Im not being cocky here, but im a brilliant on guitar, ive played since i was 7, im also pretty good on drums and piano.
as far as brands go, it really depends on what you want to spend, Martin and Takamine are two of the best acoustic brands, however they can be pretty expensive, if you need any more help just PM or MSN me, i know how difficult it can be to get started so it always helps to have someone on hand to help you.