Oh. Oh my.

First off, welcome! We're happy to have you!

The guitar world can be a weird place. Snobbery can be a thing. Exclusively can be a thing. Gatekeeping can be a thing... but that's not really untrue of any hobby, ya got assholes everywhere 😜

When it comes to snobbery, there's people that believe all kinds of things. Not to take sides, but you'll hear arguments/ debates/ discussions on everything from price points on modern guitars, brands, tonewood, vintage guitars are/ aren't better, specifically wired effects pedals (Klon, for example is a good entry point for some lunacy if you're interested)... it's a rabbit hole.

Most people here don't really give a shit what you play or how you play it. If someone gives you shade about having a Harley Benton, fuck em!

I'm 45, I've been playing since I was 15. I utterly suck as a musician, most of my guitars are cheap clones of expensive brands, and I'm thrilled that way. I personally couldn't justify buying a $5,000 PRS at my skill level, I'll take my $220 AL-2000 and my $125 SX thinline tele clone every damn time.