I recently purchased this guitar used online. The setup was horrible (high plastic uncompensated saddle, back-bow in the neck, worn-out plastic nut), but after I lowered the action and adjusted the truss rod, it was playable. The tone and sustain were surprisingly good considering the cheap materials, though not nearly as good as my Alvarez AD60. Overall, it is about what I'd expect out of a guitar that runs $100 new (I got it for $25 to have a beater/practice guitar). I'd call this a good starter as long as you have it setup properly, just don't expect a Taylor or Martin.