I love bang-for-the-buck instruments.
Growing up, I remember musical instruments being a serious investment. They were very expensive, and therefore only reserved for those dedicated to practice and committed to lessons and/or performing. (They weren't something you had the luxury of buying to “try out” or just to “fool around on when you have time”.) And as a result, if you decided to take the plunge, chances were it meant it was probably the one instrument you were stuck with.
On the other hand, attempting to buy a "cheap" instrument meant you'd probably end up with something that more closely resembles a toy than a real instrument. Something where the quality was either too poor to play “real” music or so unplayable that you'd give up on learning out of pure frustration...
