he started when he was 9.5. Started on acoustic for the first 6 months and started to get bored. Then we got him the electric and amp, and the "power" lure got him. Now he's back to playing acoustic just as much to work on technique and finger picking and jazz stuff. The electric really got him going though, cause it's much easier to play, especially for small hands, and they feel like they are rockin and rolling.
I also have to say his instructor is AMAZING and I give him a lot of the credit.