How many of your play instruments?

Singlendedsingle: what is your budget--and do you want to start with acoustic or electric? Some info about your musical preferences might help as well.

Singleend,

I say start on a short scale electric (Les Paul, etc). They're the easiest to play in my book and you can migrate to the instrument of your choice when your skills allow.

I play guitar. A little blues, jazz and some rock. I use an American Standard Ash Tele and a EC Strat. Numerous amps and pedals....including a Mesa Tremoverb 2 12" combo. For acoustic I use a Taylor 810...has major PUNCH.

As a hobby and jamming with friends at times, I play two different 5 string electric bass guitars mostly classic rock, blues, gospel and soul. I also finally got up enough nerve to perform at an open mic jam session at a blues club in North Carolina last year. I did surprisingly well without any rehearsals at all. Blues is the easiest with the 3 basic chords as long as you know when to make the change. Had to watch the lead guitar player closely. Someone got me on video too and I have it. Not bad if I say so myself. It was a lot of fun : )

I used to practice accordion 4...5 hours daily, but failed at the young talent show and than quit:(
Than I came back to practicing when formed celtic and folk band and went basking. Basking made my income larger than both of my parents had when I turned 15.
We practiced lots of popular songs(much easier than Bach or Chopin indeed) and did lots of covers our own way and earned approx $80 per performance each.
That pulled me out of school in order to practice longer and learn more popular songs. The more 'customer orders' to play a specific song you can play, the more money you can make.
In my now-years, I regret switching to basking vs. going for the higher musician's education. Perhaps it was because I was the only one in the family with abilities and desire to master the musical instruments. If my parents were musicians, they'd really stop me and encouraged me not to quit.
Nowdays I enjoy playing string bass and Fender electric fretless jazz bass. Not much into accordion anymore but from time to time practice to recall old pieces I used to play. It's harder and harder nowdays to open the sheet music that was so long time ago forgotten.