Got my first guitar when I was 27, many years after playing drums (see below). We had Friday night get-togethers where I worked and we would sing popular songs that were easy to play. It was great. Most of these folks were really beginners, and thought that cheaper guitars were a better deal. Not being coached very well, I bought an Alvarez mahogany. Why spend $150 more for rosewood? It all sounded the same to me at the time.
Not to sully the moment, I bought a great deal on a set of drums my senior year of high school. Just the Paiste cymbals were worth much more than what I got the entire kit for. They were Japanese made Ludwig clones. Not long after, I then bought a set of vintage 1966 Ludwig white pearl finish, and was playing on weekends and making great steady money. It was all Bad Company, Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Frampton, etc. The guitar players were great, but I really wonder if they can still play all that great stuff at all today. No chord sheets, no lyric sheets, nothing; they played it all to the tee.