Man makes music on Linux-based touchscreen guitar Forget everything you know about guitars – acoustic or otherwise — because a hi-tech guitar has been designed that replaces strings and strumming with a touchscreen and Linux. The Misa Digital Guitar is shaped like a traditional electric guitar, but made from plastic and – instead of strumming — requires the player to tap …
Instead of spending money getting your kid one of these things, get them proper guitar lessons. If they have any aptitude, buy 'em a used guitar for home use. I've seen (and purchased!) decent acoustic guitars[1] at garage sales and junk shops for under $25 on occasion, and Fender/Gibson knock-offs, plus small practice amp, for under $100[2] on the used market.
Once they know how to play the stringed version (assuming ... why do you think the cheap knock-offs are plentiful and cheap?), they *might* want to get one of these Misa-things, should be easy to make the transition ... but I guarantee that learning on one of these will make the transition to strings difficult. Kinda like trying to teach a kid who learned BASIC as a first language proper technique in C or assembler.
[1] Not Martins, by any stretch, but not buzzy, real steel strings, decent hardware, capable of staying in tune, and plenty good enough to learn on. When I find 'em I give 'em away to kids I teach who can't afford their own.
[2] Again, not professional quality, but OK sounding once I readjust the pickups etc., and capable of staying in tune for more than five or six minutes. These I sell for the price I purchased them for, after setting them up properly. It's amazing how cocked up an electric guitar can get in the hands of a kid who hasn't a clue ...
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