and seeing as I'm 17 already, I feel like it's important to get this going.

I've wanted to learn and play the guitar for well over a year now, and I just don't know where to start. I've considered taking guitar lessons, but I don't know how long it will take me to learn guitar, and I don't particularly like the idea of "paying by the hour."

I honestly don't know what musical instrument prices are these days, but I imagine they're not that expensive. Are there any sites, stores, or brands any of you could point me to, so I can start off with something? For my first guitar, I prefer used, just so I can practice and know if I like it before I invest money in something new.

I also want to form a band with this, but I'll put that off until I know I'm good enough at playing before I form one.

I know I sound completely clueless as to where I should start, but I need some advice. Is it recommended that I hire an instructor, or should I teach myself? Is it true that learning an acoustic before a electric guitar is better because it's more difficult, and that you'll be able to master any other guitar after that?

I've held this passion for a very long time, and I'm tired of waiting on it. I know I need to start, so any answers to these questions and any further advice about how to start learning guitar would be appreciated. Heck, even advice on how to start a band once I get good enough would be appreciated as well. Thanks.

Can anyone help out here?

Check out local music stores and ask out there, don't take the word of one store, check around.
As for learning, my dad recently taught himself with a book he got from the libarary

Start with the basics:

Then move on to the hard stuff.

My suggestions:

1. If you don't want to pay by the hour to learn...Don't. I started at 16, and never took a lesson in my life. I play fine. I'm not the most technical guy in the world, but I learned to play almost any cover within 2 years of self-learning.
2. Buy a DVD or two of guitar playing basics...Not tabs for songs, but like beginner guitar stuff with scales and chords.
3. Get TuxGuitar or Guitar Pro 5. They are tabulature programs for your PC. You can download songs and play along with them...They helped me immensely on learning to play songs I liked.
4. Guitars start around $50 for really basic crappy guitars. I'd suggest spending no more than $200 on your first guitar. Starting on acoustic is better, as its more difficult to learn for your fingers, but really helps them out. For acoustics, I like Washburn. For electrics, Squire and Ibanez are pretty standard for 'decent beginner guitars'. DO NOT INVEST ANY MORE until you decide that playing guitar is what you want to do...Then once you know the style you want to play, save up for something better.
5. Don't form a band until you've been playing for no less than a year and have decent knowledge of playing in tempo. I use my Android phone, and plug it into my guitar amp for backing tracks to songs. Works great on helping me with tempo.

Get a chord book (preferably one with photos), and a Squier Strat - they're cheap as hell, but have all the right shapes. Learning on an acoustic will most likely be a horrible and discouraging experience.

There are plenty of resource materials to teach yourself, and it definitely helps if you have some favourite songs which you would like to play. Tutoring may be an option after you've learned to play some chords, and had a chance to decide if it's something you want to dedicate yourself to, but many competent guitarists never bother.

You just put your lips together and blow.

start off on the easier difficulties and as you get better move up to higher sets, once you get the blue button down move onto the orange button which is very uncomfertable to master.

Beware of any Dragonforce songs, their hard.

and thats the guitar.

LOL

Step 1: Getting a guitar

Get a cheap ~80$ decent classical guitar, (not acoustic steel as someone above said) for the simple fact that nylon strings on classical are smoother for your beginner fingers. Acoustic Steel feels better (for both fingers and your ego) when you can already play some songs easily, then you should upgrade.

Ibanez is a good brand with fair prices.

When deciding which guitar you should buy, opt by low action guitars. This means, the strings gotta be the closest possible to the fretboard.

Low action example - Strings are so close to the fretboard that the pick can be stuck in the middle

High Action Example: Strings are so high that can be put there about 3 or 4 picks.

You should check action at the 12th fret on the neck, not at the beginning and not at the end.

Low action, is better for practicing chords and it requires less finger gimmick and strength to press the strings. Be aware, do not pick a guitar with extremely low action, those guitars are meant mainly to play jazz style music and do a little buzz on the fretboard when strumming harder.

Step 2: Getting a tuner

Your guitar most likely will get out of tune many times. That's pretty normal. You'll need a tuner because you don't know how to tune the guitar using just your hears. Any cheap tuner that costs 10 bucks with a monochromatic screen is fine. String tunning from the lower to highest string is EADGBE. (There are other tunings but this is the tuning 90% of guitar players choose)

Step 3: Learning the basic chords

Save this pic in your PC. Now.

I recommend you to practice G, G7, D, D7, E, Am and C first. With just this 7 chords you can already play some songs. This is way easier than many people actually think. Just keep practicing changing from a chord to another. In about 3 days you'll get it. If your fingers start to hurt from practice, it means you're doing a wonderful job, don't be a pussy and keep playing without using a pick*

Check this song, don't mind the portuguese text over it, you just need to look how simple it is.

Step 4: Learning songs

Look on youtube for simple guitar songs for you to learn, you find it easily searching by "beginner\easy guitar song lesson".

Choose JUST ONE and stick with it till you can play it fairly good. The accomplishment feeling when you can finally play it should get you pretty happy with yourself and excited to learn a new song. Then other. And then another. Then hit a chick because they like when a guy knows how to play guitar, even if somehow you played her 2 or 3 basic songs. In order to eventually avoid being caught as a guitar fraud, read the next step.

If you want a personal recommendation, here's a nice first song (you can add your own lyrics):

*Step 5: Learning scales and fingerpicking

This is optional: Some people are already happy to play guitar by just strumming and doing chords. You can stop "improving" at Step 4 level, but if you want to become "kickass" then continue,

AFTER, mastering songs that only require strumming and simple chords progression, you have to start learning scales.

In order to learn scales, you need to play with your fingers (its easier) that's why I said in step 3 not to use a pick.

Look on youtube for " beginner guitar scales lesson" and hopefully the videos you may find are explicit enough. If they aren't, keep searching. There's tons of videos on youtube teaching different scales. Again, you'll be on a whole new league, just how you started when learning the basic chords.

Learn some scales and try to blend them into the musics you already know, you might become surprised how it just works and sounds good, and from nowhere you're composing your own musics.

Sorry not to help you more in this specific matter, but I don't play on EADGBE tuning (as I said there are another tunings) so I don't know anything about scales in this tuning, I could be misinforming you.

Step 6: Buying a new guitar and getting guitar lessons

If you're really decided to embrace guitar playing, then it's time to upgrade on a better guitar and getting serious lessons.

  - Acoustic Steel finally has a better taste. There are some nice guitars starting at 100 bucks that might please you. Fender or again Ibanez have awesome guitars for less than 200 bucks.

 - For lessons, you have that old good pal that your uncle\dad\brother\friend knows . He lives in your city, more or less close to you, charges like 40 bucks per month and he can teach you really good shit such as flatpicking techniques, various rhythmic strums, arpeggios, fingerpicking, hell yeah.

Don't go for those high-end serious and expensive teachers, because they most likely will require you to learn in your classical guitar, not in your new fancy acoustic. Also, they may want to teach everything again from the beginning and musical theory. And that shit is boring for whoever doesn't want to make a living on music, which most likely is your case. Again, the good old pal is the better choice.

Learn from him for about a year or so, and you're a fine guitar player, you may want to start your own band just to play at the weekends on those humble clubs and cashing some extra 100$ extra income and the end of the month, doing what you like to do.

Hope this was helpful