Migeater: Key to getting good is practice at least thirty minutes a day. It'll take about two weeks to build up enough callous on your left-hand fingers so that you aren't crying by the end of the 30 minutes, but stick with it. You might consider going to
http://www.jamorama.com to check out their guitar lessons. They got me started, and the price was only $39.
I started with an acoustic-electric by Silvertone. Not a bad guitar for under $300 (actually got it for under $200 because it was on closeout at the store). However, my playing really turned the corner when I bought an Ovation Celebrity Delux.
For strings, I go with Elixir Custom Lites (Nanoweb). I get them on-line for a pretty good price at
http://www.stringsandbeyond.com (music stores are always more expensive, so once you know what you like, go on-line to get them).
These are coated, long-life strings, and a set can last six months of regular play, on average. Good luck, Migeater.
