Champ Kind said:
Rick, may I also suggest getting a capo. I think it's a great help in getting started (makes fretting some chords a bit easier). And don't worry about your fingers not fitting. There's lots of big - and I mean BIG - guitar players and they don't have a problem. Get through the first two weeks and your fingers will loosen up, the skin on your tips will harden, and the whole thing will start becoming enjoyable.
I'm going to start with the regular acoustic for a few weeks and see how the fingers make out. This is a surprise, me doing this. I want to be able to grab a guitar and play a few songs in front of my son and bro-in-law. They both play well and I'd love to be in tune with them, so to speak. I want to feel good about something - those of you who know me and what I've been through the past several years know that I'm about due for something positive. Learning guitar sounds perfect to me. And surprising family sounds just as perfect to me.
I have a capo - don't know how to use it yet, but I'll get there. In my spare time I'm trying to read up on music theory BASICS. Makes sense to me to do this - if I'm doing this, I want to do a decent job of it.
I'll keep you all posted!