Coming back to the guitar

Hi, My name is Dave. I'm 57. Took guitar lessons in my early 20's but didn't stick with it for reasons that I don't recall. Frustration with slow progress, busy with school and/or work, unclear goals I'm guessing. Anyway, I'm now retired and still love music; and have more time and a little spending money. Found a cheap guitar up in the attack that my step-daughter had once used, brought it down and started fiddling around. That renewed my interest so I started doing some research about in-person and on-line instruction. Can't affored the in-person but have read lots of good things about Guitar Tricks (ended up deciding between that and Fender Play) and so, here I am.

Part II

I've been visiting Guitar Center, picked up a stand and some picks and strings, and restrung my step daughters old guitar. It's in pretty rough shape. After making the decision to subscribe to Guitar Tricks, I decided to get a better guitar. I tried several different models on several different days and vacillated a bit even on the type of guitar to get. Finally decided to get an steel-strung acoustic and visited the store again with a list of 4 candidates to take home. Was looking for something under $300, probably in the vicinity of $200. After trying a few, it came down to a particular dreadnought style and an auditorium/parlor model. Ergonomically, the smaller model (Jim Dandy) just felt a lot better. The dreadnought sounded very nice but had my strumming/picking arm jacked up too high (I think I have kind of a short torso), and although not as deeply resonant, I actually liked the sound of the Jim Dandy just fine. Then a salesperson came in to the playing room, so I asked him if I could try one of the Ovation's that was up on a high rack out of my reach. Since it has a pretty unique shape, I was interested to give it a try. It also felt very nice ergonomically, and to my ear had a nice crisp tone with lots of clarity (not really sure which adjectives the community uses but I guess I mean something like when you played a chord you could pick out each note as it was struck...not boomy). Also, in my hands, it played better than the other two. For instance, on some of the other models I tried, I had to work at not getting any buzzy notes but on the Ovation I had to work at getting them to buzz. Maybe the others could have been adjusted but the Ovation felt good right off of the shelf. Anyway, long story short, I went home with the Ovation. I know it's a brand that produces some strong opinions in both directions but for now I'm liking it a lot. Like any new relationship, we'll see how it goes.

Hi Dave. Nice. Got a pic of the Ovation?

An instrument which fits and feels just right to play is important to motivation and the positive learning experience IME. Don't need to break the bank, but wise spending enough to achieve that.

A bit over 40 years ago now, I had a mate with an Ovation. Had a then trendy oval shaped back. Was a nice guitar to play as I recall, and looked pretty cool too. Was out of my price league at the time.